2

far was a port below Calais called 1 Vitfan or Whitfan. The old German words Uat Awe; i.e. fat or fruitful earth, the Romans called Batavia. When the north-eaft part of Scotland was pronounced by the natives Cal dun, i. e. a hill of hazel, the Romans foon gave it their Latin termination, and called it Caledonia. Many other names of places our antiquarians and etymologifts easily trace, if they can get but the radical word. This rule then is univerfally true, that all nations make foreign words submit to their manner of pronunciation. However our Shakespeare does not abuse proper names like Chaucer or Spencer, tho' he has elegantly fuited many of them to the English mouth.

In his Midfummer-Night's Dream, A& II, he hints at a story told by Plutarch in the life of Thefeus, of one Пlepsy, daughter of the famous robber Sinis, whom Thefeus flew he, true hero-like, killed the father and then debauched the daughter. Her he calls very poetically Perigenia.

Cleopatra had a fon by Julius Caefar, whom Plutarch tells us was called Kairagiwu, Shakespeare in Antony and Cleopatra very properly writes it Cefario, not Cefarion: I, does not

2 Camden's Brit. p. 254.

make

make in Latin or English Platon, but Plato. And 3 Prifcian the Grammarian obferves that the Latins omit the n at the latter end of proper names. So Cicero in his Tufculan difputations: Hinc ille Agamemno Homericus. And Virgil. Aen. VIII, 603.

"Haud procul hinc Tarcho, et Tyrrheni tuta

"tenebant."

From whence Aen. X, 290. Instead of

૬

Speculatus litora Tarchon,

we muft write Tarcho.

Perhaps to avoid the meeting of two vowels, he followed the Grecian fpelling, in Aen. VII, 327.

Odit et ipfe pater Pluton, odere forore
Tartareae monftrum.

The Jews name in the Merchant of Venice Scialac, he makes English and calls Shylock. In Romeo and Juliet, Montecchi and Capello, are Montague and Capulet. Sir Johan of Boundis, in Chaucer's legend of Gamelyn, he changes into, Sir Rowland of Boys, in his play called As you

3 Prifc. 1. 6. p. 690, 4 Cic. Tafc. difp. III, 26.

like it. Amleth, he writes Hamlet; and Cunobeline or Kymbeline, he calls Cymbeline.

Macbeth's father is variously written in the Scotifh chronicles. Macbeth fil. Findleg: Innes of Scotland p. 791. Macbeth Mac-Finleg: Ibid. p. 803. Machabeus Filius Finele: Johan. de Fordin Scot., L. IV. c. 44. Salve, Maccabace Thane Glammis; nam eum magiftratum defuncto paulo ante patre Synele acceperat. Hector Boeth. Scot. hift. L. XII.

Sinell thane of Gammis: Holingfh. p. 168. "By Sinel's death, I know, I'm thane of Glamis." So our author, in Macbeth, Act I.

5 In Cicero's offices B. II. c. ix. is the following paffage, Itaque propter aequabilem praedae partitionem, et BARGULUS ILLYRIUS LATRO, de

quo

5 'Tis very plain if the plays called ift, 2d, &c. parts of Henry VI. were written by our poet, that he had red Cicero's offices. I wonder this paffage fhould efcape the diligent fearch of Mr. Theobald. I lately turned to the edition printed at Oxford, where I found Bardylis had taken poffeffion of the copy, but no mention made of Cicero. In the laft edition indeed I found THE TRUE PI RATE. But Shakespeare seems to me to have had his eye on other paffages of Cicero's offices. In the IIId part of Henry VI. A&t I.

"York.

quo eft apud Theopompum, magnas opes habuit. Thus the editions in Shakespear's time; and thus I found it in two manufcripts. In the fecond part of K. Henry VI. A&t IV. Suffolk fays,

"This villain here,

"Being captain of a pinnance, threatens more "Than Bargulus the ftrong Illyrian pirate."

In fome later editions 'tis printed in Cicero, Bardylis Illyrius latro. For my own part, I really imagine that Cicero gave this Illyrian name a Roman pronunciation and turn: but why the editors of Cicero print it Bardylis, I don't know; Plutarch in the life of Pyrrhus writes it Βάρδυλλις.

In

"York. I took an oath that he should quietly reign. "Edw. But for a kingdom any oath may be broken,”

Cicero de Off. L. III. f. 21.

"Nam fi violandum eft jus, regnandi gratiâ "Violandum eft."

In Romeo and Juliet, A& I.

"I measuring his affections by my own,

"That most are bufied, when they're most alone,

"Perfu'd my humour."

Cic. Lib. III. f. 1. Nunquam fe minus otiofum effe, quàm cum otiofus ; nec minus folum, quàm cum folus effet.

In Julius Caefar, he has fome variations in proper names: Plutarch, Máguλλos. Shakefpeare, Murellus: And Decimus Brutus Albinus, he calls Decius Brutus. Plut. @dros, viz. an inland near Philippi: Shak. Tharfus. Plut. AágSavos. Shak. Dardanius. δανος.

In Antony and Cleopatra. Plut. Aegxélaïos. Shak. Dercetas.

"IS IN HIS BRAIN; he bites his lips, and starts,
"Stops on a fudden, looks upon the ground,
"Then lays his finger on his temple; ftrait,

"Springs out into faft gate, then stops again;
"Strikes his breast hard, and then anon he cafts
"His eye against the moon: in moft ftrange poftures
"We've seen him fet himself.

"King. It well may be,

"THERE IS A MUTINY IN'S MIND."

This obfervation, true in nature, he feems to have had from Cicero de Off. L. I. f. 36. Cavendum eft autem, ne aut tarditatibus utamur in greffu mollioribus, ut pomparum ferculis fimiles effe videamur, aut in feftinationibus fufcipiamus nimias celeritates; quae cùm fiunt, anhelitus moventur, vultus mutantur, ora torquentur: EX QUIBUS MAGNA SIGNIFICATIO FIT NON ADESSE CONSTANTIAM.