Out of the bowels of the harmless earth, DANGER. I'll read your matter, deep and dangerous HONOUR. (4) By heav'ns! methinks, it were an easy leap, To pluck bright honour from the pale-fac'd moon: Or dive into the bottom of the deep, Where fathom-line could never touch the ground, But out upon this half-fac'd fellowship! (4) By heav'ns ! &c.] I will not take upon me to defend this paffage from the charge laid against it of bombaft and fuftian, but will only obferve, if we read it in that light it is perhaps one of the finest rants to be found in any author, Mr. Warburton attempts to clear it from the charge, and obferves, "tho' the expreffion be fublime and daring, yet the thought the natural movement of an heroic mind. Euripides, at leaft, (as he adds) thought fo, when he put the very fame fentiment, in the fame words, into the mouth of Eteocles." Eya yap, &c. I will not cloak my foul: methinks with ease A kingdom, at the price, and god-like rule. ACT ACT II. SCENE VI. Lady Piercy's pathetick Speech to her Husband. (5) O my good lord, why are you thus alone? Tell me, fweet lord,' what is't that takes from thee Of bafilifks, of cannon, culverin, Of prisoner's ranfom, and of foldiers flain, And in thy face strange motions have appear'd, Some heavy bufinefs hath my lord in hand, And I must know it, elfe he loves me not. (s) See Portia's fpeech to Brutus in Julius Cæfar, A& II. Scene III. ACT III. SCENE I. Prodigies ridicul'd. (6) I blame him not at my nativity, Hot. So it would have done At the fame season, if your mother's cat Difeafed nature oftentimes breaks forth In ftrange eruptions; and the teeming earth Within her womb; which, for enlargement ftriving, On miferable Rhymers. (7) I had rather be a kitten, and cry, mew! Than one of these fame meeter-ballad-mongers : I'd (6) I blame, &c.] Glendower was mightily fuperftitious, he adds afterwards Give me leave To tell you once again, that at my birth The front of heav'n was full of fiery fhapes, (7) I had, &c.] Horace in his art of poetry, speaking of poctafters, fays; I'd rather hear a brazen candleflick turn'd, Punctuality in Bargain. I'll give thrice fo much land. To any well-deferving friend; But in the way of bargain, mark ye me, A Hufband fung to fleep by a fair Wife. All on the wanton rushes lay you down, And Ut mala, &c. A mad dog's foam, th' infection of the plague, And again; 'Tis hard to fay, whether for facrilege, And like a bated bear, when he breaks loofe, Learn'd, or unlearn'd, none fcape within their reach; And never leave 'till they have read men dead. ROSCOMMON. (8) She bids, &c.] There is fomething extremely tender and pleafing in these lines, as well as in the following, from Philafter, which justly deferve to be compared with them: B 4 - Whe And fhe will fing the fong that pleaseth you, Who fhall now tell you How much I lov'd you? who fhall fwear it to you, And make them mourn? who shall take up his lute Upon my eye-lid, making me dream and cry, A. 3. latter end. (9) As is, &c.] It is remarkable of Milton, that whenever he can have an opportunity, he takes particular notice of the even→ ing twilight, but I don't at prefent recollect any paffage where he defcribes this morning-twilight, which Shakespear fo beautifully hints at nothing can exceed this lovely description in the 4th book of his Paradife Loft. Now came ftill evening on, and twilight gray Apparent queen unveil'd her peerless light, V. 598. The reader will be agreeably entertain'd, if he refers to the paf fage in Dr. Newton's Edition of Milton. SCENE |