whether his wound were in the fore part or hinder part of his body. When it was answered in the fore part, he replied, "I am right glad; neither wifh I

A

FTER the foregoing pages were printed, the late edition of Shakespeare, afcribed to Sir Thomas Hanmer, fell into my hands; and it was therefore convenient for me to delay the publication of my remarks, till I had examined whether they were not anticipated by fimilar obfervations, or precluded by better. I therefore read over this tragedy, but found that the editor's apprehension is of a cast fo different from mine, that he appears to find no difficulty in most of those paffages which I have reprefented as unintelligible, and has therefore paffed finoothly over them, without any attempt to alter or explain them.

Some of the lines with which I had been perplexed, have been indeed fo fortunate as to attract his regard; and it is not without all the fatisfaction which it is ufual to exprefs on fuch occafions, that! find an entire agreement between us in fubftituting [fee Note II.] quarrel for quarry, and in explaining the adage of the cat, [Note XVII.] But this pleasure is, like most others, known only to be regretted; for I have the unhappiness to find no fuch conformity with regard to any other paffage.

The line which I have endeavoured to amend, Note XI. is likewife attempted by the new editor, and is perhaps the only paffage in the play in which he has not fubmiffively admitted the emendations of foregoing critics. Inftead of the common reading,

Doing every thing

Safe towards your love and honour,

he has published,

Doing every thing

Shap'd towards your love and honour.

This alteration, which, like all the reft attempted by him, the reader is expected to admit, without any reafon alleged in its defence, is, in my opinion, more plaufible than that of Mr. Theobald; whether it is right, I am not to determine.

In the paffage which I have altered in Note XL. an emendation is likewife attempted in the late edition, where, for

And the chance of goodness

Be like our warranted quarrel,

is fubftituted-And the chance in goodnefs-whether with more or lefs elegance, dignity, and propriety, than the reading which I have offered, I muft again decline the province of deciding.

Moft of the other emendations which he has endeavoured, whether with good or bad fortune, are too trivial to deferve mention. For furely the weapons of criticifm ought not to be blunted againft an

editor,

editor, who can imagine that he is reftoring poetry, while he is amufing himself with alterations like these ;

For

For

This is the ferjeant,

Who like a good and hardy foldier fought;

This is the ferjeant, who

Like a right good and hardy foldier fought.

Dismay'd not this

Our captains Macbeth and Banque?—Yes;

Dismay'd not this

Our captains brave Macbeth and Banquo?—Yes.

Such harmless induftry may, furely, be forgiven, if it cannot be praised: may he therefore never want a monofyllable, who can ufe it with fuch wonderful dexterity.

Rumpatur quifquis rumpitur invidia!

The reft of this edition I have not read, but, from the little that I have feen, think it not dangerous to declare that, in my opinion, its pomp recommends it more than its accuracy. There is no diftinction made between the ancient reading, and the innovations of the editor; there is no reafon given for any of the alterations which are made; the emendations of former critics are adopted without any acknowledgment, and few of the difficulties are removed which have hitherto embarraffed the readers of Shakespeare.

I would not, however, be thought to infult the editor, nor to cenfure him with too much petulance, for having failed in little things, of whom I have been told, that he excels in greater. But I may, without indecency, observe, that no man fhould attempt to teach others what he has never learned himfelf; and that thofe who, like Themistocles, have ftudied the arts of policy, and can teach a fmall ftate how to grow great, fhould, like him, difdain to labour in trifles, and confider petty accomplishments as below their ambition.

Tlife

life will afford fome opportunities of contributing to the welfare of mankind. Opulence and fplendor are enabled to dispel the cloud of adverfity, to dry up the tears of the widow and the orphan, and to increase the felicity of all around them: their example will animate virtue, and retard the progress of vice. And even indigence and obscurity, though without power to confer happiness, may at least prevent mifery, and apprize those who are blinded by their paffions that they are on the brink of irremediable calamity.

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