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upon the cuftom of hunting after dinner, which was practifed in Shakspeare's days; upon the high fhoe called chioppine, &c. Sir Joshua Reynolds's elegant remarks upon a paffage in Macbeth, together with his and Mr. Steevens's obfervations on the appropriation of the expreffion poor fool' at the conclufion of King Lear: Judge Blackstone's and Mr. Steevens's decifive explanation of the term quick winds' in Antony and Cleopatra: Mr. Monck Mafon's explanation of the phrafe, carry out my fide,' and many more ingenious criticifms, elucidations of diffi cult paffages, illuftrations of old cuftoms, &c. &c. would, we doubt not, be highly acceptable to our Readers; but our limits forbid us to add to the copious extracts which we have already made. We must therefore here conclude our account of the fcientific part of this edition, with obferving, that we cannot too warmly commend it to every admirer of the greatest poet of this or any other nation,' as he is ftiled by his prefent editor.

But what fhall we fay of the mechanical or technical part of the work before us? The moft tender fentence that we can pafs upon it, is, that it is very negligently, we were going to say, shamefully, executed. The paper is, bad, and the type worfe. The letters are scarcely legible in fome places, because there is not ink fufficient to ftain the paper; and in others, because it is fo redundant as to run into blots. Pages and Scenes are often wrong numbered; words mifprinted*; and (which is unpardonable in a work where fimilar omiffions of former editors have caufed fuch laborious collations of old folios and quartos) fometimes whole words are omitted +. A note upon the words fillip me with a three man beetle,' figned Johnson, vol. v. p. 492, does not, we believe, come from the pen of the Rambler. If we rightly recollect, this note is marked with the initial of a different Chriftian name, in Malone's Supplement; and fhould have been fo diftinguished here. In fhort, the whole of this part of the work is fuch as would difgrace a common school-book.

As the prefent edition of Shakspeare's plays contains so much of what has been already published in Mr. Malone's Supplement, we apprehend that a new edition of that valuable work, adapted

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*Thus, vol. ii. p. 69, we have ar,' for for,' in Tyrwhitt's note. In the fame volume, p. 488, too write,' for to write.' Vol. iv. P. 174, note, 'panance,' for penance.' Ibid. p 268, note, mantillo, for mantello.' Vol. v. p. 512, 'confin,' for cousin.' Vol. viii. p. 446, If thou haft,' for if thou badft.' Vol. ix. p. 62, Aphiaraus,' for Amphiaraus.' Vol. x. p. 280, note 7, canon,' for 'cannon,' which blunder makes the note contradictory; and numberless others.

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+ Thus in vol. iii. p. 393, are.' And in vol. ii. p. 68, more than black masks.'

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to the present, by omitting all that is here reprinted, would not be unacceptable to the Public. Should the ingenious author of the Supplement be of the fame opinion, he will perhaps thank us for pointing out to him the explanation of a paffage in Pericles, A& III. Sc. 1, which has been mifunderstood;

• O ye gods!

Why do you make us love your goodly gifts

And fnatch them straight away? We, here below,
Recal not what we give, and therein may

Ufe honour with you."

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On this paffage, Mr. Malone and Mr. Steevens have the following notes: The meaning is fufficiently clear-In this particular you might learn from us a more honourable conduct-But the expreffion is fo barfh, that 1 fufpect the paffage to be corrupt.' Malone. To ufe, in ancient language, fignifies to put out to ufance or ufury. The fenfe of the paffage may therefore be-Our honour will fetch as much as yours, if placed out on terms of advantage. If valued, our honour is worth as much as yours." Steevens. The commentators are both mistaken. In this paffage, ufe is a noun, and honour is a verb. The fenfe is-In this particular we may honour Ufe (or cuftom) as much as we honour you.

Upon the whole, after a careful examination, we do not hefitate to pronounce, that the prefent edition of Shakspeare's plays, with all its imperfections on its head,' is far fuperior to any that have preceded it. Befide the two portraits of our poet given in the former editions, there is prefixed to this, a third, which is well engraved by Hall, from a painting in the collection of the Duke of Chandos.

We have been obliged to a Correfpondent for the preceding Article; which appearing to us to be well drawn up, we readily determined to infert the whole, without any alterations; but we cannot take leave of the ingenious Author, without ob ferving to him, that he appears to be miftaken in his remark (Rev. Aug. p. 87.) on " fait l'impoffible," which certainly means no more than the English phrafe "done all in our power."

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Anon Dearne

ART. II. Letters and Papers. By the Bath Society. Vol. III. con cluded. See laft Month's Review.

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T was not without fome degree of aftonishment that we read, in the contents, the title of an effay by Arthur Young, Efq. on the neceffity of hoeing turnips. At this time of day, we imagined, that any attempt to demonftrate the importance of a practice, fo indifpenfably neceffary as the hoeing of turnips, would have been entirely fuperfluous. No man, we prefume,

who

who ever faw a recently hoed crop, could entertain a doubt as to this particular. Mr. Young, however, has omitted to mention one very effential benefit that accrues from having turnips properly hoed, viz. that it prevents the danger of lofing cattle when feeding on the turnip; for where this operation is rightly per formed, there will be none fmall; and it is the fmall turnips only that are in danger of being forced into the throat, and there sticking, fo as to occafion fuffocation.

The only improvement in the culture of the turnip fuggefted in this volume is that of fowing them between the rows of horse-hoed beans. On this fubject we have an account of two experiments, one by R. P. Anderdon, of Henlade, Efq. The field he mentions was a poor wer clay, value only 10s. per acre. It was fet with beans (after being dunged) in double rows, about a foot from each other, with intervals of more than three feet wide between the double rows. Thefe intervals were twice horfe-hoed and harrowed, and in the middle of July were fown with turnip: produce, about 16 tons per acre. Mr. Anderdon enumerates at great length the benefits that may be derived from this practice, which are difputed by the Committee of the Bath Society, as we think, with a degree of warmth and pertinacity that would better have become a young man, than a Committee of fuch a refpectable body. True it is, that Mr. Anderdon's practice is in feveral refpecs defective. The double rows feem to us improper, for no plant is fo much benefited by fresh air as the bean; one row in an open exposure often producing more pods than twenty when clofe upon each other: but the narrownefs of the intervals is a ftill greater objection. On a good foil fingle rows of beans, at 6 feet diftance, will perhaps yield nearly as great a crop of grain as can be got from the ground by any other culture; and full room is given for performing every operation on the turnips as well, nearly, as if no beans had been on it. In this way a full crop of turnips and a full crop of beans may easily be obtained from the fame field in the fame year, as we ourselves have experienced. The only inconvenience that occurred in this practice, was the difficulty of carrying off the Beans, when a weighty crop, without injuring the turnips. We recommend that the beans fhould be planted rather at a greater than smaller distance than the above. Turnips thrive very well on clay foils, if in proper order.

The other experiment is by Mr. John Bull, of Kingston near Taunton, who obtained at the rate of near 3 quarters of beans, and 37 tons 5 C. weight of turnips per acre. The beans were set in rows, at less than two feet intervals, and horse-hoed; turnips fowed at random, between the rows, after the laft hoeing of the beans; the turnips not hoed.

Concerning

Concerning cabbages, nothing in this volume occurs that is of great importance. But the following account of the culture and produce of turnip-rooted cabbage, by Sir Thomas Bevor, feems of fuch importance as to deferve to be tranfcribed entire :

In the first or fecond week in June, I fow the fame quantity of feed, hoe the plants at the fame fize, leave them at the fame distance from each other, and treat them in all refpects like the common turnip. In this method I have always obtained a plentiful crop of them; to afcertain the value of which, I need only inform you, that on the 23d day of April laft, having then two acres left of my crop, found and in great perfection, I divided them by fold hurdles into three parts of nearly equal dimenfions. Into the first part I put fmall bullocks of about 30 ftone weight each (14 lb. to the stone), and 30 middle-fized fat wethers, which at the end of the first week, after they had eaten down the greater part of the leaves, and fome part of the roots, I fhifted to the fecond divifion, and then put 70 lean fheep into what was left of the first: these fed off the remainder of the turnips left by the fat ftock; and fo they were shifted through the three divifions, the lean ftock following the fat as they wanted food, until the whole was confumed.

24

The 24 bullocks, and 30 fat wethers, continued in the turnips until the 31st of May, being exactly 4 weeks; and the 70 lean fheep until the 29th, which is one day over 4 weeks: fo that the two acres kept me 24 fmall bullocks, and one hundred and ten (it should be one hundred only) fheep four weeks (not reckoning the overplus day of the 70 lean sheep). The value at the rate of keeping at that feafon cannot be estimated in any common year at less than 4d, a week for each sheep, and is. 6d. per week for each bullock, which would amount together to the fum of 141. 10s. 8d. for two acres,' (It fhould be 151. 13s. 4d. even counting only 100 fheep).

This fact needs no comment; and it is ftill farther confirmed by his experience in May 1786. I have,' fays he, 'May ift, three acres of turnip-rooted cabbages left, with which I am feeding 22 bullocks, 17 cows, 2 bulls, 4 young cattle, and 110 fheep; befides thirty horfes which partake largely of them." This is the first bint we have met with of horfes being fed by this plant, and with the worthy Baronet had been more particular on that head.

LUCERNE,

We find only one experiment on the culture of lucerne, by the Rev. Mr. Clofe, Trimley, Suffolk. It yielded at the rate of 16 tons 4 C. weight per acre of green fodder, which, confidering the expence of cultivating this plant, and its great fucculence, feems to be but a fmall produce. The lucerne is evidently bet ter calculated for warm than temperate climates.

BUSH VET CH.

It were to be wished that gentlemen would turn their attention more than they hitherto have done to the culture of the indigenous plants of this country, and we are well pleafed to find one experiment of this kind recorded in the volume now

before

before us. The Rev. Mr. Swayne, inftigated as it fhould feem by the furprise excited by the foregoing account of the produce of lucerne, felected part of a field which naturally abounded with the bush-vetch (the Vecia Sepium of Linnæus); which having been cut four times in the year (1785), yielded at the rate of 24 tons 114 C. weight per acre, a full third more than the lucerne. And as this plant is not near fo fucculent as lucerne, he concludes it would afford a yet greater proportion of dried provender.

Mr. Swayne fuppofes that this plant has been hitherto unnoticed by the farmer; but in this particular he is mistaken; for this very plant, among many other indigenous plants, was ftrongly recommended for the very qualities Mr. S. takes notice of, in the Effays relating to agriculture and rural affairs by James Anderfon, published in the year 1777. From fome observations we ourfelves have made on the culture of this plant, we have reason to think the deftruction of the feeds by the infect he met with in fuch abundance is not fo universal as he feems to imagine.

BUCK WHEAT.

Buck wheat, as a crop, is but little known in Britain; but from the experiments of Mr. Bartley of Briftol, it would feem to merit the attention of the farmer, efpecially on dry fandy foils, as it thrives abundantly in the drieft season, and admits of being fown any time from the middle of May to the middle of July. He has applied it to the feeding of hogs, poultry, and horfes, which are speedily fattened by it; and he thinks it would probably be useful in the diftillery.

PLANTING AND TRANSPLANTING WHEAT.

The planting of wheat (that is the dibbling the feeds) is feveral times mentioned in this volume, in terms of approbation, by particular members, but the practice does not feem to gain ground.

Mr. Bogle of Daldowin, near Glafgow, in Scotland, is very earneft in recommending the practice of tranfplanting wheat; we have to regret that the Society could not in this volume publifh

the authentic accounts of feveral experiments that were made at his inftance, and which were attended with very great fuccefs. The advantages he apprehends which would refult from this practice he ftates as under:

ift, A very great proportion of the feed will be faved, as a farmer may have a nursery, or fmall patch of plants, from which his fields may be fupplied; he calculates that one acre will afford fufficient plants for one hundred acres.

2d, That a great increase of crops may be obtained by this method, probably a double crop, nay perhaps a triple quantity of what is reaped either by drilling, or the broadcast husbandry.' This feems much exaggerated.

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