L 29. When for fame's fake, for praife, an outward part, We bend to that the working of the beart.] The harmony of the measure, the eafinefs of the expreffion, and the good fenfe in the thought, all concur to recommend these two lines to the reader's notice. WARB. P. 36. L. 1.THAT my heart means no ill.] We should read, THO' my beart. WARB. Ibid.] That my heart means no ill, is the fame with to whom my beart means no ill; the common phrafe fuppreffes the particle, as I mean him [not to him] no harm. JOHNS. L. 7. A member of the common wealth.) Here, I believe, is a kind of jeft intended; a member of the common-wealth is put for one of the common people, one of the meanest. JOHNS. HANM.* L. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. rejected by L. 15. An' YOUR waist, mistress, were as flender as MY wit, One o' thefe maids girdles for YOUR waste should be fit.] And was not one of her maid's girdles fit for her? It is plain that my and your have all the way changed places, by fome accident or other; and that the lines fhould be read thus, An' My waist, mistress was as flender as YOUR wt, One of thefe maids girdles for My warft fhould be fit. The lines are humourous enough, both as refleding on his own grofs fhape, and her flender wit. WARB. Ibid] This conjecture is ingenious enough, but not well confidered. It is plain that the ladies girdles would not fit the princess. For when he has referred the clown to the thickest and the talleft, he turns immediately to her with the blunt apology, truth is truth, and again tells her, you are the abickest bere. If any alteration is to be made, I should propose, An' your waift, mistress, were as flender as your wit. This would point the reply; but perhaps he mentions the Menderness of his own wit to excufe his bluntnefs. L. 23. Boyet, you can carve: JOHNS. and REVÍ. Break up this capon.] i. e. open this letter. Our poet uses this metaphor, as the French do their Poulet, which fignifies both a young fowl, and a love-letter. Poulet, amatoria Litera, fays Richelet: and quotes from Voiture, Repondre au plus obligeant Poulet du Monde; To reply to the most obliging letter in the world. The Italians ufe the fame manner of expreffion, when they call a loveepiftle, una Pollicetta amerofa. I owed the hint of this equivocal ufe of the word to my ingenious friend Mr. Bifbop. THEOB. L. 29. Break the neck of the wax.] Still alluding to the capon. JOHN P. 37. L 5. King Cophetua.] This story is again alluded to in Henry IV. It may be found in Mr. Percy's collection of ballads. JOHNS. L. 26. Thus doft thou bear, &c.] Thefe fix lines appear to be a quotation from fome ridiculous poem of that time. P. 38. L. 7. So Raleigh, WARB. ere while.] Juft now; a little while ago. Here lies Hobbinol our shepherd, while e'er. muccio. JOHNS. a monarcho,] Sir T. Hanmer reads, a mam L. 10. L. 20. deferues no care. JOHNSON. -Come, lords, away] Perhaps the princess faid rather, Come, ladies, away-The reft of the scene JOHNSON. CAPELL. CAPELL. L. 23, &c. To the end of this fcene rejected by HAN.* dear, with the old copies. L 31. CAP. P. 40. Eater Holofernes,] There is very little perfonal reflexion in Shakespeare. Either the virtue of thofe times, er the candour of our author, has fo effected, that his fatire is, for the most part, general, and as himself fays, his taxing like a wild goofe flies, Unclaim'd of any man. The place before us feems to be an exception. For by Holofernes is defigned a particular character, a pedant and a schoolmaster of our author's time, one John Florio, a teacher of the Italian tongue in London, who has given us a fmall dictionary of that language, under the title of A world of words, which in his epiftle dedicatory, he tells us, 15 of little less value than Stephens's treasure of the Greek tongue, the most compleat work that was ever yet compiled of its kind. In his preface he calls those who had criticized his works, Seadogs or Land-critics; monsters of men, if not beafts rather than men, whofe teeth are canibals, their tongues adders-forks, their lips afpes poifon, their eyes bafilifkes, their breath, the breath of a grave, their words like fwordes of Turks that strive which fball dive deepest into a Chriftian lying bound before them. Well therefore might the mild Nathaniel defire Holofernes to abrogate jourrility. His profeffion too is the reafon that Holofernes deals fo much in Italian fentences. There is an edition of Love's Labour's loft, printed in 1598, and said to be prefented before ber Highness this laft Christmas, 1597The next year, 1598, comes out our John Florio with his World of Words, recentibus odiis; and in the preface, quoted above, falls upon the comic poet for bringing him on the ftage. There is another fort of leering curs, that rather fnarl than bite, whereof I could inftance in one, who lighting on a good fonnet of a gentleman, a friend of mine, that loved better to be a poet than to be counted fo, called the auther a rymer.Let Ariftophanes and bis comedians make plaies, and scoivre their mouths on Socrates; thofe very mouths they make to vilifie fhall be the means to amolific his virtue, &c. Here Shakespeare is fo plainly marked out as not to be mistaken, As to the fonnet of the gentleman bis friend, we may be affured it was no other than his own. And without doubt was parodied in the very fonnet beginning with the praifeful princess, &c. in which our author makes Holofernes fay, be will fomething affect the letter; for it argues facility. And how much Jobn Florio thought this affectation argued facility, or quickness of wit, we fee in this preface where he falls upon his enemy, H. S. His name is H. S. Do not take it for the Roman H. S unless it be as H. S. is twice as much and an half, as half an A. S. With a great deal more to the fame purpose; concluding his preface in these words, the refolute John Florio. From the ferocity of this man's temper, it was, that Shakespeare chofe for him the name which Rablais gives to his pedant of Thubal Holoferne, WARB. Ibid.] I am not of the learned commentator's opinion, that the fatire of Shakespeare is so seldom perfonal. It is of the nature of perfonal invectives to be foon unintelligible; and the author that gratifies private malice, animam in volnere penit, deftroys the future efficacy of his own writings, and facrisces the esteem of fucceeding times to the laughter of a day. It is no wonder, therefore, that the farcalms which, perhaps, in the author's time fet the playhouse in a roar, are now loft among general reflections. Yet, whether the character of Holofernes was pointed at any particular man, I am, notwithitanding the plaufibility of Dr. Warburton's conjecture, inclin'd to doubt. Every man adheres as long as he can to his own pre-conceptions. Before I read this note I confide ed the character of Holofernes as borrowed from the Rhombus of Sir Philip Sidney, who, in a kind of paftoral entertainment exhibited to Queen Elizabeth, has introduced a schoolmafter fo called, speaking a leafh of languages at once, and ruzzling himself and his auditors with a jargon like that of Holofernes in the prefent play. Sidney himlelt might bring the character from Italy; for as Peacham obferves, the fchoolmafter has long been one of the ridiculous perfonages in the farces of that country. JOHNS. P. 40. L. 16. In fanguis, blood; against old copies. CAP.* P. 41. L. 14. -and fuch barren plants are fet before us, that we thankful fhould be; which we tafte, and feeling are for thofe parts that do fructify in us more than be.] The words have been ridiculously, and ftupidly, tranfpoted and corrupted. I read, we thankful should be for those parts (which ave tafle and feel ingradare) that do fructify, &c. The emendation I have offered, I hope, reftores the author: at least, it gives him fenfe and grammar: and answers extremely well to his metaphors taken from planting, Ingradare, with the Italians, fignifies, to rife higher and higher andare di grado in grada, to make a progreffion; and fo at length come to fructify, as the poet expreffes it. WARB. Ibid.] Dr. W. defire to fhew his skill in the Italian would not let him fee that Sir T. Hanmer restored this paffage to fenfe, without the help of his ingradare, which does not mend the matter much, and which he has not the leaft authority for palming upon us for Shakespeare's. CANONS of CRIT.* Ibid.] Sir T. Hanmer and Capell, read thus, And such barren plants are set before us, that we thankful Should be, For thofe parts which we tafte and feel, do fructify in us more than he.] And Mr. Edwards applauds the emendation. I think both the editors mittaken, except that Sir T. Hanmer found the metre, though he miffed the fenfe. I read, with a flight change, And fuch barren plants are fet before us, that we thankful fbould be, When we taste, and feeling are for those parts that do fructify in us more than he. That is, fuch barren plants are exhibited in the creation, to make us thankful when we have more tafte and feeling than he, of thofe parts, or qualities, which produce fruit in us and preferve us from being likewile barren plants. Such is the fenfe, juft in itself ard pious, but a little clouded by the dition of Sir Nathaniel. The length of thefe lines, was no novelty on the English ftage. The moralities afford fcenes of the like meafure. JOHNS. Ibid.] Sir T. Hanmer's correction is much more judicicus than Dr. Warburton's. I fhould imagine however, that this paffage might be as well reftored, with much less alteration of the ancient text, thus, And fuch barren plants are fet before us, that we thankful fhould be, While we tafte and feeling bave, for thofe parts that do fructify in us, much more than he. REVISAL.* L. 18. The meaning is, to be in a fchool, would as ill become a patch, or low fellow, as folly would become me. JOHNSON. L. 31. Th' allufion holds in the exchange.] i. e. the riddle is as good when I use the name of Adam, as when you use the name of Cain. WARE. P. 42. L. 24. Makes fifty fores, O forel!] We should read, or forel, alluding to L being the numeral for 50. Concerning the beasts of chafe, whereof the buck being the first, is |