monly happy, had we not been prejudiced against it by Mr. Pope's firft note, with which, as it excites merriment, we are loath to part.' Next comes Mr. Smith: Had the former editors been apprized, that table, in our author, fignifies a pocket-book, I believe they would have retained it, with the following alteration; for his nose was as sharp as a pen upon a table of green fells.-On table books, filver or fteel pens, very sharp pointed, were formerly and are ftill fixed to the backs or covers. Mother Quickly compares Falftaff's nofe (which in dying perfons grows thin and fharp) to one of those pens, very properly, and fhe meant probably to have faid, on a table-book with a fhagreen cover, or -fhagreen table; but, in her ufual blundering way, he calls it a table of green fells, or a table covered with green-fkin, which the blundering tranfcriber turned into green fields, and our editors have turned the prettiest blunder in Shakspeare quite out of doors. SMITH.? And Mr. Steevens brings up the rear with a quotation from the Countess of Pembroke's Tragedie of Antonie, to prove that green fells and green fields might anciently have had the fame meaning.' Now, after all this, would any one conceive that Dame Quickly meant to say no more than that Sir John's nose was as Sharp as a pen, and as green as grass? And yet this is all that the does fay. Table, in old language often means picture; from the French tableau. In an inventory of goods, pictures, &c. in the palace of Westminster, in the reign of Henry VIII. (an extract of which may be seen in Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting), the term repeatedly occurs, thus: Item. One table with the picture of the Duchefs of Milan. Item. One table with the hiftory of Filius prodigus,' &c. Strype alfo (as Mr. Walpole informs us) fays, that Guillim Stretes, painter to Edward VI. had paid him, in 1551, fifty marks, for recompence of three great tables made by the faid Guillim, whereof two were pictures of his Highness, and the third a picture of the Earl of Surrey.' Among the ftage directions in old plays we meet with the mufical terms, tucket, tucket-fonance; levet; fennet, or, as it is fometimes written, cynet. In a note upon Henry VIII. A II. Sc. 4. we are informed that Dr. Burney has, in vain, attempted to discover the etymology of this laft word, fennet. The only refult of his inquiries is a conjecture that it may poffibly mean a flourish for the purpose of affembling Chiefs, or apprizing the people of their approach.' To give weight to this conjecture, the Doctor produces the two following quotations: Senné, or fennie de l'Allemand; fen, qui fignifie affemblée. Dict. de vieux langage. Senne, aflemblée à fon de cloche. Menage. Mr. Steevens tells us, he has been informed that fennefie was the name of an antiquated French tune formerly used in the army; but that the dictionaries he has confulted exhibit no fuch word. Sennet may be' (he adds) a corruption from fonata.' Shall we venture our felves on the flippery ground of etymology? Take care, bro ther ther' (cries the chief of the etymological department, feated on our left), take care; you'll certainly be down in the dirt. Have you forgotten what woful figures I have been obliged to hold up to public laughter * ?' 'No, Mr. Philologos; but, as we do not mean to truft ourselves fo far, we are under no apprehension of being fo fadly bedaubed: befide, when the Public fee that we have not the confidence of your etymologift, we are perfuaded that we fhall only excite a good-humoured smile, at the most, if we should get a fall.' We believe then, or, to speak more properly, we conjecture, that these terms are all derived from the Italian. Tucket—una toccata; a general name for a flourish. Levet-ung levata; the morning call, perhaps, in a camp or garrifon. Sennet-una ferenata; the fignal for retiring to reft. Serenata might eafily be corrupted into fennet, by a rapid pronunciation of the middle fyllable, re, and a faint found of the final a: fer'nat, fennat, fennet. And thefe different words levet, fennet, &c. though originally ufed 'to defignate particular tunes, appropriated to particular purposes, might, perhaps, in process of time, be indifcriminately employed to denote any martial mufic. The appellation Sir formerly prefixed to the names of fome of the clergy, was anciently' (fays Dr. Johnfon) a title affumed by graduates.' This affertion (as we find in a note upon Richard III. At 4.) the late Mr. Guthrie difputes; and fays it was a title fold by the Pope's Legates, &c.' Dr. Farmer controverts Mr. Guthrie's opinion; and Mr. Steevens fuppofes that the title might be originally derived from Sire, father. In confirmation, however, of Dr. Johnson's notion, it may be observed that a Bachelor of Arts, (as is well known) in academical language, is ftiled Dominus. And we are informed that it is no uncommon thing, even at this day, in one of our Univerfities at least, for fervants of a college in which there may chance to be two gentlemen of the fame name, one of whom has taken his first degree, and the other not, to tranflate the term dominus, and prefix it to the name of the former, in order to diftinguifh him from the latter. Thus, if a Mr. Jones, for inftance, be inquired for, in a college where there are two of the name, circumstanced as above, they will ask you if you want Sir Jones. In Antony and Cleopatra, Act II. Sc. 5. Cleopatra being irritated beyond measure at the news of Antony's marriage with Octavia, and having ftruck the meffenger who brought the intelligence, for perfifting in his account, fays to him : O that his fault fhould make a knave of thee, Thou art not what thou'rt fure of!-Get thee hence." * Confult our General Index for the names, Jones (Rowland), Elphinftone, &c. &c. and Rev. Vol. LXXI. for the name of Lemon. + In former editions, as well as in fome of the notes to the prefent, it is printed, That art, &c. No reafon is given for the variation." This M 2 This laft line, which (fays Dr. Johnson) is not eafily understood, Sir T. Hanmer thus corrects: That fayft but what thou'rt fure of.' Warburton receives the emendation. But Johnson, diffatisfied with what, though it affords fenfe, exhibits (as he truly fays) little fpirit, fuppofes the line to confift of abrupt starts : O that his fault should make a knave of thee; Thou art- not what?-Thou'rt fure on't. Get thee hence.' That is, That his fault should make a knave of thee that art-but what fhall I fay thou art not? Thou art then fure of this marriage. Get thee hence.' Mr. Steevens quotes what he thinks a fimilar paffage, from Meafure for Measure, though he fays he knows not how to apply it with fuccefs to the very difficult line before us :" Dreft in a little brief authority, Moft ignorant of what he's most affur'd Mr. Tollet interprets the line, Thou art not an honest man, of which thou art thy felf affur'd, but thou art in my opinion a knave by thy mafter's fault alone.' Mr. Malone would read, O that his fault fhould make a knave of thee, That art not what thou'rt fore of!' which he explains, Alas! is it not ftrange, that the fault of Antony fhould make thee appear to me a knave, thee that art innocent, and art not the cause of the ill news, in confequence of which thou art yet fore with my blows! It frikes us in a different light. Cleopatra, with a weakness natural to those who cannot bear to hear what gives them pain, is enraged because the meffenger did not deceive her, but perfevered in his declaration of Antony's marriage: The gods confound thee!' (fays fhe) doft thou hold there ftill? Meleng. Should I lye, Madam ?" Cleop. O, I would thou didft.' She then, with much heat and vehemence, twice more repeats, He is married?' And finding that he still honeftly adhered to the truth, exclaims: O that his fault, &c. We think the word that is here the demonftrative pronoun; and not, as the commentators feem all to have imagined, the conjunction. The fenfe of the whole we conceive to be: O, that fault of his ought to make a knave, a liar, of thee, that art not that knave, which, by thy repeated affertions of his marriage, thou fhew'ft thyself fure of his being." Cleopatra means to infinuate that the meffenger's pofitive affurance of Antony's marriage, was, in her mind, equivalent to a pofitive affurance of his being a villain. Commentators may fometimes miss the sense of their author by fearching too deeply for it t. Learning and penetration, which Mifprinted, this, in the original. will This remark may be applied to Dr. Johnson's explanation of ⚫ understood relations' in Macbeth, A&t III. Sc. 4. In our Review, will always have advantage of common understanding, in exploring what lies at the bottom, will fometimes be furpaffed by the fuperficial obferver, in inveftigating that which swims upon the furface. He who is accustomed to fee more than is generally perceived, will fometimes fee more than is intended; and the criticifm which weighs every word of a loose and popular writer, will often feek, in vain, for a meaning in the parts, that is only to be found in the whole. Hence arifes, we think, the embarraffment which our critics meet with from a paffage of Antony and Cleopatra, A&t III. Sc. 2. What fhall we do, Enobarbus?' fays Cleopatra. To which that plain and blunt foldier replies, Think and die.' Here Sir T. Hanmer would read, Drink and die,' which is approved by Warburton and Upton. Johnson explains think and die' to mean, Reflect on your own folly, and leave the world. But Mr. Tyrwhitt, though he allows that this would be a proper answer from a moralift or divine, thinks it not adapted to the character of Enobarbus. He therefore propofes to read, wink and die.' Mr. Steevens and Mr. Tollet would adhere to the old reading; and produce fome quotations, to fhew that taking thought' is equivalent to being anxious or folicitous, or laying a thing much to heart. And in a fecond note, Mr. Tyrwhitt tells us, that he believes the old reading right, but then we must understand think and die' to mean, die of thought' or melancholy; and he refers to fome places where thought is fo ufed. We believe that by the expreffion 'think and die' Shakspeare intended nothing more than is con Vol. LXII. p. 268, we fuppofed relations to mean accounts, narrations. The following paffage confirms our opinion: There is a mystery (with whom relation Troilus and Creffida, A&t III. Sc. 3. In the fame volume, p. 260, after giving the fubftance of the notes, with fome additional conjectures, upon the words delighted fpirit' in Meafure for Measure, A&t III. Sc. 1, we declared our perfuafion that delighted was the original reading. We will take this opportunity to obferve that we think delighted' is used for delighted in:' the prepofition in being omitted euphonia gratia. So in Cymbeline, Aa V. Sc. 4. Whom I best love, I crofs; to make my gift • If virtue no that is delighted in.' So alfo in Othello, A&t I. Sc. 3. delighted beauty lack.' Many fimilar inftances of the omiffion of the prepofition might, we think, be produced from our bard. Thus, in Julius Cæfar, Act I. Sc. 2. But ere we could arrive the point propofed; i. e. arrive at. See alfo vol. vi. p. 564, and vol. vii. p. 412, of the prefent edition. Delighted fpirit,' therefore, may mean, the fpirit in which we delight-in which we fo much pride ourselves as our noblest part. M 3 veyed veyed by the fingle word, die. In the colloquial and familiar language of the prefent time, we ufe the word think in the fame redundant manner. It is not uncommon to hear a person, after fpending the morning in an undrefs, fay, Well, 'tis almoft dinner time, I must think and dress myself:' or, ' I must see and drefs myself. Prior has the fame expreffion in fome elegant verfes written at Paris in 1700, in the beginning of Robe's Geography: "And as health fails, and years increase, Sit down and think and die in peace." In the laft fcene of Cymbeline, Belarius fays to the King, Your pleasure was my near offence.' Dr. Johnson would here read, dear offence.' And Mr. Tyrwhitt, becaufe in the old folio the word is printed neere, thinks the true reading to be, meere offence.' But we fee no neceffity for alteration. The present text is confirmed by an expreffion of Leontes in the fecond Act of the Winter's Tale: He who fhall fpeak for her, is afar off guilty, but that he speaks.' 6 In King Lear, Act II. Sc. 2, Kent fays to the Duke of Cornwall, He that beguil'd you, in a plain accent, was a plain knave; which for my part, I will not be, though I should win your displeasure to intreat me to it: i, e. fays Dr. Johnson, though I fhould win you, difpleas'd as you now are, to like me fo well as to intreat me to be a knave.'- Your difpleasure' is, we apprehend, a title given to the angry Cornwall, in the fame manner as we now fay, your highness; your excellence; your grace, &c, Thefe titles were much more frequent formerly, than they are at prefent. Thus in our author, vol. vi. page 169, we find your wifdoms. In vol. x. p. 501, their amities.' So alfo, in Beaumont and Fletcher, vol. iii. p. 219, edit. 1778, 'his valour." Again, in the fame volume, p. 377, your beauties and in p. 469, your modefty. Vol. v. p. 128, his rhetoric. Vol. vii. p. 19, his learning and many others. An attention to this will often serve to explain many difficulties in our old writers. May not this give the true interpretation of a paffage in Hamlet, Act I. Sc. 4. Horatio, advifing Hamlet not to follow the Ghost, says, It may affume fome other horrible form, which might deprive your fovereignty of reafon.' ་ 6 In the clofet fcene in the third Act, as the Ghoft is retiring, Hamlet having afked his mother if fhe faw or heard nothing, points to the phantom, and exclaims: Why, look you there! look, how it steals away! My father, in his habit as he liv'd!' Mr. Steevens here obferves, that if the poet meant that Hamlet's father appeared in his own familiar habit, he must have forgotten that he originally introduced him in armour; or else he muft have intended to vary his drefs in this his laft appearance. The difficulty' |