critical predecessors, in a desire to make the brightness of Shakspeare's genius still more conspicuous; and, should it be found that he has effected this purpose, in any material degree, his ambition will be gratified, and his industry rewarded. ON THE INTRODUCTION. (a) When lines like those which follow present themselves, we must rather deplore than commend his veneration for antique deformity, who would scruple to adopt the obvious restorations that are subjoined. "You do look, my son, in a mov'd sort." Tempest. "You do, my son, look in a móvéd sort." "You have seen Cassio and she together." "Cassio and her," &c. "That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan." Ibid. "Entéránce" (the old orthography, as well as prosody.) "Whether ever I "Have to you spake.” K. Hen. VIII. "Spoke," the current corruption of spoken. "Let no man abide this deed but we the doers." "But us." Jul. Cæsar. "Having no more but thought of what thou wert." K. Rich. III. "Of what thou wast." K. Rich. III. "All the conspirators save only he." "Save only him." "The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she." "But her." "When neither are alive." "When neither is alive." Rom. and Jul. Cymbeline. "This is strange, your father's in some passion." Tempest. "'Tis strange, your father's in some passion.” It is, perhaps, unnecessary to tell the reader of Shakspeare, that "Passion," like all other words, wherein a junction of vowels will admit of either a lengthened or contracted utterance, the poet applies variously to suit the quantity and tenor of his verse; thus, in Hamlet, we find passion a dissyllable. "That laps'd in time and passion lets go-by." But in the Two Gentlemen of Verona, again a trisyllable. "Poor forlorn Protheus, passíónate Protheus !" "Limps after in base imitatíón." Anth. and Cleop. "And feeds on objects, arts, and imitations." Ibid. "My liege, this haste was hot in questión." K. Hen. IV. "Use no more question, try no further means." Merch. of Ven. K. John. "Thy nephew and right royal sovéréign." "Might, by the sovereign power you have of us." Hamlet. "How all occasions do inform against me.” Ibid. "For courage mounteth with occasión." K. John. "By heaven, Hubert, I'm almost asham'd." Ibid. "The sun is in the heaven; and the proud day." Ibid. "Figur'd quite o'er with burning metéórs." Ibid. "And call them meteors, progidies, and signs." Ibid. "And come against us in full púíssance." Ibid. "Upon the power and puissance of the king." Ibid. "I mean, my lord, those pówérs that the queen," &c. &c. Nor is this effect of associated vowels confined to themselves, even iron consonants, intervening, will often be amalgamated in the coalition. "Within their alabaster innocent arms." K. Rich. III. "Christian and heathen must be beleed and calm'd." "Of impious stubbornness; 'tis unmanly grief." Hamlet. "Some of those branches by the destinies cut." "One flourishing branch of his most royal root." Of this licence Milton also makes abundant and happy use. "And chiefly thou, o spirit, that dost prefer."— "Arraying with reflected purple and gold.' Paradise Lost. "On all deservers, from hence to Inverness." Macbeth. "On all deservers, hence to Inverness.” "So all men do, from hence to the palace gate." Ibid. "So all men do, hence to the palace gate." "I wou'd breed from hence, occasion, and I will." "I wou'd breed hence, occasion, and I will." Let us here, once for all, condemn that practice which prevails among our most correct writers, of placing the preposition, "from," before the words hence, thence, whence, with their compounds, henceforth, thenceforth, whenceforth, henceforward, &c. &c. These are all adverbs, unconnected with prepositions, and, clearly, of themselves expressing from this time, place, or cause; from that time, place, or cause; from which time, place, or cause, &c. and the introduction of the ablative preposition is no less impertinent than would be that of the dative before the adverbs hither, thither, whither, were they to be set down to hither, to thither, to whither. |