in the place of fibole, in the merchant's fecond tale, V. 1669. REVISAL. L. 11. And beauty's CREST becomes the heavens well.] This is a contention between two lovers about the preference of a black or white beauty. But, this reading, he who is contending for the white, takes for granted the thing in difpute; by faying, that white is the creft of beauty. His adverfary had just as much reafon to call black fo. The queftion debated between them, being which was the crest of beauty, black or white. Shakespeare could never write fo abfurdly nor has the Oxford Editor at all mended the matter by fubftituting dress for creft. We fhould read, And beauty's CRETE becomes the beavens well, i.e. beauty's white from creta. In this reading, the third line is a proper antithesis to the firft. I fuppofe the blunder of the tranfcriber arofe from hence, the french word crefte in that pronunciation and orthography is créte, which he understanding, and knowing nothing of the other fignification of crete from creta, critically altered it to the English way of fpelling, crefte. WARB. and CAP.* Ibid.] This emendation cannot be received till its author can prove that crete is an English word. Befides, creft is here properly oppofed to badge. Black, fays the king, is the badge of bell, but that which graces the heaven, is the creft of beauty. Black darkens hell, and is therefore hateful: wbite adorns heaven, and is therefore lovely. JOHNS. Ibid.] Dr. W. I think has rightly rejected creft, because it prefents no idea to the imagination. Crete, however is a word our language difavows, and were it even admitted, where is the fenie of beauty's chalk Shakespeare wrote English, and for my part, I approve of Sir T. Hanmer's correction, beauty's dress, but in order to preserve a confiftent fenfe, we must take this line from the king, and give it to Biron, REVISAL. P. 56. L. 13. Sme tricks, fome quillets, bow to cheat the devil. Quillet is the peculiar word applied to law-chicane. I imagine the original to be this: in the French pleadings, every feveral allegation in the plaintiff's charge, and every diftinct plea in the defendants anfwer, began with the words Qu'il eft:- -from whence was formed the word quillet, to fignify a falfe charge or an evasive antwer. WARB. L. 16. Affection's men at arms.] A man at arms, is a foldier armed at all points, both offentively and defenfively. It is no more than, Ye foldiers of affection. JOHNSON. L. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, difcarded by CAPELL. L. 28. This and the two following lines are omitted, I fuppofe, by mere over fight, in Dr. Warburton's edition. JOHNS. P. 57. L. 1. The nimble fpirits in the arteries;] In the old fyftem of phyfic, they gave the fame office to the arteries as is now given to the nerves; as appears from the name which is derived from ἄερα τηρεῖν. WARB. L. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, difcarded by CAP.* L. 8. Teaches fuch BEAUTY as a woman's eye?] This line is abfolute nonfenfe. We fhould read, DUTY, i. e. ethics, or the offices and devoirs that belong to a man. woman's eye, fays he, teaches obfervance above all other things. A WARB. Ibid.] The fenfe is plain without correction. A lady's eye gives a fuller notion of beauty than any author. L. 16. JOHNS, and REVI In leaden contemplation have found out Such fiery numbers,] Alluding to the difcoveries in modern aftronomy; at that time greatly improving, in which the ladies eyes are compared, as usual, to stars. He calls them numbers, alluding to the Pythagorean principles of aftronomy, which were founded on the laws of harmony. The Oxford Editor, who was at a lofs for the conceit, changes numbers to notions, aud fo lofes both the fenfe and the gallantry of the allufion. He has better luck in the following line, and has rightly changed beauty's to beauteous. WAR B. Ibid.] Numbers are in this paffage nothing more than poetical measures. Could you, fays Buon, by folitary contem plation have attained fuch poetical fire, fucb fpritely numbers, as have been prompted by the eyes of beauty. The aftronomer, by looking too much aloft, falls into a ditch. JOHNS. P. 57. L. 30. A lover's ear will hear the lowest found, When the fufpicious head of theft is ftop'd.] I have ventured to fubftitute a word here, against the authority of all the printed copies. There is no contraft of terms, betwixt a lover and a thief: but betwixt a lover and a man of thrift, there is a remarkable ant thefis. Nor is it true in fact, believe, that a thief, hardened to the profeffion, is always fufpicious of being apprehended; but he may fleep as found as an honefter man. But, according to the ideas we have of a mifer, a man who makes lucre and pelf his fole object and purfuit, his fleeps are broken and disturbed with perpetual apprehenfions of being robbed of his darling treasure: confequently his ear is upon the attentive bent, even when he fleeps beft. THEOB. L. 31. the fufpicious bead of theft is stopt.] i. e. a lover in pursuit of his mistress, has his sense of hearing quicker than a thief (who fufpects every found he hears) in pursuit of his prey. But Mr. Theobald fays, there is no contraft between a lover and a thief: and therefore alters it to thrift, between which and love, he fays, there is a remarkable antithefis. What he means by contraft and antithefis, I confess I don't understand. But 'tis no matter: the common reading is fenfe, and that is better than either one or the other. P. 58. L. 3. For valour is not love a Hercules, WARB. Still climbing trees in the Hefperides?] The poet is here obferving how all the fenfes are refined by love. But what has the poor fense of smelling done, not to keep its place among its brethren? Then Hercules's valour was not in climbing the trees, but in attacking the dragon gardant. I rather think that for valour we should read favour, and the poet meant that Hercules was allured by the odour and fragrancy of the golden apples. THEOB. and REVI. L.6. As bright Apollo's lute, ftrung with bis bair:] This expreffion, like that other in the two gentlemen of Verona, of Orpheus' harp was ftrung with poets finews,' is extremely beautiful, and highly figurative. Apollo, as 'the fun, is represented with golden hair; fo that a lute ftrung with his hair, means no more than ftrung with gilded wire. WARB. Ibid.] How muft the reader be disappointed when he finds this " extremely beautiful and highly figurative expreffion," amounts to no more according to Dr. Warburton, VOL. II. C than, that Apollo's lute is ftrung with gilded wire ! How much more fublime, the imagination of our poet, who represents that inftrument as ftrung with the fun beams, which in poetry are called Apollo's hair? REVI L. 7. And when love speaks the voice of all the gods, Make, beat'n drowsy with the barmony ↑ This nonfenfe we should read and point thus, And when love speaks the voice of all the gods, Mark heav'n drowly with the harmony. i. e. In the voice of love alone is included the voice of alf the gods. Aliuding to the ancient theogony, that love was the parent and support of all the gods. Hence as Suidas tells us, Palcephatus wrote a poem called, 'Apeodiens "Egwr pavn jó."The voice and fpeech of Venus and Love," which appears to have been a kind of cofmogony, the harmony of which is fo great, that it calms and allays all kinds of diforders; alluding again to the ancient use of mufic, which was to compofe monarchs, when, by reafon of the cares of empire, they used to pafs whole nights in reft lefs inquietude. WARB. Ibid.] The natural correction is fo obvious, that it was fcarce poffible to miss it, And when love fpeaks, the voice of all the gods, That is, whenever love speaks, all the gods join their voices with his in harmonious concert. L. 20. fhould read, REVI. and CAP. a word, THAT LOVES ALL MI;] We A word all wOMEN love.. the following line, Or for men's fake (the author of these women ;) Which refers to this reading, puts it out of all question. WARB. Thid.] Mr Warburton's emendation is a very bold one, but had he attended to the artificial ftructure of thefe lines, in which the word that terminates every line, is prefixed to the word fake, in that immediately following, he could fcarce have miffed the true reading, which is, Or for love's fake, (a word that joyes all mes) The expreffion in the next line, thefe women, hath a reference to the line next but one preceding these verses, Then fools you were, thefe women to forfwear. REVI.* Ibid.] Perhaps we might read thus, tranfpofing the lines, Or for love's fake, a word that loves all men; For women's, fake, by whom we men are men ; Or for men's fake, the authors of these women. The antithefis of "a word that all men love," and " word which loves all men," though in itself worth little, has much of the spirit of this play. JOHNS. P. 59. L. 14. fown cockle reap'd no corn;] This proverbial expreffion intimates, that beginning with perjury, they can expect to reap nothing but falfhood. The following lines lead us to this fenfe. WARB. Ibid.] i. e. If we don't take the proper measures for winning these ladies, we shall never atchieve them. REVI.* A&t V. Scene I. Here Scene II. of Act IV. begins in CAP. JOHNS L. 17. Here Mr. Theobald ends the third act. L. 19. Your reasons at dinner have been, &c.] I know not well what degree of refpect Shakespeare intends to obtain for this vicar, but he has here put into his mouth a finished representation of colloquial excellence. It is very difficult to add any thing to this character of the schoolmaster's tabletalk, and perhaps all the precepts of Caftiglione will scarcely be found to comprehend a rule for converfation fo justly delineated, fo widely dilated, and fo nicely limited. It may be proper juft to note, that reafon here, and in many other places, fignifies difcourfe, and that audacious is ufed in a good fenfe for fpirited, animated, confident. Opinion is the fame with obftinacy or opiniatreté. JOHNS. P. 60. L. 3. He is too piqued.] To have the beard piqued or fhorn fo as to end in a point, was in our author's time a mark of a traveller affecting foreign fashions: fo fays the Battard in K. John. I catechife My piqued man of countries. JOHNS. Ibid.] Piqued, in this place feems to mean, fiff, arched, or formal. If the reader will look into the notes on king John, he will find that piqued in the line quoted by Dr. |