her real one, lies the whole dramatic effect, and vis comica of the paffage. Understand therefore fcrubbed in its common fenfe of derivation from scrub, mean fellow.

P. 259. Leti's noted story, I have no doubt, is borrowed from fome old fable, as the character of that hiftorian is well known, who was another Varillas -a writer who wrote a 2 kind of low romances, as mob-traps, and called them Hiftorics.

P. 281. AS YOU LIKE IT. Condition is rightly interpreted difpolition. So in Othello gentle conditions are gentle difpofitions. It is a common phrafe in the old English writers, "An here

66

tyke is no gentleman: for he is a gentilman "that hath gentyl conditions." The Examination of the conftant martir of Chrift, John Philpot, Archdeacon of Winchefter, &c. London 1559. b. l. fig. A. "For fuche perfones rebuked, or "punished, perchance excufyng theymfelfe, "that they doe it by to ardent affection, and defyre to pleafe; or by their youth, and "lacke of experience; or recognifyng theyr "folie, and promifyng amandement; may * happen

I

happen aftfoones to crepe into favour, and "than they woorke theyr nette fo finely, that

66

it cannot fo foone bee perceived, and pitch"eth it more covertly, appliyng it aptely to theyr maifter's condicions, fo that it shall be almost impoffible for hym to escape, but that "in one meifhe or other he shall be tangled." The Image of Governance, &c. translated by Sir Thomas Elyote. Anno 1549. folio verfo 20.

P. 298. The observation marked (7) is so innocent and chafte, that I dare fay every boarding-fchool girl laughs at it.

P. 303.

"'Tis a Greek invocation to call "fools into a circle. I'll go fleep if I can; if "I cannot I'll rail against all the first-born of Egypt."

THE note here fays "The first born of Egypt.] "A proverbial expreffion for high-born per"fons." Who ever heard of fuch a proverb? The meaning is obvious: Jaques fays Duc ad me is a charm: but if it does not make him fleep, he will rail against all the gypsies who ufe it. For granting it an invocation, as he jeeringly

7

H

jeeringly fays, the gypfies (the witches and magicians of Shakfpere's days) were the most likely to be the inventors of it, and if it failed of effect, they deferved to be railed at as impoftors.

P. 325. The expreffion of Rofalind, “ One "inch of delay more is a South fea of difco"very," has almoft diftilled the brains of the annotators, who have been here loft as in a South fea, tho every reader but they saw shore at the first glance. The plain meaning is, "One inch of delay more is a Southfea, in "which one may fail far and wide without "making any difcovery." Of is here ufed inftead of for, as in many other English phrases. Note 8. Dr. Warburton's explanation of Good my complexion! in the fame page is just and indeed the expreffion was intelligible to the meaneft capacity. Perufe, however, the next note to his, and pronounce that modern antiquaries have as little claim to intrinfic fcience as any of their predeceffors.

P. 371. The words, " And you, fair fifter," seem to have been inferted by the players, that Oliver might not remain fo very long a mute

perfon on the stage. In his mouth they are quite abfurd, even in the fenfe of the note figned "Chamier." I strongly fufpect the truth is they belong to Orlando; and that Oliver fhould have his exit, when Orlando fays to him, "Go you and prepare Aliena;" for nothing else marks his prefence, except these improper words; which, in the mouth of Orlando, are every way proper, efpecially in the abfence of Oliver. Read therefore meo pericule (if I may ufe the Bentleian ftyle of emendation the words Exit Oliver, after the words in Orlando's fpeech, "here comes my Rofalind:" And instead of Oli. in the next speech, fave one, read Orla.

I SHALL here clofe my obfervations on the three first volumes of this edition of Shakfpere; which must be allowed to be more pure of faults than any that has yet appeared. If I find thefe flight notes give you any amufement, they fhall be continued on future occafions.

LETTER

I

LETTER XIX.

BY no means agree with you, that lyric

poetry may almost be put among the arts, known to the ancients, but loft to us. Indeed if you confider lyric poetry in its ancient aceeptation only, as WEDDED (to ufe Milton's ftrong expreffion) to mufic, perhaps the modern may in this view yield to the ancient: tho even this, I believe, might be controverted by those who have heard Dryden's Ode, and Milton's Il Penferofo and L'Allegro, accompanied by the mufic of Handel, But divefting lyric poetry of its fcenic reprefentation, and, confifidering it folely as the amufement of the clofet, I deny that the modern is inferior to the ancient and indeed the fimple perusal or recital is now the only way in which any just parallel can be instituted, as the ancient mufic is utterly loft.