Chapter CLVI: Act III

SC. 2. "How! of adultery? wherefore write you not
What monsters her accuse? Leonatus!"

The metre would require '_O_ Leonatus!' but as "What false Italian" follows, it might be better to read 'monster's her accuse_r_,' the _r_ having been lost as in Macb. ii. 1. See on Ant. and Cleop. iv. 10.

* * * * *

"Could not be so cruel to me as you, O the dearest of creatures,
would even renew me with your eyes."

Of this, as far as I can perceive, no sense has been or ever can be made. We should therefore read, with Pope, _but_ for 'as,' which may have been suggested by the preceding 'so'; or 'would _not_ even,' with Malone.

* * * * *

"I see before me, man; nor here, nor here,
Nor what ensues; but have a fog in them."

I think we should read _there_ for the second 'here,' and perhaps _they_ for 'but,' or '_they_ have.'

* * * * *

SC. 3. "Richer than doing nothing for a baub_le_."

The folio has _babe_, which Rowe judiciously corrected as it is here given. In the MS. 'bauble' was probably spelt _bable_ or, it may be, _babel_; and the latter part may have been effaced. Hanmer read _bribe_; Johnson and Singer _brabe_.

* * * * *

"Such gain the cap of him that makes 'em fine."

For ''em' the folio has _him_. If we retain the reading of the folio, we must read 'gains.' 'Cap' is salutation.

* * * * *

"They took thee for their mother
And every day do honour to her grave."

For 'her' we should read of course _thy_.

* * * * *

SC. 4. "Ne'er long'd my mother so
To see me first, as I have now ... Pisanio!"

* * * * *

"And thou _too_, Posthumus, that didst set up."

Posthumus is _always_ to be accented on the first syllable. It is usual to read '_thou_ that'; but my reading I think more natural.

* * * * *

"I'll wake mine eye-balls first.--Whërefore then?"

Hanmer read '_blind_ first'; I prefer _make_, with a (...); Collier's folio has _crack_.

* * * * *

"Though peril to my modesty, not death on't
I would adventure."

We should perhaps, with Johnson, read _Through_.

* * * * *

"There's more to be consider'd, but we'll even
All that good time will give us."

A verb seems lost at the end of the first line. Its place may have been taken by 'even,' or we might simply add _do_.

* * * * *

SC. 5. "Madam, all joy befall your grace and you."

I think Capell and Steevens were right in reading 'and you_rs_.' The two last letters had probably been effaced.

* * * * *

"She looks us like
A thing more made of malice than of duty."

I think we should insert _on_, _at_, or _to_ after 'look.' The 2nd folio read '_as_ like.'

* * * * *

"That will be given to the loud_est_ of noise we make."

So I read, with preceding editors.

* * * * *

"I have not seen these two days.--Go, look after _him_."

* * * * *

"The low Posthumus, _she_ slanders so her judgement."

* * * * *

SC. 6. "When resty Sloth
Finds the down-pillow hard."

Singer quotes Bullokar's Expositor to show that 'resty' is idle, inert. Steevens proposed _restive_.

* * * * *

"Since Leonatus' false."

That is 'Since Leonatus is,' to avoid cacophony.