degree from coagulation, and therefore this might appear to Mr. Hewson as a very speedy, though incomplete coagulation." Review, P. 342. The following comparison of our defcriptions of the laft ftage of the experiment will fet this matter in its true light:

Mr. Hewfon fays,

My account runs thus, 1. "The blood-which flow1. "That blood which flowed ed when the animal became very last appeared the most vifcid; or, weak, was quite fluid as it came-fuffered a partial coagulation as from the veifels. Exp. In. 70. it flowed. Obf. p. 28.

2. "Yet had hardly been re 2. "Yet was the latest in coceived into the cup before it con-agulating completely, and had the gealed-And-coagulated in an in- fofteft craffamentum." Ib. flant after it once began." Ib. 71.

So that, whatever was the caufe, "the refults" of our experiment, as you oblerve, were directly contrary" to each other.

The defign of my little effay has led me to take notice of the opinions of feveral authors whom I refpect; but I have aimed at doing this with fuch candour as I wish to experience from others. From fome excellent writings, and a fhort perfonal acquaintance, I judged Mr. Hewfon to be a perfon of great ingenuity and industry: and [ fincerely join with you in thinking, that experimental philofophy fultained a great lofs by his death.

Before I conclude this letter, permit me to offer one query for your confideration, Whether it does not tend to caft obfcurity on the theory of fizy blood, to fpeak of a change in the nature of the coagulable lymph, as a thing diftinct from a change in its quantity? For if the proper definition of coagulable lymph be, that which gives tenacity to the crassamentum, and retains a folid form, when separated from the other conftituent parts of the blood; it plainly follows, that when there is no tenacity in the craffamentum, nor any thing in the blood that retains a folid form after the feparation of the ferum and red globules, there is then no coagulable lymph. It is farely very unphilofophical to fay, that the coagulable lymph, in fuch a cafe, remains undiminished, but has changed its properties; for the idea we have of this fubftance is, that of fomething exhibiting thefe properties. I am, Gentlemen, your obedient humble fervant, Leeds, Jan. 27, 1780.

WILLIAM HEY.

•. The receipt of a letter figned Juftus is acknowledged; the Writer has our thanks for his hints; but we have no thoughts, at prefent, of printing a General Index to our monthly collections: fee the last page of our Review for February. If any gentleman, or bookfeller, chufes to risk a publication of that kind, we shall be far from oppofing the defign; and any affiftance that we can lend toward carrying it into execution, may be depended on,-provided the plan be fuch as we can approve.

tt A. Z. recommends to our notice a publication entitled, The Refiitution of all Things, by J. White. As we have not feen this piece advertised, we are at a lofs where to enquire for a copy of it.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For A PRI L, 1780.

ART. I. Conclufion of our Review of the new Edition of Shakspeare, by Steevens, &c. See Review for January.

WE

E now fit down to fulfil our engagement to the Public by prefenting them with fuch extracts from the annotations on Shakspeare, as, we prefume, cannot fail of proving fatisfactory to the admirers of that illuftrious Bard.

In the firft Scene, Act II. of the Tempest, Profpero fays to Ferdinand,

" for I

"Have given you a third of my own life."

Mr. Theobald was diffatisfied with the reading, and altered the text by fubftituting thread for third.. Dr. Johnson restored the old feading, and apprehends that Profpero, by calling his daughter Miranda "a third of his own life," alludes to fome logical diftinction of caufes, making her the final caufe. Though this conjecture (fays Mr. Hawkins) be very ingenious, I cannot think the poet had any fuch idea in his mind. The word thread was formerly fpelt third, as appears from the following paffage in the comedy of Mucidorus (1619):

"Long mailt thou live, and when the fifters fhall decree "To cut in twain the twisted third of life

"Then let him die," &c.

Mr. Tollet adopts Mr. Theobald's emendation, and obferves, that Profpero confiders himself as the flock or parent-tree, and his daughter as a fibre or portion of himself, and for whofe be nefit he himself lives. In this fenfe the word is used in Markham's English Husbandman (1635) "Every branch and third of the root," &c. Mr. Steevens confirms Mr. Hawkins's obfervation concerning the ancient method of fpelling the word thread, by a curious quotation from an old poem, entitled, Lingua, published in 1607:

VOL. LXII.

S

"For

For as a fuble spider closely fitting
"In center of her web that spreadeth round,
"If the least fly but touch the smallest third
"She feels it inftantly."-

The following quotation, however (continues Mr. Steevens), fhould feem to place the meaning beyond all difpute. In Acolaftus, a comedy (1529), is this paffage :-" One of worldly fhame's children, of his countenance, and THREDE of his body."

Our ingenious Editor hath well illuftrated a paffage in the Two Gentlemen of Verona, by a fimilar expreffion in a contemporary writer. Valentine fays,

"Difdain to root the fummer fwelling flower."

I once thought (fays Mr. Steevens) that the poet had written fummer-fmelling flower: but the epithet which stands in the text I have fince met with in the tranflation of Lucan by Sir Arthur Gorges (1614), B. VIII. P. 554.

66 no Roman chieftaine fhould

"Come near to Nyles Pelafian mould

"But fhun that fommer-f-welling shore."

The original is-ripafque aflate tumentes, 1. 829. May likewife renders it" fummer-fwelled banks."-The fummer-fwelling flower, is the flower which fwells in fummer till it expands itfelf into bloom.'

The implacable hatred that Shakspeare bore to Sir Thomas Lucy, the gentleman who profecuted him for ftealing deer out of his park at Charlcott in Warwickshire, hath been frequently taken notice of. His commentators are agreed in fuppofing that the poet hath burlesqued the Knight in the character of Justice Shallow, in the Merry Wives of Windfor. He hath given the fame arms to both and indulged himfelf in a vein of low humour on the fimilitude of the found between luce and loufe. [Vid. the first Scene.] Mr. William Oldys (Norroy King at Arms, and well known from the fhare he had in compiling the Biographia Britannica) among the collections which he left for a Life of Shakspeare, obferves that-" there was a very aged gentleman living in the neighbourhood of Stratford (where he died fifty years fince) who had not only heard from feveral old people in that town, of Shakspeare's tranfgreffion; but could remember the firft ftanza of that bitter ballad, which repeating to one of his acquaintance, he preferved it in writing; and here it is, neither better nor worfe, but faithfully tranfcribed from the copy which his relation very courteously communicated to me:

*Pope in his Effay on Man defcribes the exquifite delicacy of the fenfe of feeling in the spider in a manner exactly fimilar to that of the old poet. 2 "A par

A parliamente member, a juftice of peace,
"At home a poore fcare-crowe, at London an affe,
"If low he is Lucy, as fome volke mifcalle it,
"Then Lucy is lowfie whatever befall it.
"He thinks himself greate

"Yet an affe in his ftate;

"We allow by h's ears, but with affes to mate.
"If Lucy is low fie, as fome volke mifcalle it,
"Then fing lowfie Lucy whatever befall it."

Contemptible (lays our Editor) as this performance must now appear, at the time when it was written it might have had fufficient power to irritate a vain, weak, and vindictive magiftrate; efpecially as it was affixed to fome of his park gates, and confequently published among his neighbours.-It may be remarked likewife, that the jingle on which it turns occurs in the first scene of the Merry Wives of Windfor.

I may add, that the veracity of the late Mr. Oldys hath never yet been impeached; and it is not very probable that a ballad fhould be forged, from which an undifcovered wag could derive no triumph over antiquarian credulity.'

Mr. Steevens thinks it not improbable that Shakspeare, in the character of Falftaff, might have aimed fome ftrokes at the corpulence and intemperance of Ben Jonfon. Mr. Oldys, in his MS. additions to Langbaine's Account of English dramatic poets, introduces the following ftory of Ben, which was found in a memorandum-book, written in the time of the civil wars by Mr. Oldifworth, who was Secretary to Philip Earl of Pembroke.

"Mr. Camden recommended him to Sir Walter Raleigh, who trufted him with the care and education of his eldest fon, Walter, a gay fpark, who could not brook Ben's rigorous treatment: but perceiving one foible in his difpofition, made ufe of that to throw off the yoke of his government. This was an unlucky habit that Ben had contracted, through his love of jovial company, of being overtaken with liquor, which Sir Walter of all vices did moft abominate, and hath most exclaimed againft. One day when Ben had taken a plentiful dofe, and was fallen into a found fleep, young Raleigh got a great basket and a couple of men, who laid Ben in it, and then with a pole carried him to Sir Waiter, telling him that their young mafter had fent home his tutor."

The expreffion, delighted fpirit,' in the fpeech of Claudio, in Meafure for Measure, hath been a fubject of much conjec ture amongit the critics. Sir Thomas Hanmer altered the word

to dilated, 66. as if because the fpirit in the body is faid to be imprifoned, it was crouded together likewife, and fo by death not only fet free but expanded, which if true (fays Dr. Warburton) would make it lefs fenfible of pain." Dr. Johníon ac

S 2

knowledges

knowledges that "the moft plaufible alteration is that which fubftitutes

the benighted fpirit,'

alluding to the darkness always fuppofed in the place of future punishment." But however plaufible this correction might appear, the learned Critic is not difpofed to adopt it. He rather approves of an amendment propofed by Mr. Thirlby, who would fubftitute delinquent for delighted. Mr. Steevens, in the prefent edition, adopts Dr. Warburton's reading, and remarks that, by delighted fpirit, is meant the foul once accustomed to delight, which of course must render the fufferings, afterwards defcribed, lefs tolerable. Thus our Author calls youth, blessed, in a former fcene, before he proceeds to fhew its wants and its inconveniences.' If Dr. Johnson's ingenious conjecture, that Shakspeare writ blasted and not blessed youth,' be well grounded, Mr. Steevens must look elsewhere for an illuftration: and we think he hath not far to go for it. The fenfible warm motion (mentioned in the preceding line) is as much in contraft with the kneaded clod, as the delighted spirit with fiery floods. In this connection the meaning is perfectly obvious. The body, now warm with life, and active in its motions, will be reduced to a cold unanimated mafs; and the spirit now delighted or pleafed with its fituation and enjoyments in the body, will exchange it for the regions of unknown and unutterable horror.

We have heard of fome ingenious conjectures relating to the paffage in queftion, that are not mentioned by any of the Editors of Shakspeare, and which we think carry more plaufibility in them than the dilated of Sir Thomas Hanmer, or even the delinquent of a greater critic. A gentleman of great ingenuity hath propofed the following alteration:

Aye, but to die and go we know not where;

To lie in cold obftruction and to rot :

This fenfible warm motion to become

A kneaded clod; and the delated spirit
To bathe in fiery floods,' &c.

Delated is a law-term for arraigned or accused. We think this correction a very elegant one. It gives a grandeur to the expreffion, and we fhould be very ready to adopt it, if we were not convinced that delighted was the original word, and that it admits of a very just and natural interpretation.

Another curious and ingenious gentleman, who thinks himfelf at liberty with the rest of the readers of Shakspeare, to fpeculate on a difputed paffage, offers a modeft query in the following manner: "May not delighted bear the fame meaning as the word alighted. If fo, the fenfe is obvious, and fignifies a fpirit difcharged from the body."

It