any connection in the poem; for if there did he thought I might answer myself. I then importuned him to acquaint me in which of the cities, which contended for the honour of his birth, he was really born? To which he answered-' Upon my soul I can't tell.' Virgil then came up to me, with Mr. Addison under his arm. Well, Sir,' said he, 'how many translations have 'these few last years produced of my Eneid?' I told him I believed several, but I could not possibly remember for that I had never read any but Dr. Trapp'sAy,' said he, ‘that is a curious piece indeed!' I then acquainted him with the discovery made by Mr. Warburton of the Elusinian mysteries couched in his sixth book. 'What 'mysteries?' said Mr. Addison. 'The Elusinian,' answered Virgil, which I have disclosed in my sixth book.' 'How!' replied Addison. You never mentioned a word of any 'such mysteries to me in all our acquaintance.' 'I thought it was unnecessary,' cried the other, 'to a man of your 'infinite learning: besides, you always told me you 'perfectly understood my meaning.' Upon this I thought the critic looked a little out of countenance, and turned aside to a very merry spirit, one Dick Steel, who embraced him, and told him, He had been the greatest man upon earth; that he readily resigned up all the merit of his own works to him. Upon which, Addison gave him a gracious smile, and clapping him on the back with much solemnity, cried out, 'Well said, Dick.' I then observed Shakespeare standing between Betterton and Booth, and deciding a difference between those two great actors, concerning the placing an accent in one of his lines: this was disputed on both sides with a warmth, which surprised me in Elysium, till I discovered by intuition that every soul retained its principal characteristic, being, indeed, its very essence. The line was that celebrated one in Othello : Put out the light, and then put out the light, according to Betterton. Mr. Booth contended to have it thus: Put out the light, and then put out THE light. I could not help offering my conjecture on this occasion, and suggested it might perhaps be: Put out the light, and then put out THY light. Another hinted a reading very sophisticated in my opinion, Put out the light, and then put out THEE light. making light to be the vocative case. have altered the last word, and read, Another would เ Put out thy light, and then put out thy sight. · But Betterton said, if the text was to be disturbed, he saw no reason why a word might not be changed as well as a letter, and instead of put out thy light,' you may read, put out thy eyes.' At last it was agreed on all sides, to refer the matter to the decision of Shakespeare himself, who delivered his sentiments as follows: Faith, gentlemen, it is so long since I wrote the line I have forgot my meaning. This I know, could I have dreamt so 'much nonsense would have been talked, and writ about ' it, I would have blotted it out of my works: for I am sure if any of these be my meaning, it doth me very 'little honour.' เ เ เ He was then interrogated concerning some other ambiguous passages in his works; but he declined any satisfactory answer: Saying, if Mr. Theobald had not writ about it sufficiently, there were three or four more new editions of his plays coming out, which he hoped would satisfy every one; Concluding, 'I marvel nothing so เ much, as that men will gird themselves at discovering 'obscure beauties in an author. Certes the greatest and most pregnant beauties are ever the plainest and most striking; and, when two meanings of a passage can in 'the least balance our judgments which to prefer, I hold it matter of unquestionable certainty that neither of 'them is worth a farthing.' From his works our conversation turned on his monument; upon which Shakespeare, shaking his sides, and addressing himself to Milton, cried out: 'On my word, 'brother Milton, they have brought a noble set of poets 'together; they would have been hanged erst have con'vened such a company at their tables when alive.' 'True, brother,' answered Milton, unless we had been as in'capable of eating then as we are now.' CHAPTER IX. More adventures in Elysium. A CROWD of spirits now joined us, whom I soon perceived to be the heroes, who here frequently pay their respects to the several bards, the recorders of their actions. I now saw Achilles and Ulysses addressing themselves to Homer, and Æneas and Julius Cæsar to Virgil: Adam went up to Milton, upon which I whispered Mr. Dryden, that I thought the devil should have paid his compliments there according to his opinion. Dryden only answered, 'I believe the devil was in me when I said so.' Several applied themselves to Shakespeare, amongst whom Henry the Fifth made a very distinguishing appearance. While my eyes were fixed on that monarch, a very small spirit came up to me, shook me heartily by the hand, and told me his name was THOMAS THUMB. I expressed great satisfaction in seeing him, nor could I help speaking my resentment against the historian who had done such injustice to the stature of this great little man; which he represented to be no bigger than a span; whereas I plainly perceived at first sight, he was full a foot and half (and the 37th part of an inch more, as he himself informed me,) being indeed little shorter than some considerable beaus of the present age. I asked this little hero concerning the truth of those stories related of him, viz. of the pudding, and the cow's belly. As to the former, he said it was a ridiculous legend, worthy to be laughed at: but as to the latter, he could not help owning there was some truth it: nor had he any reason to be ashamed of it, as he was swallowed by surprise; adding with great fierceness, that if he had had any weapon in his hand, the cow should have as soon swallowed the devil. He spoke the last word with so much fury, and seemed so confounded, that, perceiving the effect it had on him, I immediately waived the story, and passing to other matters, we had much conversation touching giants. He said, so far from killing any, he had never seen one alive; that he believed those actions were by mistake recorded of him, instead of Jack the Giantkiller, whom he knew very well, and who had, he fancied, extirpated the race. I assured him to the contrary, and told him I had myself seen a huge tame giant, who very complacently staid in London a whole winter, at the special request of several gentlemen and ladies; though the affairs of his family called him home to Sweden. I now beheld a stern-looking spirit leaning on the shoulder of another spirit, and presently discerned the former to be Oliver Cromwell, and the latter Charles Martel. I own I was a little surprised at seeing Crom well here; for I had been taught by my grandmother, that he was carried away by the devil himself in a tempest; but he assured me, on his honour, there was not the least truth in that story. However, he confessed he had narrowly escaped the bottomless pit; and if the former part of his conduct had not been more to his honour than the latter, he had been certainly soused into it. He was nevertheless sent back to the upper world with this lot, Army. He was born for the second time, the day of Charles the Second's restoration into a family which had lost a very considerable fortune in the service of that prince and his father, for which they received the reward very often conferred by princes on real merit, viz.-000. At 16, his father bought a small commission for him in the army, in which he served without any promotion all the reigns of Charles the Second and of his brother. At the revolution he quitted his regiment, and followed the fortunes of his former master, and was in his service dangerously wounded at the famous battle of the Boyne, where he fought in the capacity of a private soldier. He recovered of this ound, and retired after the unfortunate king to Paris, ere he was reduced to support a wife and seven children (for his lot had horns in it) by cleaning shoes, and snuffing candles at the opera. In which situation, after he had spent a few miserable years, he died halfstarved and broken-hearted. He then revisited Minos, who compassionating his sufferings, by means of that family, to whom he had been in his former capacity so bitter an enemy, suffered him to enter here. My curiosity would not refrain asking him one question, i.e. Whether in reality he had any desire to |