Take but degree away, untune that firing,
And hark what difcord follows; each thing meets
In meer oppugnancy. The bounded waters
Should lift their bofoms higher than the fhores,
And make a fop of all this folid Globe :
Strength fhould be Lord of imbecillity,

And the rude fon fhould strike his father dead:
Force fhould be Right; or rather, (8) Right and
Wrong,

Between whofe endless jar Juftice refides,

Should lose their names, and fo fhould Juftice too;
Then every thing include itself in power,
Power into will, will into appetite;

Between whofe endless jar Justice RESIDES,

And

Should lofe their names,] The editor, Mr. Theobald, thinks that the fecond line is no bad comment upon what Horace has faid on this fubject;

funt certi denique fines,

Quos ultra citraque nequit confiftere redum.

But if it be a comment on the Latin poet, it is certainly the worst that ever was made. Horace fays, with extreme good fenfe, that there are certain bounds beyond which, and bort of which, Juftice or Right cannot exist. The meaning is, becaufe if it be bort of thofe bounds, Wrong prevails; if it goes beyond, Juftice tyrannises; according to the common proverb of Summum jus fumma injuria. Shakespeare fays, that Justice refides between the endless jar of right and wrong. Here the two extremes, between which Juftice refides, are right and wrong; in Horace the two extremes, between which Juftice refides, are both wrong. A very pretty comment this truly, which puts the change upon us; and instead of explaining a good thought of Horace, gives us a nonfenfical one of its own. For to fay the truth, this is not only no comment on Horace, but no true reading of Shakespeare. Juftice is here reprefented as moderating between Right and Wrong, and acting the over-complaifant and ridiculous part of Don Adriano de Armado in Love's Labour's Loft, who is called, with inimitable humour,

A man of Compliments, whom Right and Wrong
Have chofe as Umpire of their Mutiny.

This is the exact office of Justice in the prefent reading: But we are not to think that Shakespeare in a ferious fpeech would dress her up in the garb of his fantaftick Spaniard. We must rather Bonclude that he wrote,

Between

And appetite, an univerfal wolf,

So doubly feconded with will and power,
Must make perforce an univerfal prey,
And laft eat up itfelf. Great Agamemnon!
This Chaos, when degree is fuffocate,
Follows the choaking:

And this neglection of degree is it,

(9) That by a pace goes backward, (1) with a purpofe

It hath to climb. The General's difdain'd
By him one step below; he, by the next;
The next, by him beneath; fo every step,
Exampled by the firft pace that is fick
Of his Superior, grows to an envious fever
Of pale and (2) bloodlefs emulation.
And 'tis this fever that keeps Troy on foot,
Not her own finews. To end a Tale of Length,
Troy in our weakness lives, not in her strength.
Neft. Moft wifely hath Ulyffes here difcover'd
The fever, whereof all our power is fick.

Agam. The nature of the fickness found, Ulyffes, What is the remedy?

Uly. The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns The finew and the fore-hand of our Hoft,

Having his ear full of his airy fame,

Grows dainty of his worth, and in his tent
Lies mocking our defigns. With him, Patroclus,
Upon a lazy bed, the live-long day

Breaks fcurril jefts;

Between whofe endless jar Juftice PRESIDES;

i. e. always determines the controverfy in favour of Right; and thus Justice is properly characterised without the author's ever dreaming of commenting Horace.

WARBURTON.

Surely all this is needlefs. If Juftice prefides between them, fhe muft refide between them; if the fits with authority, the must fit.

(9) That by a pace-] That goes backward ftep by step. (1) with a purpose,

It bath to climb-] With a defign in each man to aggrandife himself, by flighting his immediate fuperiour.

(2) bloodless emulation.] An emulation not vigorous and active, but malignant and fluggish.

And

And with ridiculous and aukward action,
Which, flanderer, he imitation calls,

He pageants us. Sometimes, great Agamemnon,
Thy toplefs Deputation he puts on;
And, like a ftrutting Player, whose conceit
Lies in his ham-string, and doth think it rich
To hear the wooden dialogue and found
"Twixt his ftretch'd footing and the fcaffoldage,
Such to-be-pitied and o'er-wrefted Seeming
He acts thy Greatnefs in: and when he speaks,
"Tis like a chime a mending; with terms unfquar'd,
Which, from the tongue of roaring Typhon dropt,
Would feem hyperboles. At this fufty stuff
The large Achilles, on his preft-bed lolling,
From this deep cheft laughs out a loud applause :
Cries excellent!- tis Agamemnon juft-
Now play me Neftor- -hum, and ftroke thy beard,
As he, being 'dreft to fome oration.

That's done (3) as near as the extremeft ends
Of parallels; as like, as Vulcan and his wife:
Yet god Achilles ftill cries, excellent!

'Tis Neftor right! now play him me, Patroclus,
Arming to answer in a night alarm.

And, then forfooth, the faint defects of
age
Must be the scene of mirth, to cough and spit,
And with a palfy fumbling on his gorget,
Shake in and out the rivet- and at this fport,
Sir Valour dies; cries "O!-
enough, Patroclus
Or give me ribs of feel, I fhall Split all
"In pleasure of my spleen." And, in this fafhion,
(4) All our abilities, gifts, natures, fhapes,

Seve

Thy TOPLESS Deputation] I don't know what can be meant by toplefs, but the contrary to what the fpeaker would infinuate. I fufpect the poet wrote STOPLESS, i. e. unlimited; which was the cafe. WARBURTON,

Topless is that has nothing topping or overtopping; fupreme; fovereign.

(3) as near as the extremeft ends, &c.] The parallels to which the allufion feems to be made are the parallels on a map. As like as Eaft to Weft.

(4) All our abilities, gifts, natures, shapes,

Severals and generals of grace exact,
Atchievements, plots, orders, preventions,
Excitements to the field, or speech for truce,
Succefs, or lofs, what is, or is not, ferves
As ftuff for these two (5) to make paradoxes.
Neft. And in the imitation of these twain,
Whom, as Ulyffes fays, opinion crowns
With an imperial voice, many are infect:
Ajax is grown felf-will'd, and (6) bears his head
In fuch a rein, in full as proud a place,

As broad Achilles; and keeps his tent like him;
Makes factious feafts, rails on our fate of war,
Bold as an Oracle; and fets Therfites,

A flave, whofe gall coins flanders like a mint,
To match us in comparisons with dirt;

Severals and generals of GRACE EXACT,

Atchievements, plots, &c.] The meaning is this, All our good qualities, fenerals and generals of grace: i. e. whether they be jeveral and belong to particular men, as prudence to Ulysses, experience to Neftor, magnanimity to Agamemnon, valour to Ajax, &c. or whether they be general and belong to the Greek nations in general, as valour, polished manners, &c. all thefe good qualities, together with our atchievements, plots, orders, &c. are all turned into ridicule by the buffoonery of Achilles and Patroclus. This is the fenfe, but what then is the meaning of grace exact? no other can be made of it, than that Achilles and Patroclus exactly mimick all our qualities and actions. But the fpeaker thought very differently of their buffoonery: the imitation, he fays, being as unlike the original as Vulcan to his wife. The fault lies here; exact fhould be exacts; and belongs to the fecond divifion, namely, the enumeration of the actions; and fhould be read thus;

All our abilities, gifts, natures, Shapes
Severals and generals of grace; EXACTS,
Atchievements, plots, &c.

i. e. exactments, publick taxes, and contributions for carrying on the war.

WARB.

Hanmer reads, though of grace exact. I fee no great need of emendation; the meaning is plain; of grace exact, of excellence irreprehenfible.

(5)- to make paradoxes.] Paradoxes may have a meaning, but it is not clear and diftinct. I with the copies had given,

(6)

-to make parodies.

-bears his head

In fuch a rein,-] That is, holds up his head as haughtily. We fill fay of a girl, he bridles.

To

To weaken and difcredit our exposure,
(7) How rank foever rounded in with danger.

Uly. They tax our policy, and call it cowardife,
Count wisdom as no member of the war ;
Foreftall our prefcience, and efteem no A&t
But that of hand: The ftill and mental parts,
That do contrive how many hands shall strike,
When fitness call them on, (8) and know by measure
Of their obfervant toil the enemies' weight;
Why, this hath not a finger's dignity;

They call this bed-work, Mapp'ry, closet war:
So that the ram, that batters down the wall,
For the great swing and rudeness of his poize,
They place before his hand that made the engine;
Or thofe, that with the fineness of their fouls
By reafon guide his execution.

Neft. Let this be granted, and Achilles' horfe
Makes many Thetis' fons.

Aga. What trumpet? look, Menelaus.

Men. From Troy.

[Tucket founds.

SCENE VI.

Enter Æneas.

Aga. What would you 'fore our tent?

Ene. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray you?
Aga. Even this.

Ene. May one, that is a Herald and a Prince,
Do a fair meflage to his (9) kingly ears?

(7) How rank foever rounded in with danger.] A rank aweed is a high weed. The modern editions filently read,

How hard foewer

(8) and know by measure

Of their obfervant toil the enemies' weight;] I think it were better to read,

and know the measure,

By their obfervant toil, of th' enemies' weight,
(9) -kingly ears ?] The quarto,

-kingly eyes.

VOL. IX.

Aga.