'He is a Man, setting his Fate aside, of comely Virtues,
And Honour in him, which buys out his Fault;
Nor did he soil the Fact with Cowardise,
But &c.'
Pope read:
'He is a man, setting his fault aside,
Of virtuous honour, which buys out his fault;
Nor did he soil the fact with cowardise,
But &c.'
Theobald follows Pope verbatim, and so Hanmer, except that he reads 'setting this fact aside.' Warburton proposed 'setting this fault aside.' Johnson read:
'He is a man, setting his fault aside,
Of comely virtues;
Nor did he soil the fact with cowardise,
An honour in him which buys out his fault,
But, &c.'
Steevens, in his edition of 1773, restored 'his fate' from the Folios in the first line, giving the reading we have adopted in the text.
Note XIII.
III. 5. 49-51. The first Folio has here:
'And the Asse, more Captaine then the Lyon?
The fellow loaden with Irons, wiser then the Iudge?
If Wisedome be in suffering, Oh my Lords,
&c. &c.'