i. e. fears, terrors-(the word is found in Chaucer) and that the reading should be as follows:

"Behold yon dame, whose face presages snow; "That minces virtue, and does shake the head

"At pleasure's name,-simpering between her ferks." "Beliold yon dame: observe her affected coyness and modesty note her well, and [between her ferks] amid all her fears and terrors, you shall yet find her simpering at the name of pleasure." B.

Lear. I will die bravely, like a bridegroom; what?

I will be jovial.

"Die bravely like a bridegroom," and "I will be jovial," must be wrong. We may read: "I will bid bravely," i. e. "I will invite many and be jovial." When we recollect that the types were ill-shaped in Shakspeare's time, and the printing bad, the mistake is easily made. B.

Let our reciprocal vows be remembered. You have many opportunities to cut him off: if your will want not, time and place will be fruitfully offered. There is nothing done, if he return the conqueror: then am I the prisoner, and his bed my gaol; from the loathed warmth whereof deliver me, and supply the place for your labor. Your (wife, so I would say) affectionate servant, GONERIL.

Affectionate servant.] After servant, one of the quartos has this strange continuation: " -and for you her owne for venter," Gonerill. STEEV.

"Affectionate servant." This "strange continuation," as Mr. Steevens calls it, and which, from his having marked venter in Italics, it may be presumed, he considers as paw-paw, should certainly be restored to the text. As it now stands, it is, no doubt, unintelligible. The whole of

the matter, however, is this: (6 for venter" must be written foventer, i. e. cherisher, supporter. Shakspeare has formed the word from the Latin foveo, and by the same analogy as nourisher is formed from nutrio, and mover from moveo. Goneril would insinuate to Edmund, that she cherishes or takes care of herself for his sake. "And for you her own foventer," i. e. "And for you, or your sake, the cherisher of herself." B.

Cor. O thou good Kent, how shall I live, and work,

To match thy goodness? My life will be too short, And every measure fail me.

Every measure fail me.] All good which I shall allot thee, or measure out to thee, will be scanty. JOHN.

"Measure" here is effort, endeavour. Measures taken. "Every thing I may devise or plan for thy advantage," &c. B.

Edm. Know of the duke, if his last purpose

hold;

Or whether since he is advis'd by aught

To change the course; He's full of alteration,
And self-reproving.

-of alteration.] One of the quartos read,

- of abdication. STEEV.

- Of alteration.' Full of alteration is a very feeble expression. I think the abdication' of the quarto may be printed in mistake, for abjection. Read

"He is full of abjection,
"And self-reproving."

i. e. "He is ever despairing, mean-spirited, and a self-reprover, &c."

Yet full of abdication' may be right, meaningeager to give up his power, to lay down his state.

B.

Edm. The enemy's in view, draw up your

powers.

Here is the guess of their true strength and forces By diligent discovery.

Here is the guess, &c.] The modern editors read, Hard is the guess. So the quartos. But had the discovery been diligent, the guess could not have proved so difficult. I have given the true reading from the folio. STEEV.

'Here is the guess.' But if discovery was made, it could not be a guess. We must read guise (guise, facon, fr.) form, fashion. "Here is the fashion, form or order of their battle." B.

Edg. What, in ill thoughts again? Men must endure

Their going hence, even as their coming hither:
Ripeness is all.

Ripeness is all.-] i. e. To be ready, prepared, is all.
The same sentiment occurs in Hamlet, scene the last :

"—if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness

is all." STEEV.

'Ripeness is all.' Are we not by ripeness,' to understand old age?" It is not permitted us to seek out death : we must wait his coming." B.

Edg. Let us exchange charity,

I am no less in blood than thou art, Edmund;

Let us exchange charity.] Our author by negligence gives his heathens the sentiments and practices of Christianity. In Hamlet there is the same solemu act of final reconciliation, but with exact propriety, for the personages are Christians: "Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet," &c. JOHN.

'Let us exchange charity.' This objection of Johnson is frivolous. Charity (that is, the love of his fellow) might be known as well to the Pagan as to the Christian. Whether the theological virtue has been better practised, is a question not to be resolved here. B.

Edg.This would have seem'd a period To such as love not sorrow; but, another ;

To amplify too-much, would make much more,

And top extremity

This would have seem'd a period

To such as love not sorrow: but another,

To amplify too much, would make much more,
And top extremity!

The reader easily sees that this reflection refers to the Bastard's desiring to hear more; and to Albany's thinking he had said enough. But it is corrupted into miserable nonsense.

should read it thus:

This would have seem'd a period. But such

As love to amplify another's sorrow,

We

To much, would make much more, and top extremity. i. e. This to a common humanity would have been thought the utmost of my sufferings; but such as love cruelty are always for adding much to more, till they reach the extre mity of misery. WARB.

"This would have seem'd a period," &c. The passage is rendered obscure, by misplacement of a few of the words, and from not having thrown them into parenthesis. I regulate it thus:

"This would have seem'd a period

"To such as love not sorrow: but, another

"(Too much to amplify!) would make much more,

"And top extremity.

Thus arranged, the lines require no explication whatever : the meaning is level to all.

They seen to be spoken aside. B.

Kent. Is this the promis'd end?
Edg. Or image of that horror?
Alb. Fall, and cease!

Or image, &c.] These two exclamations are given to Edgar and Albany in the folio, to animate the dialogue, and employ all the persons on the stage; but they are very obscure. JOHN.

Or image of that horror? In the first folio this short speech of Edgar (which seems to be only an addition to the preceding one of Kent) has a full stop at the end. "Is this conclusion," says Kent, "such as the present turn of affairs scemed to promise? Or is it only," replies Edgar, “a representation of that horror which we suppose to be real?" A similar expression occurs at the beginning of the play." I have told you what I have seen and heard, but faintly; nothing like the image and horror of it." STEEV.

It appears to me, that by the promised end Kent does not mean that conclusion which the state of their affairs seemed to promise, but the end of the world. In St. Mark's gospel, when Christ foretels to his disciples the end of the world, and is describing to them the signs that were to precede and mark the approach of our final dissolution, he says, "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation, which God created, unto this time, neither shall be:" and afterwards, he says, "Now the brother shall betray the brother to death; and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents and shall cause them to be put to death." Kent, in contemplating the unexampled scene of exquisite affliction which was then before him, and the unnatural attempt of Goneril and Regan against their father's life, recollects those passages, and asks, "whether that was the end of the world, that had been foretold us?" To which Edgar adds, " or only a representation, and resemblance of that horror."

There is evidently an allusion to the same passages in Scripture in a speech of Gloster's, which he makes in the second scene of the first act :

These late eclipses in the sun, &c.

See p. 406.

If any critics should urge it as an objection to this explana tion, that the persons of the drama are Pagans, and of course unacquainted with the Scriptures, they give Shakspeare credit for more accuracy than I fear he possessed. M. MASON. Kent. Is this the promis'd end?

Edgar. Or image of that horror?
Alb. Fall and cease.

Mr. Monck, Mason's interpretation of the exclamatory questions of Kent and Edgar is particularly happy. An objection might be, raised by some, indeed, in regard to the word promise which implies a good or benefit to be granted in after-time: but it seems to be used by our poet as merely expressive of prediction, declaration; so that nothing can justly be urged against it. The answer of Albany, however, to these questions has not been properly explained: I will, therefore, endeavour to give the meaning. We must suppose then, that the words of Kent and Edgar are understood by the Duke in precisely the same sense as they are by Mr. M. and that struck with awe and fear he exclaims-" fall and cease!" which may be thus paraphrased." Yes, the work of horror is begun : the [fall] overthrow [and cease] the extinction of all things! Yes, the destruction of the world is near at hand!" B.