Notes and Queries, No. 181, April 16, 1853 | Page 7

a far more decisive objection to this alteration.
To compare the beauty of Bianca with the beauty of Europa is a
legitimate comparison; but to compare the beauty of Bianca with
Europa herself, is of course inadmissible. Here is another corruption
introduced in order to produce rhyming couplet; restore the old reading,
"the daughter of Agenor had."
The Winter's Tale, Act IV. Sc. 2., p. 191.:
"If, &c., let me be enrolled, and any name put in the book of virtue."
We have here an abortive attempt to correct the nonsensical reading of
the old copies, unrolled; but if enrolled itself makes sense, it does so
only by introducing tautology. Besides, it leads us away from what I
believe to be the true reading, unrogued.
King John, Act V. Sc. 7., p. 212.:
"Death, having prey'd upon the outward parts, Leaves them unvisited;
and his siege is now Against the mind."
How could death prey upon the king's outward parts without visiting
them? Perhaps, however, we have here only a corruption of a genuine
text. Query, "ill-visited."
Troilus and Cressida, Act I. Sc. 3., p. 331.:
"And, with an accent tun'd in self-same key, Replies to chiding
fortune."
This, which is also Hanmer's reading, certainly makes sense. Pope read
returns. The old copies have retires. I believe Shakspeare wrote
"Rechides to chiding fortune." This puzzled the compositor, who gave
the nearest common word without regard to the sense.
Troilus and Cressida, Act V. Sc. 1., p. 342.--The disgusting speeches

of Thersites are scarcely worth correcting, much less dwelling upon;
but there can be little doubt that we should read "male harlot" for "male
varlet;" and "preposterous discoverers" (not discolourers) for
"preposterous discoveries."
Coriolanus, Act V. Sc. 5., p. 364.:
"I... holp to reap the fame Which he did ear all his."
To ear is to plough. Aufidius complains that he had a share in the
harvest, while Coriolanus took all the ploughing to himself. We have
only, however, to transpose reap and ear, and this nonsense is at once
converted into excellent sense. The old corrector blindly copied the
blunder of a corrupt, but not sophisticated, manuscript. This has
occurred elsewhere in this collection.
Antony and Cleopatra, Act I. Sc. 5., p. 467.:
"And soberly did mount an arm-girt steed."
This reading was also conjectured by Hanmer. The folios read
arme-gaunt. This appears to me a mere misprint for rampaunt, but
whether rampaunt was Shakspeare's word, or a transcriber's
sophistication for ramping, is more than I can undertake to determine. I
believe, however, that one of them is the true reading. At one period to
ramp and to prance seem to have been synonymous. Spenser makes the
horses of night "fiercely ramp," and Surrey exhibits a prancing lion.
This communication is, I am afraid, already too long for "N. & Q.;" I
will therefore only add my opinion, that, though the old corrector has
reported many bad readings, they are far outnumbered by the good ones
in the collection.
W. N. L.
Mr. Collier's "Notes and Emendations:" Passage in "The Winter's
Tale."--At p. 192. of MR. PAYNE COLLIER'S new volume, he cites a
passage in The Winter's Tale, ending--

"... I should blush To see you so attir'd, sworn, I think To show myself
a glass."
The MS. emendator, he says, reads so worn for sworn; and adds:
"The meaning therefore is, that Florizel's plain attire was 'so worn,' to
show Perdita, as in a glass, how simply she ought to have been
dressed."
Now MR. COLLIER, in this instance, has not, according to his usual
practice, alluded to any commentator who has suggested the same
emendation. The inference would be, that this emendation is a novelty.
This it is not. It has been before the world for thirty-four years, and its
merits have failed to give it currency. At p. 142. of Z. Jackson's
miscalled Restorations, 1819, we find this emendation, with the
following note:
"So worn, i. e. so reduced, in your external appearance, that I should
think you intended to remind me of my own condition; for, by looking
at you thus attired, I behold myself, as it were, reflected in a glass,
habited in robes becoming my obscure birth, and equally obscure
fortune."
{379} Jackson's emendations are invariably bad; but whatever may be
thought of the sense of Florizel being so worn (instead of his dress), it
is but fair to give a certain person his due. The passage has long seemed
to me to have this meaning:
"But that we are acquiescing in a custom, I should blush to see you,
who are a prince, attired like a swain; and still more should I blush to
look at myself in the glass, and see a peasant girl pranked up like a
princess."
& more, in MS., might