Where thou thyself do'ft air: The queen o' the sky, flowers, and he placed them on any bank, and produced them in any of the genial months, that particularly fuited his purpose. He who has confounded the customs of different ages and nations, might eafily confound the produce of the seasons. That his documents de Re Rufticâ were more exact, is equally improbable. He regarded objects of Agriculture, &c. in the grofs, and little thought, when he meant to beftow fome ornamental epithet on the banks appropriated to a Goddess, that a future critic would wish him to say their brims were filthily mixed or mingled, confounded or buffled together, bedirted, begrimed, and befmeared. Mr. Henley, however, has not yet proved the existence of the derivative which he labours to introduce as an English word; nor will the lovers of elegant defcription with him much fuccefs in his attempt. Unconvinced therefore by his strictures, I fhall not exclude a border of flowers to make room for the graces of the fpade, or what Mr. Pope, in his Dunciad, has ftyled—“ the majefty of mud." STEEVENS. -and thy broom groves,] A grove of broom, I believe, was never heard of, as it is a low fhrub and not a tree. Hanmer very elegantly reads, brown groves. STEEVENS. Difappointed lovers are ftill faid to wear the willow, and in thefe lines broom groves are affigned to that unfortunate tribe for a retreat. This may allude to fome old cuftom. We still say that a hufband hangs out the broom when his wife goes from home for a fhort time; and on fuch occafions a broom befom has been exhibited as a fignal that the house was freed from uxorial restraint, and where the mafter might be confidered as a temporary bachelor. grove may fignify broom bushes. See Grava in Cowel's Law Dict. TOLLET. Broom 9 Being lafs-lorn;] Lafs-lorn is forfaken of his mistress. So Spenfer: "Who after that he had fair Una lorn." STEEVENS. -thy pole-clipt vineyard;] To clip is to twine round or embrace. The poles are clip'd or embraced by the vines. Vineyard is here ufed as a trifyllable. STEEVENS. Enter CERES. CER. Hail, many-colour'd meffenger, that ne'er Doft disobey the wife of Jupiter; Who, with thy faffron wings, upon my flowers Diffuseft honey-drops, refreshing showers; And with each end of thy blue bow doft crown My bofky acres,' and my unfhrubb'd down, Rich fcarf to my proud earth; Why hath thy queen Summon'd me hither, to this fhort-grafs'd green?* IRIS. A contract of true love to celebrate; And fome donation freely to estate On the blefs'd lovers. GER. Tell me, heavenly bow, If Venus, or her fon, as thou dost know, Do now attend the queen? fince they did plot The means, that duíky Dis my daughter got, Her and her blind boy's fcandal'd company I have forfworn. } IRIS. Of her fociety Be not afraid: I met her deity done Some wanton charm upon this man and maid, Whofe vows are, that no bed-rite fhall be paid My bofky acres, &c.] Boky is woody. divided from each other by hedge-rows. for wood. Bofquet, Fr. So Milton: Bofky acres are fields Bofcus is middle Latin "And every bofky bourn from fide to fide." Again, in K. Edward 1. 1599: "Hale him from hence, and in this bafky wood 4to this fhort-grafs'd green ?] The old copy reads fhort-gras'd green. Short-graz'd green means grazed fo as to be short. The Correction was made by Mr. Rowe. STEEVENS. Till Hymen's torch be lighted: but in vain; rows, And be a boy right out. CER. Highest queen of state, Great Juno comes; I know her by her gait. Enter JUNO. JUN. How does my bounteous fifter? Go with me, To bless this twain, that they may profperous be, And honour'd in their iffue. SONG. JUNO. Honour, riches, marriage-blessing, 5 Higheft queen of fate, Great Jung comes; I know her by her gait.] Mr. Whalley thinks this paffage a remarkable inftance of Shakspeare's knowledge of ancient poetic ftory; and that the hint was furnished by the Divum incedo Regina of Virgil. John Taylor, the water-poet, declares, that he never learned his Accidence, and that Latin and French were to him Heathen Greek; yet, by the help of Mr. Whalley's argument, I will prove him a learned man, in fpite of every thing he may say to the contrary for thus he makes a gallant addrefs his lady; "Moft ineftimable magazine of beauty! in whom the port and majesty of Juno, the wifdom of Jove's brain-bred girle, and the feature of Cytherea, have their domeftical habitation." FARMER. So, in The Arraignement of Paris, 1584: "Firft ftatelie Juno, with her porte and grace." CER. Earth's increase, and foifon plenty;" FER. This is a moft majestic vifion, and Harmonious charmingly: May I be bold 6 Earth's increase, and foifon plenty; &c.] All the editions, that I have ever feen, concur in placing this whole fonnet to Juno; but very abfurdly, in my opinion. I believe every accurate reader, who is acquainted with poetical hiftory, and the diftinct offices of thefe two goddeffes, and who then feriously reads over our author's lines, will agree with me, that Ceres's name ought to have been placed where I have now prefixed it. THEOBALD. And is not in the old copy. It was added by the editor of the fecond folio. Earth's increafe, is the produce of the earth. The expreffion is fcriptural: "Then fhall the earth bring forth her increafe, and God, even our God, fhall give us his bleffing." PSALM lxvii. MALONE. This is one amongst a multitude of emendations which Mr. Malone acknowledges to have been introduced by the Editor of the second Folio; and yet, in contradiction to himself in his Prolegomena, he depreciates the fecond edition, as of no importance or value. FENTON.' 7-foifon plenty ;] i. e. plenty to the utmost abundance; foifon fignifying plenty. See p. 62. STEEVENS. 8 Harmonious charmingly:] Mr. Edwards would read: "Harmonious charming lay." For though (fays he) the benediction is fung by two goddeffes, it is yet but one lay or hymn. I believe, however, this paffage appears as it was written by the poet, who, for the fake of the verfe, made the words change places. We might read (transferring the last fyllable of the second word to the end of the firft)" Harmoniously charming." Ferdinand has already praised this aerial Mafque as an object of fight; and may not improperly or inelegantly fubjoin, that the To think these spirits? PRO. I have from their confines call'd to enact Spirits, which by mine art Let me live here ever; 2 FER. So rare a wonder'd father, and a wife, [Juno and Ceres whisper, and fend IRIS on employment.] IRIS. You nymphs, call'd Naiads, of the wandring brooks,' 4 With your fedg'd crowns, and ever-harmless looks, Leave your crifp channels, and on this green land Answer your fummons; Juno does command: Come, temperate nymphs, and help to celebrate A contract of true love; be not too late. charm of found was added to that of vifible grandeur. Both June and Ceres are fupposed to fing their parts. STEEVENS. A fimilar inverfion occurs in A Midsummer Night's Dream: "But miferable moft to live unlov'd." MALONE. a wonder'd father,] i. e. a father able to perform or produce fuch wonders. STEEVENS. -wandring brooks,] The modern editors read-winding brooks. The old copy-windring. I fuppofe we should read-wandring, as it is here printed. STEEVENS. 4 Leave your crifp channels,] Crifp, i. e. curling, winding. Lat. crifpus. So Henry IV. Part I. Act I. fc. iv. Hotfpur, fpeaking of the river Severn: "And hid his crifped head in the hollow bank." Crifp, however, may allude to the little wave or curl (as it is commonly called) that the gentleft wind occafions on the furface of waters. STEEVENS, · |