whether his wound were in the fore part or hinder part of his body, When it was answered in the fore part, he replied, "I am right glad; neither with I any other death to me or mine."

A

、

FTER the foregoing pages were printed, the late edition of Shakespeare, afcribed to Sir Thomas Hanmer, fell into my hands; and it was therefore convenient for me to delay the publication of my remarks, till I had examined whether they were not anticipated by fimilar obfervations, or precluded by better. I therefore read over this tragedy, but found that the editor's apprehenfion is of a caft fo different from mine, that he appears to find no difficulty in most of those paffages which I have reprefented as unintelligible, and has therefore paffed fmoothly over them, without any attempt to alter or explain them.

Some of the lines with which I had been perplexed, have been indeed so fortunate as to attract his regard; and it is not without all the fatisfaction which it is usual to express on such occafions, that I find an entire agreement between us in fubftituting [fee Note II.] quarrel for quarry, and in explaining the adage of the cat, [Note XVII.] But this pleasure is, like most others, known only to be regretted; for I have the unhappiness to find no fuch conformity with regard to any other paffage,

The line which I have endeavoured to amend, Note XI. is likewife attempted by the new editor, and is perhaps the only paffage in the play in which he has not fubmiffively admitted the emendations of foregoing critics. Instead of the common reading,

This alteration, which, like all the reft attempted by him, the reader is expected to admit, without any reafon alledged in its defence, is in my opinion, more plaufible than that of Mr. Theobald; whether it is right, I am not to determine.

In the paffage which I have altered in Note XL. an emendation is likewife attempted in the late edition, where, for

-And the chance of goodness
Be like our warranted quarrel,

is fubftituted-And the chance in goodness-whether with more or lefs elegance, dignity, and propriety, than the reading which I have offered, I muft again decline the province of deciding.

Moft of the other emendations which he has endeavoured, whether with good or bad fortune, arę too trivial to deferve mention. For furely the weapons of criticism ought not to be blunted against an

editor,

editor, who can imagine that he is restoring poetry, while he is amufing himself with alterations like thefe;

For

For

This is the ferjeant,

Who like a good and hardy foldier fought;

This is the sergeant, who

Like a right good and hardy foldier fought.

- Difmay'd not this

Our captains Macbeth and Banquo ?—Yes;

Difmay'd not this

Our captains brave Macbeth and Bauquo ?—Yes.

Such harmless induftry may, furely, be forgiven, if it cannot be praised: may he therefore never want a monofyllable, who can use it with fuch wonderful dexterity,

Rumpatur quifquis rumpitur invidia!

The rest of this edition I have not read, but, from the little that I have seen, think it not dangerous to declare that, in my opinion, its pomp recommends it more than its accuracy. There is no diftinction made between the ancient reading, and the innovations of the editor; there is no reason given for any of the alterations which are made; the emendations of former critics are adopted without any acknowledgment, and few of the difficulties are removed which have hitherto embarraffed the readers of Shakespeare, K 4

I would

I would not, however, be thought to infult the editor, nor to cenfure him with too much petulance, for having failed in little things, of whom I have been told, that he excels in greater. But I may without indecency, obferve, that no man should attempt to teach others what he has never learned himfelf; and that those who, like Themiftocles, have ftudied the arts of policy, and can teach a fmall ftate how to grow great, fhould, like him, difdain to labour in trifles, and confider petty accomplishments as below their ambi

tion.

THE

ADVENTURE R.

NUMB. 34. SATURDAY, March 3, 1753:

O a benevolent difpofition, every state of life

will afford fome opportunities of contributing to the welfare of mankind. Opulence and fplendor are enabled to difpel the cloud of adverfity, to dry up the tears of the widow and the orphan, and to increase the felicity of all around them: their example will animate virtue, and retard the progress of vice. And even indigence and obfcurity, though without power to confer happiness, may at least prevent mifery, and apprize those who are blinded by their paffions, that they are on the brink of irremediable calamity.

Pleafed,