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which was the way of writing in Shakespeare's time, Chaucer long before him, ufes maiftris for mistress.

"The hert within my woful brest you'

"dredith,

"And loveth fo fore, that ye bin verily,
"The maiftris of my wit, and nothing I.
The Legende of good Women. 96, &c.
And Skelton in his book of Philip Sparrow.
"Goodly maistres Jane,

"Sobre, demure Diane

Jane. This maiftres hight.
Act 3 fc. 3. p. 130.

Here are but three fairys that falute Bottom, nor does he addrefs himself to more, though four had entred before whom the queen had call'd by name, and commanded to do their curtefies. In fhort, I cannot tell what is become of monfieur Moth, unless he be prudently walk'd off, for fear of Cavalero Cobweb: for we hear no more of him either here, or in the next act, where the queen, Bottom, and fairies are introduced again. Anon.

Sc. 4. p.13I.

A crew of patches] I fhould have imagined that Shakespeare wrote, a crew of wretches, had he not used the word patch in the fame sense, Tempest, A&t 3. fc. 2. p. 53. where Caliban fpeaking of Trinculo, fays,

Cal. What a py'd ninny's this? thou fcurvy patch, Ide befeech thy greatness give him blows.

A&

A&t 3. fc. 5. p. 133.

Demet. So fhould the murther'd look] The murderer look. Folio. 1632.

Id. ib. Dem. I'ad rather give his carcafe to my bounds] I'de rather. Folio. 1632.

Sc. 7. p. 137. Than all your fiery o's and eyes of light. Qu. Orbs.

Sc. 7. p. 141.

Lyf. Get you gone you dwarf,

You minim, of hind'ring knot-grafs made.]

The application of both the epithets, and fimile to Hermia, who was hanging upon him [bindering knot-grafs] may allude to it, as a low, creeping plant, and as such, apt to entangle the feet of those that walk through it, and hinder them from paffing freely. Dr. T.

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Schroder, Ray, and Dale afcribe to it the following qualities, "That it is drying, astringent, and vulnerary, and good in stopping "fluxes of all kinds; and obferve, that it grows in dry, uncultivated places, and near "to highways.

Schroderi Pharmacop. Med. Chym. Lib. 4. p. 126. Raij Catalog. Plantar. Anglia, p. 248. Dale's Pharamacologia, Vol. 1. p. 142, 12°.] Id. ib.

Speak not of Helena,

Take not her part: for if thou doft intend never fo little fhew.of love to her, thou shalt aby it]· Abide it in the old edition, 1632. tho' probably, abywas then used as fignifying the fame thing.

See Gloffary to Spenfer.

Sc.

Sc. ibid.

Herm. I am amaz'd and know not what to fay] This line is added by Sir Tho. Hanmer, what authority he had for it I cannot tell. 'Tis not in the Folio 1632, nor in Mr. Theobald's, nor Mr. Warburton's editions.

Sc. 8. p. 142.

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By the Athenian garments he bad on.] He bath on. Folio 2632.

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Salt green.] Qu. Sea green.

But perhaps the contraft is intended between

yellow gold, and falt green.

A& 3. fc. 9. p. 144.

Dr. T.

Lyf. Where art thou, proud Demetrius? Speak thou now.] Compare this, and the remainder of this fcene, with the ftory of Palamon and Arcite. Chaucer's Knight's Tale. 1576, &c. Sc. 10. p. 146.

Puck. On the ground, fleep thou found, I'll apply to your eye, gentle lover remedy.]

A friend obferves, that, the humour of Puck's fairy charm is loft, by the present manner of writing the verses.

If they were thus ordered, (as in Mr. Warburton) "On the ground,

"Sleep thou found, [Sleep found. Warb.] << I'll apply

"To your eye,

"Gentle lover remedy.

"When thou wak'ft

"Next, thou tak❜ft

" True

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They would appear to as great advantage as. the Namby Pamby ftill, or the poet-laureat's encomium upon the man-mountain. For fure fairy verses ought to be as short as infantine, or liliputian. [See Rablais's Works, Book 5. ch. 35.] But I rather think they fhould be wrote, "On the ground, fleep thou found, "I'll apply to your eye, "Gentle lover remedy, &c.

Because verses with the middle rhime which were call'd leonine, or monkish verfes, feem to have been the ancient language of charms and incantations, as appears from several footsteps of it in Virgil's Pharmaceutria, but particularly in this line,

Eclog. 8, 80.

Limus ut hic durefcit, et bac ut cera liquefcit,

And there are fome traces of the fame kind in that of Theocritus which Virgil here imitates, but none, it must be own'd, fo strong as the example before us. Dr. T.

A&

Act 3. fc. 10. p. 146.

·Puck. Jack fhall have fill, naught fall go ill, The man fhall have his mare again, and all be well.] Here are two proverbs, or proverbial phrases jumbled together.

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Every Jack must have his Jill.

Chascan demande fa forte Gall. It ought, fays Mr. Ray, (proverbs which are entire sentences)

to

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to be written fill, for it seems to be a nickname for Julia, or Juliana. See letter I.

"All is well, and the man hath his mare again. Ray's Proverbial Phrafes, M.

A&t 4. fc. 1. p. 147.

Bottom. Nothing good monfieur, but to help Cavalero Cobweb to fcratch.] Without doubt it fhould be Cavalero Peafe bloffom as for Cavalero Cobweb, he had been just dispatch'd upon a perilous adventure. Anon:

Id. ib. p. 147.

Bot. I must to the barber's monfieur, for methinks, I am marvellous hairy about the face.] Even Periwinkle, king Oberon's barber, muft have mounted upon a ladder to fhave him.

Dor. "You Focaftus, when Oberon shaved "himself, who was his barber?

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foc. "I know him very well, a little dapper youth, they call him Periwinkle.

Amyntas, or The Impoffible Dowry, by Mr. Randolph. p. 11.

Act 4. fc. 1. p. 148.

Queen. What wilt thou hear fome mufick, my fweet love?

Bot. I have a reasonable good ear in mufick, let's have the tongs and the bones.] The key and tongs, and marrow-bones and clevers. The firft rural mufick, and both probably in use in Shakespeare's days: and are both much efteem'd by fome Connoifieurs in this age of greater re

finement.

Id. ib. p. 149.

May all to Athens.] The fyntax requires,

that

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