Homer led the way, Il. ξ'. 275. ἅλα μαρμαρέην, which the scholiaft interprets by Aeux. The fea, as well as the fky, is called Marble, from its being refplendent, and shining like marble. And 'tis to be remembered that the poets predicate the fame things reciprocally both of the fky and waters. In the first part of K. Henry IV. fpeaking of the Severn, he says, "His crifped head." And in the Tempest, Act IV. he has, " Crifp channels." Crifp, or crifped, is curled. Lat. Crifpus, crispatus. So of the Clouds, in the Tempeft, A&t I.

"All hail, great mafter! grave Sir, hail!

"I come

"To answer thy best pleasure: be't to fly, "To fwim, to dive into the fire; to ride "On the CURL'D clouds."

And fo in Timon, A& IV.

"With all abhorred births below 5 CRISP heav'n, "Whereon Hyperion's quickning fire doth shine.

5" Crifp heav'n.] We fhould read CRIPT, i e. vaulted, "from the Latin Cripta, a vault." Mr. W.-But that we should read, as the poet red, Crifp, is plain from the above citations.-One may afk too where is Cript to be found? Add to that Cripta is a vault under ground, and T xgúl, hence the Italians have formed Grotta, a grotto.

In Othello, A& III.

"But in a man that's just,

"They're cold dilations, working from the heart, "That paffion cannot rule."

Dilations, à Lat. dilationes, delayings, pauses, à differendo. But in Act I. That I would all my pilgrimage dilate. i. e. à dilatando, enlarge upon, exfpatiate, &c."

In K. Lear, A&t II.

I tax not you, you elements "You owe me no fubscription.”

Subfcriptio, is a writing underneath, a registering our names fo as to take part in any cause, suit or fervice. Hence it fignifies, allegiance, fubmiffion, &c. And the verb fubfcribere is not only to write under, but to aid and help, to abet and approve, &c.

Ovid Trift. L. I. El. 11.

Dii maris et caeli (quid enim nifi vota fuper

❝ funt)

"Solvere quaffatae parcite membra ratis : "Neve precor magni fubfcribite Caefaris irae.

In Measure for Measure, Act II.

"Admit no other way to fave his life, "As I fubfcribe not that."

Milton, B. XI, 181.

"So fpoke, fo wifh'd much-humbled Eve; " but fate

"Subfcrib'd not."

That is, affented not, took not her part. But Milton abounds with words thus taken from the Latin; and uses them according to that idiom.

In

6 Such are, religions, i. e. fuperftitious ornaments: I, 372. And thus Shakesp. in Jul. Caef. A&t I. ufes ceremonies.

If you do find them deck'd with ceremonies,
Difrobe his images.

Inftinet, i. e. moved forward, pufh'd on: II, 937. XI, 562. Emblem, picture-work of wood, ftone, or metal, inlaid in diverfe colours, as in pavements, &c. IV, 703. Divine, 1. foreboding: IX, 845. Perfon, i. e. character, quality, or state, part to act in : X, 156. Many inftances too he has of construction imitated from the poets: as for inftance, B. IX, 795.

"O Sov'reign, virtuous, PRECIOUS OF ALL TREES "In paradife !"

Virgil IV. 576.Sequimur te, SANCTE DEORUM,

With others too numerous to be mention'd here; but these may fuffice to vindicate our author. I ought not to say

vindicate:

In Julius Caefar, A&t I.

"Brutus. If it be aught toward the general "good,

"Set honour in one eye, and death i' th' other, "And I will look on both indifferently,

"For let the Gods fo fpeed me, as I love "The name of honour, more than I fear death." How agreeable to his Stoic character does Shakespeare make Brutus here speak? Cicero de Fin. III, 16. Quid enim illi AAIADOPON dicunt, id mibi ita occurrit, ut INDIFFERENS dicerem. One of the great divifion of things, among the Stoics, was into good, bad, indifferent; virtue, and whatever partook of virtue, was good; vice, bad; but what partook neither of virtue nor vice, being not in our power, was indifferent: fuch as honour, wealth, death, &c. But of thefe indifferent things, fome might be esteemed more than others; as here Brutus fays, I love the name of bonour more than I fear death. See Cicero de Fin. III, 15, 16. The Stoics never destroy'd choice among indifferent things. Their wooneva were indifferentia cum mediocri aeftimatione. Chryfippus ufed to fay, " Μέχρις ἂν ἄδηλο μοι

windicate: for words thus ufed out of the common and vulgar track, add a peculiar dignity and grace to the diction of a poet.

7 'Aggiavos bib. C. xi. 5'.

εί

ἢ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἀεὶ τῶν εὐφυετεφέρων ἔχομαι. While I continue ignorant of confequences, I always hold to those things which are agreeable to my difpofition. Which faying of Chryfippus is thus further explained by Epictetus, Διατᾶτο καλῶς λέγεσιν οἱ φιλόσοφοι, ὅτι εἰ προήδει ὁ καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς τὰ ἐσόμενα, συνήρΓει ἂν καὶ τῷ νοσεῖν, καὶ τῷ ἀποθνήσκειν, καὶ τῷ πηρᾶσθαι· αἰσθανόμενός γε, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Όλων διατάξεως τᾶτο ἀπονέμεται. Κυριώτερον δὲ τὸ Ὅλον τῷ μέρος, καὶ ἡ πόλις το πολίτε. Νῦν δ ̓ ὅτι ἐ προ γινώσκομεν, καθήκει τῶν ΠΡΟΣ ΕΚΛΟΓΗΝ εὐφυεσέρων ἔχεσθαι, ὅτι καὶ πρὸς τἔτο γεγόναμεν. Hence the philofophers fay finely and truly, that if the real good and boneft man knew future events, be would co-operate with ficknefs, death, and lofs of limbs in as much as he would be fenfible that this happen'd to him from the order and conftitution of the Whole : (for the Whole is principally to be preferred before the part, and the city, to the citizen :). but now as we are ignorant of future events, we Should by a right election hold to what is agreeable to our difpofitions. And this doctrine, of right election and rejection, they are full of, in all their writings. This being premised, let us fee Brutus' fpeech.

"Brutus. I do fear the people, 6s Chufe Caefar for their king.

ce Caffius.