Just the reverse of the speaker's meaning. Read, These are very rare elements, &c.

G.417. W.384.-Enter Roseilli disguised as a Fool.

"It was a bold undertaking of our poet's-to paint a counterfeit fool after Shakspeare's admirable character of Edgar in King Lear."

The reader, who knows that Edgar counterfeits a madman, not a fool, must be startled at this; but what will he say when he learns that this bold copy after Shakspeare proves his affinity to the admirable original in such terms as these? I give the whole of his speeches as they follow in the scene before us.

1. Ros. A, a, a, a, aye.*

2. Ros. Can speak? De, e, e, e, e.

3. Ros. Dud-a clap cheek for nowne sake. Hee, e, e,

e, e.

4. Ros. U, u, umh-u, u, umh-won-not, won-not -u, u, umh.

5. Ros. Will go, te, e, e-go, will go

And these are the marvellous scintillations of wisdom, which prove to Mr. Weber that Ford made a bold attempt (though not with his usual skill) to paint a fool after Shakspeare! It is to the praise of this great poet that he has avoided every exhibition of this kind, which must have been sufficiently repulsive even to the rude audiences of those early days. His fools are fools only in name, and, whether introduced in petticoats, or in motley, are, in reality, shrewd, petulant, licentious, and, if the truth must be told, most amusing knaves, the lineal descendants of the Vice of the old Moralities. As far as my memory serves me, indeed, Ford stands alone in this humiliating part of his dramatis personæ ; nor does he derive any adequate advantage from this voluntary degradation of his scenes, since the whole plot of Ro

It is this burst of intellect which furnishes the occasion for Mr. Weber's note.

seilli is, without object or end, especially after he had been recalled by the Duke.

G. 417. W.384.-" Exit Fern. and Pet."

This accuracy might have been dispensed with. Read, Exeunt Fern, and Pet.

G.419. W.385.-" Enter Fiormonda, D'Avolos and Julia." Assuredly the conversation is such as Julia could not possibly be admitted to share. Having thus carelessly introduced the lady, Mr. Weber forgets her quite, and for aught that appears to the contrary, she is still upon the stage. Read,

"Enter Fiormonda and D'Avolos in close converse."

G. 419. W.385.-Gia. Lose no time, my lord.

Fer. To him, sir.

Both wrong. Transpose the speakers' names.

G. 421. W.387.-" Scene III. Another Apartment in the same, i. e. in Mauruccio's House."

This is a continuation of the former blunder. (377.) The scene is clearly laid in the private apartments of the Duchess, which were certainly not under Mauruccio's roof. G. 421. W. 387.-He's a well-practised gamester: well, I care not, How cunning soe'er he be, to pass an hour.

I'll try your skill, my lord.

Read: He's a well-practised gamester-well, I care

not

How cunning soe'er he be. To pass an hour,
I'll try your skill, my lord.

G. 422. W.387.-Here Mr. Weber takes a speech from Fiormonda to give it to Fernando, "to whom, he says, it evidently belongs." If any thing be evident here, it is that the critic does not understand what he is about. The reply is not to "let 's to 't"; (or, as he chooses to give it, let's toot) but to, "I fear you not": words which Fior

monda overhears and adverts to with bitter sarcasm; in which she is immediately joined by D'Avolos.

G. 428. W.393.-To witness that I spake is truth.
This makes nonsense of what follows.

Read: To witness that I speak is truth.

i. e. that which I am now saying. Three times in this very scene has Mr. Weber blundered on the same string, and given us spake for speak, though the corruption perverts the meaning in every one of them.

G. 434. W.399.-and for the process we'll give them courage. i. e. when the women have agreed on their plan of vengeance, we'll aid them in the performance of it. But this is too simple for our author. "Process," he says, "generally

means summons, but seems here to be employed in the sense of executing a warrant.”

G. 435. W.399.-Will ye? Hold!

Ferentes is anxious to stop the clamour of Marana.

G. 439. W. 403.-To entertain the presence with delight.

"The 4to reads the present, which conveys no meaning." This positiveness might have been spared. The present for the present time, conveys a very good meaning; it is common to all our old writers in this sense; and, though it naturally escaped the notice of Mr. Weber, occurs in the opening of the very next play, "Perkin Warbeck."

But, noble counsellors, since now the present
Requires some service to our lord," &c.

G. 446. W.408.-She is as far beneath thy thought, as I
In soul above her malice.

Read: She is as far beneath my thought, as I,
In soul, above her malice.

G.458. W.418.-be rather wiser.

Read: be rather wise.

Wise is opposed to mad, in the former part of the verse.

G. 459. W.419.—If the morn serve, some that are safe shall bleed. Read: If the moon serve, some that are safe shall bleed. Mr. Weber's corruption of this passage originates in igno

rance.

In our old almanacks, the days of the moon favourable to bleeding were always carefully pointed out: it is to this practice that the Duke alludes.

G.460. W.420.-Nay 'tis Bianca.-Go too, D'Avolos.
Bring us Mauruccio hither.

Read: Nay 'tis, Bianca, go to.-D'Avolos,
Bring us Mauruccio hither.

G461. W.421.-" My lands and all I have is begg'd."
Here the Variorum supplies Mr. Weber with a note on
begging "the wardship of an idiot," to which practice, it
seems, Mauruccio alludes. But Mauruccio no more sus-
pected himself to be an idiot than the critic does-et c'est
beaucoup dire! What he feared was, the penalty of treason,
in consequence of the fate of Ferentes, who was murdered
in the Duke's presence; and accordingly he talks of being
hanged; and is finally glad to escape with the punishment
of a preposterous marriage.

Your fury or affection-judge the rest. Could not the critic see that he was printing mere jargon? but as for me,

Read:

Be record all my fate! I do detest

Your fury or affection:-judge the rest.

A whole line dropt!

G. 473. W.431.-The iron of laws of ceremony bar.
This does not savour much of poetry,

Read: The iron laws of ceremony bar.

G.475. W.432.-Do you see?

Read: Do you see? do

you see, sir?

G. 479. W.435.-Nor did I often urge the violence

Of my affection

This, besides being contrary to the fact, makes nonsense of what follows.

Read:

G.479. W. 436.

Nor did I ofter urge the violence
Of my affection, but as oft he urg'd
The same vows of faith.

the sum of all thy vained follies. Vained.] "This is a singular and perhaps unique phrase, and one for which Ford must probably be arraigned as the coiner. He means to employ it in the sense of vaunted."

"Why there's all the wit of a bell-wether now"! as the clown says. Had Ford meant vaunted, there was surely nothing, either in the measure or sound of the word, to prevent him from " employing it." But not to trifle-read :

"the sum of all thy veined follies." i. e. ingrained, as

we say; follies that run in the blood.

G. 480. W.436.

Would angels sing

A requiem at my hearse! But to dispense
With my revenge on thee twere all in vain.

"This seems to be merely a figurative way of saying, I

would I were dead!”

More matter for a May morning!

Read :

Would angels sing

A requiem at my hearse, but to dispense

With my revenge on thee, 'twere all in vain:
Prepare to die.

i. e.—if so plain a passage needs explanation-" Could I secure a happy immortality by sparing thy life, I would not forego my revenge."