THE PASSAGE IN TROILUS AND CRESSIDA

The oldest edition of this play is the quarto of 1609, in which the passage referred to stands thus:— "*Hect.* Begon, I say, the gods have heard me sweare. "*Cas.* The gods are deafe to hotte and peevish vowes, They are polluted offrings more abhord, Then spotted livers in the sacrifice. "*And.* O be perswaded, do not count it holy, It is the purpose that makes strong the vow, But vowes to every purpose must not hold: Unarme, sweet Hector." This reading, by stopping the sense at "holy," renders less likely to be correct the emendation of Tyrwhitt, adopted by Malone:— "O be persuaded: do not co…