NOTES.
Note I.
I. 1. 167. Mr Collier says: "In the three earlier folios the word is spelt 'wrenching,' which the printer of the fourth folio, not understanding, altered to 'drenching.'" In the three copies of the fourth folio now before us the word is 'wrenching.'
Note II.
I. 2. Capell, followed by Malone, made many gratuitous alterations in the stage-directions of the Folios, which we have not thought it worth while always to record.
Note III.
II. 3. 7-9. Pope's reading is as follows:
'Still growing in a majesty and pomp,
The which to leave, a thousand-fold more bitter
Than sweet at first t'acquire.'
Theobald, followed by Hanmer, has:
'Still growing to a majesty and pomp,
The which to leave's a thousand-fold more bitter
Than sweet at first t'acquire.'
Capell reads, following the arrangement of the Folios:
'Still growing in a majesty and pomp,—the which
To leave, 's a thousand fold more bitter, than
'Tis sweet at first to acquire.'
We are in doubt here as to which is the reading of Mr Collier's MS. Corrector, for in his edition of Coleridge's Lectures he gives it,
'To leave's a thousand times more bitter, than
Sweet, &c.'
while in the second edition of his Shakespeare he quotes it as follows:
'To leave's a thousand-fold more better, than
'Tis sweet, &c.'
Note IV.
II. 3. 103. Mr Collier says, "If the blood of Anne Bullen had saluted or welcomed the news,—'If my blood salute this a jot—' there would have been no difficulty." It is not clear whether Mr Collier intends this as a conjectural emendation or not.
Note V.
II. 3. The stage direction which we have given from the Folios has been variously altered. The only important change which Capell introduces is in making the Archbishop of Canterbury follow the Bishops. The alteration 'between' for 'below' appeared in Reed's edition of 1803, and has been followed by some modern editors.
Note VI.
II. 4. 75. This line appears to have been accidentally omitted by the printer of the edition by Johnson, who, without taking the trouble to refer even to Warburton's text, conjectured that the passage was corrupt and proposed to read:
'Nay, before.—
Induc'd by potent circumstances, that
You are my enemy, I make my challenge.
You shall not be my judge.'
Note VII.
II. 4. 182. Mr Collier, in his 2nd edition, says, "We are quite satisfied that Theobald was right in reading 'The bottom of my conscience.'" Theobald does not adopt the conjecture in his text. His note is as follows: "Tho this reading be sense, and therefore I have not ventur'd to displace it; yet, I verily believe, the poet wrote; 'The bottom of my conscience,—' My reason is this. Shakespeare in all his historical plays was a most diligent observer of Hollingshead's Chronicle; and had him always in eye, wherever he thought fit to borrow any matter from him. Now Hollingshead, in the speech which he has given to King Henry upon this subject, makes him deliver himself thus. 'Which words, once conceived within the secret bottom of my conscience, ingendred such a scrupulous doubt, that my conscience was incontinently accombred, vex'd, and disquieted.'" Theobald appears to have forgotten that the emendation was suggested to him by Dr Thirlby. See Nichols' Illustrations, II. p. 461.
Note VIII.
III. 2. 192. The first and second folios, which in so doubtful a case we have followed, read:
'that am, have, and will be (Though ... horrid) yet my duty, &c.'
The third and fourth extend the parenthesis so as to include line 198, '(Though ... break).'
Rowe reads: 'that am I, have been, and will be: Though ... horrid; yet, my duty, &c.'
Pope: 'that am I, have been, will be:' pointing the rest with Rowe.
Capell, reading as the folios, puts a full stop at 'be,' line 192, and a semicolon at 'horrid,' line 196.
Mason proposes to omit the words 'that am, have, and will be,' because he can find no meaning in them.
Malone supposes that a line following 192 has been lost.
Seymour proposes to read:
'that I am, have been, and shall be
....................................
And throw it from their soul (most firm and loyal)
Though perils &c.'
Jackson conjectures: 'that aim, has and will be, Though, &c.' or, 'that aim has, and will be To you, though ... duty, And throw, &c.'
Mr Knight conjectures: 'that aim I have and will, Though, &c.,' 'will' being here a noun.
Mr Collier adopts this reading, but takes 'will' to be a verb, for 'will have.'
Mr Singer reads: 'that I am true, and will be, Though, &c.' by which, he says, all is made 'congruous and clear.'
Mitford would read: 'that am, and will be yours. Though, &c.'
Dr Badham suggests: 'that am your slave and will be. Though, &c.'
Mr Staunton conjectures: 'to that I am slave and will be, Though, &c.'
Sidney Walker says: "If there be no other corruption, the period after 'be' ought to be replaced by a comma: otherwise the words appear unintelligible. Even so, however, this will be a most harsh instance of ἀνακολουθία. But I rather think that a line is lost, somewhat to the following effect:
'that I am, have, and will be,
[In heart and act, tied to your service; yea,]
Though all the world should, &c.'"
Mr Grant White adopts Mr Singer's reading, nearly: 'that am true and will be, &c.'
Mr Nichols proposes to transfer 'yours' from line 199 to follow 'will be:'
'that am, have, and will be yours
.................................
... and stand unshaken.'
Mr Keightley prints, 'that am, have and will be ... Though &c.,' indicating that the sense is interrupted.
Note IX.
III. 2. 208, 209. The misreading 'may' for 'have,' which is so familiar to us in this often-quoted passage, was not corrected by Pope or any subsequent editor till Capell.
Note X.
V. 3. Mr Grant White suggests that a new scene should begin here, "although the stage direction in the folio is only 'A Councell Table brought in with Chayres and Stooles, and placed under the State,' &c. But this is plainly the mere result of the absence of scenery of any kind on Shakespeare's stage, and the audience were to imagine that the scene changed from the lobby before the Council Chamber to that apartment itself." We have adopted his suggestion, thinking that the obvious propriety of changing the scene outweighs any inconvenience which might result for purposes of reference. Hanmer, Warburton, and Johnson all follow Pope in calling this Scene V. Theobald also supposes a new scene to begin here, although in his edition the scenes are not numbered. Capell, by his stage direction, indicated that the scene presented the Council-chamber and the lobby both at once to the eyes of the spectators.
Note XI.
V. 4. 30-61. It is scarcely worth while to record how Capell cut up these thirty lines of prose into verse. No editor has followed him. Mr Sidney Walker however has made a similar attempt, but is forced to admit that in some changes of reading he has 'ventured beyond the lawful limits of an emendator.' With the same license, it would be easy to convert an Act of Parliament or a leading article into verse.
Mr Walker also has followed Capell, or perhaps has hit independently on the same arrangement, as regards the first part of the scene. The intervening lines from 10 to 30 are printed as verse in the folio. In these he proposes some trifling changes of arrangement.
Note XII.
V. 5. 1-4. Pope, with more than usual audacity, makes the lines run smoothly by thus changing them:
'Heav'n, from thy endless goodness, send long life,
And ever happy, to the high and mighty
Princess of England, fair Elizabeth.'
Theobald, Hanmer, Warburton, and Johnson adopt Pope's reading without remark.
Note XIII.
V. 5. 32. Mr Collier mentions that the second Folio has 'Come' in this line, a misprint rectified by his 'old annotator.' In three copies which we have consulted it is distinctly 'Corne.'
Note XIV.
V. 5. 39-55, 56-62. Theobald was the first to suggest that lines 39 to 55 'Nor shall this peace ... bless heaven,' and lines 56 to 62, 'She shall be ... mourn her,' were an interpolation. Cranmer's speech originally, as he supposed, ended at 'not by blood.' Then the King replied:
'Thou speakest wonders. O lord Archbishop, &c.'