ition of variety, by the art with which he is made to co-operate with the chief design, opportunity which he gives the poet of combining perfidy with perfidy, and connectwicked son with the wicked daughters, to impress this important moral, that villany r at a stop, that crimes lead to crimes, and at last terminate in ruin. hough this moral be incidentally enforced, Shakspeare has suffered the virtue of Corperish in a just cause, contrary to the natural ideas of justice, to the hope of the and what is yet more strange, to the faith of chronicles. Yet this conduct is justified SPECTATOR, who blames Tate for giving Cordelia success and happiness in his alterad declares, that in his opinion, "the tragedy has lost half its beauty." Dennis has ed, whether justly or not, that, to secure the favourable reception of " Cato, the town soned with much false and abominable criticism," and that endeavours had been discredit and decry poetical justice. A play in which the wicked prosper, and the miscarry, may doubtless be good, because it is a just representation of the common of human life: but since all reasonable beings naturally love justice, I cannot easily jaded, that the observation of justice makes a play worse; or that if other excellen 3 equal, the audience will not always rise better pleased from the final triumph of ted virtue. e present case, the public has decided. Cordelia, from the time of Tate, has always with victory and felicity. And, if my sensations could add any thing to the general , I might relate, I was many years ago so shocked by Cordelia's death, that I know ther i ever endured to read again the last scenes of the play till I undertook to revise an editor. is another controversy among the critics concerning this play. It is disputed whe : predominant image in Lear's disordered mind be the loss of his kingdom, or the of his daughters. Mr. Murphy, a very judicious critic, has evinced by induction of ar passages, that the cruelty of his daughters is the primary source of his distress, and loss of royalty affects him only as a secondary and subordinate evil. He observes, eat justness, that Lear would move our compassion but little, did we not rather cone injured father than the degraded king. story of this play, except the episode of Edmund, which is derived, I think, from , is taken originally from Geoffry of Monmouth, whom Holingshed generally copied; haps immediately from an old historical ballad. My reason for believing that the As posterior to the ballad, rather than the ballad to the play, is, that the ballad has of Shakspeare's nocturnal tempest, which is too striking to have been omitted, and ollows the chronicle; it has the rudiments of the play, but none of its amplifications: sinted Lear's madness, but did not array it in circumstances. The writer of the bal ed something to the history, which is a p. oof that he would have added more, if more arred to his mind, and more must have occurred if he had seen Shakspeare. JOHNSON. SCENE I. A public Place. Sam. Gregory, o'my word we'll not carry coals.. Gre. No, for then we should be colliers. cut of the collar. Sam. I strike quickly, being moved. strike. Sam. A dog of the house of Montague moves me. Gre. To move, is-to stir; and to be valiant, is-to stand to it: therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn'st away. Sam. A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's. The fearful passage of their deaf-moti Is now the two hours' traf t I. Gre. That shows thee a weak slave, weakest goes to the wall Sam. True; and therefore w the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to ther therefore I will push Montagar's mes wall, and thrust his maids to the Gre. The quarrel is between at and us their men. Sam. 'Tis all one, I will show myndb rant: when I have fought with the nas be cruel with the maids; I wi Cn đ heads. Gre. The heads of the maids! Sam. Ay, the heads of the muck, " maidenheads; take it in what sense Gre. They must take it in sense, the Sam. Me they shall feel, while lan stand: and, 'tis known, I am a pretty flesh. Gre. 'Tis well thou art not fish, hadst, thou hadst been poor John's A phrase formerly in use to signify the bearing injuries. ROMEO AND JULIET. re comes two of the house of the Mon nter ABRAM and BALTHASAR. How? tarn thy back and run? Fear me not. No, marry: I fear thee! Let us take the law of our sides; let zin. I will frown, as I pass by; and let e it as they list. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my t them; which is a disgrace to them, ear it. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at ; but I bite my thumb, sir. Do you quarrel, sir? Quarrel, sir? no, sir. La. Mon. Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek Enter Prince, with Attendants. That quench the fire of your pernicious rage And hear the sentence of your moved prince.- If you do, sir, I am for you; I serve And, Montague, come you this afternoon, a man as you. No better. Well, sir. nter BENVOLIO, at a distance. Yes, better, sir. You lie. Draw, if you be men.-Gregory, re[They fight. thy swashing blow. Part, fools; put up your swords; you ot what you do. [Beats down their Swords. Enter TYBALT. ee, Benvolio, look upon thy death. nage it to part these men with me. ste hell, all Montagues, and thee: . Clubs, bills, and partisans! strike! 2. What noise is this!-Give me my long To know our further pleasure in this case,[place, sary And yours, close fighting ere I did approach: blows, Came more and more, and fought on part and Right glad I am, he was not at this fray. [son › seen, With tears augmenting the fresh morning's The disregard of concord is in character + Clubs! was the usual exclamation § Appeared. ↑ Angry. cause? means? Should in the furthest east begin to draw I'll know his grievance, or be much denied. stay, To hear true shrift,-Come,madam, let's away. Rom. Out of her favour, where I am in love. Ben. Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof! Rom. Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still, Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will! Where shall we dine?-O me!-What fray was here? Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Here's much to do with hate, but more with love : Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate! Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!- Ben. No, coz, I rather weep. Rom. Good heart, at what? Ben. At thy good heart's oppression. Rom. Why, such is love's transgression.- In seriousness. What is it else? a madness most discer This is not Romeo, he's some other w Ben. Tell me in sadness, she stayi love. Rom. What, shall I groan, and th But sadly tell me, who. Rom. Bid a sick man in sadnew noth loved. Rom. A right good marksman—dat Ben. A right fair mark, fair em. B 1 hit. Rom. Well, in that hit, you She will not stay the siege of Rom. She bath, and in that sparing a huge waste; For beauty, starved with her severly, Bea. Be ruled by me, forget to think Ben. By giving liberty auto the eye Examine other beauties. Rom. brows, Being black, put us in mind they birth He, that is strucken blind, cannot forget The precious treasure of his eyesight b Show me a mistress that is passing fir What doth her beauty servet, but as a ma Where I may read, who pass'd that pa fair ti. e., What end does it answer. ROMEO AND JULIET. vell; thou canst not teach me to forget. 3. I'll pay that doctrine, or else die in [Exeunt. debt. SCENE II. A Street. T CAPULET, PARIS, and Servant. hild is yet a stranger in the world, wo more summers wither in their pride, [she, voo her, gentle Paris, get her heart, will to her consent is but a part; le agree, within her scope of choice my consent and fair according voice. A night I hold an old accustom'd feast, reto I have invited many a guest, Tas I love; and you, among the store, more, most welcome, makes my number more. poor house, look to behold this night was comfort, as do Insty young men feel none. e, go with me;-Go, sirrah, trudge about TU. Turn giddy, and be holp by backward turning; Take thou some new infection to thy eye, For your broken shin. Shut up in prison, kept without my food, Serv. God gi' good e'en.-I pray, sir, can Rom. Ay, mine own fortune in my misery. book: But I pray, can you read any thing you see? language. [Reads. Serv. Ye say honestly; Rest you merry! Rom. Stay, fellow; I can read. Signior Martino, and his wife, and daugh ters; County Anselme, and his beauteous sisters; The lady widow of Virtruvio; Signior Placentio, and his lovely nieces; Mercutio, and his brother Valentine, Mine uncle Capu let, his wife, and daughters; My fair niece Rosaline; Livia; Signior Valentio, and his cousin Tybalt; Lucio, and the lively Helena. A fair assembly; [Gires back the Note.) Whether should they come? Serv. Up. Rom. Whither? Serv. To supper; to our house. Serv. My master's, [before. Rom. Indeed, I should have asked you that Serv. Now I'll tell you without asking: My master is the great rich Capulet; and if you be not of the house of Montagues, I pray, [Exit. come and crush a cup of wine. Rest you merry. Ben. At this same ancient feast of Capulet's eye [fires! Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to die.And these,-who, often drown'd, could never And those persons, whose names are here Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars! and can never find what names the Enter BENVOLIO and ROMEO. ⚫ pain is lessen'd by another's anguish ; Coult, estimation. Estimation. One fairer than my love! the all-sccing sun Ben. Tut? you saw her fair, none else being To inherit, in the language of Shakspeare is to possess Weigh'd. 4 N |