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So in Hamlet.

“Would I had met my dearest foe in heav'n.”

Perhaps from the Latin dirus, dire, dear. In the translation of Virgil by Douglas 'tis fpelt Dere, which the Gloffary thus explains, "Dere,

[Horman's vulgaria, printed An. 1519. Fol. 21. STRIX vel LAMIA pro meo fuum parvulum fuppofuit: The FAYRE hath chaunged my childe.] And fo the word is used in Cymbeline, A& II.

"Guard me, beseech ye,

"From Fairies, and the tempters of the night." These Fairies I find in our old poets sometimes to have been mischievous bugs and furies, at other times fair and benign beings of a fuperior race. They were Farefolkis as Douglas, in his verfion of Virgil, calls them, from their fairness; or if of a lower kind, and employ'd in fervile offices, Brownis, from their swarthy countenance: fometimes again they were Satyrs and Fawns, or Centaurs, HPEΣ as Homer [II. d, 268.] and Euripides in his Cyclops [. 620.] names them. In fhort their characters were as various, as the characters of us mortals. And this account here given will explain many paffages in Spencer, and our old poets, particularly Chaucer in the Merchant's tale, 1259. where he plainly alludes to the fame etymology, as afterwards Douglas

"That her to behold it feemed a Feirie."

And Shakespeare in Antony and Cleopatra, A& IV. "To this great Faiery I'll commend thy acts."

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"to hurt, trouble: Belg. Deeren, Deren. F. "Theut, Deran. AS. Derian, nocere. It. hurt,

injury." How near to the Greek, Sügis, contentio, pugna: ngiów, rixor, prælior or to, Teigw, vexo, infefto? And fhould it not be thus spelt in Shakespeare? But inftances of our poet's ufing words contrary to the modern acceptation of them are numberless.

RULE III.

He sometimss omits the pzimary and p2oper fenfe, and uses wo2ds in their fecondary and improper fignification.

Changes of garments, for different dreffes, is a common expreffion: and we say, to change, for to dress properly to change one dress and put on another. But Shakespeare uses to change, only for to new dress and adorn.

In Antony and Cleopatra, Act I.

I

« Charm. Oh! that I knew this husband, ❝ which you say must change his horns with ❝ garlands."

In Coriolanus, Act II.

Cor. From whom I have receiv'd not only

"greetings,

They have printed it, charge.

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2

"But with them, change of honours."

i.e. been newly adorned with honours; received new ornaments of honours.

Again, because the popifh and heathenish myfteries are vain and whimsical, he therefore ufes myfteries, for vanities, or whimsies. In Henry VIII. A&t I.

"Cham. Is't poffible the fpells of France " should juggle

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"Men into fuch ftrange mysteries."

i. e. vanities, and whimfies. He is speaking of court fashions.

4 They have likewise printed it here, charge.

3 They correct mockeries. The explication here given is fufficient to vindicate our poet's thus ufing the word. But myfteries may `fignify manners of life, &c. The French and Italians have the fame word, and Chaucer ufes it for a profeffion, trade, calling, &c. in this fignification miftere, comes from minifterium, as minftet from monafterium. But in the former fignification 'tis a Greek word. Spencer uses it like the French, as mifter wight, manner, kind of perfan: mifter malady, kind of malady. And, it mistreth not ; it needeth not, there is no necessity. In which of thefe fenfes to underftand it, is the better, I leave to the reader; only one thing I caution him againft, which is, the chang ing our poet's words for any whimfies of his own.

RULE

RULE IV.

He uses one part of speech foz another.

For instance, he makes verbs of adjectives, as, to ftale, i. e. to make ftale and familiar. To fafe, to make safe and secure, &c. Antony and Cleopatra, Act I.

"Ant. My more particular.

"And that which most with you should safe my going,

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"Is Fulvia's death."

fhould fafe, i. e. fhould make safe and secure.

So again, he uses verbs for fubftantives. Accufe, for accufation: Affect, for affection: Deem, for a deeming, an opinion: Difpofe, for difpofition: Prepare, for preparation: Vary, for variation &c. And, adjectives for fubftantives. As Mean, for mediocrity or mean eftate. In K. Lear, A&t IV.

"Glo. Full oft 'tis feen "Our mean fecure us."

So Private, for privacy, &c. Nothing is more frequent among the Latins than to use fubftantively, ardua invia, avia, fupera, acuta, &c.

1 They correct, falve.

In

2 Milton very frequently uses adjectives in this manner,

In imitation of whom our poet in Coriolanus, A& I.

"As if I lov'd my little should be dieted "In praises fauc'd with lies."

Again, he makes verbs of fubftantives. As, to bench, to voice, to paper, to progress, to ftage, to eftate, to belm, &c. To fcale, i. e. to weigh and examine: In Coriolanus, A& I.

"Men. I will venture

3 To fcale it a little more." i. e. to confider it, to examine it.

In Cymbeline, A& I.

"Fach. He furnaces

"The thick fighs from him."

i. e. His fighs come from him as thick as fire and smoke from a furnace.

In Julius Cæfar, A& II.

"For if thou* path, thy native femblance on,

if the reader thinks proper, he may turn to the following in Paradife loft. B. II, 97. and 278. B. IV. 927. B. VI. 78. B. VII. 368. B. XI. 4.

3 They have printed, To ftale it.

4 In the elegant edition printed at Oxford 'tis altered into, "If thou march :" i. e. the glofs or interpretation has removed the more difficult word, which often happens to be the cafe.

"Not

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