And the Word Scar is employ'd by our Poet, not only, in its The SCARS upon your Honour, therefore, he (9.) HIS Virtues elfe, be They as pure as Grace, The Poet fpeaking all along before in the plural Number, as, in particular Men, that thefe Men &c. it is neceffary, to preserve the Concord, to read here; THEIR Virtues elfe, &c. Not but it is frequent with SHAKESPEARE, whether thro' Negligence, or Licentiousness, to change his Numbers in this Sort. Emendation. Omiffion COME now to the concluding Sentence of this degraded supplied, and Passage; Which, indeed, looks to be fo defperate, that, I fuppofe, Mr. POPE for that Reason only entirely left it out of his Quotation. In reality, I do not know a Passage, throughout all our Poet's Works, more intricate and deprav'd in the Text, of lefs Meaning to outward Appearance, or more likely to baffle the Attempts of Criticism in its Aid. It is certain, there is neither Senfe, Grammar, nor English, as it now ftands: Yet with a flight Alteration I'll endeavour not only to give it all three, but a Sentiment too, that shall make the Poet's Thought clofe nobly. What can a Dram of EASE mean? or what can it have to do with the Context, fuppofing it were the allowed Expreffion here? Or, in a G 2 Word, Emendation. Word, what Agreement in Senfe is there betwixt a Dram of Eafe and the Substance of a DOUBT? It is a defperate Corruption; and the nearest Way to hope for a Cure of it, is, to confider narrowly what the Poet must be supposed to have intended here. The whole Tenour of the Sentences foregoing, is, That let Men have never so many, or fo eminent, Virtues, if they have one Defect which accompanies them, that fingle Blemifh fhall throw a Stain upon their whole Character; and not only fo, (ifI understand him right,) but fhall deface the very Effence of all their Goodness, to its own Scandal; fo that their Virtues themfelves will become their Reproach. This is not only a Continuation of his Sentiment; but carries it up with a fine and proper Climax. I think, therefore, it ought to be reftor'd; The Dram of BASE Doth all the noble Subftance of WORTH OUT To his own Scandal. The Dram of Base, i. e. the leaft Alloy of Baseness or Vice. It is very frequent with our Poet to use the Adjective of Quality instead of the Substantive fignifying the Thing. Befides, I have obferv'd that, elsewhere, fpeaking of Worth he delights to confider it as a Quality that adds Weight to a Person, and connects the Word with that Idea. So, particularly, in All's Well that ends well. Pag. 417. And I am the more inclin'd to flatter my felf that my Emendation may have retriev'd the Poet's very Words, because I find him ufing fomething like the fame Thought and Metaphors in another of his Plays, and putting the fame Terms of Baseness and Worth in Oppofition to One another. CrM CrMBELINE, pag. 185. From whofe fo many Weights of BASENESS cannot A Dram of WORTH be drawn. But I have intimated that it is frequent with our Poet to use the Adjective of Quality, instead of the Subftantive fignifying the Thing; and it may be expected of me to alledge a few Instances of this Practice in him. (1.) MEASURE for MEASURE, pag. 358. As for you, Say what you can, my falfe o'erweighs your true. i. e. My Falfhood o'erweighs your Truth. (2.) TWELFTH-NIGHT, pag. 488. How easy is it for the proper false In Womens waxen Hearts to fet their Forms! i. e. Falfhood, or Disguife, in a proper outward Appearance. (3.) King LEAR, pag. 71. If Wolves had at thy Gate howl'd that stern time, The winged Vengeance overtake fuch Children. i. e. All Things of Cruelty else. (4.) And again, pag. 73. Full oft 'tis feen, Our mean fecures us, and our meer Defects Prove our Commodities. i. e. Our Meannefs, our low Fortune, middling State. (5.) King Proofs of Adjectives instead of Subftantives (5.) King JOHN, pag. 128. This little Abftract doth contain That large i. e. That compleat Largeness, that full Size. (6.) And CORIOLANUS, pag. 149. Th' Accufation, Which they have often made against the Senate, All Caufe unborn, could never be the native i. e. The natural Caufe, the Nativity, Birth, Source. BUT to proceed: As I have been oblig'd to branch out this degraded Speech into fo many Parcells; and divide it, the better to give the Reasons of the Emendations; it may not be improper to fubjoine it once more entire, as corrected; and leave it to the Judgment of the Publick, whether, notwithstanding the Verbofeness objected to it, it ought for the future to be degraded, or receiv'd into the Text of our Author. Haml. This heavy-headed Revel, east and west, Makes us traduc'd, and tax'd of other Nations; From our Atchievements, tho' perform'd at Height, So, oft it chances in particular Men, That for fome vicious Mould of Nature in Them, By the O'ergrowth of fome Complexion, Oft breaking down the Pales and Forts of Reafon; Or Or by fome Habit, that too much o'er-leavens Shall, in the general Cenfure, take Corruption From that particular Fault. The Dram of base To his own Scandal. XXVIII. ing, and E WELL; Immediately after this Speech comes the Ghost; and False Poins HAMLET, in the Agonies of his Surprise and Concern, queftioning, mendation. how it comes about, that his dead Father, whom he had feen quietly repofited in his Sepulchre, fhould be caft up again, has thefe Words: HAMLET, Act 1. Sc. 7. pag. 366. What may this mean? That thou dead coarfe again in compleat Steel Revifit'ft thus the glimpses of the moon, (1,2,3.) Making night hideous [?] and WE fools of nature [,] (4.) So HORRIDLY to Shake our difpofition (5.) With thoughts beyond the reaches of our Souls [ · ] Say, why is this? Besides that this Paffage is feveral times faulty in the Pointing, making |