These Fate reserv'd to grace thy reign divine, VARIATIONS. 275 In It is granted they are all of a piece, and no man doubts but herein he is able to imitate Shakespear. Var. id. The former annotator seeming to be of opinion that the Double Falfebood is not Shakespear's; it is but justice to give Mr. Theobald's arguments to the contrary: First, that the MS. was above sixty years old: Secondly, that once Mr. Betterton had it, for he hath heard so: Thirdly, that somebody told him the author gave it to a bastard daughter of his: But Fourthly, and.above all, "That he has a great mind every thing that is good in our tongue should be Shakespear's." I allow these reasons to be truly critical; but what I am infinitely concerned at is, that so many errours have escaped the learned editor: A few whereof we shall here amend, out of a much greater number, as an instance of our regard to this dear relick. "I have his letters of a modern date,. "Wherein by Julio, good Camillo's fon, (Who as he says, ( ) shall follow hard upon, "To purchase certain horse that like him well. This place is corrupted: the epithet good is a mere insignificant expletive, but the alteration of that single word restores a clear light to the whole context, thus, "I have his letters of a modern date,. Here you have not only the perfon specified, by whose hands the return was to be made, but the most necessary part, the time by which it was required. Camillo's fon was to follow hard upon-What? why upon July - Horfe that like him well, is very abfurd: Read it without contradiction, " Аст. I. at the end. - I must stoop to gain her, "Throw all my gay comparisons afide, " And turn my proud additions out of fervice; faith Henriquez of a maiden of low condition, objecting his In Lud's old walls tho' long I rul'd, renown'd VARIATIONS. Tho high quality: What have his comparisons here to do? Correct it boldly, "Throw all my gay caparisons afide, Аст II. SCENE I. All the verse of this scene is confounded with profe:, "O that a man "Could reason down this fever of the blood, "Then, Julio, I might be indeed thy friend. Read this fervour of the blood, marking the just oppofition of deeds and words. " How his eyes shake fire!"-faid by Violante, observing how the lustful shepherd looks at her. It must be, as the sense plainly demands, "How his eyes take fire?" " And measure every piece of youth about me! Ibid. " That, tho' I wore disguises for some ends. She had but one disguise, and wore it but for one end. Restore it, with the alteration but of two letters, " That, tho' I were disguised for some end. Аст IV. SCENE II, To oaths no more give credit, "To tears, to vows; false botb!. False grammar I am sure. Both can relate but to two things: And fee! how eafy a change sets it right? "To tears, to vows; false troth I could show you that very word troth, in Shakespear, a hundred times. Ibid. "For there is nothing left thee now to look for, "That can bring comfort, but a quiet grave. This I fear is of a piece with " None but itself can be its paral"lel:" For the grave " puts an end" to all forrow, it can then need no comfort. Yet let us vindicate Shakespear where we can I make no doubt he wrote thus, "For there is nothing left thee now to look for, 280 Tho' my own aldermen conferr'd the bays, VARIATIONS. 290 295 Thee Which reduplication of the word gives a much stronger emphasis to Violante's concern. This figure is called Anadyplofis. I could show you a hundred just such in him, if I had nothing else to do. After ver. 284. in the former edit. followed, Diff 'rent our parties, but with equal grace SCRIBL. Ver. 295. Safein its beaviness, etc.) in the former edit. Too fafe in inborn heaviness to stray; And lick up ev'ry blockhead in the way. Thy dragons, magistrates, and peers shall taste, Till rais'd from booths, &c. REMARKS. Ver. 282. Annual trophies,] on the Lord-mayor's day; and montbly wars in the Artillery-ground. Ver. 283. The long my party] Settle, like most party-writers, was very uncertain in his political principles. He was employed to hold the pen in the "Character of a Popish Succeffor," but afterwards printed his narrative on the other fide. He had managed the ceremony of a famous Pope-burning on Nov. 17, 1680, then became a trooper in King James's army, at Hounflow 300 Thee shall the patriot, thee the courtier taste, REMARKS 305 310 Another heath. After the Revolution he kept a booth at Bartholomewfair, where, in the Droll called "St. George for England," he acted in his old age in a dragon of green leather of his own invention; he was at last taken into the Charter-house, and there died, aged fixty years. Ver. 297. Thee shall the patriot, thee the courtier taste,] It stood in the first edition with blanks, ** and **. Concanen was fure, "They must needs mean no body but King GEORGE and Queen "CAROLINE; and said he would insist it was so, till the poet " cleared himself by filling up the blanks otherwife, agreeably to "the context, and confiftent with his allegiance." Pref. to a collection of verfes, essays, letters, etc. againft Mr. P. printed for A. Moor, p. 6. Ver. 305. Polypheme] He translated the Italian opera of Poliphemo; but unfortunately lost the whole jest of the story. The Cyclops ask Ulyffes his name, who tells him his name is Noman : After his eye is put out, he roars and calls the brother Cyclops to his aid: They inquire who has hurt him?' he answers Noman; whereupon they all go away again. Our ingenious translator made Ulyffes answer, I take no name,' whereby all that followed became unintelligible. Hence it appears that Mr. Cibber (who values himself on subscribing to the English translation of Homer's Iliad) had not that merit with respect to the Odyssey, or he might have been better instructed in the Greek Punnology. Ver. 308, 309. Faustus, Pluto, etc.) Names of miferable farces, which it was the custom to act at the end of the best tragedies, to spoil the digeftion of the audience. Ver. 312. infure it but from fire.]] In Tibbald's farce of Pro : Another Æschylus appears! prepare 315 320 VARIATIONS. Ver. 323. See, fee, our own, etc.] in the former edit. Beneath his reign, shall Eusden wear the bays, REMARKS. serpine, a corn-field was set on fire: Whereupon the other playhouse had a barn burnt down for the recreation of the spectators. They also rivalled each other in showing the burnings of hell-fire, in Dr. Faustus. Ver. 313. Another Æfibylus appears!) It is reported of Æschylus, that when his tragedy of the Furies was acted, the audience were so terrified that the children fell into fits, and the big-bellied women miscarı ied. Ver. 315. like Semele's,] See Ovid. Met. iii. IMITATIONS. Ver. 319, 320. This, this is be, foretold by ancient rhymes, Tb Auguftus, etc. "Hic vir, hic eft! tibi quem promitti sæpius audis, "Secula qui rurfus Latio, regnata per arva "Saturno quondam-" Virg. Æn. vi. Saturnian here relates to the age of lead, mentioned book i. ver, On |