he forced little on fimonic, and was not pitifull, and ftood affectionate in his own opinion: in open prefence he would lie and feie untruth, and was double both in fpeech and meaning: he would promise much and performe little: he was vicious of his bodie, and gaue the clergie euil example." Edit. 1587, p. 922. Perhaps after this quotation, you may not think, that Sir Thomas Hanmer, who reads Tyth'd-inftead of Ty'd all the kingdom, deferves quite so much of Dr. Warburton's feverity.Indisputably the paffage, like every other in the speech, is intended to exprefs the meaning of the parallel one in the chronicle: it cannot therefore be credited, that any man, when the original was produced, fhould ftill choose to defend a cant acceptation; and inform us, perhaps, feriously, that in gaming language, from I know not what practice, to tye is to equal! A fenfe of the word, as far as I have yet found, unknown to our old writers; and, if known, would not furely have been used in this place by our author. But let us turn from conjecture to Shakspeare's authorities. Hall, from whom the above defcription is copied by Holinfhed, is very explicit in the demands of the Cardinal: who having infolently told the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, "For fothe I thinke, that halfe your substaunce were to litle," affures them by way of comfort at the end of his harangue, that upon an average the tythe fhould be fufficient; "Sers, fpeake not to breake that thyng that is concluded, for fome fhal not paie the tenth parte, and fome more."-And again; "Thei faied, the Cardinall by vifitacions, makyng of abbottes, probates of testamentes, graunting of faculties, licences, and other pollyngs in his courtes legantines, had made his threafore egall with the kinges." Edit. 1548, p. 138, and 143. Skelton, in his Why come ye not to Court, gives us, after his rambling manner, a curious character of Wolfey: 4 His poems are printed with the title of "Pithy, Pleasaunt, and Profitable Workes of Maifter Skelton Poet Laureate."—" But," fays Mr. Cibber, after several other writers," how or by what intereft he was made Laureat, or whether it was by a title he affumed to himself, cannot be determined." This is an error pretty generally received, and it may be worth our while to remove it. A facetious author fays fomewhere, that a poet laureat, in the modern idea, is a gentleman, who hath an annual ftipend for reminding us of the New Year, and the Birth-day: but formerly a Poet Laureat was a real univerfity graduate, "Skelton wore the laurell wreath, "And paft in Schoels ye knoe.” fays Churchyarde in a poem prefixed to his works. And Mafter Caxton in his Preface to The Boke of Eneydos, 1490, hath a passage, which well deferves to be quoted without abridgement: "I praye mayfter John Skelton, late created poete laureate in the univerfite of Oxenforde, to overfee and correcte thys fayd booke, and taddreffe and expowne whereas thall be founde faulte, to theym that shall requvre it; for hym I knowe for fuffycyent to expowne and Engly fshe every dyfficulte that is therein; for he hath late translated the cpyftles of Tulle, and the book of Dyodorus Syculus, and diverfe other workes, out of Latyn into Englyfhe, not in rude and old language, but in polyfhed and ornate termes, craftely, as he that hath redde Vyrgyle, Ouyde, Tullye, and all the other noble poets and oratours, to me unknowen: and alfo he hath redde the ix mufes, and understands their muficalle feyences, and to whom of them eche scyence is appropred: I suppose he hath dronken of Elycans well!" I find, from Mr. Baker's MSS. that our laureat was admitted ad eundem at Cambridge: " An. Dom. 1493. & Hen. 7. nono. Conceditur Jahi Skelton Poete in partibus tranfmarinis atque Oxon. Laureà ornato, ut apud nos eâdem decoraretur." And afterward, "An. 150 Conceditur Jobi Skelton, Poet Laureat. quod poffit ftare eodem gradu hic, quo ftetit Oxoniis, & quod poffit uti habitu fibi conceffo à Principe." See likewife Dr. Knight's Life of Colet, p. 122. And Recherches fur les Poetes couronnez, par M. l'Abbé du Refnel, in the Memoires de Litterature, Vol. X. Paris, 4to. 1736. By and by "He will drynke us fo dry "With the deuill of hel "For and he were there "We nead neuer feare "He wold fo brag and crake "That he wold than make Lyke a fier drake "And with a cole rake "Brufe them on a brake "And binde them to a ftake "And fet hel on fyre "At his owne defire "He is fuch a grym fyre!" Edit. 1568. Mr. Upton and fome other criticks have thought it very fcholar-like in Hamlet to fwear the Centinels on a fword: but this is for ever met with. For instance, in the Paffus Primus of Pierce Plow man: "Dauid in his daies dubbed knightes, "And did hem fwere on her fword to ferue truth euer." And in Hieronymo, the common butt of our author, and the wits of the time, fays Lorenzo to Pedringano, "Swear on this crofs, that what thou fayft is true- "This very word, whereon thou took'ft thine oath, We have therefore no occafion to go with Mr. Garrick as far as the French of Brantôme to illuftrate this ceremony: a gentleman, who will be always allowed the first commentator on Shakspeare, when he does not carry us beyond himself. Mr. Upton, however, in the next place, produces a paffage from Henry VI. whence he argues it to be very plain, that our author had not only read Cicero's Offices, but even more critically than many of the editors: 66 This villain here, Being captain of a pinnace, threatens more "Than Bargulus, the ftrong Illyrian pirate." So the wight, he obferves with great exultation, is named by Cicero in the editions of Shakspeare's time, "Bargulus Illyrius latro;" though the modern editors have chofen to call him Bardylis :" and thus I found it in two MSS."And thus he might have found it in two tranflations, before Shakspeare was born. Robert Whytinton, 1533, calls him, Bargulus a pirate upon the fee of Illiry;" and Nicholas Grimald, about twenty years afterward," Bargulus the Illyrian robber." 6 But it had been eafy to have checked Mr. Upton's exultation, by obferving, that Bargulus does not appear in the quarto.-Which alfo is the cafe with fome fragments of Latin verfes, in the different parts of this doubtful performance. It is fcarcely worth mentioning, that two or three more Latin paffages, which are met with in our s Mr. Johnfon's edit. Vol. VIII. p. 171. 6 I have met with a writer who tells us, that a tranflation of the Offices was printed by Caxton, in the year 1481: but fuch a book never existed. It is a mistake for Tullius of old Age, printed with The Boke of Frendfbipe, by John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester. believe the former was tranflated by William Wyrceftre, alias Botoner. VOL. II. E author, are immediately transcribed from the story or chronicle before him. Thus, in Henry V. whose right to the kingdom of France is copiously demonftrated by the Archbishop: "To make against your highness' claim to France, "Between the floods of Sala and of Elve," &c. Archbishop Chichelie, fays Holinfhed, " did much inueie against the furmifed and falfe fained law Salike, which the Frenchmen alledge euer against the kings of England in barre of their juft title to the crowne of France. The very words of that fuppofed law are thefe, In terram Salicam mulieres nè fuccedant, that is to faie, Into the Salike land let not women fucceed; which the French gloffers expound to be the realm of France, and that this law was made by King Pharamond: whereas yet their owne authors affirme, that the land Salike is in Germanie, betweene the rivers of Elbe and Sala," &c. p. 545. It hath lately been repeated from Mr. Guthrie's Effay upon English Tragedy, that the portrait of Macbeth's wife is copied from Buchanan, " whose fpirit, as well as words, is tranflated into the play of Shakspeare: and it had fignified nothing to have pored only on Holinfhed for facts.”- "Animus etiam, per fe ferox, prope quotidianis conviciis uxoris (quæ omnium confiliorum ei erat confcia) ftimulabatur."-This is the whole, that Buchanan fays of the lady; and truly I fee no more spirit in |