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66 FRANCIS BACON'S CRYPTIC RHYMES<br />

Schlegel translates without rhyme and rhythm thus :<br />

Ich bitte dich, lass ihn nur, wir werden ihrer gleich noch<br />

mehr kriegen.<br />

The following<br />

is<br />

probably<br />

a more correct trans<br />

lation :<br />

Poines, stOr' ihn nicht so sehr,<br />

Bald warden's ihrer mehr.<br />

FalstafFs speech is then suddenly interrupted by<br />

the loquacious Poines (that is how his name is spelt<br />

in the Folio Edition). The continuation of Falstaffs<br />

speech opens with a droll rhyme<br />

:<br />

FALSTAFF.<br />

Their Points being broken<br />

Down fell<br />

their Hose.<br />

POINES.<br />

FALSTAFF.<br />

Began to give me ground ;<br />

but I followed close . . ."<br />

All the passages hitherto quoted, however, are<br />

merely peculiarities of printing, and of but little<br />

import, in comparison to what we are now about to<br />

consider.<br />

Every reader of Shakespeare<br />

is aware that the<br />

delicious story of "Queen Mab," so daintily told by<br />

Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet, i. 4),<br />

is written in verseform.<br />

The modern reader has probably never seen it<br />

printed otherwise. There are forty-two verses in all.<br />

If, however, he were to turn up the Folio Edition of<br />

1623, he would find a surprise awaiting him. The<br />

words are the same, there's no question about that,<br />

but they are printed throughout in prose :

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