ton does not deny. They give us indeed leth, a laft of herrings; if that will ferve his turn. One would expect, that he, who is only learning French, fhould give us fome better authority than his own for this common French word; and, to do him juftice fo he does; after his manner.

!

"So in ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, he (Shakefpear) fays,

"Even to a lethied dulnefs.'

That is, because Shakespear has made an English word from the Latin lethum, death; or Lethe, the river of oblivion; therefore lethe is a common French word; which I think is a very mean, or, as our critic explanes it in K. LEAR, Vol. 6. P. 97. a very mediocre argument.

*

EXAMP. XXXVI. Vol. 2. P. 5.

ABOUT NOTHING.

MUCH ADO

"If he have wit enough to keep himself warm, "let him bear it for a difference between himself "and his horse.] But how would that make a "difference between him and his horfe? We "fhould read-keep himself from harm.” WARB.

The reafon for this alteration is pleafant-be"cause it is the nature of borfes, when wounded, "to run upon the point of the weapon." i, e. Because horses, when they have gotten harm, have not wit enough to keep themfelves from harm. It is a proverbial expreffion. Shakespear alludes to it

* Our mean] i. e. moderate, mediocre condition.

again, in The Taming of the Shrew. Vol. 3.

P. 427.

"Catharine. Am I not wife?

"Petruchio. Yes; keep you warm.'

EXAMP. XXXVII. Vol. 2. P. 34. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

-past the infinite of thought]" Human thought cannot fure be called infinite, with any kind of figurative propriety. I fuppofe, the true read"ing was, definite." WAR B.

66

Whatever the impropriety may be of applying this term to finite, and even trifling things; the practife is fo common, that it is almoft a fhame to quote any proof of it; yet I cannot forbear giving One from Mr. W.'s own Preface, P. ix. where, fpeaking of the two poetical Editors of Shakespear, he says

"The proprietors, not difcouraged by their first "unfuccefsful Effort, in due time made a fecond; " and, tho' they ftill ftuck-to their Poets, with infinitely more fuccefs, in their choice of Mr. Pope.'

So that this, it seems, was only a fudden fit of humility in Mr.W! And though Human Thought itself be unworthy of the term infinite; yet the fuccefs of a Bookfeller, in his choice of a Critic for Shakespear, may, without impropriety, be fo called; and That, (which makes it ftill more extraordinary) even before the choice fell on Mr. W.

EXAMP. XXXVIII. Vol. 2. P. 411. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW.

Few words fuffice; and therefore, if you know "One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife ;

"(As wealth is burden of my wooing dance)
"Be fhe as foul as was Florentius' Love,
"As old as Sibyll, and as curst and shrewd
"As Socrates' Xantippe, or a worse,

"She moves me not; or not removes, at left,
"Affection's edge in me."-

"This man is a ftrange talker. He tells you, "he wants money only: yet, after this, of affection's "edge being so strong in him; that nothing can a"bate it. The true reading, I am perfuaded, is

----

"Affection fieg'd in coin-i. e. feated, placed, "fixed. This makes him fpeak to the purpose; "that his affection is all love of money." WARB.

And why may not this love of money, be that affection; whofe edge, he fays, nothing can abate?

There is but one thing wanting, to make us receive Mr. W's alteration. Let him but prove, that this man is, as he calls him, a strange talker; and then no-body will deny, that the expreffionAffection fieg'd in coin, will very well fit his mouth.

EXAMP. XXXIX. Vol. 4. P. 124. I HENRY IV.

"If I travel but four foot by the square further "on foot, I fhall break my wind.] The thought "is humorous; and alludes to his bulk: Infinu"ating, that his legs being four foot asunder, when "he advanced four foot, this put-together made "four foot fquare." WARB.

According to this known rule, let us measure the leap of the dancer in the WINTER'S TALE, Vol. 3. P. 347. who jumped twelve foot and a half by the Square: i. e. twelve foot and a half forswards, and as much fideways. But whether he did this, by jumping in the diagonal; or whether he

carried

carried his legs twelve foot and a half asunder; is not very easily determined.

For want of attending to this mensuration, a very fine piece of humour, alfo, will be loft to the reader in 2 HEN. IV. Vol. 4. P. 279. where Falstaff fays to Prince John of Lancafter I fpeeded hither with the very extremeft inch of poffibility.'-Infinuating, without queftion, that on this occafion of the battle he travelled by the inch fquare; (for, though fquare be not expreffed here, I am perfuaded it is understood :) and carried his legs not above an inch afunder. An extremely natural posture for a coward in a battle!

By the Square in both places, it is evident that Shakespear means nothing more than a common Measure, or Foot-Rule. Milton has used the word Square in the fame manner, for measure fimpliciter. Comus, 1. 339.

Eye me, bleft Providence, and square my trial
To my proportioned ftrength-

EXAMP. XL. Vol. 6. P. 334. MACBETH. "As, whence the Sun gives his reflection Here "are two readings in the copies, gives, and 'gins; i. e. begins. But the latter, I think, is right" &c." WARB.

Mr. W. in many of his notes, is fond of giving us a taste of his knowledge in his philofophy: how happily, the reader may judge, in fome measure, from the very long note on this paffage; Some particulars of which are worth examining. e. g.

"That ftorms generally come from the East, " is founded on obfervation. The natural and "conftant motion of the Ocean is from East to

"Weft; and the Wind has the fame direction. "Varen. Geograph. lib. i. cap. 14. prop. 10. See "alfo Dr. Halley's account of the Trade-winds "and Monfoons." WARB.

The Captain, who is the speaker here, if he had been a sea captain, would have known, that neither of thefe affertions are true; except between the Tropics. See Dr. Halley's account of the Trade-winds and Monfoons. The most frequent and most violent storms, in these parts of the world, are from the South-Weft, not from the East.

"It is no wonder, that ftorms fhould come "moft frequently from that quarter [the Eaft]; 66 or that they should be most violent: because "there is a concurrence of the natural motions of "Wind and Wave." WARB,

The exact contrary of this is the truth, The most violent agitations being caused by the oppofition of Wind and Wave: i. e. when the Wind blows one way, and the Tide moves the other.

"The Sun may give its reflection, in any part of "its course above the horizon; but it can begin "it, only in one." WARB,

It were to be wifhed, that Mr. W. would inform us Where that one part above the horizon is, in which the Sun may begin his course.

"The Rainbow is no more a reflection of the "Sun, than a Tune is a Fiddle." WARB.

There is, I fuppofe, (as Mr. W. fays of Sir T. H. Vol. 3. P. 157) fome conceit in this fimile of the Fiddle; but it lies fo deep, that the reader has reason to wish he could have explained his own meaning. As for the affertion itself, it fhews

great