II. 1. 79. Theobald, who is followed by Hanmer, Warburton, and Johnson, reads 'loose' for 'foul'd,' on the authority as he says of 'the elder Quartos.' It is not the reading of any of the first six, but of those of 1676, 1683, 1695 and 1703. Had Capell been aware of this, he would scarcely have designated Theobald's mistake as 'a downright falsehood.' Theobald, at the time of writing his 'Shakespeare Restored,' knew of no Quarto earlier than that of 1637 (_Shakespeare Restored_, p. 70), and it is just possible that some copy of this edition (Q₆), from which that of 1676 was printed, may have had the reading 'loose.' We have given in the note to III. 4. 59 an instance of different readings in two copies of Q₆. NOTE XII. II. 2. 111, 112. In the Quartos Polonius's comment, 'that's an ill phrase ...,' is printed in italics like the letter, and there is some confusion in the next line. The second, third, fourth and fifth have '_but you shall heare: thus in her excellent white bosom, these &c._' The sixth puts a comma after '_heare_.' In the Folios these last words are printed in Roman type as if they were part of Polonius's comment, thus: 'but you shall heare these in her excellent white bosome, these.' Rowe printed: 'but you shall hear--_These to her excellent white bosom, these_--' The succeeding editors followed Rowe, down to Capell who restored the word '_in_' for '_to_.' The reading and punctuation of our text was first given substantially by Jennens, and adopted by Malone. NOTE XIII. II. 2. 123. In the fourth and fifth Quartos the word 'Hamlet,' in italics, is by mistake printed not at the end of the letter but opposite to the first line of Polonius's speech. NOTE XIV. II. 2. 169. The Quartos have '_Enter Hamlet_' after 'try it,' line 166, and '_Exit King and Queene_' after the words 'both away,' line 168. The Folios have '_Enter Hamlet, reading on a Booke_' after 'try it,' line 166, and '_Exit King & Queen_' after 'presently,' line 169. The Quartos put commas at 'presently,' and 'leave,' reading 'Ile ... leave' as one line; the Folios put full stops, reading 'Oh give me leave. How does my good Lord Hamlet?' as one line. The earlier editors down to Johnson inclusive made no change. Capell supposed the words 'O, give me leave' to be addressed, not to Hamlet, but to the King and Queen, whose _Exeunt_ he placed after these words. His arrangement has been followed by all subsequent editors, till we ventured, in the Globe edition, to recur to the old order. It appears to us that the words 'O, give me leave,' commencing with an exclamation, are more naturally addressed to Hamlet than to the King and Queen, with whom Polonius had been previously conversing. Mr Dyce transferred the entrance of Hamlet to follow the _Exeunt_ of the King and Queen, line 169. As in the first Quarto he is made to enter earlier, it is possible that he was in sight of the audience, though so intent on his book as not to observe the presence of the others.