Vo. VIII. deferring till now, what shou'd have been first of all ac knowledged due to you. which is my thanks for all your faJULIUS CESAR. vours when in town, particularly for introducing me to the knowledge of thofe worthy and ingenious Gentlemen that made up our last night's converfation. I am, Sir, with all esteem your most obliged friend and humble fervant. W. Warburton.

Newarke Jan. 2. 1726.
[The fuperfcription is thus]

For

Mr. M. Concanen at
Mr. Woodwards at the
half moon in fleetstreet.
London.

The foregoing Letter was found about the year 1750, by Dr. Gawin Knight, firft librarian to the British Museum, in fitting up a house which he had taken in Crane-court Flectftreet. The house had, for a long time before, been let in lodgings, and in all probability, Concanen had lodged there. The original letter has been many years in my poffeffion, and is here moft exactly copied, with its feveral little peculiarities in grammar, fpelling, and punctuation. April 30. M. A. 1766, The above is copied from an indorsement of Dr. Mark Akinfide, as is the preceding letter from a copy given by him to Efq.-I have carefully retained all the peculiarities above mentioned. MALONE. 39. -doth bear Cæfar hard,] The fecond folio reads batred. MALONE.

67. Note .] Inftead of Shakspeare perhaps in his thoughts had- -read- Shakspeare had, perhaps, in his

thoughts- MALONE.

77. Here is himself, marr'd, as you fee, with traitors.] To mar feems to have anciently fignified to lacerate. So, in Solyman and Perfeda, a tragedy, 1599, Bafilifco feeling the end of his dagger, fays:

"This point will mar her fkin." MALONE.
85. -and our beft means ftretch'd out;] The oldeft copy
reads:

Our best friends made, our means ftretch'd;
The prefent reading was given in the fecond folio.

MALONE.

89. Add to my note,] Again, in our author's Coriolanus:

66 -why

"why stay we to be baited

"With one that wants her wits ?" MALONE.

VO. VIII.

JULIUS

93. If that thou beft a Roman,] To follow Johnfon's CESAR. note. This feems only a form of adjuration like that of Brutus, p. 97.

"Now, as you are a Roman, tell me true."

-E.

103. With fearful bravery,] That is, with a gallant fbew of courage, carrying with it terror and difmay. Fearful is ufed here, as in many other places, in an active sense-producing fear-intimidating. MALOne.

Ibid. The posture of your blows are yet unknown;] It fhould be-is yet unknown. Yet the error is fuch, that it probably was Shakspeare's. MALONE.

106. To follow Steevens's note.] Shakspeare perhaps wrote foremer; and I do not see why the word (fo fpelt, to diftinguish it from former, antecedent in point of time) fhould not be admitted into the text. MALONE.

107. To follow Steevens's note.] I fee no contradiction in the fentiments of Brutus. He would not determine to kill himself merely for the lofs of one battle; but as he expreffes himfelf, (page 131.) would try his fortune in a second fight. Yet he would not fubmit to be a captive.

E.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA:

125. Take in that kingdom-] i. e. fubdue that king- ANT. AND dom. So, in Coriolanus:

"This no more dishonours you at all

"Than to take in a town with gentle words."

MALONE.

126. Let's not confound the time-] i. e. let us not confume the time. So again, in this play:

"--but to confound fuch time

"That drums him from his fport."

Again, in Coriolanus:

"How could't thou in a mile confound an hour,
"And bring thy news fo late?" MALONE.

127. Whom every thing becomes;-to chide, to laugh, to
weep] So, in our author's 150th Sonnet:
Q 2

" Whence

CLEOPAT.

VO. VIII.

ANT. AND
CLEOPAT.

"Whence haft thou this becoming of things ill,
"That in the very refufe of thy deeds
"There is fuch ftrength and warrantife of skill,

"That in my mind thy worst all best exceeds ?" MALONE. 129. To follow Johnfon's note.] The following paffage in an ancient fatirical poem, entitled Notes from Blackfryars, 1617, confirms Dr. Johnson's observation:

"He'll not approach a taverne, no nor drink ye, "To fave his life, hot water; wherefore think ye? "For heating's liver; which fome may suppose

"Scalding hot, by the bubbles on his nofe." MALONE. 130. Note 3.] In the inftance given by Dr. Johnson—“ [ Thould shame you and tell all," I occurs in the former part of the fentence, and therefore may be well omitted afterwards; but here no perfonal pronoun has been introduced. Dr. Warburton's emendation, therefore, which is fo near the old copy, deferves, in my opinion, to be received.

MALONE.

134. When our quick winds lie ftill;] I fufpect that quick winds is, or is a corruption of, fome provincial word fignifying either arable lands, or the inftruments of husbandry used in tilling them. Earing fignifies plowing both here and in page 149. So, in Genefis, c. 45. "Yet there are five years, in the which there fhall neither be earing nor harvest.”

-E.

This conjecture is well founded. The ridges left in lands turned up by the plough, that they may fweeten during their fallow ftate, are ftill called wind-rows. Quick winds, I fuppofe to be the fame as teeming fallows; for fuch fallows are always fruitful in weeds.

Wind-rows likewife fignify heaps of manure, confifting of dung or lime mixed up with virgin earth, and distributed in long rows under hedges. If thefe wind-rows are suffered to Lie ftill, in two fenfes, the farmer muft fare the worfe for his want of activity. Firlt, if this compost be not frequently turned over, it will bring forth weeds fpontaneoufly; fecondly, if it be fuffered to continue where it is made, the fields receive no benefit from it, being fit only in their turn to produce a crop of useless and noxious herbage. STEEVENS. 136. We cannot call her winds and waters, fighs and tears ;] believe Shakspeare wrote:

We cannot call her fighs and tears, winds and waters

MALONE. 137. And

137. And get her love to part-] I fufpect the author Vo. VIII.

wrote:

And get her leave to part.

MALONE.

146. Add to my note ".] A kindred thought occurs in

K. Henry V.

Though the truth of it stands off as grofs

"As black from white, my eye will fcarcely fee it."

Again, in K. Henry IV. P. I.

MALONE.

"And like bright metal on a fullen ground,

My reformation, glittering o'er my fault,
"Shall fhew more goodly and attract more eyes
"Than that which hath no foil to fet it off."

In the former part of this note, for the fame thought-read a fimilar thought. MALONE.

148. The difcontents repair-] That is, the malecontents. So, in K. Henry IV. P. I.

66 -that may please the eye

"Of fickle changelings and poor discontents."

See the note there. MALONE.

160. Add to my note 2.] The prefent reading is, however, afcertained, to be the true one, by a paffage in the next fcene, in which Cæfar fays to Antony

66

-your wife and brother

"Made wars upon me." MALONE.

163. Note 7.] For before-read-again in this fcene.

MALONE.

164. Add to my note.] Dr. Warburton's explanation is confirmed by a paffage in Hamlet, in which we meet a fimilar phrafeology:

-So like the king

"That was and is the question of these wars."

MALONE.

167. your confiderate ftone.] The metre of this line is deficient. It will be perfect, and the fenfe rather clearer, if we read (without altering a letter):

your confideratest one."

I doubt indeed whether this adjective is ever ufed in the fuperlative degree; but in the mouth of Enobarbus it might be pardoned.

E.

172. And what they undid, did.] To follow Johnson's note.The reading of the old copy is, I believe, right. The wind of the fans feemed to give a new colour to Cleopatra's cheeks, which they were employed to cool; and

Q3

what

ANT. AND
CLEOPAT.

Vo. VIII. what they undid, i. e. that warmth which they were intendANT. AND ed to diminish or allay, they did, i. e. they in fact produced. MALONE.

CLEOPAT.

176. Good night, dear lady.

Oct. Good night, Sir.] Thefe laft words, in the only authentick copy of this play, are given to Antony. I fee no need of change. He addreffes himself to Cæfar, who immediately replies, Good night. MALONE.

180. To follow Steevens's note 2.] Moody is applied as an epithet to melancholy, in the Comedy of Errors: "Sweet recreation barr'd what doth enfue

"But moody and dull melancholy ?"

Ibid. After note '.] The firft copy reads:

tawny fine fishes.

MALONE.

182. In my note.] For "You fball come"-read "You fhould come

"

MALONE.

183. Pour out the pack of matter to mine ear,] I believe the author wrote:

Pour out thy pack

MALONE.

195. I have heard the Ptolemies' pyramifes are very goodly things] Pyramis for pyramid was in common use in our au thor's time. So, in Bishop Corbet's Poems, 1658:

"Nor need the chancellor boaft, whose pyramis
"Above the host and altar reared is."

From this word Shakspeare formed the English plural, pyra
mifes, which perhaps he preferred, as better fuited to the pro-
nunciation of a man nearly intoxicated. In other places he
has introduced the Latin plural pyramides, which was con
ftantly used by our ancient writers. So, in this play:
"My country's high pyramides-

Again, in Sir Afton Cockain's Poems, 1658:
"Neither advise I thee to pass the seas
"To take a view of the pyramides."

Again, in Braithwaite's Survey of Hiftories, 1614: "Thou
art now for building a fecond pyramides in the air."

MALONE.

235. Add to my note] Again, in Troilus and Crefida;
66 -What the declin'd is,

"He fhall as foon read in the eyes of others
"As feel in his own fall."

Again, in Daniel's Cleopatra, 1593:

"Before fhe had declining fortune prov'd." MALONE. 238. When he hath mus'd of taking kingdoms in,] i. c. of conquering kingdoms. So before:

"He