e same letters +anger+ in the word
'dangerous,' might mislead the printer's eye and cause the omission.

NOTE V.

II. 1. 5. In the copy of Johnson's Edition, which belongs to Emmanuel
College, there is a MS. note of Dr Farmer's referring to Sonnet CXLVII.
in support of the conjecture 'physician' for 'precisian;' we find there

'My reason, the physician to my love,' &c.

NOTE VI.

II. 1. 194, 196. Here again we have followed the early Quartos in
reading 'Brook' instead of 'Broome,' the name given by Ff Q3. That the
former was the original name is proved by the jest in II. 2. 136, where
the Folios make sheer nonsense.

Mr Halliwell suggests that the following lines, IV. 4. 75, 76,

'Nay I'll to him again in name of Broome;
He'll tell me all his purpose: sure he'll come,'

were intended to rhyme and therefore favour the later reading. But in
this scene there are no rhyming lines except the couplet at the end.

On the whole, it seems likely that the name was altered in the stage
copies at the instance of some person of the name of Brook living at
Windsor, who had sufficient acquaintance with the players, or interest
with their patrons, to get it done.

NOTE VII.

III. 1. 74. 78. Mr Staunton is unquestionably right in supposing that
one part of Evans's speech is spoken aside to his opponent, and the
other part aloud. It is impossible else to account for the sudden change
of tone. It might have been conjectured that, being a parson, he wished
to appear peacefully minded, and therefore made his offers of
reconciliation aloud and his menaces in an under tone, but Caius's reply
shews that it was the threat which had been made aloud. Evans's valour,
it would seem, had already evaporated when he had 'a great dispositions
to cry' (III. 1. 20) and, besides, he had just begun to see that he was
being made a laughing-stock. As his former speech (74, 75,) is also
conciliatory, it was probably spoken so as to be heard by Caius only. He
wished to keep up his credit for courage in the eyes of the bystanders.
In the corresponding scene of the first Quartos we have the words 'Hark
van urd in your ear,' and the meaning of the text may have been obscured
by some omission in the Folio.

NOTE VIII.

IV. 4. 41. No doubt there is an omission here in the Folio, which may be
partly supplied from the Quarto. But it is probable that Mrs Ford gave a
still fuller explanation of her device and the grounds on which the
disg