My hand prefents this cup to yours- LEM. Take it DOR. SAG. DOR. PEG. DOR. [giving him the cup. Tox. To him, who in this joy rejoices, Health; and to him, who does not grudge it me SCENE II. Enter DORDALUS at a distance. Who are, who shall be, or whoe'er have been, I've loft my filver hook, nor ta'en my prey- But ha! What fee I-Do but look at them! Tox. This furely must be Dordalus- Tox. Let him come- I'll fell you to the ground, you rascal you I'll inftant dash your eye out with my cup- * I've loft my filver book—] The commentators give themselves much trouble in explaining this paffage, which to us feems very easy to be understood. Dordalus, by his having parted with the girl who had brought grift to his mill, in order to have a fum of money, and by the purchase he had just made of a girl whom he was obliged to give up, lofes both the money, and the one as well as the other of these perfons, at the fame time. Herein feems to be the whole mystery of this passage, which on following the difpofition of the piece, and not lofing fight of the subject, as most com. mentators do, by quitting things for words, is very clear. LIMIERS. Water to wash bis feet] The commentators inform us, that it was the custom of the Gentiles as well as Jews, to have their flaves wash the feet of their guests before they fat down to meals. Lambin, not aware of this, will have it to be ironical. Tox. Tox. DOR. DOR. PEG. If you were wife, you'd wrangle fomewhere else. Tox. Give him a bowl of wine- His head may catch the flame DOR. I understand you→→ You fool me now-Flout on as you were wont- Tox. Well done! [to PEGNIUM. What a facetious, princely ftrut thou'ft got- Go on РЕС. DOR, DOR. DOR. Tox. DOR. Tox. As you've begun Have at you, pandar DOR. Oh! undone, He has almoft knock'd me down→→→ PAG. Here, mind again [Ariking him. Play on your pranks at will, while far from hence PAC. Why, take a rope, a ftout one though, DOR. You'd best be cautious how PAO. Well, well-Ufe your ftaff, I'll pardon you Tox. Come Pagnium, have done→ And will not be your friend-It is not they Come, carry round the wine, and in full bumpers- You fool me now— -] After thefe words a sentence is not trandated. The learned reader will know the reafon. bave done-] The original is da paufam. Greek, zavese, a ceffation. + might not pass through you !] We have tranflated it literally. The fpeaker means, I wish your drink would poison you. PÆG. SAG. DOR. SAG. DOR. Tox. Well, I muft dance † the stationary dance, Which § Diodorus in lonia made. I'll make you fuffer it you march not off- DOR. Is he? DOR. SAG. Tox. Tox. Tox. Moft certainly-His very twin-brother. LEM. For me, it is by no means decent. Nor wife enough, unless they thwart their patrons the fationary dance-] The original is ftaticulum, which the commentators tell us is a grave flow dance, what the French call paizne. It is mentioned by Ma.crobius, in Saturnal. lib. ii. cap. 10. -Hegea-Dicdorus-] Thefe, the commentators fay, are the names of two dancing-masters-Of whom nothing more is known, than from this paffage. -in Ionia made.] Concerning the Ionic dance. See The Cheat, A& V. Scene I, v. 29. note, Vol. III of this translation. t-bis twin brother.] See At IV. Scene VI. v. 17, note. He gave no trouble-] Lambin fays this is fpoke ironically. ↓ A common fireet walker-] The original in most of the editions is proffibilem. That of Aldus reads proftibulam, which reading Lambin approves of. The difference, the grammarians tell us, is this: Proftibilis means a courtezan, or kept-mistress, proftibula, one that plies in the ftreets as a common prostitute. The word proflibilis alfo occurs again in our author. Profibili eft autem ftantem ftanti favium A rare whore's trick, To give a friend a kiss juft as he paffes Stichus, Act V, Scene VI. v. 4. We could wish the editions gave authority, for the fame reafons, to read proftibula alfo in this paffage. LEM. Tox. Nor befides this, unless they curfe him too, Your kindnesses to me command obedience. LEM. I'll do my best DOR. As fure as I'm alive, thefe are confulting SAG. Hola ! Tox. Tox. What fay'ft? SAG. Is this the pandar, Dordalus, Who buys free virgins here? And is this he DOR. What can this mean? [PAGNIUM frikes him. I'll do you fome curs'd mifchief, that I will. DOR. He pinches me DOR. DOR. PEG. And wherefore fhould he not? Your back's been pinch'd ere now DoR. Do'st thou prate too? Thou fragment of a boy LEM. My patron, come Let me intreat you to come in to fupper- LEM. For why? LEM. Well, do not then. Tox. O what strange things fix hundred pieces do? DOR. Tox. We've punish'd him enough DOR. Well, I knock under-I confess Under the gibbet-In then Tox. And fhall [to DORD. SAG. To the stocks Dor. Have not these fellows work'd me then enough? Tox. You'll ne'er forget you met with Toxilus. [to the Spectators, by way of Epilogue.] We have now, through two comedies, minutely compared the tranflation with the original, and have thereby had suffi -I knock under-] The original is, manus vobis do, I agree to you, I yield. We have here taken a little liberty in the tranflation, in order to accommodate it to what follows; et poft dabis, fub furcis ; and shall, under the gibbet. cient cient proof of its merit and fidelity. Under this idea we recommend it to the public, as a valuable acquisition to the clasfics in our language, and a proper companion to the ingenious Mr. Colman's Terence. น. WE ART. II. A Philosophical Analyfis and Illuftration of fome of Shakespeare's remarkable Characters. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Boards. Murray. 1774, E fincerely congratulate the friends of learning and philofophy, on the appearance of this young and fpirited candidate for literary honour and fame. He has chofen to enlift himself in a band, already supposed to be too numerous, the commentators and criticks upon Shakespeare: but a man of genuine merit will do honour to his station, be what it may ; and throw a luftre about him wherever he moves. We cannot help viewing this young man with a mixture of love and admiration, carrying a philofophical and claffical tafte into fubjects which have been generally treated in the detached, dry, and unentertaining manner of notes and commentaries. We hope the following pieces are only specimens of his productions in this way; and that they will lead other ingenious men to quit their contentions upon words, to make criticism fubfervient to philofophy, and not merely to philology and grammar. The introduction is replete with excellent observations on the human mind; and affords the reader a very pleasing view both of the abilities and defign of the Author. Mr. Richardfon then proceeds to give what he very juftly calls a philofophical analysis of the character of Macbeth. There is hardly a page of the book, which we might not quote for the enter tainment of the reader. But perhaps we cannot please him more and instruct him better in the general defign of every analyfis, than by giving him the Author's own fummary, after he has confidered the feveral parts of every character. He con cludes his obfervations on Macbeth in the following words: Thus, by confidering the rife and progrefs of a ruling paffion, and the fatal confequences of its indulgence, we have fhewn, how a beneficent mind may become inhuman: And how those who are naturally of an amiable temper, if they fuffer themselves to be corrupted, will become more ferocious and more unhappy than men of a conftitution originally hard and unfeeling. The formation of our characters depends confiderably upon ourselves; for we may improve, or vitiate, every principle we receive from nature.' Mr. Richardfon enters, in the fame manner, into the character of Hamlet; he transports his reader as it were into the mind and foul of that amiable and unfortunate prince; and Mr. Richardfon, Professor of Humanity in the university of Glasgow. |