with which he was wont to be charged, of being, in many Instances, one of the moft judicious, and, with regard to others, one of the moft nonfenfical Writers in the World. However, after all that the incomparable Mr. Pope, the ingenious Mr. Rowe, and the plodding Mr. Theobald have done to cleanse and reftore him to his native Luftre, there still remain in him many Faults to be amended, and a thousand Graces, which have never yet been difplay'd: In truth, both of these were so multifarious, that it required the joint Endeavours of many (and thofe of the ableft) Hands, to rectify the one, and to explicate the other: Therefore we are not to wonder, if Men of confummate Ability ftill think their Talents very worthily employed in fo laudable a Task. Accordingly the Rev. Mr. Warburton has beftowed thereon fome of thofe leifure Hours which he could fpare from the Duties of his facred Function; he is determined to add his Labours to those of that illuftrious Critick and the others above-named, in removing the Blemishes and exemplifying the Beauties of this ineftimable Author, which did not fall under their Confideration; fo that we are like to be shortly furnished with a more compleat and accurate Edition of his Writings than has hitherto been published. Of this Undertaking fomewhat has been already said by the Rev. Mr. Birch, in the ninth Volume of the General Dictionary, Page 190, &c. where likewife that Gentleman has inferted feveral Specimens of it, extracted from Mr. Warburton's own Manufcript. But as thefe are, in that coftly (tho' valuable) Work, beyond the Reach of a great many Readers, who are very defirous of feeing the Sketches of fo great a Master, I think it not amifs, for their Sake, to make 'em the Subject of this Article. Mr. Birch tells us, in the Place above cited, "that Mr. Warburton in his Edition, befides a general Character of Shakespeare, and his Writ 46 ❝ings C ❝ings prefixed, will give the Rules which he ob- Gloffary." The Nature of thefe Rules is de- fcribed, and a Sample of the Gloffary is given in the Notes referring to this Paffage. What is to be found there or here, concerning either, is taken from Mr. Birch, as are all the following Paragraphs of this Article, diftinguished by lateral Commas: This With refpect to the Rules, which Mr. Warbur- ton obferved in correcting his Author. "Part of thefe, as he acquaints us, are general, Genius, his Manner of compofing, to the Way ❝tions, as no Greek or Roman Manufcript ever ❝ laboured under. By which the learned Reader "will understand the Method, which the Editor has purfued, and the Caution he has obferved in "reforming the Text; and the English Reader be "fhewn, that Criticifm is not a licentious Habit "of conjecturing at random, and correcting an "Author on Fancy and Caprice, (as he has been taught to imagine,) but an Art, founded, as all "others are, on very conftant and reasonable Prin- .. With regard to the Gloffary. "It will be an A 2 "Modes, as they are most fufceptible of Abuse, "fo they throw the moft impenetrable Obscurity over the Discourse. The Inftances of this are "innumerable. To mention a few. As aufterely "for precifely, v.. 2. p. 37. [of Mr. Pope's Editi "on in 12mo.] to afflict for to affect fimply, v. 3. P. 347. convenience for affiftance, v. 3. p. 130. "conftancy for reality, v. 1. p. 126, cenfure for determination fimply, v. 6. p. 8. canonized for "interred with Church rites, not for fainted, v. 8. p. 226. compofition for concordancy, v. 8. p. 334. "capable for plain, visible, v. 2. P. 351. conftituti66 on for complexion or colour of the face, v. 2. p. "187. conjecture for fufpicion, difpofition for crimes, "frailties, v. 7. P. 42. to defeat for to alter fim ply, v. 8. p. 344. dimenfion for habit, garb, v. (6 3. P. 250. full for beneficial, v. 1. p. 366. fated "for eternal, v. 3. p. 95. gratitude for benefit, v. 3. p. 157. humility for humanity, V. 2. p. 271. "and v. 5. p. 325. ignorant for ufeless, v. 8. p. "44. idle for barren, v. 2. p. 21. v. 8. p. 339. " v. 3. p. 427. kindlefs for without natural affec"tion, v. I. p. 253. meek for powerless, v. 7. p. "102. method for inftruction, v. 2. p. 17. monu"mental for of or belonging to one's ancestors, v. 3. p. 149. naiive for civil, v. 4. P. 435. organ "for action, v. 2. p. 116. preferved for fequeftred, "fet apart, V. I. p. 325. property for circumftan ces, v. 3. p. 111. prefuppofed for impofed, v. 3. σε P. 253. quality for office, v. 3. p. 146. question "for time, period, v. 1. p. 330. Relicks for curiofi ties, v. 3. p. 223. Spleen for Speed or quickness, "v.4. p. 27. fightless for unfightly, v. 4. P. 33. fuccefs for confequence, conclufion, fimply, v. 8. p. 66 377 In these Instances, the Author only deviates fingly, and impofes but one new Signification on "each Word. But he fometimes gives feveral, which much increases the Embarrass. As abfo « lute "lute for refolved, determined, v. 1. p. 333. for perfect, p. 369. ceremony for the regalia, v. 1. p. 322. for a love-token, v. 2. p. 216. for reve"rence, v. 4. p. 438. for the rites of atonement, ❝.v. 6. p. 307. for omens, p. 311. Motive for in"ftrument, v. 4. p. 95. for part moved, v. 7. P. 343. for affiftant, v. 3. p. 158. fenfe for refentr ment, v. 1. p. 365. for appearances, v. 3. p. 95. "for power, abilities, p. 110. Sometimes again "he exchanges the Signification of Words, as of tent, which fignifies omen, he ufes for outward "behaviour, v. 2. p. 164 and 173. and oftentation, "which fignifies outward behaviour, he uses for 66 omen, v. 6. p. 195. In this Gloffary the Editor "not only gives the Explanation of each Word, but likewife in a Comment on each, fhews what it was, that led the Author to ufe it thus perverfely. As for Example, bated for allowed, v. "8. p. 3io, no leifure bated; because the Deduction from a Bill or Account is called the Allow"ance or Batement, he therefore ufes to 'bate and' to allow as fynonymous Terms; tho' here im"properly enough, for the not bating was allowing. Conftitution for complexion or colour of the face, v. 2. p. 187. Complexion in our Author's "Time fignified equally Colour of the Face or "Temperament; for the Temperament confifting "of a Combination of the Sanguine, Flegmatic, Choleric, that which predominated was, by the "old Phyficians, called the Complexion; and be"caufe by the Colour of the Face the Complexion "or Temperament was known, that Colour was "called Complexion, which at this Time is "the ufual Signification of the Word. So one "Senfe of Complexion being Temperament, and "Temperament fignifying Conftitution, he ufes' "Conftitution for the other Senfe of Temperament." "This Figure is extremely common with him. A 3 "As "As again, garb for custom, v. 3. p. 387, for one "Senfe of Habit being Garb, he ufes Garb to fig nify the other Senfe of it, Cuftom. To calculate "for foretell, v. 6. p. 298: The Custom of fore"telling Fortunes by judicial Aftrology being then "much in vogue, and that being done by long "laborious Calculations, he ufes to calculate for to foretell or predict fimply. Comparisons for orna "ments, v. 7. p. 67: The Difficulty of apprehendσε ing the Meaning of this Word here has made the "Editors fubftitute Caparifons in its ftead; but the "Word declined in the next Line fhews Comparisons "to be right. It may be prefumed, that Shakespeare "coined this Word by Analogy from the Italian "Phrafe veftito pofitavamente, by which is meant one clothed fimply and modeftly by oppofition "of the pofitive to the comparative and fuperlative. "Frame for capacity, abilities, v. 6. p. 281: Be caufe the outward Work of fome Machines is "called the Frame, and is the Capacity of the Ma"chine, he therefore ufes Frame to fignify mental "Capacity. Shakespeare's Criticks, not obferving "the Nature and Cause of this uncommon Licence, σε have run into two different Miftakes. Some of "them feeing an Obfcurity, which this has created, run through all his Writings, have cenfured him "for the Confufion of his Ideas and the Inaccuracy "of his Reasoning; whereas no Writer's Ideas were ever more clear, or his Reasoning more close. But he fometimes being carried away by the full Torrent of his Matter, gave fmall Attention to the Propriety of his Terms, being very apt, as we fee by the Examples given, to regard Words as fynonymous, that had in their "Compofition any one Idea in common. Mr. Ry mer's Ignorance of this Matter made him, in his "Short View of Tragedy, fall into the moft brutal "Cenfure of our Author: In the Neighing of an Horfe |