Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/132

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. x. Arc, 15, 1911.

a reminiscence of Marlowe's line. The phrase " in such a case " is quite common in Shakespeare. See, for example, ' Komeo and Juliet,' II. iv. 54 ; ' Julius Caesar,' IV. iii. 6 ; ' Othello,' III. iv. 143 (cases) ; ' An- tony and Cleopatra,' II. ii. 98 ; ' Corio- lanus,' V. iv. 34.

But I am inclined to think that we must look into this play itself for the true solution of the crux. In III. v. 74 we find :

Hel, May be the amorous count solicits her

In tlie unlawful purpose.

Wid. He does indeed ;

And brakes with all that can in such a suit

Corrupt the tender honour of a maid ; and having regard to this passage, it is, perhaps, not too daring to suggest that Shakespeare wrote in IV. ii. 38,

I see that men may broke 's (i.e., broke us), using the verb with a transitive instead of a neuter force no uncommon usage with liim or rather, perhaps, treating " us " as an ethic dative. One merit of this reading is that it accounts for the r of rope 's, which the reading " cope 's " does not do ; unless, indeed, we are to assume that the r is a misprint for c, a corruption not uncommon in the Folio, owing to the similarity of the letters in the type used. See, for example, the 'Errors,' I. i. 117,

Had not their barke been very slow of sail, where " barke " is misprinted backe. It also accounts for the k in " make."

As for the latter part of the line, the word " suit " in III. v. 74 is of itself enough to convince us that for " scarre " we should read not " case," but cause ; and powerful support is lent to this view by the ductus literarum, the rr representing a misprint of u, and the c being merely transposed or out of place a metathesis of letters which not only is exceedingly common in the Polio, but occurs in almost every newspaper of the present day.

It is a very remarkable fact the more remarkable that it seems never to have been noticed that the identical corruption of cause, into " scarre " occurs in ' Cymbeline,' V. v. 305, where Belarius, speaking of Guiderius, says to Cymbeline :

This man. . . .hath

More of thee merited than a band of dotens

Had ever scarre for.

"Substituting cause for " scarre," we have a simple and elegant correction which throws a flood of light on an otherwise obscure and wrongly interpreted passage. Of course, '" scarre " (" scar " in modern texts) is defended. Was there ever a rankly gross

corruption in the Folio which has not been defended by some critic ?

The correction, then, of the passage in ' All 's Well ' will run,

I see that men may broke 's in such a ca use

That we '11 forget ourselves

a reading which fulfils every requirement both of sense and context. Cope 's gives excellent sense, but it does not readily account for the aggressive r in " rope 's," or for the k in " make " ; and it is not so striking or effective in meaning as broke 's.

Another argument in favour of broke 's is that which has been called the " argument from repeated expressions." It is not un- common for Shakespeare at least, in the later stages of his career to use a striking word or phrase twice in a single play, and not afterwards. Examples may be found in ' Much Ado,' IV. ii. 89, " everything handsome about him," and V. iv. 105, " nothing handsome about him " ; ' Julius Caesar,' I. ii. 317, " Caesar doth bear me hard," and II. i. 215, " Ligarius doth bear Caesar hard " ; and elsewhere. It is not, therefore, straining probability to assume that this usage may be found in the above- mentioned passages in ' All 's Well;'

HENRY CUNINGHAM.

CERTAIN CHATTELS OF ROGER MORTIMER OF WIGAIORE. In the Chancellor's Roll, No. 127 of 8 Edward III. (B.O.), we find an interest- ing list of certain goods of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore, the paramour of Queen Isabella of evil fame. It comes in the account of Thomas de Ely and others, late Sheriffs of Middlesex.

By brief of the King in October, 4 Ed- ward III., &c.

Among Roger's goods and chattels they account

" de magno chargouro, pondere xix. lb., pretii xxiv. lb. : j cipho argenti cum pede et cooperculo deaurato pro vino de Vernache aimellato in fundo, et cooperculo sculpto de armis dicti Rogeri, pondere xxxv.s. 5.d., pretii Ix.s. : j cipho cum cooperculo et tripode argenti sculpto de foliagiis, aurato et aymellato de diversis armis de Mortimer et Geneville, pondere iv. lb. 2.5., pretii vi. lb. : j gotdetto argenti pro vino aimellato de diversis armis, viz. armis dicti Rogeri : j aquarip de eadem setta : iiij godetti quorum unum interius deaura- tum pro vino de Verenach, et ceteri in fondo aimellati de armis dicti Rogeri : j salsario piano cum cooperculo argenti pondere vi. lb. 6.d., pretii ix. lb. vi.s. viii.dL : j lieva [or liena] de cericq argenti pretii vi.. viii.d. Que fuerunt dicti Rogeri et manibus Johls de Hynxeton aurifabri London' tempore arrestationis predict! Rogeri."