This emendation of incomparative (I fuppofe, in the fenfe of incomparable) Mr. Warburton adopts for the fame reafon, which put Sir Thomas upon making it; because he did not understand the common reading, comparative: which Shakespear ufes here in the fenfe of dealing in comparisons; or, if we may fay fo, a fimile-monger. In this place he ufes it as an adjective; but he has given us the fame word as a substantive, in the fame fenfe, in this very play; P. 160.

"And gave his countenance, against his name, "To laugh with gybing boys, and ftand the pufh "Of every beardless, vain comparative.”

I think these gentlemen had the fame reason for altering iteration for attraction, a few lines lower where, after Prince Harry had ludicrously quoted a text of Scripture, Falftaff fays; "O, thou haft damnable iteration."-which, I fuppofe, means a way of repeting or quoting Scripture. In TROILUS and CRESSIDA (VII. 426:) iteration is applied to the repeting, or, as it is there called, citing of old hackney'd fimilies.

EXAMP. XIII. Vol. 4. P. 152. First Part of HENRY IV.

"Methinks, my moiety, north from Burton here, "In quantity equals not one of yours."

"Methinks, my moiety,-] Hotfpur is here juft "fuch another divider as the Irifhman, who made "three balves: Therefore, for the honour of Shake"fpear, I will fuppofe, with the Oxford editor, "that he wrote portion." .. WARB.

If it were not for lofing that foolish book-jeft about the Irishman, thefe two editors might as well

have fuppofed, that Shakespear ufed moiety for partion, fhare, in general; for fo he has used it in KING LEAR, Vol. 6. P. 3.

"equalities are fo weigh'd, that curiofity in "neither can make use of either's moiety."

Now these moietys were only third parts or shares of the kingdom, in the one place as well as the other.

EXAMP. XIV. Vol. 1. P. 104. MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM,

"my chief humour is for a tyrant; I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in."

"We should read, A part to tear a cap in; for cc as a ranting whore was called a tear-fheet, [2d part of HEN. IV.] fo a ranting bully was called "a tear-cap." WARB.

Nic. Bottom's being called Bully Bottom, feems to have given rife to this judicious conjecture; but it is much more likely that Shakespear wrote, as all the editions give it, "a part to tear a cat "in" which is a burlefque upon Hercules's killing a lion.

EXAMP. XV. Vol. 2. P. 60. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

"Out on thy feeming-I will write against it."

"What? a libel? Nonfenfe. We should read, I "will rate against it; i. e. rail or revile." WARB. Does Mr. Warburton then find it impoffible to write, unless he writes a libel? However that be,

this emendation makes the matter worse; for we cannot fay, I will rate against a thing, or revile against it, tho' rail we may; but that is not much better than libelling.

EXAMP. XVI. Vol. 3. P. 431. KING JOHN..

"this day grows wondrous hot:

"Some airy devil hovers in the fky,

"And pours down mifchief"

"We must read, fiery devil; if we will have the "caufe equal to the effect." WARB.

Airy devil feems an allufion to the Prince of the power of the air, but the effect defcribed is pouring down mifchief, which would fuit a watery devil better than a fiery one.

EXAMP. XVII. Vol. 4. P. 110. First part of
HENRY IV..

I then all fmarting with my wounds; being gala "To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay,

Out of my grief, and my impatience "Anfwer'd, neglectingly, I know not what, &c. "in the former editions it was,

"I then all smarting with my wounds being cold, "To be fo pefter'd," &c.

But in the beginning of the fpeech, he repre"fents himself at this time not as cold, but bot, and "inflamed with rage and labour.

"When I was dry with rage and extreme toil," &c.

"I am perfuaded therefore, that Shakespear "wrote and pointed it thus,

"I then all fmarting with my wounds; being gal'd "To be so pester'd with a popinjay," &c. WARB.

Mr. Warburton, in order to make a contradiction in the common reading, and so make way for his emendation; mifreprefents Hotspur, as at this time [when he gave this anfwer] not cold, but bot. It is true, that at the beginning of his speech, he defcribes himself as

-"dry with rage and extreme toil,

"Breathless and faint, leaning upon his fword." Then comes-in this gay gentleman, and holds him in an idle difcourfe, the heads of which Hotspur gives us; and it is plain by the context, it must have lafted a confiderable while. Now, the more he had heated himself in the action, the more, when he came to ftand ftill for any time, would the cold air affect his wounds: But though this imagined contradiction be the reafon affigned for changing cold into gal'd or galed; (for fo he mif-fpells it, both in text and notes; to bring it nearer, I suppose, to the traces of the original) it is probable, the real reason for this emendation was, because otherwise he could not make it join with the following line,

"To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay."

But this objection will be removed, if we allow, what is undeniably the case in some other places †,

+ Ex. . gr. in HEN. V. Vol. 4. P. 73. Theob. 1ft Edit. and in 2. HEN. VI. P. 190, by Mr. W's advice: fo probably in HEN. VIII. A& 3. Sc. 1. Wolfey's fpeech, beginning, Noble Lady; where the fecond line fhould follow the third. Vol. 5. P. 395. Mr. W's Edit.

that

that the lines have been transposed; and read them thus,

"I then all smarting with my wounds being cold, "Out of my grief, and my impatience "To be fo pefter'd with a popinjay, "Anfwer'd neglectingly," &c.

EXAMP. XVII. Vol. 2. P. 336. AS YOU LIKE IT. Clown. "You have faid; but whether wifely or no, let the foreft judge."

We should read, Forefter; i. e. the Shepherd, who was there present. WARB.

It would have been kind in Mr. Warburton to tell us, why we fhould read forefter; when the other word is better.. Nothing is more ufual than to fay, the town talks, the whole kingdom knows of fuch a thing, and one would imagine, Mr. Warburton could not have had a relation to one of the Inns of Court fo long; and not hear of a Man's being tried by his Country.

EXAMP. XVIII. Vol. 2. P. 22. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

"Therefore all hearts in love ufe their own tongues; "Let every eye negotiate for itself," &c.

Mr. Warburton, after the Oxford Editor, reads your own tongues: but there is no need of mending the old reading, by an aukward change of the perfons; Let, which is expreffed in the fecond line, is understood in the firft. See Ex. XXI.