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"do schipmen bezonde the parties, be the fterre "of the fouth, which fterre appereth not to us. "And the fterre which is toward the northe, "which is clepen the lode fterre, ne appereth not to 'hem."

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Spenfer likewise alludes to it, as a direction to failors. Fairy Queen. Book 3. Canto 4. 53. "Tho', when her ways he could no more defcry,

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"But to and fro at difadventure ftray'd,

Like as a fhip who load ftar fuddenly, "Cover'd with clouds, her pilot hath dismay'd; "His wearifome purfuit perforce he stay'd, And from his lofty fteed difmounting low, Did let him forage.

And in Virgil's Gnat. p. 1165.

The load fterre is faid in the Gloffary to Chaucer, to be the north ftarre, by which failours fteer their courfe. And in that fenfe. Chaucer refers to it, in his Ballade in praise of our ladie. 22. &c.

Ibid. Things bafe and vile.] Vilde as before, Fol. edit. 1632.

4

Sc. iv. You were beft to call them generally man by man, according to the fcrip.] Scrip was formerly used in the fame fenfe with fcript, and fignified a fcrip of paper, or any manner of writing. Called fcripe in Chaucer, Troilus and Crefeide. Lib. 2. 1130.

"But all her humble chere Gan for to chaungin; and said scripe nor bill,

"For

"For love of God that toucheth fuch matere, "Ne bring me none; and alfo, uncle dere,

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To mine eftate have more regarde I pray, "Than to his luft; what should in I more "fay."

Sc. iv,

Bottom. To make all split, the raging rocks And fhivering fhocks fhall break the locks

Of prison gates :

And Phibbus car fhall fhine from får,
And make and marr the foolish fates,

"This (as Mr. Theobald obferves) was pro"bably a piece of bombaft, taken out of fome "play known at that time.

Yet we see he has used almost the fame kind of metre, leaving out one of the rhimes to a good purpose, and in a very pretty manner, in Puch's Incantation, A&t iii. fc. ix. It is remarkable how clofely this agrees in the jingle, with the ridiculous paffages quoted by Perfius from Manas and Attys, two wretched poems of his time, (unjustly however, as Bayle has fhewn, afcribed to Nero.)

Claudere fic verfum didicit; Berecynthius Attyn. Et qui ceruleum dirimebat Nerea Delphin. Sic coftam longo fubduximus Appennino.

Sat. 1. 93, 94.

Thus humorously hit off in Dr. Brewster's excellent translation.

"Thrice happy tinkling times.

"Witness the pause that rhymes, the clofe that

"chimes,

"Witness

"Witness thou Attys! thou whofe lovely eyes "Cou'd even furprize the mother of the fkies. "Witnefs the dolphin too, who cleaves the tides "And flouncing rides o'er Nereus fea-green "fides,'

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"Witness thou likewife Hannibal divine, "Who of the long-ribb'd Appennine, didft "bravely lafh the chine,

And again, 99, 100, 101.1 24. "Forva mimalloneis implerunt cornug bombis, "Et raptum vitulo caput ablatura fuperba,.. Bafaris, et Lyncem menas Rexura corymbis. "The Bacchanalian crew

"Their wreath'd horns blew, and after Pen "theus flew,

"He, fcornful calf! it is decreed muft bleed, "His mother's angry knife fhall do the deed. "His fifters joyning in the Menad bands "With ivy-arm'd hand, the fubject Lynx command. Dr. T. vecaɔ ban to

Id. ib.

Bot. We will meet] in the wood, for fear of being dogg'd by company, there may we rebearfe more obfcenely.] I fhould have imagined that ShakeSpeare wrote more obfcurely, had I not. met with the following diftinction in Mr. Tho. Randolph's play, intitled, The Mufes Looking-glafs. Act 4. fc. 2.

Kataple&tus. Obfcænum eft, quod intra fcœnam agi non opportuit.

A&t

A&t ii. fc. i. p. 107.

Fairy. And I ferve the fairy queen,

To dew her orbs upon the green.] Qu. Herbs? "Every herb that fips the dew. Milton's Il Penferofo.

Id. ib. But they do fquare, that all their elves for fear creep into acorn-cups, and bide them there.] By Square he means quarrel; as he does in one place of Titus Andronicus.

Aaron to Demetrius and Chiron. A& 2. fc. 1. "And are you fuch fools to fquare for this? Aaron in the same scene, addreffing the fame perfons, uses the word jar.

"For fhame be friends, and joyn for that you jar.

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And as Shakespeare elsewhere ufesthe word square for agreement. As in Winter's Tale. Act 5. fc. 1. "O that ever I had squared me to thy counsel. And again in Titus Andronicus, A& 3. sc. 6. Antony and Cleopatra, A&t 2. fc. 1.

Mr. Peck is of opinion, that Shakespeare wrote either jar, [or fparre, as cocks do.]

Explanatory and Critical notes upon Shakespeare's

Plays.
Id. ib.

That all their elves for fear

creep into acorn cups.]

Mr. The. Randolph, in his Amyntas, or Impoffible Dowry, feems to have borrow'd from this paffage of Shakespeare. [See p. 6.]

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Focaftus, Wary Mopfus, learn of me to

"fcorn

"The mortals, chufe a better match, go love

"Some

"Some fairy lady; princely Oberon

"Shall ftand thy friend, and beauteous Mab

❝his Queen,

"Give thee a maid of honour.

Mopfus. "How Jocaftus,

"Marry a puppet, and a mote 'ith' fun, "Go look a wife in nut-fhell, woe a gnat "That's nothing but a voice? No, no, Jocaftus, "I must have flesh and blood, and will have "Theftylis;

"A fig for fairies.

Id. ib.

Fai. Or I miftake your shape, and making quite, Or else you are that shrew'd, and knavish sprite called Robin-goodfellow.] See note upon good Puet-Robin. Hudibras, Part 3. Canto 1. p. 209. Sc. 2.

Queen. Therefore the winds piping to us in vain As in revenge, have fuck'd up from the fea Contagious fogs which falling on the land, Have every pelting river made so proud,

That they have over-born their continents.] Every petty river. Folio, 1632.

Act 2, fc. 2. p. 111.

The feafons alter; hoary-headed frofts,
Fall in the frefb-lap of the crimson rofe,
And on old Hyem's chin, and icy crown.

An od'rous chaplet of fweet fummer's buds is, as in mockery fet.] A Chaplet for a man's chin is an uncommon expreffion, Shakespeare probably

wrote,

"And on old Hyem's chill, and icy crown. E

Id. ib.

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