Spoken more like a baker or milkman, than a lover.

EXAMP. XXXIV. Vol. 1. P. 77. TEMPEST. "I'll break my staff;

"Bury it certain fadoms in the earth, &c. "Certain, in it's prefent fignification, is predicated "of a precife determinate number: but this fenfe "would make the thought flat and ridiculous. We "must consider the word certain therefore, as used "in its old fignification of a many indefinitely. So "Bale in his Acts of English Votaries fays, but "be took with him A CERTEN of his idle compa"nions: for a many. So that Shakespear, I fup"pofe, wrote the line thus; Bury't A CERTAIN fa"dom in the earth. WARB."

Certain has now, as it alfo had of old, two fenfes : it may either be used indefinitely; or else (as Mr. W. chooses to express himself) may be " predicated of a precise determinate number." But how it came into our Critic's head, that in it's indefinite use it muft fignify a great number, or (as he elegantly calls it) a many; I am at a lofs to guess. Nor can I conceive, what bulky Grammarian fell from the shelves upon his head; that he takes fuch bitter revenge on poor Prifcian, as to change fadoms plur. for fadom fing. at the inftant he is telling you, Shakespear meant many fadoms: unless perhaps he did it for the fake of uniformity of ftyle. Then indeed, to fay-two, three, twenty fadom, instead of fadoms, is juft fuch a piece of vulgarity in speech; as to fay -a many for a great many.

One may fay, that Mr. W. has written certain

obferva

obfervations and emendations on Shakespear: but nobody, that ever read them, except ONE, would imagine; that it was, or could be intended hereby to predicate, that the observations were precife and determinate; or the emendations certain.

I fuppofe, Shakespear intended by this expreffion to fignify; that there was a certain precife determinate number of fadoms, which Profpero by his art knew of; at which depth if he buried his staff, it would never more be difcovered, fo as to be used in enchantments.

EXAMP. XXXV. Vol. 1. P. 356. MEASURE FOR MEASURE.

"We have with special Soul

"Elected Him, Our abfence to supply." "This nonsense must be corrected thus; with fpe"cial roll: i. e. by a fpecial commiffion." WARB.

With fpecial Soul, may fairly be interpreted to mean, with great thought, upon mature deliberation; but with special roll, for-by special commiffion, is hard and awkward: and to elect a man by a commiffion, instead of-appoint him, is flat nonsense; which must be re-corrected thus-with fpecial soul.

EXAMP. XXXVI. Vol. 1. P. 217. Two GENTLEMEN, &C.

"I am but a Fool, look you; and yet I have the "wit to think, my mafter is a kind of knave: but "that's all one, if he be but one knave.] Where is "the sense, or, if you wont allow the speaker that, "where is the bumour of this fpeech? Nothing had "given the fool occafion to fufpect, that his master

was

was become double; like Antipholis in the Comedy of Errors. The laft word is corrupt. We "fhould read-if he but one kind. He thought his

mafter was a kind of Knave: however, he keeps "himself in countenance with this reflexion; that,

if he was a knave but of one kind, he might pafs "well enough among his neighbours." WARB.

Mr. W. asks, "Where is the fenfe, or humour "of this fpeech?" If he would have stopp'd there for an answer, it might perhaps have been found for him. But after he has Led the reader away, by that wild reasoning about his mafter becoming double; Corrupted the text, by way of mending it; and laftly, Explaned his own corruption; it is no easy matter to recover either sense or humour to the paffage. The plain fenfe of it however seems to be this.

Launce, from what has paffed in the preceding part of the play between Protheus, his master, and Valentine, reflects; that though He is a Fool, his Mafter is a Knave. But that's all one, fays He; if he be but one knave, i. e. if he only be a knave; if I too be not found myself to be an other, viz. a hypocritical knave: for he goes-on faying-" He lives "not, that knows I am in love; yet I am in love, &c." It is not his Mafter's honefty, but his own, that Launce is endeavouring to defend; as it is not ShakeSpear's meaning, but his own, that Mr. W. is endeavouring to account-for: and then he confounds and overbears his more diffident reader; by adding here, as in many other places, a peremtory

"This is truely humourous."

EXAMP. XXXVII. Vol. 1. P. 400. MEASURE

FOR MEASURE.

Thou haft nor Youth, nor Age :
But as it were an after-dinner's fleep,

"Dreaming on both for all thy bleffed Youth
"Becomes as aged, and doth beg the Alms

"Of palfied Eld; and when thou'rt old and rich, "Thou' haft neither Heat, Affection, Limb, nor "Beauty;

"To make thy riches pleasant-"

"The drift of this period is to prove, that nei*ther Youth nor Age can be faid to be really en"joyed: :- which conclufion he that can deduce, "has a better knack at logic than I have. I fup"pose the poet wrote,

"for pall'd thy blazed youth

"Becomes affuaged; and doth beg-&c.

"i. e. When thy youthful appetite becomes palled, "as it will be in the very enjoyment, the blaze of "youth is at once affuaged" &c. WARB.

Which is as much as to fay, When thy youthful appetite becomes palled, why then-it becomes palled. This is Mr. W's knack at Logic; and this he supports with his ufual trick of "This is "to the purpose."

Now because one may, without over much confidence, pretend to as good a knack at Logic as this; let us fee what may be made of the paffage, without Mr. W's corruptions of it. And it may be thus explaned.

In your Youth you are in as bad a condition as an old man, for tho' you have Appetites to enjoy "the pleasures of life, yet you are unable to enjoy : them for want of the Means to purchase them, viz. • Riches;

Riches; not being come to your eftate, being dependent on your Elders for fubfiftence. And because you are advanced in years, before you come ' to your Inheritance; therefore by that time you get riches to purchase the pleasures of life, your appetites and strength forfake you; and you are incapable of enjoying them, on that account.* Appetite, in Shakespear's loose manner, is fignified by two words, viz. heat, affection; and Strength by two others, limb, beauty. This laft Mr W. does not like; and therefore pronounces,

•

"We should read, bounty; which compleats the "fenfe, and is this; Thou haft neither the pleasure "of enjoying riches thy-felf, for thou wanteft vi

gour; nor of feeing it enjoyed by others, for thou "wanteft bounty. Where the making the want of "bounty as infeparable from old age as the want " of health, is extremely fatyrical; though not al"together just." WARB.

This reafon for the alteration is worthy of the critic by profeffion; who not finding in his author what to cenfure, firft corrupts under pretence of amending him; and then abuses him for the imputed fentiment.

CANON. III.

Thefe 'alterations he may make, in spite of the exactness of measure.

EXAMPLE I. Vol. 5. P. 383. HENRY VIII. "I do not know,

"What kind of my obedience I should tender;
"More than my All is nothing; nor my prayers,"&c.

See this fentiment well expreffed in LEAR, Vol. 6. P. 8.
Where