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we approve of the substitution of chair for "cheer," as proposed long ago by Bishop Percy, and now seconded by the MS. corrector. But we see no good reason for changing "stuff" into grief, in the line

There seems to have been but little grief on the part either of the tyrant or his lady; and the repetition of "stuffed" and "stuff" is very much after the manner of Shakespeare.

Scene 4. Malcolm says of Macbeth's followers—

that is, where any advantage is held out, or "to be given" to them, both strong and weak desert Macbeth's standard. The MS. corrector proposes "advantage to be gotten; a better reading, which has been often suggested, is "advantage to be gained," and this we regard as more suitable to modern notions; but we counsel no change in the text, because the old reading was to a certainty the language of Shakespeare.

The latinism of farced, i.e., stuffed out, for "forced," has not a shadow of probability in its favour. Macbeth says of the troops opposed to him—

"Forced," says Mr Singer very properly, "Is used in the sense of re-in-forced." Neither can we accept quailed for "cooled," at the recommendation of the MS. corrector, in these lines where Macbeth says—

"My senses would have cooled"—that is, my nerves would have thrilled with an icy shudder. The received text is quite satisfactory.

— Act I. Scene 2.—In consistency with the verdict Just given, we must pronounce the following new reading, at any rate, reasonable.

Horatio, describing the effect of the appearance of the ghost upon Bernardo and Marcellus, tells Hamlet, as the quartos give it—

The folios read "bestilled." The MS. correction is bechill'd. And this we prefer to bestilled. It is quite in keeping with Macbeth's expression—

Shakespeare probably knew that "jelly" was gelu, ice. But "distilled," the common reading, affords quite as good a meaning as bechilled, and therefore, as this word has authority in its favour, which bechilled has not, we advise no alteration of the text.

Scene 3.—We think that the old corrector was right, when he changed "chief" into choice in the lines where the style in which Frenchmen dress is alluded to—

This is the reading of the old copies. The modern editions read more intelligibly—

"Chief" for chiefly. But we prefer the MS. correction—

both as affording better sense, and as coming nearer the old text than the received reading does.

In the same scene, Polonius says to his daughter—

We believe that "slander" here means abuse, misuse, and therefore we prefer the received text to squander, the reading of the MS. corrector.

Scene 5.—The ghost says—