fome of that fire, impetuofity, and even beautiful extravagance, which we cannot help admiring in Shakespear." As to his want of learning, Mr. Pope makes the following juft obfervation: That there is certainly a valt difference between learning and languages. "How far he was ignorant of the latter, I cannot," fays he, determine; but it is plain he had much reading, at leaft, if they will not call it learning nor is it any great matter if a man has knowledge, whether he has it from one language or from another. Nothing is more evident than, that he had a tafte for natural philofophy, mechanics, ancient and modern hiftory, poetical learning, and mythology. We find him very knowing in the customs, rites and manners of the Romans. In Coriolanus and Julius Cæfar, not only the spirit, but manners, of the Romans, are exactly drawn; and ftill a nicer diftinction is fhewn between the manners of the Romans in the time of the former and the latter. His reading in the ancient hiftorians is no lefs confpicuous, in many references to particular paffages; and the fpeeches copied from Plutarch. in Coriolanus, may as well be made inftances of his learning, as thofe copied from Cicero in the Cataline of Ben Johnson. "The manners of other nations in general, the Egyptians, Venetians, French, &c. are drawn with equal propriety. Whatever ob B 83. ject ject of nature, or branch of fcience, he either fpeaks or describes, it is always with competent, if not extenfive knowledge. His defcriptions are ftill exa&, and his metaphors appropriated, and remarkably drawn, from the nature and inherent qualities of each subject. “We have translations from Ovid published in his name, among thofe poems which pafs for his, and for fome of which we have undoubted authority, being publifhed by himfelf, and dedicated to the earl of Southampton. He appears alfo to have been converfant with Plautus, from whence he has taken the plot of one of his playss. He follows the Greek authors, and particularly Dares Phrygius in another; although I will not pretend," continues Mr. Pope, to say in what languages he read them." Mr. Warburton has ftrongly contended for Shakespear's learning, and has produced many imitations and parallel paffages with ancient authors; in which I am inclined to think him right, and beg leave to produce a few inflances of it. "He always," fays Mr. Warburton, "makes an antient fpeak the language of an antient. So Julius Cæfar, a&ti. scene 2. Ye Gods! it doth amaze me A man of fuch a feeble temper fhould This This noble image is taken from the Olympic games. This majestic world is a fine. periphrafis of the Roman empire; majestic, because the Romans ranked themfelves on a footing with kings; and a world, becaufe they called their empire Orbis Romanus; but the whole ftory feems to allude to Cæfar's great exemplar, Alexander, who, when he was afked, Whether he would run the courfe of the Olympic games replied, "Yes, if the racers were kings." So again, in Anthony and Cleopatra, act i. fcene 1. Anthony fays, with an aftonishing fublimity, Let Rome in Tyber melt, and the wide arch Of the raz'd empire fall. Taken from the Roman custom of raifing triumphal arches to perpetuate their victories. And again, act. ii. scene 4. Octavia says to Anthony, of the difference between him and her brother, -Wars 'twixt you twain would be As if the world should cleave, and that flain men Should folder up the rest. This thought feems taken from the ftory of Curtius leaping into the chafm in the Forum, in order to close it; fo that, as that was clofed by one Roman, if the whole world were to cleave, Romans only could folder it up. The metaphor of foldering is extremely exa&, according to Mr. Warburton; " for," fays he, "as metal is foldered up by metal that is more refined than that which it folders; fo the earth was to be foldered by men, who are only a more refined earth." The manners of other nations in general, Egyptians, Venetians, French, &c. are drawn with equal propriety. An inflance of this fhall be produced with regard to the Venetians. In the Merchant of Venice, act. iv. fcene 1. His loffes, That have of late fo huddled on his back, Enough to prefs a royal merchant down, We are not to imagine the word Royal to be a random founding epithet: it is used with great propriety by the poet, and defigned to thew him well acquainted with the history of the people whom he here brings upon the stage: for, when the French and the Venetians, in the beginning of the thirteenth century, had won Conftantinople, the French, under the emperor Henry, endeavoured to extend their conquests in the provinces of the Grecian empire, on the Terra- Firma, while the Venetians, being mailers of the fea, gave liberty to any fubject of the republic, who would fit out velles, to make themifelves mafters of the ifles of the Archipelago and other maritime places, to to enjoy their conquefts in fovereignty, only doing homage to the republic for their feveral principalities. In pursuance of this licence, the Sanados, the Juftiniani, the Grimaldi, the Summaripas, and others, all Venetian merchants, erected principalities in the feveral places of the Archipelago; and thereby became truly and properly Royal Merchants. But there are feveral places which one cannot forbear thinking a tranflation from claffic writers. In the Tempest, act v. fcene 11. Profpero fays, I have Called forth the mutinous winds, And, 'twixt the green fea, and the azur'd vault, Set roaring war; to the dread ratling thunder Have I given fire, and rifted Jove's tout oak With his own bolt; the ftrong bas'd promontory Have I made fhake; and by the fpurs pluckt up The pine and cedar; graves, at my command, Have wak'd their fleepers, op'd and let them forth By my fo potent art. So Medea, in Ovid's Metamorphofes. Stantia concatio canta freta; nubila pello, Nubilaque induco, ventos abigo que, vocoque, Vivaque faxa fua convulfaque robora terra |