essays of the poet, who, perhaps, had not determined which he should prefer. He hardly could have intend ed to send them both into the world. Ib. 1. 22. From his holy fire, &c. holy fire, &c. MALONE. Query, P. 106, 1. 3. The help of bath desired. whether we should read---Bath; i. e, the city of that name? The following words seem to authorize it. STEEVENS. The old copy is certainly right. See the subsequent sonnet, which contains the same thoughts, differently versified :-- Growing a bath," &c. So before, in the present sonnet:-- "And grew a seething bath." MALONE. Ib. 1. 8. Heart and flaming brand. inflaming brand. Read---heart Ib. 1. 15. Quench'd. Read---quenched. P. 109, 1. 7. Were took, &c. were ta'en, &c. P. 110, 1. 7. EDITOR. We should read-- Is smoog'd with smoke, &c. I think we should read---is smirch'd, &c. EDITOR. Ib. 1. 16. And wince. Read-winch, as the word is spelt both ways. EDITOR. Ib. 1. 20. Pitfal dance. Pitfal is either a corrup tion of pitiful, or means the snare into which they fell. EDITOR. P. 111, I. 13. Afeard. array'd thee. EDITOR. The old word for afraid. Meant, I suppose, for-- P. 115, l. 12. Astypale, &c. This line is deficient in metre. EDITOR. P. 116, l. 10. Now from another word, &c. Read world. Dr. Farmer, in his "Essay on the Learning of Shakespeare," proves these translations are not from the pen of that author. A LOVER'S COMPLAINT. (p. 117.) This beautiful poem was first printed in 1609, with our author's name at the head of the quarto edition of his sonnets. I wonder that it has not attracted the attention of some English painter, the opening being uncommonly picturesque. The figures, however, of the lady and the old man, should be standing, not sitting, by the river side; Shakespeare reclining on a hill. MALONE. P. 117, 1. 12. Reworded. Repeated, re-echoed. MALONE. Ib. 1. 13. A plaintive story. Other copies readA plaintful story, &c. according to the original. Ib. ib. From a sistering vale. This word sistering is not, I believe, used by any other author. MALONE. Ib. I. 15. And down I laid, &c. Read--lay. Ib. 1. 18. tears. Sorrow's wind and rain; i, e. sighs and MALONE. Ib. 1. 22. And done; i. e. consumed. MALONE. P. 118, l. 1. Her napkin ; i. e. handkerchief. MA LONE. Ib. 1. 2. Conceited characters; i. e. fanciful images. MALONE. Ib. 1. 3. LaunLaund'ring the silken figures, &c. dering is wetting. The verb is now obsolete. MA LONE. Ib. 1. 4. Had pelleted in tears. To pellet is to form in pellets, to which, being round, Shakespeare, with his usual licence, compares falling tears. lieve, is found nowhere but here, and Cleopatra." MALONE. This phrase is from the kitchen. The word, I beand in " Anthony Pellet was the an cient culinary term for a force-meat ball; a well-known seasoning. STEEVENS. Ib. 1. 7. Of all size. Size is here used, with Shakespeare's usual negligence, for sizes. MALONE. Other English poets, besides Shakespeare, have used the singular for the plural: not through negligence, but a then tolerated license. Even to this day a poet will talk of his mistress's bright eye, fair hand, &c. meaning both. EDITOR. Ib. 1. 8. Her levell'd eyes their carriage ride. The allusion, which is to a piece of ordnance, is very quaint and far-fetched. MALONE. Ib. 1. 10. Sometimes diverted. former direction. MALONE. Turned from their Other copies read here---sometime; but why not cor respond with the first line of the verse, and the succeeding line? Besides, sometime implies a length of time. EDITOR. Ib. 1. 17. Her shav'd hat. Read---sheav'd hat; i. e. straw hat. Ib. 1. 19. Some in her threaden fillet. I suspect Shakespeare wrote---in their threaden fillet. MALONE. From a maund she drew. A maund is a Ib. 1. 22. hand-basket. MALONE. The word is yet used in Somersetshire. Ib. 1. 23. Of beaded jet. The quarto, 1609, reads ---bedded jet. If bedded be right, it must mean---set in some kind of metal :---beaded jet may be right---beads made of jet. The construction, I think, is---she drew from a maund a thousand favours of amber, chrystal, &c. MALONE. Baskets made of beads were sufficiently common even since the time of our author. I have seen many of them. Beaded jet, is jet formed into beads. STEEVENS. Ib. 1. 25. Upon whose weeping margent she was set. Perhaps we should read- Upon whose margent weeping she was set." The words might have been accidentally transposed at the press. Weeping margent, however, is, I believe, right, being much in our author's manner.---) --Weeping for weeped, or be-weeped; the margin wet with tears. MALONE. To weep is to drop. Milton talks of-- "Groves, whose rich trees wept od'rous gums and "balm." Pope speaks of the "weeping amber:" and Mortimer observes, that "rye-grass grows on weeping ground; i. e. lands abounding with wet, like the margin of the river on which this damsel is sitting. The rock from which water drops is likewise poetically called a weeping rock. STEEVENS. Weeping is not substituted for weeped, or be-weeped, but figuratively denotes the margin wet, and thus symHere are poetically tears, pathizing with the damsel. for tears:-- “Like usury, applying wet to wet.” Mr. Malone's proposed transposition would there fore entirely spoil the 'beauty of the line, and the succeeding one. EDITOR. Ib. 1. 28. Where want cries some; i. e. Where want EDITOR. petitions for some. I once suspected that our author wrote :-- "Where want craves some." MALONE. I cry halves, is a common phrase among school-boys. STEEVENS. P. 119, I. 6. With sleided silk, feat and affectedly. Sleided silk is, as Dr. Percy has elsewhere observed, untwisted silk, prepared to be used in the weaver's sley or slay, which is formed with teeth like a comb. Feat is, curiously, nicely. MALONE. Ib. 1. 7. Enswath'd and seal'd to curious secrecy. To be convinced of the propriety of this description let the reader consult the Royal Letters, &c. in the British Museum, where he will find, that anciently, the ends of a piece of narrow ribbon were placed under the seals of letters, to connect them more closely. STEEVENS. Ib. 1. 9. Often gave a tear. The old copy reads--gave to tear. Mr. Malone has adopted, in his edition ---often 'gan to tear. Ib. I. 11. Dost him bear. Read---dost thou bear. Ib. 1. 16. That the ruffle knew. Rufflers were a |