as I have juft now obferved, it was at firft either unknown or forgotten. It does not however appear in the lift of the plays; and is thruft in between the biftories and the tragedies without any enumeration of the pages: except, I think, on one leaf only. It differs intirely from the copy in the fecond folio. (P. 75.)" True as plantage to the moon." This may be fully illuftrated by a quotation from Scott's Difco verie of witchcraft. "The poore husbandman perceiveth, that "the increase of the moone maketh plants frutefull: fo as in the full moone, they are in beft ftrength; decaieing in the wane; "and in the conjunction do utterlie wither and vade." (P. 108. n.) Dr. Warburton truly obferves, that the word fecurely is here used in the Latin fenfe: and Mr. Warner in his ingenious letter to Mr. Garrick, thinks this fenfe peculiar to ShakeSpeare, "for, fays he, I have not been able to trace it elsewhere." This gentleman has treated me with fo much civility, that I am bound in honour to remove his difficulty. It is to be found in the last act of the Spanish Tragedy, "O damned devil! how fecure he is." In my Lord Bacon's Effay on Tumults, "neither let any prince or ftate be fecure concerning difcontents." And befides thefe, in Drayton, Fletcher, and the vulgar tranflation of the bible. Mr. Warner had as little fuccefs in his refearches for the word religion in its Latin acceptation. I meet with it however in Hoby's tranflation of Caftilio, 1561. "Some be fo fcrupulous, as it were, with a religion of this their Tufcane tung." 66 Ben Jonfon more than once ufes both the fubftantive and the adjective in this fenfe. As to the word Cavalero, with the Spanish termination, it is to be found in Heywood, Withers, Davies, Taylor, and many other writers. (P. 199. n. 3.) This expreffion is met with in Dekker's boneft whore, "This a male-varlet, fure, my lord!" (P. 126. n. 3.) In an old play (in fix acts) called Hiftriomaftix, 1610, this incident feems to be burlesqued. Troylus and Creffida are introduced by way of interlude: and Crefida breaks out, "O Knight, with valour in thy face, "Here take my fkreene, wear it for grace, "Therewith to make thine enemies lame." A little old book, The Hundred Hyftoryes of Troye, tells us "Bryfeyde whom mayster Chaucer calleth Creffeyde, was a damofell of great beaute; and yet was more quaynte, mutable, and full of vagaunt condy fions." CYMBELINE. CYMBELIN E. (P. 166. n. C.)—"The tyrannous breathing of the north, "Shakes all our buds from growing." A great critick propofes to read, "Shuts all our buds from blowing! and his emendation may in fome measure be confirmed by thofe "For when the West wind courts her gentily, "Rude and impatient, then like charity, "She huts her beauties in her bud again, (P. 180. n. 2.) I think, we may read, the umbered, the haded beach. This word is met with in other places. (P. 254. n. 7.) His vifage, fays Fennor of a Catchpole, was almost eaten through with pock-holes, fo that half a Parish of children might have played at cherry pit in his face." (P. 257. n. 9.) This paffage is imitated by Webfler in his tragedy of The White Devil; and in fuch a manner, as confirms the old reading. "The robin red-breaft, and the wren "With leaves and flowers do cover friendless bodies, "The ant, the field moufe, and the mole "Shall raife him billocks, that fhall keep him warm, " &c." (P. 283. n. 6.) A Cley in the fame with a Claw in old language. KING LEA R. (P. 367. n. 1.) I do not find the name of Lipfbury: it may be a cant phrafe, with fome corruption, taken from a place where the Fines were arbitrary. Three-fuited fhould, I believe, be third fuited, wearing cloaths at the third hand. Edgar, in his pride, had three fuits, only. (P. 368. n. 3.) "I'll make a fop o' the moonshine of you." Perhaps here an Equiveque was intended. In the Old Shepherd's Kalendar Kalendar, among the dishes recommended for Prymetyme, “One "is Egges in Monefbine." (P. 368. n. 4.) Barber-monger may mean, Dealer in the lower Tradesmen: a flur upon the feward, as taking fees for a recommendation to the bufinefs of the family. "ter. (P. 369. n. 3.). Thou whorefon Zed! thou unneceffary letThis is taken from the grammarians of the time. Mulcafter says, "Z is much harder amongst us, and feldom seen :S is become its lieutenant general. It is lightlie expreffed in English, faving in foren enfranchifments." (P. 375.) I know not whether this circumftance of putting Kent in the frocks, be not ridiculed in the punishment of Numps, in Bartholomew Fair. It should be remembered, that formerly in great houses, as ftill in fome colleges, there were moveable flocks for the correction of the fervants. (P. 409. n. 1.) Cokes cries out in Bartholomew Fair, "God's c my life! He fhall be Dauphin my boy!" (P. 411. n. 4.) It is pleasant to fee the various readings of this paffage. In a book called the Actor, which has been afcribed "Savithin footed thrice the cold." Mr. to Dr. Hill, it is quoted Colman has it in his alteration of Lear, "Savithin footed thrice the world." The ancient reading is the olds: which is pompously corrected by Mr. Theobald, with the help of his friend Mr. Bishop, to the wolds in fact it is the fame word. Spelman writes, Burton upon olds: the provincial pronunciation is ftill the oles: and that probably was the volgar orthography. Let us read then, St. Withold footed thrice the oles, He met the night-mare, and her nine foles, &c." (P. 442. n. 1.) Hardocks should be Harlocks. Thus Drayton in one of his Eclogues, "The honey-fuckle, the barlocke, "The lilly, and the lady-fmocke, &c." (P. 448. n. 3.) Dr. Warburton would not have written this note, had he recollected a paffage in The Wife of Bath's Prologue, "Some let their lechour dight them all the night, "While that the Cors lay on the flore upright." (P. 473. n. 5.) The refolute John Florio has fadly mistaken thefe Goujeers. He writes "With a good yeare to thee!' and gives it in Italian," Il mal anno che dio ti dia." ROMEO AND JULIET. (VOL. X. p. 5.) This ftory was well known to the English poets before the time of Shakespeare. In an old collection of poems, called called "A gorgeous gallery of gallant Inventions, 1578," I find it mentioned. "Sir Romeus annoy but trifle feems to mine." and again, Romeus and Juliet are celebrated in "A poor Knight "his Palace of private Pleafures, 1579." I quote thefe paffages for the fake of oblerving, that if ShakeSpeare had not read Painter's tranflation, it is not likely that he would have altered the name to Romeo. There was another novel on the subject by L. da Porto; which has been lately printed at Venice. (P. 8.) "Here comes one of my Mafter's kinfmen." Some mistake has happened in this place: Gregory is a fervant of the Capulets; and Benvolio was of the Montague faction. 66 (P. 37. n. 5.) You read very rightly, A ball! A ball! So in Marton's Satires—“ A hall, a ball! Room for the Spheres! &c.'' and Davies in one of his epigrams, "A hall! my mafters, give Rotundus room." (P. 58.)" They ftand fo much on the new form, that they cannot fit at eafe on the old bench." This conceit is loft, if the double meaning of the word form be not attended to. (P.61.) The bufinefs of Peter carrying the Nurfe's fan, seems ridiculous according to modern manners; but I find fuch was formerly the practice. In an old pamphlet, called "The Serving"man's Comfort," 1598, we are informed, "The miftrefs muft "have one to carry her cloake and hood, another her fanne." (P. 78.) "You will find me a grave man." This jeft was better in old language, than it is at prefent; Lidgate fays, in his elegy upon Chaucer, (P. 89.) 66 grave." My mafter Chaucer now is One may wonder the editors did not fee that this language muft neceffarily belong to the Friar. HAMLE T. (P. 150. n. 5.) Puttenham in his Art of Porfie, fpeaks of the Figure of Twynnes, "borfes and barbes, for barbed horses, venim & Dartes, for venimous Dartes, &c." (P. 153. n. 9.) A diftich from the life of Merlin by Heywood, will fhew that there is no occafion for correction, "Merlin well verfed in many an hidden fpell, "His countries omen did long fince foretell." (P. 154. n. 2.) Bourne of Newcastle in his Antiquities of the common People, informs us, "it is a received tradition among the vulgar, that at the time of cock crowing, the midnight spirits "forfake thefe lower regions, and go to their proper places. "Hence "Hence it is, fays he, that in country places, where the way "of life requires more early labour, they always go chearfully "to work at that time; whereas if they are called abroad fooner, "they imagine every thing they fee a wandering ghoft." And he quotes on this occafion, as all his predeceffors had done, the well known lines from the first hymn of Prudentius. I know not whofe tranflation he gives us, but there is an old one by Heywood. The pious Chanfons, the hymns and carrols, which ShakeSpeare mentions prefently, were ufually copied from the elder Chriftian poets. (P. 159. n. 3.) I queftion whether a quibble between fun and fon be not here intended, (P. 184.) "Heaven will dire& it" perhaps it may be more appofite to read “ Heaven will detect it." (P. 191.) 66 My tables meet it is I fet it down," This is a ridicule of the practice of the time. Hall fays, in his character of the Hypocrite, "He will ever fit "where he may be seene best, and in the midst of the fermon pulles out his Tables in hafte, as if he feared to loose that 66 note, &c. (P. 207.) The most beautified Ophelia. Heyward in his Hiftory of Edward VI. fays, "Katherine Parre, queen dowager to king Henry VIII. was a woman beautified with many excellent vir 66 tues. (P. 212. n. 1.) Had Shakespeare read Juvenal in the original, he had met with " De temone Britanno, Excidet Arviragus. and "Uxorem, Pofthume, ducis ?" We should not then have had continually in Cymbeline, Arviru gus and Pofthumus. Should it be faid that the quantity in the former word might be forgotten, it is clear from the mistake in the latter, that Shakespeare could not poffibly have read any one of the Roman poets. There was a tranflation of the 10th Satire of Juvenal by Sir John Beaumont, the elder brother of the famous Francis: but I cannot tell whether it was printed in Shakespeare's time. In that age of quotation, every claffic might be picked up by piece-meal. I forgot to mention in its proper place, that another defcription of Old Age in As you like it, has been called a parody of a paffage in a French poem of Garnier. It is trifling to fay any thing about this, after the obfervation I made in Macbeth: but one may remark once for all, that Shakespeare wrote for the people; and could not have been so abfurd to bring forward any allufion, which had not been familiarized by some accident or other. (P. 214. n 2.) So Davies, "Man's life is but a dreame, pay, lefs than fo, (P. 226.) |