2

fan of heaven prove a micher? So in the opening of the tragedy of Richard III. we find Edward IV. ftiled the fun of York. And again in Henry VIII. A&t I. Sc. 1. the Duke of Norfolk fays of that monarch and of Francis I. when these Juns.... challeng'd the noble fpirits to arms, they did perform beyond thought's compass.'

In the fecond part of Henry IV. A&t I. Sc. 2. Falstaff having pleaded youth as fome apology for his licentious life, the Chief. Juftice afks: Do you fet down your name in the fcrowl of youth, that are written down old with all the characters of age?

... Is not your voice broken? your wind fhort? your chin double? your wit fingle? and every part about you blafted with antiquity? Dr. Johníon explains your wit fingle?" to mean 'your merriment unfashionable? fuch as no one had any part in but him felf: a calamity' (obferves the Doctor) always incident to a grey-hair'd wit, whofe allufions are to forgotten facts, and his illuftrations drawn from notions obfcured by time.' Mr. Steevens fuppofes that Shakspeare meant only, that he had more fat than wit, that his wit was not increased in proportion to his body, which was bloated by intemperance to twice its original fize.' But, what mark, or character of age,' is there in a man's not growing more witty, as he grows more fat? Wit, in this paffage, means (a fenfe, which it has often been fhewn to bear, by the Commentators) understanding, intellect. And fingle (which they do not feem to have noticed) fignifies weak; infirm, feeble, not strong. Is not your wit fingle is equivalent to, is not your intellect impaired?' a certain mark of age. We will add fome examples of this ufe of the word fingle. In Beaumont and Fletcher's Queen of Corinth, A&t III, Sc. I. Neanthes having obferved of Onos that he must be fifty years of age; Soficles replies, All men believe it when they hear him fpeak; he utters fuch fingle matter' [i. e. fuch weak nonfenfe] in fo infantly a voice.' In the Captain of the fame authors, Act IV. Sc. 2. lacomo calls to a drawer, More beer, boy, very fufficient fingle beer. A little afterwards, this is called fmall beer.' • Single beer' occurs also before in the fame fcene, and in A&t II. Sc. I. and is to be found in other authors. In the Tempeft near the end of Act I. the word feems to bear this meaning. Ferdinand had called himself, the best of those that spoke his fpeech, were he but where 'twas fpoken.' What wert thou' (afks Profpero) if the King of Naples heard thee?' A fingle thing' (i. e. the fame weak thing, anfwers Ferdinand) as I am now, that wonders to hear thee fpeak of Naples In Romeo and Juliet,

If the King of Naples did

* This however may be understood, hear me, there would be but a fingle individual prefent.' Ferdinand prefently adds, myself am Naples.' Poffibly Shakspeare meant the word fingle to partake of both fenfes.

A&

Act II. Sc. 4. Romeo fays of Mercutio's wit: O fingle fol'd jeft, folely fingular for the fingleness; i. e. for its tenuity. This interpretation of fingle explains a paffage in Macbeth, A& I. Sc. 3. which Dr. Johnson has misunderstood:

My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes fo my fingle state of man, that function

Is fmother'd in furmife; and nothing is,

But what is not.'

That is, my feeble ftate of manhood; not, as the Doctor explains it, an individual, in oppofition to a commonwealth, or conjunct body. Hence alfo we may illuftrate an expreffion in Othello, A&t I. Sc. 2. which has not a little perplexed the Cri

tics:

-The magnifico is much belov'd;

And hath, in this effect, a voice potential,

As double as the Duke's.'

If fingle mean weak, impotent; then double may easily mean powerful, efficacious.

•The answer is as ready as a borrowed cap,' fays Poins, in the fecond Part of Henry IV. A& II. Sc. 2. But how is a borrowed cap fo ready?" fays Warburton, who reads, a borrower's cap,' and fees fome humour in a fancied allufion to the complaifance of a man that goes to borrow money. Malone thinks a borrowed cap, may be a folen one. But Dr. Farmer (whofe note however is not inferted in this edition) approves of Warburton's correction; adding, that, in the fenfe of stealing, the fentence fhould be a cap to be borrowed; befides, conveying' (he obferves) was the cant phrafe for fealing.' The Critics have here wafted their ftrength upon the wrong word. It is not borrow'd that requires an explanation, but cap; which does not, we apprehend, here mean, a covering for the head; but a verse, or proverb, fo called when ufed by way of retort to fomething before Spoken. So in Henry V. Act III. Sc. 7. the Conftable of France is made to fay, I will cap that proverb with-there is Aattery in friendship.' And this fenfe of the word cap, accords well with the whole of Poins's fpeech, who is giving inftances of fome ready retorts. We have already, in a note upon inhabit, expreffed our difapprobation of advancing plaufible conjectures into the text. We are here again called upon to cenfure this injudicious practice. Borrower, in this paffage, and Theobald's conjecture, babbled, in the next that we fhall notice, do not amend, but corrupt the text. I wish,' fays Dr. Johnfon, fomewhere in his notes, we all explained more, and corrected lefs.'

[To be concluded in our next. ]

Anon. Mr Pearne

ART.

ART. II. A Narrative of the Death of Captain James Cook: to which are added, fome Particulars concerning his Life and Character; and Obfervations refpecting the Introduction of the Venereal Disease into the Sandwich Islands. By David Samwell, Surgeon of the Discovery. 4to. Is. 6d. Robinfon. 1786.

TH

HE information which this pamphlet conveys, is of fo ferious and extraordinary a nature, that it feems to require a circumftantial Review: and the fame confiderations render it neceffary to give our account of it, as much as poffible in the Author's own words:

• The Author being of opinion that the event of Captain Cook's death has not yet been fo explicitly related as the importance of it requires, trufts that this Narrative will not be found altogether a repetition of what is already known. At the fame time, he wifhes to add his humble teftimony to the merit of the account given of this tranfaction by Capt. King.-He thinks himself warranted in doing this, from having frequently obferved, that the public opinion feemed to attribute the lofs of Captain Cook's life, in fome meafure, to rafhness, or too much confidence, on his fide; whereas nothing can be more ill-founded, or unjust. It is, therefore, a duty, which his friends owe to his character, to have the whole affair candidly and fully related, whatever facts it may involve, that may appear of a difagreeable nature to individuals. The Author is confident, that if Capt. King could have forefeen, that any wrong opinion refpecting Capt. Cook would have been the confequence of omitting fome circumftances relating to his death; the good-natured motive that induced him to be filent, would not have stood a moment in competition with the fuperior calls of juftice to the memory of his friend. This publication, he is fatisfied, would not have been disapproved of by Capt. King, for whofe memory he has the highest efteem, and to whofe friendship he is under many obligations. He is fanguine enough to believe, that it will ferve to remove a fuppofition, in this fingle inftance, injurious to the memory of Capt. Cook, who was no lefs diftinguished for his caution and prudence, than for his eminent abilities and undaunted refolution.'.

The late appearance of this Narrative has been owing to the peculiar fituation of the writer, whofe domestic refidence is at a great distance from the metropolis, and whofe duty frequently calls him from home for feveral months together. He has the pleasure of adding, that, in publishing his account of Capt. Cook's death, he acts in concurrence with the opinions of fome of the most respectable perfons.'

Such are the motives which the Author affigns for the publication of this Narrative, as well as for the latenefs of its appearance. The former, in our opinion, required no apology: the latter may; but whether what he offers will be thought fufficient, with the generality of the world, we cannot determine; but we shall lay before our Readers his account of this moft unfortunate tranfaction, omitting only fome paffages which appear to us of lefs moment than the rest.

4

After

After relating several quarrels which happened between the natives and our people after their return, a fecond time, to Keragegooah Bay, in nearly the fame terms used by Capt. King; he adds:

*

To widen the breach between us, fome of the Indians, in the night, took away the Discovery's large cutter, which lay fwamped at the buoy of one of her anchors: they had carried her off fo quietly, that we did not mifs her till the morning, Sunday, February the fourteenth. Capt. Clerke loft no time in waiting upon Capt. Cook, to acquaint him with the accident: he returned on board with orders for the launch and fmall cutter to go, under the command of the fecond Lieutenant, and lie off the east point of the bay, in order to intercept all canoes that might attempt to get out; and, if he found it neceffary, to fire upon them. At the fame time, the third Lieutenant of the Refolution, with the launch and fmall cutter, was fent on the fame service to the oppofite point of the Bay; and the Master was difpatched in the large cutter, in purfuit of a double canoe, already under fail, making the best of her way out of the harbour. He foon came up with her, and by firing a few mufkets, drove her on fhore, and the Indians left her: this happened to be the canoe of Omea, a man who bore the title of Orono. He was on board himfelf, and it would have been fortunate, if our people had fecured him, for his perfon was held as facred as that of the King. During this time, Capt. Cook was preparing to go,afhore himself, at the town of Kavaroah, in order to fecure the perfon of Kariopoo, before, he should have time to withdraw himself to another part of the island, out of our reach. This appeared the most effectual step that could be taken on the prefent occafion, for the recovery of the boat. It was the measure he had invariably purfued, in fimilar cafes, at other islands in these feas, and it had always been attended with the defired fuccefs in fact, it would be difficult to point out any other mode of proceeding on thefe emergencies, likely to attain the object in view. We had reafon to fuppofe, that the King and his attendants had fled when the alarm was first given: in that cafe, it was Capt. Cook's intention to fecure the large canoes which were hauled up on the beach. He left the hip about feven o'clock, attended by the lieutenant of marines, a ferjeant, corporal, and feven private men: the pinnace's crew were alfo armed, and under the command of Mr. Roberts. As they rowed towards the fhore, Capt. Cook ordered the launch to leave her ftation at the weft point of the Bay, in order to affift his own boat. This is a circumftance worthy of notice; for it clearly fhews, that he was not unapprehenfive of meeting with refiftance from the natives, or unmindful of the necessary preparation for the fafety of himself and people. I will venture to fay, that from the appearance of things just at that time, there was not one, befide himfelf, who judged that fuch precaution was abfolutely requifite:

*This Author differs greatly from Capt. King in his orthography of the language of the Sandwich Isles. For example, he calls Karakakoa, Keragegooah; Terreeoboo, he calls Kariopoo; Kowrowa, Kavaroah; Kanucabareea, Kaneekapoherei; and Mahia Mahia he calls Ka-mea-mea, &c. &c.

fo

fo little did his conduct on the occafion bear the marks of rafhnefs, or a precipitate felf-confidence! He landed, with the marines, at the upper end of the town of Kavaroah: the Indians immediately flocked round, as ufual, and fhewed him the customary marks of refpect, by proftrating themselves before him. There were no figns of hoftility, or much alarm among them. Captain Cook, however, did not feem willing to truft to appearances; but was particularly attentive to the difpofition of the marines, and to have them kept clear of the crowd. He first enquired for the King's fons, two youths who were much attached to him, and generally his companions on board. Meffengers being fent for them, they foon came to him, and informing him that their father was afleep, at a houfe not far from them, he accompanied them thither, and took the marines along with them. When he arrived at the houfe, he ordered fome of the Indians to go in, and inform Kariopoo, that he waited without to fpeak with him. They came out two or three times, and instead of returning any anfwer from the King, prefented fome pieces of red cloth to him, which made Capt. Cook fufpect that he was not in the houfe; he therefore defired the lieutenant of marines to go in. The lieutenant found the old man juft awaked from his fleep, and feemingly alarmed at the meffage; but he came out without hesitation. Capt. Cook took him by the hand, and, in a friendly manner, asked him to go on board, to which he very readily confented. Thus far matters appeared in a favourable train, but in a little time, however, the Indians were observed arming themselves with long spears, clubs and daggers, and putting on thick mats, which they ufe as armour. This hoftile appearance increased, and became more alarming, on the arrival of two men in a canoe from the oppofite fide of the Bay, with the news of a Chief, called Kareemoo, having been killed by one of the Discovery's boats, in their paffage acrofs. Upon that information, the women, who were fitting upon the beach at their breakfasts, and converfing familiarly with our people in the boats, retired, and a confufed murmur fpread through the crowd. Captain Cook, being at this time furrounded by a great crowd, thought his fituation rather hazardous: he therefore ordered the lieutenant of ma. rines to march his small party to the water-fide, where the boats lay within a few yards of the fhore: the Indians readily made a lane for them to pafs, and did not offer to interrupt them. The distance they had to go might be about fifty or fixty yards; Captain Cook followed, having hold of Kariopoo's hand, who accompanied him very willingly he was attended by his wife, two fons, and feveral Chiefs. Keowa, the younger fon, went directly into the pinnace, expecting his father to follow; but just as the King arrived at the water-fide, his wife threw her arms about his neck, and, with the affiftance of two Chiefs, forced him to fit down by the fide of a double canoe. Capt. Cook expoftulated with them, but to no purpose: they would not fuffer the King to proceed, telling him that he would be put to death, if he went on board the fhip. Kariopoo, whofe con-, duct feemed entirely refigned to the will of others, hung down his head, and appeared much diftreffed.

While the King was in this fituation, a Chief, well known to us, of the name of Coho, was obferved lurking near, with an iron REV. Aug. 1786.

H

dagger,