Which oft infects the wifeft: thefe, my lord, 'Tis none of mine. LEON. Have not you feen, Camillo, (But that's paft doubt: you have; or your eye-glafs Is thicker than a cuckold's horn;) or heard, (For, to a vifion fo apparent, rumour Cannot be mute,) or thought, (for cogitation Refides not in that man, that does not think it,3) have written, either-" against the performance," or " for the non-performance." In The Merchant of Venice our author has entangled himself in the fame manner: "I befeech you, let his lack of years be no impediment to let him lack a reverend eftimation;" where either impediment should be caufe, or to let him lack, thould be, to prevent his obtaining. Again, in King Lear: 66 I have hope "You lef know how to value her defert, Again, in the play before us: I ne'er heard yet, "That any of these bolder vices wanted "Les impudence to gain-fay what they did, Again, in Twelfth Night: 3 "Fortune forbid my outside have not charm'd her!" (for cogitation MALONE. Refides not in that man, that does not think it,)] The folio, 1623. omits the pronoun--it, which is fupplied from the folio 1632. STEEVENS. Mr. Theobald in a Letter fubjoined to one edition of The Double Falfhood has quoted this paffage in defence of a well-known line in that play: "None but himfelf can be his parallel." "Who does not fee at once (fays he) that he who does not think, has no thought in him." In the fame light this paffage should seem to have appeared to all the fubfequent editors, who read, with the editor of the fecond folio, " that does not think it." But the old reading, I am perfuaded, is right. This is not an abstract proposition. My wife is flippery? If thou wilt confefs, (Or elfe be impudently negative, To have nor eyes, nor ears, nor thought,) then say, LEON. Is whispering nothing? Is leaning cheek to cheek? is meeting nofes?" Kiffing with infide lip? stopping the career The whole context must be taken together. Have you not thought (fays Leontes) my wife is flippery (for cogitation refides not in the man that does not think my wife is flippery)? The four latter words, though disjoined from the word think by the neceffity of a parenthefis, are evidently to be connected in conftruction with it; and confequently the feeming abfurdity attributed by Theobald to the paffage, arifes only from mifapprehenfion. In this play, from whatever cause it has arifen, there are more involved and parenthetical fentences, than in any other of our author's, except, perhaps, King Henry VIII. MALONE. I have followed the second folio, which contains many valuable corrections of our author's text. The prefent emendation (in my opinion at least) deferves that character. Such advantages are not to be rejected, because we know not from what hand they were derived. STEEVENS. 3 a hobby horfe;] Old Copy-holy-horfe. Corrected by Mr. Pope. MALONE. were fin As deep as that, though true.] i. e. your fufpicion is as great a fin as would be that (if committed) for which you fufpect her. WARBURTON. 5-meeting nofes?] Dr. Thirlby reads meting nofes; that is, meafuring nofes. JOHNSON. Of laughter with a figh? (a note infallible blind With the pin and web,' but theirs, theirs only, That would unfeen be wicked? is this nothing? Why, then the world, and all that's in't, is nothing; The covering fky is nothing; Bohemia nothing; My wife is nothing; nor nothing have these nothings, If this be nothing. CAM. Good my lord, be cur'd Of this difeas'd opinion, and betimes; For 'tis most dangerous. LEON. Say, it be; 'tis true. It is; you lie, you lie: CAM. No, no, my lord. LEON. I fay, thou lieft, Camillo, and I hate thee; Canft with thine eyes at once fee good and evil, The running of one glafs." CAM. Who does infect her? LEON. Why he, that wears her like her medal," hanging the pin and web,] Disorders in the eye. See King Lear, A&t III. fc. iv. STEEVENS. theirs, theirs ] Thefe words were meant to be pro nounced as diffyllables. STEEVENS. 7 of one glass.] i. e. of one hour-glafs. MALONE. like her medal,] Mr. Malone reads---his medal. STEEVENS. About his neck, Bohemia: Who,-if I Their own particular thrifts,-they would do that Which fhould undo more doing: Ay, and thou, His cup-bearer,-whom I, from meaner form Have bench'd, and rear'd to worship; who may'ft fee Plainly, as heaven fees earth, and earth fees heaven, How I am galled,-might'ft befpice a cup, To give mine enemy a lafting wink;* Which draught to me were cordial. CAM. Sir, my lord, The old copy has-her medal, which was evidently an error of the prefs, either in confequence of the compofitor's eye glancing on the word her in the preceding line, or of an abbreviation being ufed in the Mf. In As you like it and Love's Labour's Loft, her and bis are frequently confounded. Theobald, I find, had made the fame emendation.-In King Henry VIII. we have again the fame thought: a lofs of her, "That like a jewel has hung twenty years About his neck, yet never loft her luftre." It should be remembered that it was cuftomary for gentlemen, in bur author's time, to wear jewels appended to a ribbon round the neck. So, in Honour in Perfection, or a Treatife in commendation of Henrie Earl of Oxenford, Henrie Earl of Southampton, &c. by Gervais Markham, 4to. 1624, p. 18.-" he hath bung about the neck of his noble kinfman, Sir Horace Vere, like a rich jewel.”—The Knights of the Garter wore the George, in this manner, till the time of Charles I. MALONE. I fuppofe the poet meant to fay, that Polixenes wore her, as he would have worn a medal of her, about his neck. Sir Chriftopher Hatton is reprefented with a medal of Queen Elizabeth appended to his chain. STEEVENS. 9 more doing:] The latter word is ufed here in a wanton fenfe. See Vol. IV. p. 193, n. 8. MALONE. 2 -a lafting wink;] So, in The Tempeft: *This ancient morfel." STEEVENS I could do this; and that with no rafh potion, I have lov'd thee,* 3 with 120 rash potions Maliciously, like poifon :] Rafb is hafty, as in K. Henry IV. P. II: "rah gunpowder." Maliciously is malignantly, with effects openly hurtful. JOHNSON. But I cannot Believe this crack to be in my dread miftrefs, I have lov'd thee, &c.] The laft hemiftich affign'd to Camillo must have been mistakenly placed to him. It is direfpect and infolence in Camillo to his king, to tell him that he has once lov'd him.-I have ventured at a tranfpofition, which feems felf-evident. Camillo will not be perfuaded into a fufpicion of the difloyalty imputed to his miftrefs. The king, who believes nothing but his jealoufy, provoked that Camillo is fo obftinately diffident, finely ftarts into a rage, and cries: I've lov'd thee-Make't thy question, and go rot! i. e. I have tendered thee well, Camillo, but I here cancel all former refpect at once. If thou any longer make a queftion of my wife's difloyalty, go from my prefence, and perdition overtake thee for thy ftubbornnefs. THEOBALD. I have admitted this alteration, as Dr. Warburton has done, but am not convinced that it is neceffary. Camillo, defirous to defend the queen, and willing to fecure credit to his apology, begins, by telling the king that he has loved him, is about to give inftances of his love, and to infer from them his present zeal, when he is interrupted. JOHNSON. I have lov'd thee,] In the firft and fecond folio, these words are the conclufion of Camillo's fpeech. The later editors have certainly done right in giving them to Leontes; but I think they would come in better at the end of the line: Make that thy question, and go rot !- -I have lov'd thee. TYRWHITT. I have restored the old reading. Camillo is about to tell Leontes how much he had loved him. The impatience of the king interrupts him by faying: Make that thy queftion, i. e. make the love of which you boaft, the fubject of your future conversation, and go |