requifites in law to a proper marriage, namely, willingness, ability, and execution, furnish matter for the further comment on this fubject. There is perhaps no system of laws in the world in which those relating to women are fo generous and favourable as in the law of England: fo that although during coverture the wife lies under fome disabilities, yet, as Mr. Blackstone very juftly obferves, these "are, for the most part, intended for her protection and benefit; so great a favourite is the female fex of the laws of England .". From marriage arife. the relation between parent and child, which is the fubje& of the next chapter. However, under this head he treats of the laws relating to illegitimate as well as legitimate children, with the power that parents have over their children, and the mutual ties by which they are connected. Our author enquires next into the eftates of guardian and ward; in which he explains the nature, duty, and powers of the former, with the privileges and debilities of infants: for fuch they are esteemed in law when under the age of twenty-one.

The laft fubject of this Comment are corporations. "We' have hitherto, fays he, confidered perfons in their natural capacities, and have treated of their rights and duties. But as all perfonal rights die with the perfon; and as the neceffary forms of investing a series of individuals, one after another, with the fame identical rights, would be very inconvenient, if not impracticable, it has been found neceffary, when it is for the advantage of the public to have any particular rights kept on foot and continued, to constitute artificial perfons, who may maintain a perpetual fucceffion, and enjoy a kind of legal immortality 7." Corporations are divided into fole or aggregate, and these may be either ecclefiaftical or lay; which laft is alfo of two forts, civil and eleemofynary. Under thefe divifions is confidered how corporations in general may be created; what are their powers, capacities, and incapacities; how they are violated; and, lastly, how they may be diffolved. As the king is the fole conftitutor of corporations, fo he is, according to Mr. Blackstone, also their fole vifitor, unless they be eleemofinary, when the endower, his heirs or affignee, are rightfully vested with that privilege. The commentator obferves, that colleges in univerfities were confidered formerly as ecclefiaftical, or at least as clerical corporations; and therefore the right of visitation was claimed by the ordinary of the diocese. But it is now eftablished, that colleges are lay-corporations; and in king William's time it was determined that the vifitor is the sole and fupreme judge, from whole cetermination lies no appeal, except

P. 433.

8

7 p. 455. P. 469.

he

he be under a temporary difability, when the court of king's bench will interpofe, to prevent a defect of justice. In the laft place, Mr. Blackstone determines, that a corporation may be diffolved, 1. By act of parliament, which is boundless in its operations. 2. By the natural death of all its members, in cafe of an aggregate corporation. 3. By furrender of its franchifes into the hands of the king, which is a kind of suicide. 4. By forfeiture of its charter, through negligence or abuse of its franchises; in which cafe the law judges that the body politic has broken the conditions upon which it was incorporated, and thereupon the incorporation is void "."

This finishes the first book of this Commentary, which we may with fafety characterize as learned, elaborate, spirited, and judicious. To enter into a more minute examination of its merits or demerits, with respect to matter, we do not mean; fince to perform it properly, would require more knowlege in the law than we poffefs. We hope it may be thought fufficient that we have laid before our readers all the heads of the Commentary, fo that they may be able to judge of the importance of what is treated; and by frequent quotations have given them examples of the manner in which it is executed: the reft their own good judgments will fupply. But as we justly expect that whatever comes to us from the two univerfities, which are the fountains of all learning among us, fhould be, in the highest manner, correct and polished in compofition and language, we cannot help taking the liberty of reprehending fome finall blemishes in this respect,

quos aut incuria fudit

Aut humana parum cavit natura

First then, Mr. Blackftone ufes the expreffion of one's being addicted to the ftudy of the law 2. This feems to us to be improper; because the word addicted does very generally and should 'always infer a vicious purfuit. We fay, therefore, a man is addicted to vice, to luxury, to drinking, to women, &c. but never that he is addicted to virtue, to temperance, fobriety, chastity, &c." It has been determined, time out of mind, that a brother of the half-blood (i. e. where they have only one parent the fame, and the other different) fhall never fucceed as heir to the eftate of his half-brother; but it fhall rather escheat to the king, or other fuperior lord 3." The frame of this fentence is faulty, in having a parenthesis introduced to explain a word which is very generally understood; especially as the technical term efcheat, which is infinitely lefs intelligible,

is unexplained. But were the parenthesis neceffary, it would ftill be faulty in conftruction, as having the relative plural they, to the antecedent fingular half-brother; it had, therefore, been better where there is one parent only the fame'—the addition of, and the other different,' is unneceffarily explicit; fince it most obviously follows, that if one only be the fame, the other must be different." This petition (when founded on facts that may be in their nature disputed) is referred to a committee of members, who examine the matter alleged, and ac cordingly report it to the house; and then (or otherwise upon the mere petition) leave is given to bring in the bill 4." If we are not mistaken, the true intention of a parenthesis is, or ought to be, to hint something not indifpenfably connected with the fubject, but ferving to elucidate it, and yet too trivial to form a feparate fentence. It is therefore that both the parenthefes in this fentence appear to be improper; for the matter contained in the firft is a neceffary qualification of the petition, without which what is afterwards affirmed of it would not be true; and therefore it is violently and improperly thrown into a parenthefis: and the latter of them, instead of rendering the sentence more intelligible, confufes it, by drawing off the attention to a different confideration, namely, that fometimes leave is given to bring in a bill immediately upon the petition, without fubjecting that petition to the previous examination of a committee.

We shall not dwell longer upon this verbal criticism, left it fhould appear too minute to the generality of our readers, though it is certainly beneficial that such faults be pointed out. Indeed, as to the performance before us, they are rari nantes in gurgite vafto.

As candour is generally the concomitant of learning, we promise ourselves that the very learned author will not be offended at any just reprehenfion. The more valuable the grain, the more attentive are we in separating the tares. Gold cannot be too much refined.

II. The Plays of Shakespeare, with the Corrections and Illustrations of various Commentators. To which are added Notes, by Samuel Johnson. VIII. Vols. 8vo. Pr. zl. 8s. Tonfon. [Continued.]

I

T is with no fmall pleasure we reflect, that neither the criticisms hazarded, nor the corrections and emendations propofed, in the various reviews we have undertaken of Shakefpeare's commentators, have hitherto engaged us in any literary

+ p. 175.

dispute worth mentioning; an uncommon piece of good-forture, which we afcribe folely to the principles we have adopted in vindicating the text of that great poet. -We appeal to one-half of the united kingdom for the meanings we have affixed to his words; we call upon the vernacular modes of fpeech to justify our interpretations; we have even found it neceffary to descend into what fome may term the vulgarity of language, to heal up the wounds which affaffin-pens have inflicted on the Dictator of poetry:

- Look! in this place, ran Hanmer's dagger through; See, what a rent the envious Theobald made; Through this, the well-beloved Johnson ftabb'd.

We readily allow that the last-mentioned gentleman has, n fome paffages, vindicated the original of Shakespear from the mutilations of his former editors; though we cannot but think him deficient in many qualifications of an editor.

We fufpect Mr. Johnfon introduces his third volume with a note that indicates him to be above confulting the vernacularity of our language, though it is by that chiefly we can understand Shakespeare.

• I'll pheese you,-] To pheeze or feafe, is to separate a twist into fingle threads. In the figurative fenfe it may well enough be taken, like teaze or toze, for to barrafs, to plague. Perhaps I'll pheefe you, may be equivalent to I'll comb your head, a phrafe vulgarly used by perfons of Shy's character on like occafions.'

Had Mr. Johnfon visited the parts of this island to which Shakespeare's language has migrated, he would have known that to pheese differs but little from to fcrew. To pheese on the lid of a box is the fame as to fcrew it on. I'll pheese you' is no more than I'll make you faft—lay you by the heels; and this fense of the word makes the tinker's wife reply very naturally, • A pair of stocks, you rogue !'-The word pheese seems to be the corruption of vice, a common inftrument which works by a fcrew, and is made use of to fasten or secure a piece of work. -from fruitful Lombardy.] So Mr. Theobald. The former editions, instead of from, had for.' So fays Mr. Johnson; but has he removed any difficulty? has he not fallen into a grofs abfurdity? We shall not contend for the propriety of the phrafe, as it flood in the old editions to fignify I am arrived from fruitful Lombardy,' tho' we believe it may be established ; but furely it must be a grofs blunder in Shakespeare to make Lucentio fay, I am arrived from Great Britain that I may fee the city of Bristol, for Padua actually is a city of Lombardy. Had Mr. Johnfon bestowed ever so little attention upon this paffage, he would

have feen that Lucentio arrived from Pifa, which was a republic, and is ftill a city in Tuscany.

Having finished the above obfervation, we turned to Mr. Johnfon's Appendix, where he furlily tells his reader, without the leaft apology for ofcitancy or ignorance, that the old reading may ftand.

"A pretty peat.] Peat, or pet, is a word of endearment, from petit, little, as if it meant pretty little thing.' We are apt to believe that Mr. Johnson is again unfortunate in this emendas tion; and that the peat or pet he has spoken of, is what we commonly call a fit of the fullens; and our conjecture seems to amount to certainty, by what follows it is best put finger in the eye, an fhe knew why.' Crying may be very properly called the fecond ftage of the pet.

Our editor, after very juftly rejecting a note of Warburton's, too abfurd to be tranfcribed, thus defcants upon the following paffage :

She moves me not; or not removes, at least,

Affection's edge in me.'

• Petruchio fays, that if a girl has money enough, no bad qua lities of mind or body will remove affection's edge; that is, hinder him from liking her.' We believe, on the other hand, that the affection here spoken of, is Petruchio's affection for the money, and not for the woman; for how can a thing be removed from a place where it never can be supposed to have been ? • If the was the devil (fays he) the cannot remove my affection for her money.'

Pleafe ye, we may contrive this afternoon,] Mr. Theobald asks what they were to contrive? and then fays, a foolish corruption poffeffes the place, and fo alters it to convive; in which he is followed, as he pretty constantly is, when wrong, by the Oxford Editor. But the common reading is right, and the Critic was only ignorant of the meaning of it. Contrive does not fignify here to project, but to spend and wear out. As in this paffage of Spenser, Three ages fuch as mortal men CONTRIVE.

Fairy Queen, b. xi. ch. 9. The word is ufed in the fame fenfe of Spending or wearing out

in the Palace of Pleasure.

So fay Warburton and Johnfon; but the latter fuffers the word convive to ftand in his text. We agree that the ori*ginal word contrive ought not to be changed; tho' not for the reafon given by our two editors. To contrive an afternoon is for a man to order his affairs fo as that he may follow particular bu finefs or pleasure ; and none but fuch a critic as Theobald could have found the fmalleft difficulty in the paffage.