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there were twin Demetrius's like the two Sofia's in the farce. -From Gemellus comes the French, Gemeau or Jumeau, and in the feminine, Gemelle or Jumelle: So in Maçon's translation of the Decameron of Bocace--" Il avoit trois filles plus agees que les males, des quelles les deux qui eftoient jumelles avoient quinze ans. Quatrieme Jour. Nov. 3. WARB. THEOB. & CAP.

Ibid.] This emendation is ingenious enough to deserve to be true. JOHNSON. P. 142. 1. 28. Patch'd fool.] That is, a fool in a parti

coloured coat.

JOHNSON.

P. 143. 1. 7. In the former editions: Peradventure, to make it the more gracious, I fhall fing at her death.] At whofe death? In Bottom's fpeech there is no mention of any shecreature, to whom this relation can be coupled. I make not the leaft fcruple, but Bottom, for the fake of jeft, and to render his Voluntary, as we may call it, the more gracious and extraordinary, faid;-I fhall fing it after deathHe, as Pyramus, is killed upon the fcene; and fo might promise to rife again at the conclufion of the interlude, and give the duke his dream by way of fong.The fource of the corruption of the text is very obvious. The fin after being funk by the vulgar pronunciation, the copyift might write it from the found,-a'ter: which the wife editors not understanding, concluded, two words were erroneously got together; fo, fplitting them, and clapping in an b, produced the prefent reading-at ber. THEOB. & CAP.

L. 21.] A thing of nought, which Mr. Theobald changes with great pomp to a thing of naught, is a good for nothing thing.

JOHNSON. L. 24. Made Men.] In the fame fenfe as in the Tempeft, any monfter in England makes a man.

JOHNSON. P. 144. 1. 24. &c.] Thefe beautiful lines are in all the old editions thrown out of metre. They are very well restored by the later editors. JOHNSON. P. 145. 1. 16. That if he would but apprebend-] The quarto of 1600 reads, That if it— i. e. the imagination; and this is right. WARB.

L. 23. Conftancy.] Confiftency; ftability; certainty.

JOHNSON.

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-Call Philoftrate] Call Egæus, edit. 1632,

and Egæus answers to his name there, and every where else GRAY, in that old edition.

L. 13.] This is printed as Mr. Theobald gave it from both the old quartos. In the firft folio, and all the following editions, Lyfander reads the catalogue, and Thefeus makes the JOHNSON. remarks. P. 146. 1. 21. The thrice three Mufes, &c.] This seems to be intended as a compliment to Spencer, who wrote a poem He feems to have called the "The tears of the Muses." paid his friend another, in the second Act, where he makes the queen of fairies fay to the king,

But I know

When thou haft ftoll'n away from fairy land,
And, in the fhape of Corin, fate all day

Playing on pipes of corn, and verfing love

To am'rous Phillida,

intimating that the paftorals of that poet were so sweet, that it was a superior being under the disguise of a mortal who compofed them. WAR.

L. 22. Beggary.] I do not know whether it has been before obferved that Shakespeare here, perhaps, alluded to Spenfer's poem, entitled, "The Tears of the Mufes," on the neglect and contempt of learning. This pieee first appeared in quarto, with others, 1591. The oldeft edition of this play, now known, is dated 1600. If Spenfer's poem be here intended, may we not presume that there is fome earlier edition of this play? But, however, if the allufion be allowed, at leaft it ferves to bring the play below 1591. WARTON.

L. 28. Merry and tragical? tedious and brief?

That is bot Ice, and wondrous ftrange Snow.] The nonsense of the last line should be corrected thus, That is, hot Ice, a wondrous ftrange fhew! War. Ibid.] Read, not improbably,

P. 147.

And wondrous ftrange black fnow. UPTON and CAP. 20. Unless you can find fport in their intents.] know not what it is to Thus all the copies. But as Stretch and con an intent, I fufpect a line to be loft. JOHN. P. 148. l. 1. And what poor duty cannot do, noble refpect Takes it in might, not merit.] What ears have these poetical editors, to palm this line upon us as a verse of Shakespeare ? 'Tis certain, an epithet had flipt out, and I have ventured

to restore such a one, (poor willing duty,) as the fenfe may difpenfe with; and which makes the two verfes flowing and perfect. THEOB. and CAPELL.

Ibid.] And what poor duty cannot,

Noble refpect takes it in might, not merit.

The fenfe of this paffage, as it now stands, if it has any fenfe, in this. What the inability of duty cannot perform, regardful generofity receives as an act of ability though not of merit. The contrary is rather true: What dutifulness tries to perform without ability, regardful generofity receives as having the merit, though not the power, of complete performance.

We fhould therefore read,

And what poor duty cannot do,

Noble refpect takes not in might, but merit. JOHN, L. 23.] We do not come as minding to content you,

Our true intent is all for your delight,

We are not here that you fhouil bere repent you,

The Actors are at hand; &c.) Thus Mr. Pope, deviating from all the old copies, has, unfortunately pointed this paffage; for the whole glee and humour of the prologue is in the actor's making falfe refts, and fo turning every member of the fentences into flagrant nonfenfe.

THEOBALD.

P. 149. 1. 22. Which Lion bight by name.) As all the other Parts of this Speech are in alternate Rhyme, excepting that it clofes with a Couplet; and as no Rhyme is left to, name; we must conclude, either that a Verfe is flipt out, which cannot now be retriev'd: or, by a Tranfpofition of the Words, as I have placed them, the Poet intended a Triplet. THEO.

L. 29.-bloody blameful blade.) Mr. Upton rightly obferves that Shakespeare in this line ridicules the affectation of beginning many words with the fame letter. He might have remarked the fame of

The raging Rocks

And thivering Shocks.

Gafcoigne, contemporary with our poet,

blames the fame affectation.

remarks and

JOHNSON.

P. 150. 1. 10.] Snout by name. VULG. Flute by name.

THEOB

P. 151. 1. 19.) Limander and Helen, are fpoken by the blundering player, for Leander and Hero. Shafalus and Procrus, for Cephalus and Procris. JOHNSON. L. 29.) Thef. Now is the Mural down between the two

Neighbours.

nonsense: we fhould read

Dem. No remedy, my lord, when walls are fo wilful to hear without warning.) Shakespear could never write this "to rear without warning.", i. e. It is no wonder that walls fhould be fuddenly down, when they were as fuddenly up ;"rear'd without warning." WARBURTON and CAPELL. P. 152.1.7. Here come two noble beafts in a Man and a Lion.) I don't think the Jeft here is either compleat, or right. It is differently pointed in several of the old Copies, which, I fufpect, may lead us to the true Reading, viz.

Here come two noble Beafts

in a Man and a Lion.

immediately upon Thefeus faying this, enter Lion and Moonfhine. It seems very probable therefore, that our Author wrote, -in a Moon and a Lion.

the one having a Crefcent and a Lanthorn before him, and representing the Man in the Moon; the other in a Lion's

hide.

THEOBALD.

P. 153. 1. 5.) An Equivocation. Snuff fignifies both the cinder of a candle, and hafty anger.

JOHNSON. Thus all the Edi

P. 155. 1. 13. And thus fhe meanstions have it. It fhould be, thus fhe moans; i. e. laments over her dead Pyramus. THEOBALD.

L. 20.) Thefe lilly Lips, this cherry Nofe.) All Thisby's Lamentation, till now, runs in regular Rhyme and Metre. But both, by fome Accident, are in this fingle Inftance interrupted. I fufpect the Poet wrote;

Thefe lilly Brows,
This cherry Nose,

Now black Brows being a Beauty, lilly Brows are as ridiculous as a cherry Nofe, green Eyes, or Cowflip Cheeks. THE.

P. 156. 1. 28. In the old copies: And the Wolf beholds the Moon.) As 'tis the Design of thefe Lines to characterize the Animals, as they prefent themselves at the Hour of Midnight; and as the Wolf is not juftly characteriz'd by faying he beholds the Moon; which all other Beafts of Prey, then

awake, do and as the Sounds these Animals make at that Seafon, feem alfo intended to be represented; I make no Question but the Poet wrote;

And the Wolf behowls the Moon.

For fo the Wolf is characteriz'd, it being his peculiar Property to howl at the Moon. (Behowl, as bemoan, beseem, and an hundred others.) WARBURTON.

P. 157. 1. 15. I am fent with broom before,
To fweep the duft behind the door.

Cleanliness was always necessary to invite the refidence

and favour of Fairies.

Thefe make our Girls their flutt'ry rue
By pinching them both black and blue,
And put a penny in their shoe

The house for cleanly sweeping.

DRAYTON.

L. 18. Through this boufe give glimmering light.) Milton perhaps had this picture in his thought.

Glowing embers through the room
Teach light to counterfeit a gloom.
So Drayton.

Hence fhadows feeming idle fhapes
Of little frifking Elves and Apes,
To earth do make their wanton fcapes,
As hope of paftime haftes them.

I think it should be read,

Il Penferofo.

Through this Houfe in glimmering Light. JOHNSON. L. 28.] This speech, which both the old quartos give to Oberon, is in the Edition of 1623, and in all the following, printed as the fong. I have restored it to Oberon, as it apparently contains not the bleffing which he intends to beftow on the bed, but his declaration that he will blefs it, and his orders to the Fairies how to perform the neceffary rites. But where then is the song?—I am afraid it is gone after many other things of greater value. The truth is that two fongs are loft. The series of the Scene is this; after the fpeech of Puck, Oberon enters, and calls his Fairies to a fong, which fong is apparently wanting in all the copies. Next Titania leads another fong which is indeed loft like the former, though the Editors have endeavoured to find it. Then Oberon difmiffes his Fairies to the dispatch of the ceremonies.

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