Mr. Malone has changed nor for neither, not much to the advantage of the verse.

He is always careful to provide a sufficient number of discords.

P. 156.-18.-414.

Shy. If I can catch him once upon

the hip,

I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.

I cannot agree with Mr. Henley.

P. 157.-18.—415.

Ant. Shylock, albeit I neither lend nor borrow,
By taking, nor by giving of excess,

Yet, to supply the ripe wants of my friend,
I'll break a custom.

Ripe is the true reading.

P. 166.-25.-426.

Laun. My conscience says,-no; take heed honest Laun-
celot; take heed honest Gobbo; or, as aforesaid, honest
Launcelot Gobbo; do not run, scorn running with thy
heels.

I heartily agree with Mr. Malone.

Ibid.-427.

Away! says the fiend, for the heavens; rouse up a brave
mind, says the fiend, and run.

Might we not point thus? Away says the fiend; for the heavens (i. e. for heaven's sake) rouse up a brave mind, says the fiend, and run,

P. 167.-26.-428.

Laun. [aside] O heavens, this is my true begotten
father! who, being more than sand-blind, high-gravel
blind, knows me not. I will try conclusions with him.

I do not see why we should not read try conclusions.

Laun.

P. 168.-26.428.

―――― marry, at the very next turning, turn of no hand, but turn down indirectly to the Jew's house.

Gob. By God's sontics, 'twill be a hand way to hit.

I take God's sonties to be God's innocents, santes.

P. 168.-27.-429.

Laun. Well, let his father be what he will, we talk of
young master Launcelot.

Gob. Your worship's friend, and Launcelot, sir.

This is rightly explained by Malone.

P. 169.-27.430.

Laun. Well, old man, I will tell you news of your son:
Give me your blessing.

I cannot discover the frequent references that Mr. Henley speaks of.

Laun. Adieu!-tears exhibit my tongue.-Most beau-
tiful Pagan,-most sweet Jew! If a Christian do not
play the knave, and get thee, I am much deceived.

I am very strongly of opinion with the ignorant editor of the 2d folio, that we ought to read, did. In this I am confirmed by the passage in the 3d Act, to which Mr. Malone refers. I shall patiently submit to whatever imputation of folly and absurdity the avowal of this opinion may expose me.

Lor.

P. 177.-34.439.

Enter Launcelot, with a letter.

Friend Launcelot, what's the news?

Laun. An it shall please you to break up this, it shall
seem to signify.

I do not perceive here any allusion to carving. Every one knows what it is to break up a letter. So in the Winter's Tale: Break up the seals, and read.

P. 180.-36.442.

Lock up my doors; and when you hear the drum,
And the vile squeaking of the wry-neck'd fife,
Clamber not you up to the casements then.

I would read, actively, the wry-neck fife, i. e. the fife that wries the neck of him, who plays on it.

P. 187.-42.-451.

Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgement old,
Your answer had not been inscrol'd:
Fare you well; your suit is cold.

I would read this answer for the reasons given by Dr. Johnson, which appear to me unanswerable.

P. 193. 48.459.

There be fools alive, I wis,
Silver'd o'er; and so was this.
Take what wife you will to bed,
I will ever be your head:
So begone, sir, you are sped.

I wonder Mr. Malone did not omit the word sir, as it was supplied by the editor of the 2d folio, and inform us that gone is here a dissyllable. Shakespeare certainly sometimes makes words which are now pronounced as one syllable (as your, hour, &c.) dissyllables: but I think not so frequently as Mr. Malone supposes.

P. 200.-54.-468.

O! these naughty times

Put bars between the owners and their rights;
And so, though yours, not yours.-Prove it so,
Let fortune go to hell for it,-not I.

Mr. Heath has explained this rightly, and Warburton has mistaken it. Grammar certainly requires that we should read me for I, according to the correction of the Oxford Editor; but we know that Shakespeare is frequently ungramma

tical, and that an error of this kind is no proof

of a corruption.

P. 204.-57-472.

Thus ornament is but the guiled shore
To a most dangerous sea.

Guiled means possessing guile.

P. 205.58.472.

But thou, thou meager lead,

Which rather threat'nest, than dost promise aught,
Thy plainness moves me more than eloquence,
And here choose I.

I think Warburton has altered the right word.

Ibid. 473.

O love, be moderate, allay thy ecstasy,
In measure ruin thy joy, scant this excess.

I think rain is clearly the right word.

Bass.

P. 211.-64.-18 1.

Here is a letter, lady;

The paper as the body of my friend,

And every word in it a gaping wound,
Issuing life-blood.

I do not believe the Author wrote is the body. I think Mr. Steevens is clearly right.

Thou naughty gaoler, that thou art so fond
To come abroad with him at his request.

I am not clear that fond in this place means foolish, I rather take it to signify desirous, in the sense in which we use it when being requested to do a thing we dislike, we say we are not fond of it. If it be objected that this sense requires a different construction, and that it should be so fond of going, it may be answered, that a much later and more correct writer than Shakespeare has used this form of construction; which I admit to be improper: "Should such a one, too

fond to rule alone," for too fond of ruling. Shylock means to censure the gaoler's facility, in being so ready and willing to comply with the prisoner's request.

P. 214.-66.-484.

Ant. The duke cannot deny the course of law;
For the commodity that strangers have

With us in Venice, if it be denied,

Will much impeach the justice of the state;
Since that the trade and profit of the city
Consisteth of all nations.

This passage (which had much perplexed me) may be rightly explained by Mr. Malone; but I do not yet understand the construction.

Por.

P. 217.-68.-488.

What notes and garments he doth give thee, Bring them, I pray thee, with imagin'd speed.

Imagin'd speed means, I think, with speed that may he more easily imagined than expressed,— with all imaginable speed. The expression, so understood, is, I admit, licentious. I cannot think Mr. Steevens's is the true explanation.

P. 217.-68.-488.

Unto the tranect, to the common ferry

Which trades to Venice.

I incline to read traject, with the modern editors.

P. 219.-70.-490.

Laun. Truly then I fear you are damn'd both by father
and mother.

I do not suspect that for has been inadvertently omitted.

P. 221.-72.-493.

Lor. Goodly lord, what a wit-snapper are you!

Mr. Tyrwhitt is certainly right. I wonder the editors continue so manifest an error.