wanted it; the others had it. Now, as the lesser pieces were hardly to be distinguished from that immediately preceding it in value but by this mark; it will explain both our passage, and that which I quoted to you from Beaumont and Fletcher, shewing that it was doubtless a common practice to deface the rose of the three-farthings to make it pass for a penny.

You will forgive me, my dear friend, that I cannot always answer with that expedition and zeal which I have of confessing myself, your ever obliged and affectionate humble servant, LEW. THEOBALD.

LETTER LXXI.

To the Rev. Mr. WARBURTON.

DEAR SIR,

Wyan's Court, 1731. If this reaches you without a burglary committed upon the seal, you will much wonder to find a doit inclosed, till I tell you that it is done by way of trial; for, though I have received yours (No. VII. of the 22d instant), yet, by some rascality of the post, it came to me with the whole seal cut off, and the half-guinea inclosed consequently taken away. Whether you had spread your wafer too wide, or overcharged your seal with wax, to give these sagacious mongrels a suspicion of prey, I do not know. All I can say upon the matter is, that there are no stars for the unfortunate. I own, though I should not hope a retaliation from the rogues, it would please me to trace and expose the fraud.

I intend very soon to trouble you with a prosecution of the Preface. To guess yet at the likely time of publication, is impossible; till our Printers give us experience what dispatch they can make on their part. It is a very great pleasure to me that the soliloquies in my last meet your approbation *. Your cen

* This refers to a Letter not preserved. The lines in p. 604 are from his "Orestes," which was performed in 1730.

sure

sure on the similitude of the Sabine Rape is certainly very just; and I am much obliged to you for the observation. The image was much too foreign; and I have therefore given it this turn, to make it more conformable to the circumstance of the action: The screams of women, ever and anon,

Ring through my ears; shrill as the cries they send, When the stern murth'rer takes 'em unprepar'd. — I shall submit this piece to its trial towards the close of next season, if no unforeseen accident prevent its appearance*. But now to the explanation and correction contained in your last.

Love's Labour Lost, Act IV. Sc. 3, p. 271:

For when would you, my liege, &c.

on

You call these obscure lines, and imagine they contain an allusion I cannot possibly discover in them. On the strength of this supposition, you have given me a very ingenious note; which I wish could properly find a place, for the reason which you desire it. But, indeed, I cannot think the lines are in any degree obscure; and I can but wonder as yet how my dear Friend is become so metaphysical to fancy fiery numbers have any relation to the stars. I am either more dull than usual; or I am persuaded, upon looking back to the passage, you will expound it thus with me. Biron had found out that the King, and two other of the votaries, were dipped in a love affair; and had overheard them repeating sonnets in praise of their mistresses. Biron is at last discovered to be under the same dilemma; and then the King and his partner urge him to prove their love lawful, notwithstanding their vow. Biron undertakes the cause, and founds his arguments on the consequences and advantages derived from a conversation with the fair sex, beyond those accruing from recluse study and learning. Among others, says he, "When would leaden contemplation, and dry study, have furnished out

* After "Orestes," no other Tragedy of Mr. Theobald was performed till the appearance of "The Fatal Secret" in 1735.

2 S 2

such

such fiery numbers (i. e. such verses of fire and spirit) as the sight of your fair mistress's eyes have inspired you with?"

This, dear Sir, at present, I take to be the whole meaning of our Poet, and the whole obscurity of the passage vanishes at once.

And now, Sir, a word to your emendation upon another passage in the same Play, Act V. Sc. 2: P. 278. A huge Translation of Hypocrisie,

Vilely compil'd, profound simplicity.

You propose Apocrypha. But, I imagine, you did not observe that for four couplets backward, and thence to the close of the Scene by the entrance of Boyet, all the lines are strictly in rhyme, which your emendation would interrupt. A Translation of Hypocrisy, I agree with you, is a very poor phrase, and nearly approaching, at least, upon nonsense. This, however, I take to be the sense of the passage: Dumaine," says Katherine," has sent me some thousands of verses as from a faithful lover;" that is, he has translated a huge quantity of hypocrisy into verse; but the verse so vilely composed, that it is at best but profound simplicity."

66

To confirm your emendation on Antony, p. 5, a strumpet's stool, you propose adding this authority from Troilus, Act II. Sc. 1, "Thou stool for a witch." I think I have met with a much stronger from Macbeth, p. 230:

but now they rise again,

With twenty mortal murders on their crowns,
And push us from our stools.

Inclosed I submit to your consideration some Queries and Conjectures on Cymbeline, not contained in yours *.

*Mr. POPE's Second Edition, 1728.

P. 11.

P. 12.

reek as a sacrifice

as offer'd mercy is

I have no perfect idea what these passages mean.

P. 13. Make me with his eye or ear.

How could posthumus with his ear make himself distinguished

by Pisanio?

Should it not be, with my eye or ear?

I cannot conclude without begging my respects and thanks to Mr. Taylor*; and wishing you both a number of happy new years.

P. 21. To any shape of thy preferment, such

As thou 'll desire·

Should not this be, deserve? Note, desert and merit in the context of this very sentence.

P. 22. But most miserable

Is the desire that's glorious.

Here I am as blind as a mole. I cannot tell how it connects with the rest.

P. 23. None a stranger there.

You have slipped the ridiculousness of this full stop.

Read,

none a stranger there

So merry, &c.

i. e. of all the travellers upon the spot the merriest.

P. 29. And you crow cock with your comb on.

What is the conceit here; with your cock's comb? Or does he mean, you are a mere dunghill; your comb is not cut, and trimmed for the fight, as I think game-cocks are served.

P. 33.

unpav'd Eunuch.

Does he mean, unstoned (sine testiculis), from the metaphor of paving with stones?

This may be right; but should not you like better, "self-finger'd knot."

So Troilus, p. 358:

P. 42.

And with another knot five-finger-tied.

a-churning on.

This is ex Cathedrá Popiand. Do you like it? The old Editions have it, "a German one." And this, in my opinion, makes a climax. Are any boars better fed, or more likely to be rank, than those of Westphalia?

P. 44. With oaks unscaleable.

Certainly this should be rocks. I think the whole speech warrants it.. Poor ignorant baubles!-Pray, have you observed, our Poet frequently uses ignorant in the sense of weak, impotent? P. 45. Behoves me keep at variance.

What does Mr. Pope mean here? Mr. Rowe reads, with the old copies," at utterance;" i. e. at the utmost extremities. So, in Macbeth, p. 222:

Come Fate into the list,

And champion me to th' utterance.

P. 53. Some jay of Italy

(Whose mother was her painting) &c.

* Afterwards Dr. Robert Taylor; of whom see before, p. 46.

Sure

I am, my dearest Friend, your truly affectionate and obliged humble servant, LEW. THEOBALD.

Sure I am dull beyond the knowledge of myself; or how could this escape you? Or, do you understand it? - Mr. Rowe's Edition (I hope not by chance) reads, as I think right,

Whose Wother was her painting.

Wother, in Saxon, signifies beauty, merit, ornament. —So Imogen means, I conceive, that all the harlot's beauty was her being Fainted, as all the jay's consists in the gaiety of its feathers. P., 54. Dis-edg'd by her.

Is this a term in Hawking? Does it signify, have the edge of thy stomach taken off?

P. 64.

'mongst friends?

If brothers, would it had been so,—

The pointing here, I think, is entirely mistaken. I read it, 'mongst friends,

If brothers;

This is warranted from what she says, p. 107:

You call'd me brother when I was but your sister:

I, you brothers, when ye were so indeed.

Ibid. Then had my prize been less.

Should not this be price, or rather poize, as better answering to ballasting, or balancing?

P. 66. It strikes me past the hope of comfort.

Does not the sense require, holpe, or help?

P. 68. I dare speak it to myself, for it is vain-glory, &c.
Is it so? I do not think that was Cloten's opinion.

I would restore,

for it is not vain-glory, &c.

Ibid. Imperseverant thing.

Is the im here, as the grammarians call it, epitattic; otherwise, I think, it does not answer the Poet's meaning.

P. 74. Though his honour was nothing but mutation.

I do not understand this, according to the present reading. Should it not be, "Though his humour, &c."

P. 81. Who was he that, otherwise than noble Nature did, Hath alter'd that' good picture?

I can understand this; yet did, in my opinion, is little more than a dragging expletive. Ought it not to be,

noble Nature bid, &c.

the laws of Nature being against murder.

P. 87. But to look back in front.

This odd reading is from our modern Editors. I know indeed Shakespeare somewhere talks of dragging headlong by the heels, which must be owned as preposterous. But the old copies read here, as it is certain it ought to be restored,

But to look back in frown;

i. e. if you do but frown, and threaten to make opposition.

LETTER