Doth all the noble substance of a doubt
To his own scandal."
Quarto of 1604.
"The dram of eafe."
Quarto of 1605.
"The dram of ill
Doth all the noble substance often dout,
To his own scandal."
Knight and Collier.
I cannot look upon this emendation, although sanctioned by the two latest editors of Shakspeare, as by any means a happy one. The original word in the second quarto, "ease," so nearly resembles "eale" in the first quarto (especially when printed with the old-fashioned long ""); and the subsequent transition from ease to base is so extremely obvious, and at the same time so thoroughly consistent with the sense, that it is difficult to imagine any plausible ground for the rejection of base in favour of ill. Dram was formerly used (as grain is at present) to signify an indefinitely small quantity; so that "the dram of base" presents as intelligible an expression as can be desired.