goffip, as he afterwards calls her, ought beft to know from whence the came. EXAMP. XXIX. Undertakers. Vol. 7. P. 147. ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. "For this "I'll never follow thy pall'd fortunes more." Pall'd feems to mean decayed. But Mr. Warburton fays, is Pallid, i. e. dead. Metaphor taken from funeral folemnities." And this leads us to EXAMP. XXX. Doctors Commons. Ibid. P. 216. "I cannot procter my own caufe fo well]-The "technical term, to plead by an advocate." WARB. And this is note-writing! CANON XXI. It will be proper, in order to fhew his wit, efpecially if the critic be a married man, to take every opportunity of fneering at the fair fex. EXAMPLE I. Vol. 6. P. 468. CORIOLANUS. "My gracious filence, hail." "The expreffion is extremely fublime; and the "fense of it conveys the finest praise, that can be "given to a good woman." WARB. I always thought fpeaking well and to the pur pose deserved a greater commendation; or, in Mr. War Warburton's phrase, a finer praife, than holding one's tongue. EXAMP. II. Vol. 3, P. 287. THE WINTER'S TALE. -"'tis powerful think it"]" After this there are "four lines of infamous fenfeless ribaldry, ftuck in "by fome profligate player, which I have cashier'd; " and hope no-fine Lady will efteem this a caftra"ted edition; for our having now and then, on the fame neceffity, and after having given fair notice, "taken the fame liberty." WARB. EXAMP. III. Ibid. P. 480. "the fourth [part of thy wit] would return "for confcience fake, to help thee to get a wife," "A fly fatirical infinuation, how small a capacity "of wit is neceffary for that purpose. But every "day's experience of the fex's prudent difpofal of "themselves, may be fufficient to inform us how "unjuft it is." EXAMP. IV. Vol. 1, P. 260. MERRY WIVES OE WINDSOR. "I keep but three men and a boy yet," &c. "As great a fool as the poet has made Slender; "it appears by his boafting of his wealth, his breed"ing, and his courage, that he knew how to win a "woman. This is a fine inftance of Shakespear's knowledge of nature." WARB. I know not, what Mr. Warburton's experience may have taught him; but the fuccefs of Mr. Slender's addrefs could give no hint for this good-natured reflexion; for however Mrs. Anne's father might favor him, it is plain, that her heart was fet upon a more worthy man; and the poet has very properly made Mr. Fenton marry her. EXAMP. V. Vol. 2. P. 264. LovE'S LABOR LOST. "Fair Ladies mafk'd are rofes in the bud, "Or angels veil'd in clouds" After quarrelling with Mr. Theobald for not ufing his whole emendation, Mr. Warburton adds, "It was Shakespear's purpofe to compare a fine "lady to an angel; it was Mr. Theobald's chance, "to compare her to a cloud: and perhaps the ill "bred reader will fay, a lucky one." WARB, None but an ill-bred reader would fay fo; and probably no body at all would have had fuch a thought on this occafion, if an ill-bred critic had not fuggefted the complement. EXAMP. VI. Vol. 2. P. 457. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, Cath. "Why, Sir, I trust I may have leave to << fpeak," &c. 66 દ Shakefpear here has copied nature with great fkill. Petruchio, by frightening, ftarving, and "over-watching his wife, had tamed her into gentleness and fubmiffion. And the audience ἐσ expects to hear no more of the Shrew: when, on "her being croffed in the article of fashion and "finery, the most inveterate folly of the fex, fhe flies out again, though for the laft time, into all the intemperate rage of her nature," WARB. Our critic is a great admirer of Shakespear's knowledge of nature; whenever he can pay a complement to it, at the expense of the fair fex. Here, in order to fet, what he calls their most inveterate folly, in the strongest light, he misreprefents Shakefpear in every circumftance. 1. It does not appear, that Petruchio had as yet tamed her into gentleness and fubmiffion; for almoft the laft words fhe fpoke before this fentence are a general curfe upon his family. 2. She does not on this occafion fly-out into all the intemperate rage of her nature. She infifts indeed, with more heat and obftinacy than one would wifh in a wife, upon having the gown and cap in queftion; but does not, as on fome former occa fions, fupport her refolution either with il language, or blows. 3. And laftly, It is not the laft time that her temper appears. For twice afterwards she is debating with her hufband; once about the hour of the day, and once about the fun and moon; nor is it till the XIIIth Scene, that the appears to be perfectly tamed into gentleness and submission. EXAMP. VII. Vol. 7. P. 273. CYMBELINE. "And Cydnus fwell'd above its bank, or for "The prefs of boats, or pride] This is an agreeable "ridicule on poetical exaggeration, which gives "human paffions to inanimate things;"&c. WARB. This reflexion feems to be made merely to bring in what he says a little after-"The very fame kind "of Satire we have again, on much the fame occa"fion, in THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA; "Vol. 1. P. 215. where the falfe Protheus fays to his friend, of his friend's mistress, " and fhe bath offer'd to the doom, "Which unrevers'd ftands in effectual force, "A fea of melting pearl, which fome call tears. "A cer "A certain gaiety of heart, which the speaker strives "to conceal, breaking-out under a Satire; by which he would infinuate to his friend, the trifling worth of a woman's tears." WARB. This polite complement did not occur to our critic, when he was at work on the play he quotes; but as he was unwilling to lofe the reputation of it among the ladies, he has forced it in here without fear or wit, I fay, forced; because there is no ground, but in his imagination, for thinking that Shakespear meant any fuch thing. EXAMP. VIII. Vol. 7. P. 291. -“ so thou, Pofthumus, "Wilt lay the leven to all proper men; "When Pofthumus thought his wife falfe, he "unjustly fcandalized the whole fex. His wife here, "under the fame impreffions of his infidelity, at"tended with more provoking circumstances, ac"quits his fex; and lays the fault where it was due." "The poet paints from nature. This is life and "manners. The man thinks it a difhonor to the 66 fuperiority of his understanding, to be jilted; and "therefore flatters his vanity into a conceit, that "the difgrace was inevitable from the general infi"delity of the fex. The woman, on the contrary, "not imagining her credit to be at all affected in "the matter, never feeks for fo extravagant a con"folation; but at once eafes her malice, and her grief, by laying the crime and damage at the "door of fome obnoxious coquette.". WARE. 66 I have nothing to objet to what is faid in this learned note of the effects of Jealousy upon men ; |