I.ii.90 (122,3) [How like you the young German] In Shakespeare's time the duke of Bavaria visited London, and was made knight of the garter. Perhaps in this enumeration of Portia's suitors, there may be some covert allusion to those of Queen Elizabeth. I.iii.47 (125,4) [catch him once upon the hip] A phrase taken from the practice of wrestlers. I.iii.63 (126,5) [the ripe wants of my friend] _Ripe wants_ are wants _come to the height_, wants that can have no longer delay. Perhaps we might read, _rife wants_, wants that come thick upon him. I.iii.100 (127,6) [ An evil soul, producing holy witness, Is like a villain with a smiling cheek; A goodly apple rotten at the heart. O, what a goodly outside falshood hath?] I wish any copy would give the authority to range and read the lines thus: _O, what a_ godly _outside falshood hath! An evil soul producing holy witness, Is like a villain with a sailing cheek; Or goodly apply rotten at the heart._ Yet there is no difficulty in the present reading. _Falsehood_, which as _truth_ means _honesty_, is taken here for _treachery_ and _knavery_, does not stand for _falshood_ in general, but for the dishonesty now operating. (1773) I.iii.156 (129,8) [dwell in my necessity] To _dwell_ seems in this place to mean the same as to _continue_. To _abide_ has both the senses of _habitation_ and _continuance_. I.iii.176 (130,9) [left in the fearful guard] [W: fearless] Dr. Warburton has forgotten that _fearful_ is not only that which fears, but that which is feared or causes fear. _Fearful guard_, is a guard that is not to be trusted, but gives cause of fear. To _fear_ was anciently to _give_ as well as _feel terrours_. (see 1765, I,402,4) I.iii.180 (130,1) [I like not fair terms] Kind words, good language. II.i.7 (131,2) [To prove whose blood is reddest, his or mine] To understand how the tawney prince, whose savage dignity is very well supported, means to recommend himself by this challenge, it must be remembered that _red_ blood is a traditionary sign of courage: Thus Macbeth calls one of his frighted soldiers, a _lilly liver'd_ Lown; again in this play, Cowards are said to _have livers as white as milk_; and an effeminate and timorous man is termed a _milksop._ II.i.18 (132,4) [And hedg'd me by his will] I suppose we may safely read, _and hedg'd me by his_ will. Confined me by his will. II.i.25 (132,5) [That slew the Sophy] Shakespeare seldom escapes well when he is entangled with geography. The prince of Morocco must have travelled far to kill the Sophy of Persia. II.i.42 (133,7) [Therefore be advis'd] Therefore be not precipitant; consider well what we are to do. _Advis'd_ is the word opposite to _rash_. II.ii.38 (134,8) [try conclusions]--So the old quarto. The first folio, by a mere blunder, reads, try _confusions_, which, because it makes a kind of paltry jest, has been copied by all the editors.