They wound my thoughts, worfe than thy fword my flesh, But thought's the flave of life, and life time's fool. Ceafe to perfuade, my loving Protheus; Two Gentlemen of Verona, A. I, S. 1. Create her child of spleen; that it may live, I Lear, A. 1, S. 4. thwart.] Thwart, as a noun adjective, is not frequent in our language; it is however to be found in Promos and Caffandra, 1578,"Sith fortune thwarte doth cross my joys with ❝ care!" HENDERSON. Thwart is an adjective, and is very common with the earlier writers: it is fometimes employed as a fubftantive, as-"a "thwart" for an abortion. 2 Turn all her mother's pains, and benefits, A. B To laughter and contempt.] Her "mother's pains" here fignifies, not bodily fufferings, or the throes of child-birth, but maternal cares; the folicitude of a mother for her child. Mr. Roderic is mistaken in fuppofing that the fex of this child is afcertained by the word her, which clearly relates, not to Goneril's iffue, but to herself. "Her mother's pains" means, the pains fhe takes as a mother. MALONE. Mr. Malone's obfervation is very juft. I would, however, read mother-pains"-the fenfe will then be clearer. It is the mark of the genitive cafe which obfcures the meaning. A. B, There There is Siward's fon, And many unrough youths', that even now With barbarous ignorance, and deny his youth The rich advantage of good exercise. King John, A. 4, S. 2. Do you fet down your name in the fcroll of youth, that are written down old with all the characters of age? Have you not a moist eye? a dry hand? a yellow cheek? a white beard? a decreafing leg? an increafing belly? Is not your voice broken? your wind fhort? your chin double? your wit fingle 3? and every part about you blasted with antiquity? Henry IV. P. 2, A, 1, S. 2. I unrough youths.] An odd expreffion. It means fmoothfaced, unbearded. STEEVENS. "Unrough" is furely unhardy; fuch as have never experienced the fatigues of war. 2 A. B, good exercife.] In the middle ages, the whole education of princes and noble youths confifted in martial exercises, &c. Thefe could not be eafily had in a prison, where mental improvements might have been afforded, as well as any where elfe; but this fort of education never entered into the thoughts of our active, warlike, but illiterate nobility. PERCY. If, in the middle ages, the whole education of princes and noble youths confifted in martial exercises, &c.-what is meant by the following paffage? 66 to choak his days "With barbarous ignorance." A. B, 3 Your wit fingle.] We call a man fingle-witted, who attains but one fpecies of knowledge, This fenfe I know not how to apply to Falstaff, and rather think that the Chief Justice hints at a calamity always incident to a grey-haired wit, whofe misfortune is, that his merriment is unfashionable, His allufions are to forgotten facts; his illuftrations are drawn from notions obfcured by time; his wit is therefore fingle, fuch as none has any part in but himself, JOHNSON, "Single" is poor, weak. Single beer is the weakest kind of malt liquor, A. B. And, And, like a gallant in the brow of youth, I Henry VI. P. 2, A. 5, S. 3. - gallant in the brow of youth.] The brow of youth is an expreffion not very easily explained. I read, the blow of youththe bloffom, the fpring. JOHNSON. The brow of youth is the height of youth, as the brow of a hill is its fummit. STEEVENS. "Brow of youth." We may, perhaps, read browse of youth. The metaphor from the browfe wood, or carly fhoots of trees. A. B, FINI S. BIBLIOTERCA |