In Measure for Measure, Act II.

"Admit no other way to fave his life, "As I fubfcribe not that."

Milton, B. XI, 181.

"So fpoke, fo wifh'd much-humbled Eve;

" but fate

"Subfcrib'd not."

That is, affented not, took not her part. But Milton abounds with words thus taken from the

6

⚫ Latin; and uses them according to that idiom.

In

6 Such are, religions, i. e. fuperftitious ornaments: I, 372. And thus Shakesp. in Jul. Caef. A&t I. ufes ceremonies.

If you do find them deck'd with ceremonies,
Difrobe his images.

Instinct, i. e. moved forward, push'd on: II, 937. XI, 562. Emblem, picture-work of wood, stone, or metal, inlaid in diverse colours, as in pavements, &c. IV, 703. Divine, 1. foreboding: IX, 845. Perfon, i. e. character, quality, or ftate, part to act in : X, 156. Many inftances too he has of construction imitated from the poets: as for inftance, B. IX, 795.

"O Sov'reign, virtuous, PRECIOUS OF ALL TREES "In paradise !"

Virgil IV. 576.Sequimur te, SANCTE DEORUM,

With others too numerous to be mention'd here; but these may fuffice to vindicate our author. I ought not to say

vindicate:

1

In Julius Caefar, Act I.

"Brutus. If it be aught toward the general "good,

"Set honour in one eye, and death i' th' other, "And I will look on both indifferently.

"For let the Gods fo fpeed me, as I love "The name of honour, more than I fear death." How agreeable to his Stoic character does Shakespeare make Brutus here speak? Cicero de Fin. III, 16. Quid enim illi AAIAÞOPON dicunt, id mibi ita occurrit, ut INDIFFERENS dicerem. One of the great divifion of things, among the Stoics, was into good, bad, indifferent; virtue, and whatever partook of virtue, was good; vice, bad; but what partook neither of virtue nor vice, being not in our power, was indifferent: fuch as honour, wealth, death, &c. But of thefe indifferent things, fome might be efteemed more than others; as here Brutus fays, I love the name of bonour more than I fear death. See Cicero de Fin. III, 15, 16. The Stoics never destroy'd choice among indifferent things. Their gonf piva were indifferentia cum mediocri aeftimatione. Chryfippus ufed to fay, 7 Μέχρις ἂν ἄδηλα μου

windicate: for words thus ufed out of the common and vulgar track, add a peculiar dignity and grace to the diction of a poet.

7 'Aggiavos bib. C. x. .

ἢ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἀεὶ τῶν εὐφυεσερέρων ἔχομαι. While I continue ignorant of confequences, I always hold to thofe things which are agreeable to my difpofition. Which faying of Chryfippus is thus further explained by Epictetus, Διατέτο καλῶς λέγεσιν οἱ φιλόσοφοι, ὅτι εἰ προήδει ὁ καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς τὰ ἐσόμενα, συνήρει ἂν καὶ τῷ νοσεῖν, καὶ τῷ ἀποθνήσκειν, καὶ τῷ πηρᾶσθαι· αἰσθανόμενός γε, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Όλων διαλάξεως τέτο απονέμεται. Κυριώτερον δὲ τὸ Ὅλον τῷ δε μέρος, καὶ ἡ πόλις τῇ πολίτε. Νῦν δ ̓ ὅτι ἐ προγινώσκομεν, καθήκει τῶν ΠΡΟΣ ΕΚΛΟΓΗΝ εὐφυεσέρων ἔχεσθαι, ὅτι καὶ πρὸς τᾶτο γεγόναμεν. Hence the philofophers fay finely and truly, that if the real good and boneft man knew future events, be would co-operate with fcknefs, death, and lofs of limbs in as much as he would be fenfible that this happen'd to him from the order and conftitution of the Whole : (for the Whole is principally to be preferred before the part, and the city, to the citizen :) but now as we are ignorant of future events, we Should by a right election hold to what is agreeable to our difpofitions. And this doctrine, of right election and rejection, they are full of, in all their writings. This being premised, let us fee Brutus' fpeech.

"Brutus. I do fear the people, 6s Chufe Caefar for their king.

σε Caffius.

"Caffius. Ay, do you fear it?

"Then muft I think, you would not have it fo. "Brut. I would not Caffius; yet I love him "well:

"But wherefore do you hold me here fo long? "What is it, that you would impart to me? "If it be aught toward the general good "Set honour, &c."

το

of

"If it be ought toward the general good, σε (πρὸς τὸ ὅλον, πρὸς τὴν πόλιν) as I am a part "that whole, a citizen of that city; my principles lead me to perfue it; this is my end,

my good whatever comes in competition "with the general good, will weigh nothing; death and honour are to me things of an indifferent nature: but however I freely acknowledge that, of thefe indifferent things, honour "has my greatest esteem, my choice and love; "the very name of honour I love, more than I "fear even death."

In Antony and Cleopatra, Act V.

"Cleop. Why that's the way

"To fool their preparation, and to conquer "Their most abfurd intents."

8

8 They correct, affur'd.

Abfurd,

Abfurd, harfh, grating. Lat. abfurdus, [ex ab et furdus, à quo aures et animum avertas.] Cicer. તે pro Rofc. f. 7. Fraudavit Rofcius. Eft boc quidem auribus animifque abfurdum. Abfurdum eft, i. e. founds harfh, grating, unpleasant.

There is a paffage in this play which I cannot here pass over. Antony is speaking of Octavius Caefar, Act III.

"He at Philippi kept

"His fword e'en like a dancer, while I ftrook "The lean and wrinkled Caffius; and 'twas I "That the 9 mad Brutus ended."

I omit the epithets given to Caffius, as they are well known from Plutarch, and other paffages of our poet. But why does Antony call Brutus Mad? Plato seeing how extravagantly Diogenes acted the philofopher, faid of him, T ΜΑΙΝΟΜΕΝΟΣ τῷ Σωκράτης, ἐςίν. That he was Socrates run mad. There is likewise an obfervation drawn from the depth of philofophy by Horace, Ep. I, 6.

Infani fapiens nomen ferat, aequus iniqui; "Ultra quam fatis eft, virtutem fi petat ipfam."

9 In fome late editions, fad.

Now