The wife and fool, the artist and unread,
The hard and soft, feem all affin'd, and kin;
But in the wind and tempeft of her frown,
Diftinction with a (2) broad and powerful fan,
Puffing at all, winnows the light away;
And what hath mafs, or matter by itself,
Lies rich in virtue, and unmingled.

Neft. (3) With due obfervance of thy godlike Seat, Great Agamemnon, (4) Neftor fhall apply

Thy latest words. In the reproof of Chance

(2) Broad, quarto; the folio reads loud.

Lies

(3) With due obfervance of thy goodly Seat,] Goodly is an epithet carries no very great compliment with it; and Neftor seems here to be paying deference to Agamemnon's fate and pre-eminence. The old books have it, to thy godly Seat; godlike, as I have reform'd the text, feems to me the epithet defign'd; and is very conformable to what Eneas afterwards lays of Agamem

non:

Which is that God in office, guiding men!

So godlike Seat is here, State fupreme above other commanders. THEOBALD This emendation Theobald might have found in the quarto, which has,

-the godlike feat.

(4) Neftorfball APPLY

Thy latest words] What were thefe latest words? A common-place obfervation, illuftrated by a particular image, that oppofition and adverfity were useful to try and diftinguit between the valiant man and the coward, the wife man and the fool. The application of this was to the Greeks, who had remained long aniuccessful before Troy, but might make a good ufe of their misfortunes by learning patience and perfeverance Now Neftor promises that, he will make this application; but we find nothing like it. He only repeats Agamemnon's general obfervati on, and illuftrates it by another image; from whence it appears, that Shakespeare wrote,

-Neftorfball SUPPLY

Thy lateft words

And it must be owned, the poet never wrote any thing more in character. Neftor, a talkative old man, was glad to catch at this common-place, as it would furnish him with much matter for prate. And, therefore, on pretence that Agamemnon had not been full enough upon it, he begs leave to fupply the topic with fome diverfified flourishes of his own. And what could be more natural than for a wordy old man to call the repetition of the

fame

Lies the true proof of men: the Sea being fmooth,
How many fhallow bauble boats dare fail
Upon her (5) patient breast, making their way
With thofe of nobler bulk?

But let the ruffian Boreas once enrage
The gentle Thetis, and anon, behold,

The ftrong-ribb'd Bark thro' liquid mountains cut,
Bounding between the two moist elements,
Like Perfeus' horfe. Where's then the faucy boat,
Whofe weak untimber'd fides but even now
Co-rival'd Greatnefs? or to harbour fled,
Or made a toaft for Neptune. Even fo
Doth valour's fhew and valour's worth divide
In ftorms of fortune; for in her ray and brightness,
The herd hath more annoyance by the brize
Than by the tyger; but when splitting winds
Make flexible the knees of knotted oaks,

And flies get under fhade; why then (6) the thing of

with rage

doth fympathize;

And, with an accent tun'd in felf-fame key,

(7) Returns to chiding fortune.

Ulyff. Agamemnon,

fame thought, a fupplial. We may obferve further, that according to this reading the introductory apology,

With due obfervance of thy goodly Seat,

is very proper: it being a kind of infinuation, to the prejudice of Agamemnon's facundity, that Neftor was forced to fupply his fpeech. Whereas had the true reading been apply, the apology had been impertinent: for in fuch a cafe we must have fuppofed, this was a preconcerted divifion of the argument between WARBURTON.

the two orators.

I fuppofe the reader is long fince contented rather to take either word than read the argument. Neftor applies the words to another inftance. patient breaft -] The quarto, not fo well, ancient breast.

(5)

(6)

-the thing of courage,] It is faid of the tiger, that in ftorms and high winds he rages and roars most furiously. HANMER.

(7) Returns to chiding fortune.] For returns, Hanmer reads replies, unneceffarily, the fenfe being the fame. The folio and quarto have retires, corruptly.

Thou

When rank Therfites opes his mastiff jaws,
We shall hear mufick, wit and oracle.

Uly. Troy, yet upon her bafis, had been down,
And the great Hector's fword had lack'd a master,
But for thefe instances.

(1) The speciality of Rule hath been neglected;
And, look, how many Grecian Tents do ftand
Hollow upon this Plain, fo many hollow factions.
(2) When that the General is not like the hive,
To whom the Foragers fhall all repair,

What honey is expected? Degree being vizarded,
Th' unworthieft fhews as fairly in the mask.

(3) The heav'ns themselves, the planets, and this

center,

Obferve degree, priority and place,

Infift

(1) The Speciality of Rule-] The particular rights of fupreme. authority.

(2) When that the General is NOT LIKE the hive,] The image is taken from the government of bees. But what are we to understand by this line? either it has no meaning, or a meaning contrary to the drift of the speaker. For either it fignifies, that the General and the bive are not of the fame degree or Species, whereas the speaker's complaint is, that the hive acts fo perverfely as to deftroy all difference of degree between them and the General: or it muft fignify, that the General has private ends and interefts diftinct from that of the hive; which defeats the very end of the fpeaker; whofe purpose is to justify the General, and expofe the difobedience of the hive. We fhould certainly then read,

When that the General NOT LIKES the bive:

i. e. when the foldiers like not, and refufe to pay due obedience to their General: This being the very cafe he would defcribe, and fhew the mifchiefs of. WARBURTON.

No interpretation was ever more perverfe than thofe of the commentator. The meaning is, When the General is not to the army like the hive to the bees, the repofitory of the stock of every individual, that to which each particular reforts with whatever he had collected for the good of the whole,.what honey is expect Ed? what hope of advantage? The fenfe is clear, the expreffion is confused.

(3) The beav'ns themselves,] This illuftration was probably derived from a paffage in Hooker: If celestial spheres bould forget their wonted motion; if the Prince of the lights of heaven fbould begin to ftand; if the moon fhould wander from her beaten way,

and