IN King Lear, Act III.

"Edg. Child Rowland to the dark tower "came."

The following note is printed in the late edition at Oxford. "The fables of fuch a turn as that from "which thefe lines are quoted being generally taken

from books of Spanish chivalry, it is probable the "word food here Infante Orlando, for which the tranflator ignorantly put child Rowland: where"as Infante meant a prince, one of the King's " fons."

"In

And this, in the later edition at London, "the old times of chivalry, the noble youth who "were candidates for knighthood, during the fea

fon of their probation, were called infans, var"lets, Damoyfels, Bacheliers. The most noble

of the youth particularly, infans. Here a story " is told, in fome old Ballad of the famous hero "and giant killer Roland, before he was knighted, "who is, therefore, called Infans; which the bal"lad-maker tranflated, Child Rowland."

Without impeaching the ignorance of this Balladmaker (who perhaps had as much learning as fome critics) I always thought infant and child were convertible terms: at least the learned Spencer thought fo, who calls ARTHEGAL, the bold child,

B. 5. c. 8. ft. 32. And old Chaucer in the Coke's tale of Gamelyn. 225. thought fo likewise.

Then faid the chyld, young Gamelyn.

Taffo fpeaking of Rinaldo fays, Il nobil garzon ; which Fairfax tranflates, B. xvi. ft. 34. The noble infant and Spencer fpeaking of Prince Arthur, B. 2. c. 8. ft. 56.] To whom the infant thus. It follows therefore as I faid above, that infant and child, are convertible terms.

IN King Lear, A&t IV.

" 'Tis wonder, that thy life and wits, at once, Had not concluded ALL. He wakes; Speak "to him.

"Had not concluded ALL-] All what? we should " read and point it thus,

"Had not concluded-AH!

"An exclamation on perceiving her father wake." Mr. W.

This exclamation may be more pertinently applied to this impertinent criticifm. ALL is altogether, wholly; ALL, Aws: and fo frequently used by our old poets. Spencer, B. I. C. 5. ft. 15. "Not all fo fatisfide, with greedy eye "He fought all round about,"

i: e. not altogether, not quite fo well fatisfied be fought all round about, är öμinov Qóila, as Menelaus in Homer [Il. y. 449.] being in like circumftances with the Fairy Knight. Again, c. 8. ft. 46.

"Ne fpared they to ftrip her naked ALL.”

i.e. quite naked. In allufion to Revelation. xvii, 16. Thefe fhall bate the whore [DUESSA,] and "fball make her defolate [fee ft. 50.] and NAKED." All is used by our old poets in the fame kind of pleonafm, (if there are any pleonasms at all, which I doubt of,) as ПIANTA is used by Homer, and OMNIA by Lucretius.

· Χρυσῆ δὲ ςήσας ἔφερεν δέκα ΠΑΝΤΑ τάλανα. 11. ú. 232.

i. e. ten talents in all, altogether.

ce

"Una dies infesta tibi tot praemia vitae.”

IN Macbeth, Act III.

"If 'tis fo,

III, 911,

"For Banquo's iffue have I fil'd my mind. "We should read, 'FIL'D my mind. i. e. defiled." Mr. W. I am afraid I led Mr. W. into this mistake: who bas taken more notice of my obfervations than he is pleafed

pleafed to acknowledge. See B. III. Rule XIV. where 'tis obferved that Shakespeare shortens words by ftriking off the first fyllable, which is no unufual thing in our language: among the inftances there given I mentioned file for defile; which in this fecond edition I have blotted out. It feems

that Mr. W. thought to file meant only to polish. But the fame word may have two different fignifications, and be derived (tho fpelt the fame) from two different originals. ex. gr. to FILE, to polish: Anglo-S. feolan, lima prolire. to FILE, to defile: Anglo-S. afylan, fylan, contaminare. how near to the Greek, φᾶυλος, φαυλότης ? and hence FOUL, FILTH, &c. Thus the word is ufed by Fairfax, B. V. ft. 18.

"It FIL'D his heart with malice, ftrife and "bate."

And by Phaer in his verfion of Virgil, Æn. III, 41. Jam parce fepulto.

"Abfayne my grave To FILE.'

Douglas in his Scotish translation, Æn. III, 227. "And with thare laitblie twich all thing FYLE « thay.”

66

And this word I would restore to Chaucer in the Romaunt of the Rofe, . 4750. [Urry's edit. p. 248.]

"And newe fruit filled [r. filed] with winter

" tene."

VI.

Being in fome doubt where to turn myself next, Milton feems to call upon me to take his caufe in band again whom I find misunderstood in a note on a paffage in All's Well that ends Well, A&t I. "In his bright radiance and collateral light

Muft I be comforted, not in his fphere. "Collateral for reflected. i. e. In the radiance of his reflected light; not in his fphere, or direct light. MILTON uses the word, in the fame fenfe, Speaking of the fon.

Of high collateral glory. B. 10. . 86.”
Mr. W.

Now 'tis plain that collateral in Milton conftantly is ufed in the fame fenfe as the etymology claims; [Collaterales, funt proprie quafi lateribus confidentes,] i. e. thofe that fit together, as it were fide by fide, focially. Thus in Paradife loft, VIII. 426.

"But man by number is to manifest
"His fingle imperfection, and beget
“Like of his like, his image multiply'd :
"In unity defective; which requires
"Collateral love, and dearest amity."

Collateral love, i. e. focial, or, as it were, fide by fide; for fo be fays in B. IV, 485.

"" To