ON A PASSAGE IN "MEASURE FOR MEASURE," ACT I. SC. 1.
Dr. Johnson long since observed that "there is perhaps not one of Shakspeare's plays more darkened than this by the peculiarities of its author, and the unskilfulness of its editors, by distortions of phrase, or negligence of transcription."
Under these circumstances we cannot be surprised that we are favoured with three pages of notes on the following passage, which occurs in the opening scene:
"Duke. Escalus.
"Escal. My lord.
"Duke. Of government the properties to unfold,
Would seem in me to affect speech and discourse:
Since I am put to know, that your own science
Exceeds, in that, the lists of all advice
My strength can give you: Then no more remains
But that to your sufficiency, as your worth is able,
And let them work."
I must refer those who are desirous of seeing the various attempts to extract a meaning from this passage to the Variorum Edition, and content myself with those of the two latest editors, Mr. Collier and Mr. Knight.
Mr. Collier says:
"This passage is evidently corrupt, as is shown both by the metre and the sense. The latter will be cleared by the omission of the preposition 'to:' 'then no more remains [to be said], but that your sufficiency, as your worth is able, and let them work.' This change, however, will only partially cure the defective measure; and even were we to omit 'that,' as well as 'to,' the line would not be perfect without reducing 'sufficiency' to a trisyllable. It has been thought best, therefore, to leave the text as it stands in the first folio. 'Sufficiency' is adequate authority."
Mr. Knight says:
"We encounter at the onset one of the obscure passages for which this play is remarkable. The text is usually printed thus:
"'Then no more remains
But that to your sufficiency, as your worth is able,
And let them work.'
"It is certainly difficult to extract a clear meaning from this; and so Theobald and Hanmer assume that a line has dropped out, which they kindly restore to us, each in his own way. The emendation which Steevens proposes is much less forced: 'Then' (says the Duke), 'no more remains to say,
"'But your sufficiency as your worth is able,
And let them work.'
"It is not our purpose to remove obscurities by additions or omissions, and therefore we leave the passage as in the original, excepting a slight alteration in the punctuation. We believe it may be read thus, without much difficulty. 'Then no more remains (to say on government) But that, (your science) to your sufficiency, (joined to your authority) as your worth (as well as your virtue) is able (equal to the duty), and let them work (call them into action).'"
I cannot say that this exposition (paraphrastic as it is) is clear to me; and I feel confident that our great poet never wrote the words "But that," following as they do "Exceeds in that." What does "But that" refer to? It cannot refer to "science," as Mr. Knight imagines. The remedy lies in a very trifling correction of the press. In the MS. from which the play was printed, the words "But thrto" were thus written, and the compositor mistook "thr" for "tht;" there is no comma after that in the old copies. Replace "thereto" and the passage is perfectly clear as to sense.
"Then no more remains
But thereto your sufficiency, as your worth is able,
And let them work."
It may be necessary to show that the word I propose would be used by the poet just in the sense required here. The following passage from the Winter's Tale, Act I. Sc. 2., will, I think, place it beyond doubt:
"Camillo,
As you are certainly a gentleman, thereto
Clerk-like experienc'd, which no less adorns
Our gentry, than our parents' noble names,
In whose success we are gentle," &c.
I take the sense of the whole passage thus: "Since I must acknowledge that you are better skilled in the nature of government than I am, it would be idle in me to lecture you on the subject. Then nothing more is wanting but thereto your sufficient authority (i.e. to govern), as you have the ability, and let them (your skill and authority) come into operation."
Sufficiency, as Warburton long ago observed, is authority, but may possibly be here used in the Latin sense of substitution. Escalus is to be Vice-gerent. The very slight change necessary, and the great probability of the occurrence of the error, strongly recommend this simple emendation.
Daily experience is manifesting how large a portion of the difficult passages are errors of the printer of the first folio, the two happy corrections lately given in The Athenæum, for instance: who can doubt that in Coriolanus, Act III. Sc. 1., "Bosome-multiplied" should be "Bissom-multitude:" or that, in All's Well that Ends Well, Act V. Sc. 3., "infuite comming" should be "infinite cunning?" A glance at the passages as they stand in the old print of the first folio would convince the most sceptical. A list of mere printer's errors in that book would be not a little astounding.
S. W. SINGER.
[It may be proper to observe, that this Note by MR. SINGER had been in the Editor's possession at least a fortnight previous to the appearance of that by our esteemed correspondent at Leeds in our last Number.]