seeking any further favorable opinion than that degree of trust in my powers which will conduce to your own good.'
V. ii. 69. damnable. I.e., Rosalind means that his magic was not 'black art' but lawful spells, not contrary to the teachings of the Church.
V. ii. 79. though . . . magician. A statute of Elizabeth provided severe penalties for magicians who used their art to cause harm.
V. ii. 105. The First Folio has 'observance,' which already appears in line 103. Clearly, therefore, the second 'observance' is a careless substitution by the compositor. Probably the original word resembled in lettering 'observance' and thus caught the printer napping. In addition to 'obedience,' which the present editor follows Malone in inserting, other suggestions are 'obeisance,' 'endurance,' and 'deservance.'
V. ii. 116. Irish wolves. Why Rosalind prefers to go to Ireland for her zoological allusions,—cf. her 'Irish rats'—is not certain, unless the animals of Erin share in the Celtic temperament. There were no wolves in England at this time, but they were still to be found in Scotland. As between the two, an Irish wolf would probably make more noise.
V. iii. 17. Song. The First Folio arranges this Song in a different order. The stanza 'And therefore . . . prime' is there printed as part of the chorus. Music for this song will be found on p. 205 of Chapell's Popular Music of the Olden Time.
V. iv. 4. As . . . fear. I.e., 'As those who hope against hope and yet fear that they know their hopes to be vain.' Nearly all the commentators have different paraphrases. The present editor offers still another.
V. iv. 44. put . . . purgation. I.e., 'Let him test me thoroughly,' with a quibble on the medical meaning of the word. Cf. Hamlet, III. ii. 323.
