q.:
London, 1621.

Another:

"The _contents_ whereof is this."--_Id._, lib. v. chap. vi. p. 342.

Another:

"Therefore George, being led with an heroicall disdaine, and
nevertheless giuing the bridle beyond moderation to his anger,
vnderstanding that Albert was come to Newstad, resolued with himselfe
(without acquainting any bodie) to write a letter vnto him, the
_contents_ whereof was," &c.--_Id._, lib. v. chap. xii. p. 366.

If the reader wants more examples, let him give himself the trouble to open
the first book that comes to hand, and I dare say the perusal of a dozen
pages will supply some; yet have we two editors of Shakspeare, Johnson and
Collier, so unacquainted with the usage of their own tongue, and the
universal logic of thought, as not to know that a word like _contents_,
according as it is understood collectively or distributively, may be, and,
as we have just seen, in fact is, treated as a singular or plural; that, I
say, _contents_ taken severally, every _content_, or in gross, the whole
mass, is respectively plural or singular. It was therefore optional with
Shakspeare to employ the word either as a singular or plural, but not in
the same sentence to do both: here, however, he was tied {121} to the
singular, for, wanting a rhyme to _contents_, the nominative to _presents_
must be singular, and that nominative was the pronoun of _contents_. Since,
therefore, the plural _die_ and the singular _it_ could not both be
referable to the same noun _contents_, by silently substituting _die_ for
_dies_, MR. COLLIER has blinded his reader and wronged his author. The
purport of the passage amounts to this: the _contents_, or structure (to
wit, of the show to be exhibited), breaks down in the performer's zeal to
the subject which it presents. Johnson very properly adduces a much happier
expression of the same thought from _A Midsummer Night's Dreame_:

"_Hip._ I love not to see wretchedness o'ercharged;
And duty in his service perishing."

The reader cannot fail to have observed the faultless punctuation of the
Folios in the forecited passage, and I think concur with me, that like
many, ay, most others, all it craves at the hands of editors and
commentators is, to be left alone. The last two lines ask for no
explanation even to the blankest mind. Words like _contents_ are by no
means rare in English. We have _tidings_ and _news_, both singular and
plural. MR. COLLIER himself re