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" their muskets; fo that, 'till the middle of the "laft Century, the musketeers always fupported their pieces when they gave fire, with a Reft ftuck "before them into the ground, which they call'd "fetting up their Reft, and is bere alluded to. "There is another quibbling allufion too to the Ser"jeant's office of arrefting. But what most wants "animadverfion is the morris-pike, which is "without meaning, impertinent to the fenfe, and

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falfe in the allufion; no pike being used among the "dancers fo called, or at least not fam'd for much "execution. In a word, Shakespeare wrote

"A MAURICE pike.

"i. e. a pikeman of Prince Maurice's army. He "was the greatest general of that age, and the "conductor of the Low-Country wars against "Spain, under whom all the English Gentry and

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Nobility were bred to the fervice. Being frequently overborn with numbers, he became famous for his fine retreats, in which a stand of pikes is of great fervice. Hence the pikes of his army became famous for their military exploits." Mr.W. What a deal of skimble-skamble stuff is here to alter the poet's words? - This Morris-pike changed into a Maurice-pike, i. e. a pikeman of Prince Maurice's army, puts me in mind of an explanation in A Midsummer Night's Dream, A&t II.

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"The nine-men's morris is fill'd up with mud. "The nine-men's morris.] A kind of rural "chefs." Mr. W. Nothing like it. I have writ the following in my Shakespeare,

The nine-men's morris.] i. e. The place where the Morifco, or Morrice dance was won't to be performed by nine-men is filled up with mud, so that they must leave their fport: nine-men's morris; in the fame manner as a Three-men Beetle, i. e. what requires three men to use it; a Three-men fong, a fong to be fung by three men.

But where ever I turn my eye, I fee fuch alterations and gloffes as never were matched before. The note following-" This rural chefs"-is as void of true logick, as learning. The whole runs thus in Shakespeare,

"The nine-mens morris is fill'd up with mud, "And the queint mazes in the wanton green, "For lack of tread are undistinguishable. "The buman mortals want Their winter bere, "No night is now with hymn or carol bleft." THEIR winter emphatically; and the reafon is given in the following verfe; " They want here THEIR "winter, because no night, &c." [N. B. here is turned into heried.] So the Latins fometimes ufe the pronoun fuus. Ovid. Met. IV, 373.

Yota suos habuere deos.

THEIR Gods, emphatically; i. e. favorable, propitious, &c. So again in King Henry V. A& V. "And all our vinyards, fallows, meads and bedges,

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"Defective in THEIR natures grow to wildness.❤

SUA deficiuntur naturâ. They were not defective in their crescive nature, for they grew to wildness : but they were defective in THEIR proper and favorable natures, which was to bring forth food for man. [This place too is altered, and natures is changed into nurtures.]

I am led infenfibly, from my defign of raifing a little innocent mirth in my reader, by the many errors I meet in my way.-Let us then return.

In the Winter's Tale, Act I.

"Nine changes of the watry ftar hath been
"The Shepherd's note, fince we have left our

" throne

"Without a burthen."

So 'tis printed in Mr. Theobald's edition; and right. Meaning very plainly, The Shepherd's note hath been, &c. i. e. The Shepherd bath noted, obferved nine changes of the moon, &c.But turning to Mr. W's edition. [pag. 279.] I Scarcely believed my own eyes when I red,

"Nine changes of the watry ftar hath been

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"(The shepherd's note,) fince we have left our

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"Without a burthen."

"The Shepherd's note.] i. e. I use the Shepherd's "note." Mr. W. Most wonderful Grammarian, and profound Aftronomer! How poetical is ShakeSpeare! The Shepherd has noted nine changes of the watry star. How filly and ungrammatical this commentator! Nine CHANGES HATH BEEN, &c. (I use the Shepherd's reckoning.) You do; and who does not? And must I send our Critic again to his Bible ?—“ And let them [viz. the Sun and MooN] be for figns, and for seasons, and for days, and years." Gen. I, 14.

THE above" rural chefs" may be matched with another note on a passage in Measure for Measure, At IV. "Duke. There is written in your brow,

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Provost, bonefty and conftancy; If I read it not "truly, my ancient skill beguiles me; but in the boldness of my cunning, I will lay myself in bazard. "Lay myself in hazard.] Metaphor from chefs "play." Mr. W.

Shakespeare himself would have better instructed our commentator, bad he attended to him:

"K. Henry. When we have matched our "rackets to these balls,

"We

"We will in France, by God's grace, play a fet, "Shall ftrike his father's crown into the HA

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Thus too Drayton in his description of the Battaile of Agincourt.

"Ple fend bim balls and rackets if I live, "That they fuch racket fball in Paris fee, "When over lyne with bandies 1 fhall drive; "As that, before the fet be fully done, "France may perhaps into the HAZARD runne.

THE two following notes are really below our editor's writing, (I compliment him when I say so.) One of them is in the Tempest, Act II. where Triculo finding the monster Caliban fays, "were I in "England now, as once I was, and had but this

fifh painted, not an holiday-fool there but would " give a piece of filver. There would this monster "make a man; any strange beaft there makes a

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man; when they will not give a doit to relieve "a lame beggar, they will lay out ten to fee a dead "Indian."

"Any Strange beast there makes a man ;] I "cannot but think this fatire very just upon our coun

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trymen: who have been always very ready to make "Denisons of the whole tribe of the Pitheci, and "compliment them with the donum civitatis, as

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