"In friendship most sincere, As well as in devotion, To herself alone severe, And guards her every motion. Her conquering eyes give her no pride, Her charms she will not know, Nor meaner beautys does deride [sic], Tho' they their envy show.
"How lovely is that face Where modesty's adorning, And Marcia with that grace Is improving every morning. She like the glorious sun in spring Is encreasing every day, For her Apollo's harp he'll string, And the Muses sing their lay.
"How happy is this nymph, Whose noble inclination, All subtle arts contemns And sligh made assignation: [sic] Whose hours are spent in useful works, Or reading tracts divine, The young, the grave, the wise, the brave, Pay homage at her shrine. And so does Her humble slave,
I hope that some of your readers will be able to explain this signature, which is to me inexplicable.
ON A PASSAGE IN "MEASURE FOR MEASURE," ACT I. SC. 1.
Dr. Johnson long since observed that "there is perhaps not one of Shakspeare's plays more darkened than this by the peculiarities of its author, and the unskilfulness of its editors, by distortions of phrase, or negligence of transcription."
Under these circumstances we cannot be surprised that we are favoured with three pages of notes on the following passage, which occurs in the opening scene:
"_Duke._ Of government the properties to unfold, Would seem in me to affect speech and discourse: Since I am put to know, that your own science Exceeds, in that, the lists of all advice My strength can give you: Then no more remains But that to your sufficiency, as your worth is able, And let them work."
I must refer those who are desirous of seeing the various attempts to extract a meaning from this passage to the Variorum Edition, and content myself with those of the two latest editors, Mr. Collier and Mr. Knight.
"This passage is evidently corrupt, as is shown both by the metre and the sense. The latter will be cleared by the omission of the preposition 'to:' 'then no more remains [to be said], but that your sufficiency, as your worth is able, and let them work.' This change, however, will only partially cure the defective measure; and even were we to omit 'that,' as well as 'to,' the line would not be perfect without reducing 'sufficiency' to a trisyllable. It has been thought best, therefore, to leave the text as it stands in the first folio. 'Sufficiency' is adequate authority."