Imatges de pàgina
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Phado, Ἐκεῖ οικεσί τε καὶ ΚΑΘΑΙΡΟΜΕΝΟΙ, τῶν τε αδικημάτων διδόνες δίκας απολύονται, εἴ τις τὶ ἠδίThe fame kind of abftinence and difcipline Virgil mentions,

κησε.

Ergo exercentur poenis,veterumque malorum
Supplicia expendunt, aliae panduntur inanis
Sufpenfae ad ventos: aliis fub gurgite vafto
Infectum eluitur fcelus, aut EXURITUR IGNI.
Quifque fuos patimur Manis: exinde per
amplum

Mittimur Elyfium, et pauci laeta arva te

nemus:

Donec longa dies perfecto temporis orbe
Concretam exemit labem, &c.

Now, reader, I will tranfcribe two very different
kind of notes: but all reflections I omit.
"Confin'd To faft in fires:] we fhould read,
"Too faft in fires.

i. e. very closely confin'd. the particle too is ufed frequently for the fuperlative most, or very.” Mr. W.

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The following is in Mr. Theobald's edition, [p. 251. vol. 7.]" I once fufpected this expreffion"to faft in fires: because tho' fafting is often a

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part of penance injoin'd us by the church-difci"pline here on earth, yet, I conceived, it could "be no great punishment for a spirit, a being which

"requires

"requires no fuftenance, to faft. But Mr. War"burton has fince perfectly convinced me that the "text is not to be disturb'd, but that the expreffion "is purely metaphorical. For it is the opinion of "the Religion here reprefented, (i. e. the Roman "Catholic) that fasting purifies the foul bere, as "the fire does in the purgatory here alluded to: "and that the foul must be purged either by fafting "bere, or by burning hereafter. This opinion "Shakespeare again hints at, where he makes "Hamlet fay,

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"He took my Father grofly, full of bread.

"And we are to obferve, that it is a common fay

ing of the Romish priests to their people, If "you won't faft here, you must fast in fire." Mr.T.

Let us now fee the ignorance, with which the poet is charged.

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"And duller bouldst thou be, than the fat weed
"That roots itself in eafe on Lethe's wharf,
"Wouldst thou not ftir in this.

"Shakespeare, APPARENTLY THROUGH IGNO-
RANCE, makes Roman Catholics of thefe pagan.
"Danes; and bere gives a defcription of purga-
tory: But yet mixes it with the pagan fable of
"Lethe's wharf: Whether be did it to infinuate,

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"to the zealous Proteftants of his time, that the 66 pagan and popish purgatory stood both upon the fame footing of credibility; or whether it was

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by the fame kind of licentious inadvertence that "Michael Angelo brought Charon's bark into the "picture of the last judgment, is not eafy to decide." Mr. W.

Shakespeare apparently thro' ignorance makes Roman Catholics of these pagan Danes! Why the plan of his play required it.-But his ignorance perhaps was the mixing the pagan fable of Lethe! 'Twas APPARENTLY THRO the SelfJame IGNORANCE, that Milton, following Plato and Virgil, places this river in Hell:

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"Far off from thefe, a flow and filent Stream, "LETHE, the river of oblivion, rolls "Her watry labyrinth; whereof who drinks, "Forthwith his former ftate and being forgets, "Forgets both joy and grief, pleasure and pain." Such poetical embellishments, I think, were never, 'till now, called ignorance.

XI.

But Mr. W. has fairly told us in the title page of his edition, that be, in conjunction with Mr. Pope, bas corrected and emended the GENUINE TEXT of Shakespeare. I freely own that I have been all

along

along inquiring what the genuine text was, what 'twas probable the poet did write, &c. Seldom have I ventured to say what he should write ; nor ever did it come into my head to think of correcting and emending his GENUINE TEXT. But the whole mystery of this new edition is now discovered; Shakespeare's GENUINE TEXT is collated with all former editions, and then CORRECTED and EMENDED. As for inftance,

Shakespeare's genuine text.

"My dukedome to a beggarly denier."

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Mr. W.

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Rich. III. A. I,

My dukedom to a beggarly TANIERE."

Shakespeare's genuine text.

Lamenting's heard i'th' air, strange screams of "death,

And prophesying with accents terrible

Of dire combuftion, &c." Macbeth, Act II.

Mr: W.

"AUNTS prophefying, &c."

Shakespeare's genuine text.

"Look how the floor of Heav'n

Is thick inlay'd with patterns of bright gold."

Mr. W.

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Merch. of Ven. A& V.

“Is thick inlay'd with patens of bright gold.'

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Shakespeare's

Shakespeare's genuine text.

"Farewel the neighing steed, and the brill

<< trump,

"The Spirit-ftirring drum, the ear-piercing "fife." Othello.

Mr. W.

"The Spirit-ftirring drum, th' FEAR-ʼSPER"SING fife."

Shakespeare's genuine text.

"Thou thing of no bowels."

Mr. W.

"Thou thing of no VOWELS."

Shakespeare's genuine text.

"The fixure of her eye has motion in't,

"As we were mock'd with art.

The Winter's tale, At V.

This is fad nonfense; we should read,

"The FISSURE of her eye." Mr. W.

Among the various fpecies of nonfenfe mentioned by Mr. W. fuch as fad nonfenfe, ftubborn nonsense, &c. I wonder he never heard of ACUTE NONSENSE, [uwgor] a figure often used by ShakeSpeare, as well as by other poets. -But in the midst of fuch a stable of filth I am now immerged, that Hercules himself would defpair of cleansing. I

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