"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, "JUBA ISSHAM." I hope that some of your readers will be able to explain this signature, which is to me inexplicable. W. SPARROW SIMPSON. 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._ Escalus. "_Escal._ My lord. "_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. Mr. Collier says: "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." Mr. Knight says: "We encounter at the onset one of the obscure passages for which this play is remarkable. The text is usually printed thus: "'Then no more remains But that to your sufficiency, as your worth is able, And let them work.' "It is certainly difficult to extract a clear meaning from this; and so Theobald and Hanmer assume that a line has dropped out, which they kindly restore to us, each in his own way. The emendation which Steevens proposes is much less forced: 'Then' (says the Duke), 'no more remains to say, "'But your sufficiency as your worth is able, And let them work.'