For as a fub le spider closely fitting The following quotation, however (continues Mr. Steevens), fhould feem to place the meaning beyond all difpute. In Acolaftus, a comedy (1529), is this paffage :-" One of worldly fhame's children, of his countenance, and THREDE of his body." Our ingenious Editor hath well illuftrated a paffage in the Two Gentlemen of Verona, by a fimilar expreffion in a contemporary writer. Valentine fays, "Difdain to root the fummer fwelling flower." I once thought (fays Mr. Steevens) that the poet had written Summer-fmelling flower: but the epithet which ftands in the text I have fince met with in the tranflation of Lucan by Sir Arthur Gorges (1614), B. VIII. P. 554. no Roman chieftaine should "Come near to Nyles Pelafian mould "But fhun that fommer-fwelling shore." The original is-ripafque aftate tumentes, 1. 829. May likewife renders it" fummer-fwelled banks."-The summer-swelling flower, is the flower which fwells in fummer till it expands itfelf into bloom.' The implacable hatred that Shakspeare bore to Sir Thomas Lucy, the gentleman who profecuted him for ftealing deer out of his park at Charlcott in Warwickshire, hath been frequently taken notice of. His commentators are agreed in fuppofing that the poet hath burlefqued the Knight in the character of Justice Shallow, in the Merry Wives of Windfor. He hath given the fame arms to both and indulged himself in a vein of low humour on the fimilitude of the found between luce and loufe. [Vid. the firft Scene.] Mr. William Oldys (Norroy King at Arms, and well known from the fhare he had in compiling the Biographia Britannica) among the collections which he left for a Life of Shakspeare, obferves that there was a very aged gentleman living in the neighbourhood of Stratford (where he died fifty years fince) who had not only heard from feveral old people in that town, of Shakspeare's tranfgreffion; but could remember the firft ftanza of that bitter ballad, which repeating to one of his acquaintance, he preferved it in writing; and here it is, neither better nor worse, but faithfully tranfcribed from the copy which his relation very courteously communicated to me: * Pope in his Effay on Man defcribes the exquifite delicacy of the fenfe of feeling in the fpider in a manner exactly inilar to that of the old poet. "A par 2. "A parliamente member, a juftice of peace, "Yet an affe in his ftate; "We allow by his ears, but with affes to mate. Contemptible (fays our Editor) as this performance muft now appear, at the time when it was written it might have had fufficient power to irritate a vain, weak, and vindictive magiftrate; efpecially as it was affixed to fome of his park gates, and confequently publifhed among his neighbours.-It may be remarked likewife, that the jingle on which it turns occurs in the firft fcene of the Merry Wives of Windfor. I may add, that the veracity of the late Mr. Oldys hath never yet been impeached; and it is not very probable that a ballad thould be forged, from which an undifcovered wag could derive no triumph over antiquarian credulity.' Mr. Steevens thinks it not improbable that Shakspeare, in the character of Falstaff, might have aimed fome ftrokes at the corpulence and intemperance of Ben Jonfon. Mr. Oldys, in his MS. additions to Langbaine's Account of English dramatic poets, introduces the following ftory of Ben, which was found in a memorandum-book, written in the time of the civil wars by Mr. Oldifworth, who was Secretary to Philip Earl of Pembroke. "Mr. Camden recommended him to Sir Walter Raleigh, who trufted him with the care and education of his eldest fon, Walter, a gay fpark, who could not brook Ben's rigorous treatment: but perceiving one foible in his difpofition, made ufe of that to throw off the yoke of his government. This was an unlucky habit that Ben had contracted, through his love of jovial company, of being overtaken with liquor, which Sir Walter of all vices did most abominate, and hath most exclaimed against. One day when Ben had taken a plentiful dose, and was fallen into a found fleep, young Raleigh got a great basket and a couple of men, who laid Ben in it, and then with a pole carried him to Sir Walter, telling him that their young master had fent home his tutor." The expreffion, delighted spirit,' in the fpeech of Claudio, in Measure for Measure, hath been a fubject of much conjecture amongit the critics. Sir Thomas Hanmer altered the word to dilated," as if because the fpirit in the body is faid to be imprifoned, it was crouded together likewife, and fo by death not only fet free but expanded, which if true (fays Dr. Warburton) would make it lefs fenfible of pain." Dr. Johnfon acknowledges 52 knowledges that "the most plausible alteration is that which fubftitutes the benighted fpirit,' alluding to the darknefs always fuppofed in the place of future punishment." But however plaufible this correction might appear, the learned Critic is not difpofed to adopt it. He rather approves of an amendment propofed by Mr. Thirlby, who would fubftitute delinquent for delighted. Mr. Steevens, in the prefent edition, adopts Dr. Warburton's reading, and remarks that, by delighted fpirit, is meant the foul once accustomed to delight, which of courfe muft render the fufferings, afterwards described, less tolerable. Thus our Author calls youth, blessed, in a former scene, before he proceeds to fhew its wants and its inconveniences.' If Dr. Johnfon's ingenious conjecture, that Shakspeare writ blafted and not bleffed youth,' be well grounded, Mr. Steevens must look elsewhere for an illuftration: and we think he hath not far to go for it. The fenfible warm motion (mentioned in the preceding line) is as much in contraft with the kneaded clod, as the delighted spirit with fiery floods. In this connection the meaning is perfectly obvious. The body, now warm with life, and active in its motions, will be reduced to a cold unanimated mafs; and the fpirit now delighted or pleafed with its fituation and enjoyments in the body, will exchange it for the regions of unknown and unutterable horror. We have heard of fome ingenious conjectures relating to the paffage in question, that are not mentioned by any of the Editors of Shakspeare, and which we think carry more plaufibility in them than the dilated of Sir Thomas Hanmer, or even the delinquent of a greater critic. A gentleman of great ingenuity hath proposed the following alteration: Aye, but to die and go we know not where; To lie in cold obftruction and to rot : Delated is a law-term for arraigned or accufed. We think this correction a very elegant one. It gives a grandeur to the expreffion, and we fhould be very ready to adopt it, if we were not convinced that delighted was the original word, and that it admits of a very juft and natural interpretation. Another curious and ingenious gentleman, who thinks himfelf at liberty with the reft of the readers of Shakspeare, to fpeculate on a difputed paffage, offers a modeft query in the fol lowing manner: "May not delighted bear the fame meaning as the word alighted. If fo, the fenfe is obvious, and fignifies a fpirit discharged from the body." It is curious to trace the progrefs of conjecture about the meaning of a paffage, that in itself merits no attention, and would gain none, if it were found in any other author but Shakspeare. The critics have been much divided about the fignification of an aukward, ill-founding line in the speech of Leonato, in Much Ado about Nothing (A&t V. Sc. I.). Speaking of a parent whofe diftreffes might be fuppofed as "overwhelm ing" as his own, he fays "If fuch a one will smile and ftroke his beard; 66 "And I of him will gather patience," Mr. Row, without any authority, altered the line to "And ballow, wag, cry hem," &c. Mr. Theobald, on confulting the old quarto, the first and fecond folios, found that the line originally stood thus And forrow, wagge, &c. Hence he hit on an emendation; without any great breach on the letter indeed; but we think to the total annihilation of the fenfe. He would substitute wage for wag; and by a licence of fpeech that no grammar will admit of he proposes to read the line And forrow wage, cry hem, &c. "i. e. (fays he) if fuch a one will combat with, frive against forrow, &c." Sir Thomas Hanmer, and after him Dr. Warburton, read waive instead of wag:-by which term they mean-put aside or Shift off. Dr. Johnfon is much diffatisfied with all the conjectures and emendations of preceding critics, and therefore reads the line as if it begun interjectionally : "Sorrow, wag!". i. e. begone, or as one might fay, wag off! Mr. Tyrwhitt chufeth to read And forrow gagge.". i. e. ftop the mouth of it.. But Mr. Warton dislikes wage, and waive, and wag, and gag; and therefore (as he fays) with the least departure from the old copies, and in entire conformity to the acknowledged and obvious fenfe of the paffage, he ventures to correct it thus: "If fuch a one will fmile "And forrowing, cry hem, &c. Mr. Steevens is willing to let wag ftand; not indeed in the humble ftate of a verb; but in the more important character of a noun fubftantive. But to effect this change, he muft reduce the confequence of a neighbouring word, and forrow must be converted into a forry adjective. To be as ferious as we can en this fubject-though we think Mr. Steevens not quite serious S3 himfelf himfelf-we fhall only propofe the ingenious Editor's correction, and leave it to our Readers to make what use they please of it: "If fuch a one will fmile "And, forry wag! cry hem! &c." The following beautiful paffage in the Merchant of Venice is, we think, judicioufly explained by Mr. Malone: "There's not the fmalleft orb which thou behold'st, But whilst this muddy vefture of decay "Doth grofly clofe it in, we cannot hear it." Part of the difficulty of this paffage was occafioned by a wrong punctuation. The whole runs thus: There is not one of the heavenly orbs, but fings as it moves, fill quiring to the cherubims. Similar to the harmony they make is that of immortal fouls. Or in other words-Each of us have as perfect harmony in our fouls as the harmony of the fpheres, inasmuch as we have the quality of being moved by sweet founds: but our grofs, terreftrial part, which environs us, deadens the found, and prevents our hearing it.' This faves all the confufion which Dr. Warburton has intro duced, who refers fouls to orbs; and not being able to reconcile them, changes the word to founds." Doth clofe it in."-This Dr. Johnfon conjectures to have been the original reading, in oppofition to the folios, which read, "Doth grofsly close in it." Mr. Malone fupports his interpretation of the paffage by a fimilar expreffion in Marfton's Antonio and Melide, 1602. 66 Heav'n's tones "Strike not fuch harmony to immortal fouls, "As your accordance sweet my breast withal. In a note on the word fellow, in A&t IV. Sc. 1. of Taming of the Shrew, we have the following anecdote : In the old play called the Return from Parnaffus, we have a curious paffage, which fhews the opinion of contemporaries concerning the learning of Shakspeare. The ufe of the word fellow brings it to my remembrance. Burbage and Kempe are introduced to teach the univerfity-men the art of acting, and are reprefented (especially Kempe) as leaden fpouts-very illiterate. "Few of the univerfity, fays Kempe, pen plays well: they fmell too much of that writer, Ovid, and that writer, Metamorphofis-Why here's our fellow Shakspeare puts them all down." On that obfcure expreffion in All's well that ends well [A& I. Sc. II.] "whofe |