The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve. Lovers, to bed! ’Tis almost fairy time. I fear we shall outsleep the coming morn As much as we this night have overwatched.
The text is the same in my old edition of The Riverside Shakespeare and in every other edition I have checked.
There's a misspelling in your lead quote. It should be 'tolled' not 'told'. Like the photos, though.
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ReplyDeleteThe spelling is correct. Here's the text from the Folger Shakespeare Library:
ReplyDeleteThe iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve.
Lovers, to bed! ’Tis almost fairy time.
I fear we shall outsleep the coming morn
As much as we this night have overwatched.
The text is the same in my old edition of The Riverside Shakespeare and in every other edition I have checked.
Do you suppose this is intended to be a pun? By tolling, the midnight bell tells the time.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely intended as a pun!
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