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ten by Shakespeare, as many greater violations of diction appear in his works; but let it be remembered, that writers of his day were not such nice adherents to propriety as at present. EDITOR.

Ib. 1. 11. Nature that made thee with herself at strife. It is insisted that the contest is between Art and Nature: and Mr. Steevens gives the following line from a print, as containing the same idea :-"Faithorne, with nature at a noble strife:"

but there Faithorne is at strife with nature, here nature with HERSELF. EDITOR.

Ib. 1. 17. Where serpent never hisses. In other copies we read---Where never serpent, &c.

P. 2, 1. 2. But rather famish them amid their plenty. So in Anthony and Cleopatra :--

"But she makes hungry

"Where most she satisfies." MALONE.

Ib. 1. 8. The president of pith and livelihood. Read precedent. This idea is in Anthony and Cleopatra, and in Othello :-

——— “ This hand is moist, my lady;

"This argues fruitfulness."

Ib. 1. 17 and 18. She red, &c. He red, &c. Tho' delicacy be violated in these lines, they are exceedingly expressive. She burns with desire---he "with bashful shame." EDITOR.

P. 3, l. 11. Blames her miss; i. e. misbehaviour. FARMER.

This is certainly meant as a contraction of amiss, put substantively, and should be thus marked,'miss. EDITOR.

Ib. 1. 12. She smothers with a kiss. In other copies --murders with a kiss.

Ib. 1. 14. Tires with her beak, &c. i. e. Pecks with

her beak.

Ib. 1. 19.

Forc'd to consent, &c. Read content, used substantively for acquiescence.

P. 4, 1. 8. For to a pretty ear, &c. Mr. Malone suspects the author wrote air, both words being then pronounced alike. And we see in this poem, p. 7, ear is rhyme for hair.

Ib. 1. 10. And angry &c. Read--anger, ashy pale. Ib. l. 12. Her breast is better'd. In the edition of 1596 it is---her best is better'd; which, as Shakespeare was fond of playing upon words, was, I doubt not, the way he wrote it. EDITOR.

P. 5, 1. 4. She bathes in water, yet in fire must burn. She is wet with tears and inflamed with love. EDITOR. Ib. 1. 16. To coy; i. e. to play with, to toy. So in Midsummer's Night-Dream :--

"While I thy amiable cheeks do coy."

We also meet with it in this sense, in Warner's Albion's England. STEEVENS and MALONE.

Ib. 1. 22. My coy disdain. Here coy bears the modern interpretation. EDITOR.

P. 6, 1. 5. Where thy beauty lies. Other copies read There, &c.

Ib. 1. 16.

Would not be wasted. Read should, &c. Ib. 1. 19 and 20. Wrinkled, old, ill-natured, &c. Other copies read---wrinkled-old, ill-nurtured; i. e. illbred, ill-educated.

Ib. 1. 22. Lacking Juice. The edition of 1600 reads joice, the word being thus pronounced in the midland counties, as Dr. Farmer asserts.

P. 7, 1. 2. Mine eyes are grey. What we now call blue eyes, were, in Shakespeare's time, called grey eyes, and were considered as eminently beautiful, MALONE. Ib. 1. 14. The forceless flowers. Other copies read

These &c.

Ib. 1. 22.
P. 8, l. 2.

Steel thine own freedom. Read---Steal &c.
Fresh beauties, &c. Other copies read——

beauty.
Ib. 1. 4. Things growing to themselves are growth's
abuse. Alluding to twinned cherries, apples, peaches,
&c. which accidentally grow into each other. STEEVENS.
Shakespeare, I think, meant to say no more than this,
"that those things which grow only to (or for) them-
selves, without producing any fruit, or benefitting man-
kind, do not answer the purpose for which they were
intended." MALONE.

I am certain that commentators have discovered beauties in many lines of Shakespeare which were never deemed as such by the author; while, on the other hand, they have overlooked others which the author designed as beauties. The allusion advanced by Mr. Steevens, is, indeed, poetical; but Shakespeare's real meaning, is, in my opinion, defined by Mr. Malone. Venus, we should consider, is addressing the selfish Adonis. " Torches," says she, “are made to light,” &c. and man is designed for woman; but thou keepest thyself to thyself, and abusest the purpose of creation:

"Thou wert begot, to get it is thy duty." EDITOR. Ib. 17. Upon the earth's increase; i. e. the produce of the earth. MALONE.

Ib. 1. 17.

His team to glide. Read guide.

Ib. 1. 23. Souring his cheeks. Looking sour; i. e. discontented and peevish. EDITOR.

P. 9, 1. 3, 4, 5, and 6. I'll sigh celestial breath, &c. i. e. I'll heave such heavenly sighs: these lines are truly poetical. If, as it has been remarked by Mr. Malone, &c. that ear was formerly pronounced in the same manner as air, we might also suppose, from the rhyme here, that the same pronunciation was given to tears. EDI

TOR.

Ib. 1. 7. The sun, &c. The sun affords only a natural and genial heat; it warms, but it does not burn. MALONE.

Ib. 1. 8.

read that sun.

Between the sun and thee.

Other copies

Ib. 1. 12. Between this heav'nly and this earthly sun. Other copies make heavenly a tri-syllable, and leave out the second this.

Ib. 1. 18. But died unkind; i. e. unnatural. Kind and nature were formerly synonymous. MALONE. Ib. 1, 19. Contemn me this; i. e. contemptuously refuse this favour that I ask. MALONE.

I suppose, without regard to the rhyme, we should read thus. STEEVENS.

If a word may be altered, instead of violating the rhyme, I think it would be better to make contemn deny; especially as the succeeding line mentions the suit that is denied. EDITOR.

P. 10, l. 12. Her intendments break; i. e. intentions. Ib. 1. 18. Her lily fingers, one in one. Dr. Farmer thinks we should read their lily fingers; but Mr. Malone sees no need of change. "The arms of Venus,

at present, infold Adonis : to prevent him from escaping, she renders her hold more secure by locking her hands together." And this exposition appears perfectly just,

from a line in another verse;

"And from her twining arms doth urge releasing."

EDITOR.

Ib. 1. 21. I'll be the park. Read---thy park.

P. 11, l. 13.

P. 12, l. 14.

These loving caves. Read-lovely, &c.
His compass'd crest. Compass'd is

arch'd. A compass'd cieling is a phrase yet in use. MA

LONE.

Ib. 1. 16.

Ib. 1. 17.

transpose the

Vapours doth he lend. Read-send.

Glisters scornfully like fire. Other copies two first words---scornfully glisters.

P. 13, 1. 2. His flatt'ring holla. This seems to have been formerly a term of the manege. MALONE.

Ib. 1. 21. To bid the wind a base he now prepares. To bid the wind a base, is to challenge the wind to a contest for superiority. Base is a rustic game, sometimes termed prison base, properly prison-bars. MA

LONE

Ib. 1. 22. And where he run or fly, they know not whither. Other copies have it, “And whe'r (a contraction for whether) he run or fly, they knew not whether;" which is the proper reading.

Ib. 1. 24. Which heave like feather'd wings. Other copies read, who wave, &c.

P. 14, 1. 4. She puts on outward strangeness; i. e. seeming coyness, shyness, backwardness. STEEVENS. Ib. 1. 8. He vails his tail. To vail, in old language, is to lower. MALONE.

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