P. 123. L. 8. Land-dam him:] Sir T. Hanmer interprets, flop bis ut ine. JOHNS. L. 10. Some five,] this is Mr. Theobald's correction; the former editions read, fans five. P. 124. l. 16. ings nought for approbation, but only feel-] Approbation, in this place, is put for prof. HANMER. L. 24. — stuff `ð sufficiency;-] That is, of abilities more than enough. P. 125. 1. 2. Left that the treachery of the two, &c.] He has before declared, that there is a plot against his life and crown, and that Hermione is federary with Polyxenes and Camillo. JORNS. P. 126. 1. 19. Thefe dang 'rous unfafe Lunes t'th' King!-] I have no where, but in our author, obferv'd this word adopted in our tongue, to fignify, Frenzy, Lunacy. But it is a Mode of expreffion with the French.- Il y a de la lune: (i. e. He has got the Moon in his head; he is frantick.) Cotgrave. Lune, folie. Les femmes ont des lunes dans la tete, Richelet. THEOB: P. 128. F. 4. out of the blank ] Beyond the aim of any attempt that I can make against him. Biank and level, are terms of archery. JOHNS. P. 130. 1. 12. And would by combat make ber good, fo were l A man, the worst about you.] Paulina fuppofes the King's jealousy to be raised and inflamed by the courtiers about him; who, the finely fays, creep like fhadows by him, and do fich At each bis needlefs keavings:- Surely then, she could not fay, that were the a man, the wurst of these, fhe would. vindicate her miftrefs's honour against the King's fufpicions, in single combat. Shakespeare, I am perfuaded, wrote, fo were I A man, ON TH"werft about you. i. e. were I a man, I would vindicate her honour, on the worst of these sycophants that are about you. WARB. Ibid.] The worf here, fignifies the weakest, or leaft war like: fo we fay the better man, referring to his skill and courage in fighting. CANONS,* The worst means only the loweft. Were I the meanest of your fervants, I would yet claim the combat against any accufer. JOHNS. L. 21. A mankind woman is yet uf'd in the Midland counties for a woman, violent, furious and mischievous. THEOB. and JOHNS. P. 131. L. 3. Unvenerable be thy bands, if thou Tak ft up the Princess by that forced bafenefs] Leontes had ordered Antigonus to take up the baflard, Paulina forbids him to touch the Princefs under that appellation. Forced is falfe, uttered with violence to truth. P. 132. L. 5. No yellow in't;· Yellow is the colour of jealousy. P. 134. L. 28. -1 JOHNS. JOHNS. commend it strangely to fome place,] Commit to fome place, as a stranger, without more provifion. P. 135. 1. 4. READ, Sir be profperous in more than this deed does require and bleffing against this cruelty, fight on thy fide, poor thing condemned to lofs! RODERICK. P. 136. 1. 2. Fertile the Ifle.] I am very fufpicious that our author, notwithstanding, (Dr. W. conjecture fubjoined) wrote ifle, and for this reafon. The ground-work and incidents of his play are taken from an old ftory, call'd, the pleasant and delectable Hiftory of Doraftus and Farunia; and there the queen begs of her lord, in the rage of his jealoufy, that it would pleafe bis majesty to send fix of his nobles, whom ke best trusted, to the ifle of Delphos, there to enquire of the oracle of Apollo, &c. Another abfurdity our author has copied from the fame Tale, in making Bobemia a maritime country. THEOB.* Ibid] But the temple of Apollo at Delphi was not in an ifland, but in Phocis, on the continent. Either Shakespeare, or his editors, had their heads running on Delos, an island of the Cyclades. If it was the editor's blunder, then StakeSpeare wrote, Fertile the foil, which is more elegant too, than the prefent reading. WARB. and CAPELL. -Ibid.] Stakespeare is little careful of geography. There is no need of this emendation in a play of which the whole plot depends upon a grofs geographical error. L. 4. I SHALL report, JOHNS. FOR MOST it caught me, &c.] what will he report? and what means this reafon of his report, that the celestial habits moft ftruck his obfervation? we should read, IT SHAMES repo't, FOREMOST it caught me, Cleomines had juft before said, that the Temple much furpassed the common praife it bore. The other, very naturally, replies it fhames report, as far furpaffing what report faid of it. He then goes on to particularize the wonders of the place: Forem, or first of all, the priests garments, their behaviour, their act of facrifice, &c. in reasonable good order. WARB. Ibid.] Of this emendation I fee no reafon; the utmost that can be necessary is, to change, it caught me, to they caught me, but even this may well enough be omitted. It. may relate to the whole fpectacle. JOHNS. L. 17. The time is worth the use on't.] It should be just the reverse, The ufe is worth the time on't. and this alteration the Oxford editor approves. WARB. and CAPELL Ibid. Either reading may ferve, but neither is very elegant. The time is worth the ufe on't, means, the time which we have spent in vifiting Delos has recompenfed us for the trouble of fo fpending it. -pretence JOHNS. P. 137. L. 18. -] Is, in this place, taken for a fheme laid, a defign formed; to pretend means to defign, in the Gent. of Verona. JOHNS. L. 26. Mine integrity, &c.] That is, my virtue being accounted wickedness, my affertion of it will pass but for a Lie. Falfhood means both treachery and lie. JOHNS. P. 138. L. 16. Fer life I prize it, &c.] Life is to me now only grief, and as fuch only is confidered by me, I would therefore willingly difmifs it. L. 23. Since he came, With what encounter fo uncurrent I JOHNS. Thefe lines I do not underftand; with the license of all editors what I cannot understand I fuppofe unintelligible, cand therefore propose that they may be altered thus, -Since be came, With what encounter fo uncurrent have I L. 30. I ne'er beard yet, That any of those bolder vices wanted Lefs impudence to gainsay what they did, JOHNS. Than to perform it firft.] It is apparent that according to the proper, at least according to the prefent, ufe of words, fs fhould be more, or wanted fhould be bad. But Shakespeare is very uncertain in his use of negatives. It may be neceffury once to observe, that in our language two negatives did not originally affirm, but strengthen the negation. This mode of fpeech was in time changed, but as the change was made in oppofition to long cuftom, it proceeded gradually, and uniformity was not obtained but through an intermediate confufion. JOHNS. P. 139. L. 20. -The Gods themselves (Watting no more than I) are ignorant.] The parenthesis confounds the fenfe: which is; if they know more of it than I do, know nothing at all of it. CANONS.* I. 26. My life hands in the level of your dreams.] To be in the level is by a metaphor from archery to be within the reath. As you were past all fame, JOHNS. L. 39. Thofe of your Fact are fo, fo past all truth.] I do not remember that fact is ufed any where abfolutely for guilt, which must be its fenfe in this place. Perhaps we may read, Thofe of your Pack are fo; Pack is a low coarfe word well fuited to the rest of this royal invective. P. 140. L. 21. laftly, kurried Here to this place, i'tb' open air, before old editions; JOHN'S. I bave got strength of Limbs.] This is the read ing of Mr. Roque, and Mr. Pope. I have reftor'd, with the before I bave got strength of Limit. i. e. Strength enough for coming abroad, going never fo little a way. So, in Cymbeline; A prifon, for a debtor that not dares THEOB.* Thid] I apprehend the meaning is, before I have recovered the strength which women acquire by the ufual, or limited time of confinement after Child-birth. REVI.* Ibid.] I know not well how frength of limit can mean ftrength to pass the limits of the childbed chamber, which yet it must mean in this place, unless we read in a more easy phrafe, frength of limb. And now, &c. JOHNS. P. 141. 1. 7. The flatness of my mifery ] That is, how low, how flat I am laid by my calamity. JOHNS. P. 142. 1. 2. Of the Queen's Speed.] Of the event of the Queen's trial: fo we ftill fay, he fped well or ill. JoHNS. P. 143. 1. 4. This vehement retractation of Leontes, accompanied with the confeffion of more crimes than he was fufpected of, is agreeable to our daily experience of the viciffitudes of violent tempers, and the eruptions of minds oppreffed with guilt. Јониз. L. 20. That thou betray'dft Polixenes, 'twas nothing; That did but fhew thee, of a Fool, conftant, And damnable ingrateful.] I have ventur'd at a flight Alteration here, against the authority of all the copies, and for fool read foul. It is certainly too grofs and blunt in Paulina, tho' fhe might impeach the king of fooleries in fome of his paft actions and conduct, to call him downright a fool. And it is much more pardonable in her to arraign his morals, and the qualities of his mind, than rudely to call him idiot to his face. THEOB. Ibid.] -fhew thee of a fool- -] So all the copies. We should read,fhew thee off a fool,- i. e. reprefent thee in thy true colours: a fool, an inconftant, &c. WARB. Ibid.] Poor Mr. Theobald's courtly remark cannot be thought to deferve much notice. Dr. Warburton too might have fpared his fagacity if he had remembered, that the prefent reading, by a mode of fpeech anciently much used, means only, It bow'd thee first a fool, then inconftant and ungrateful. JOHNS. P. 144. 1. 26. This is another inftance of the fudden |