Sc. 6. p.. 413.

A

Duke. It is too general a vice and feverity muft cure it.] Mr. Warburton has altered it to too gentle, why might not too genteel be as proper? as Lucio obferves afterwards, "that "the vice was of great kindred, and well al"lied."

Id. ib. A shy fellow was the Duke.] Qu. a fly fellow?

.Sc. 7. p. 415.

Efc. Double and treble admonition, and still forfeit in the fame kind.] Efcalus exceeds the apoftle's direction to Titus iii. 10.

"After a first and fecond admonition reject." Sc. 8. p. 418.

How may that likeness made in crimes, Making practice of the times

Draw with idle fpiders ftrings,

Moft pond'rous, and fubftantial things?]

i. e. How may the making it a practice of letting great rogues break through the laws with impunity, and hanging up little ones for the fame crimes; draw away in time with idle fpiders ftrings. (For no better do the cords of the law become, according to the old faying. Leges fimiles aranearum telis, to which the allufion is) juftice and equity the most ponderous, and fubftantial bases, and pillars of government, when justice on offenders is not done; law, government and commerce are overthrown. Mr. Smith.

Id. ib. Clown. You shall find me yare.] Ready and dextrous. So ufed Tempest. And in Chaucer.

Act 4. fc. 8. p. 431:

Clown. First, here's young Mr. Rafh, be's in for a commodity of brown pepper, and old ginger.] Brown paper and old ginger. Folio 1632. There are only, I think, three. forts of pepper, black pepper, white pepper, and long pepper. Id. ib. And brave Mr. Shooter the great traveller.] Mr Shooty. Folio 1632.

Sc. 10.
Duke.

Wend you with this letter.]

Carry this letter, or go with this letter.

An expreffion used by Spenser, Fairy Queen, book 1. canto 10, 15.

"They feeing Una towards her gan wend." Sc, 11. p. 436.

Lucio. Friar, thou knoweft not the Duke fo well as I do; he's a better woodman than thou tak ft him for.] The fame expreffion, Merry Wives of Windfor, act 5. fc. 3. p. 341.

Act 5. fc. 2.

Or wring redress from you: ob hear me, bear me.] "Hear me, O hear me heere, edit. 1632. i. e. Hear me here, upon the spot, the Duke having referred her caufe to Angelo just before. A& 5. fc. 7. P. 455.

Lucio. Faith, my Lord, I spoke it but according to the trick; if you will hang me for it you may, but I had the rather it would pleafe you, I might be whipt.] Juft the reverse of this was the petition

of

of the celebrated news-writer, who being concerned in the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion, he was fentenced by the barbarous Judge Jefferys to be whipp'd with great feverity. Upon which it was faid, that he petitioned the King to be hang'd.

The petition being fo very remarkable and uncommon, the King pardon'd him.

L

Much ado about Nothing.

ACT I. SCENE I. p. 5.

EONATO. Faith, niece, you tax Signior Benedick too much, but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not.] The expreffion used at that time, for he'll meet with you, or be even with you. So explained by Shakespeare, Tempest, act 4. fc. 4. p. 70. Profpero to Ariel. "We must prepare to "meet with Caleban." That is to be even with him for his plot. Ufed in the fame manner by Barten Holiday, in his play, intitled, The Marriage of the Arts (first acted in the year 1617.) act 1. fc. 1.

Aftronomia.

Will he prevent her, and go meet her, or elfe fhe will be meet with me.

Id. ib. P. 6.

Melf. I fee lady, the gentleman is not in your books.

Beat. No; an he were, I would burn my books.] "And he were." Folio 1632. "If he were." Sir Thomas Hanmer.

Sc. 2.

Sc. 2. p. 6. Enter Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, Balthazar, and Don John.] "And John the Baftard, fo he is every where called." Folio 1632.

Sc. 2. P. 7.

Beatr. A dear happiness to women, they would elfe have been troubled with a pernicious fuitor.] Qu. Pertinacious? one that was importunate, and would take no denial.

So in The two gentlemen of Verona, act 4. fc. 4.

Silvia. "I am betroathed, art thou thou not "afbamed to wrong him with thy importunacy.

Id. ib. p. 8.

Benedick. Well you are a rare parrot-teacher.] Not quite fo dextrous a parrot-teacher, as the perfon mentioned by Aurelia, in the comedy, intit'led, The City Match, by Jasper Mayne. Act 2. fc. 2...

Aurelia, Yefterday I went to see a lady, "that has a parrot: my woman while I was in "difcourfe, converted the fowle, and now it can " fpeak nothing but Knox's Works."

Id. ib. Beatr. Keep your way o' God's name, I have done.] "A God's name." Folio 16326

and Sir Thomas Hanmer.

Sc. 4. P. 4.

2 Pedro. Nay, if Cupid hath not spent all his quiver in Venice, thou wilt quake for this shortly.] Alluding to the great power, the Venetian courtezans had over their gallants; a full account

of

of which, may be met with in Tom Coryat's Crudities, from p. 262, to p. 270. inclusive.

"The revenues they pay the fenate (fays he) for their toleration, do maintain a do"zen of their galleys (as many reported to me in Venice) and fo fave them a great charge." Id. ib. 265.

Sc. 4. p. 12.

I look for an earthquake too then.]

The scene was Meffina in Sicily, a place fubject to earthquakes, on account of it's neighbourhood to mount Ætna.

Mr. Salmon [Modern Hiftory, folio edit. vol. 2. p. 97.] gives an account of one that happened in January 1693, which overturned twenty four palaces, and fhook the rest of the town, whereupon fome of the people fled in the utmost confternation to the fields, and others to the churches to prayer.

And Mr. Chibul, in a letter to Dr. Turner, from Smyrna, June 13, 1700, [fee his Travels in Turkey, &c. published in folio 1747. p. 176.] mentions it as a very remarkable earthquake. "It is to be wonder'd (fays he) that these peo

ple [viz. of Meffina] have not registered an. "accident, which as to the faith, our Eng"lish merchants were eye-witneffes. Namely,

that in the repeated earthquakes of Sicily, in 1693, the tower of the cathedral which stands " at the west end, distinct from the body of the "church, was fo diftorted by one fhock, that "it stood very dangerously, in an oblique, declining

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