if all thou sayst be true that e're I met with Its for a Pronoune to a Noun of Multitude is excellent Pray which is the truest Grammar to say Troy held out ten years against its enemyes the Graecians or against Their enemies the Grâ—cians But one thing I should not omit he takes no notice of the three lines before this viz. The Furies from their Heads will shake Each useless Snake The Scorpions loose their stings And Hell it self forget c. And so makes it false concord in Grammar Hell will forget is Grammar though Hell forget is not For will is not only the sign of the Future tense before shake in the first line but before loose and forget in the two last Whence Mortal does thy Courage grow To dare to take a walk so low Says Plâ—to To which Orpheus answers To tell thee God thou art a Ravisher No Tears nor Prayer Your unresisted Will controuls Who commit Force on Virtue Rapes on Souls Pluto asks whence does thy Courage grow Orpheus answers from to tell thee God thou art a Ravisher If Pluto had ended there it had been something But put in to dare to take a walk so low and then examine the connexion Besides Orphens came a great Iourney to tell Pluto very great news viz. that he was a Ravisher as if he did not know that before What if he did know it before is Orpheus his upbraiding him of what he had done nonsense Or is all Discourse but telling news nonsense Then the Poet says Plutoes unresisted will cannot be controuled and Notes asks him How can a thing be controuled that is never resisted Aye How indeed But sure unresisted has the same signification with irresistible what cannot be resisted not what is not resisted But then this blundering Grammation says your unresisted will who commit c. will being the proximum antecedens to who makes it false English who for which and commit for commits If it be which commits and so true Grammar 't is nonsense For Pluto's will does not commit Rapes it only inclines him to commit rapes on Souls Well Grammar and Philosophy are things that buz much in Commentatours head especially in this fourth Act but by the insipid rate he talks of them I durst lay an even wager that such another as â—ripple in Epsome wells with his Laws of the Maids and Parsons and his castigo to non quod odio habem sed quod amem shall bafle him in both By the damnable stumbles Mr. Notes makes in them he is quite different from Aretine in his Preface who rayld not against God because he did not know him for he on the contrary abuses poor Grammar and Philosophy for no other reason but because he never understood them Let him alter it thus and see his mistake The will of you who commit and then let him examine the propriety of the English Is not your will and the will of you the same thing Dares a weak Animal of Mortal Race Aâ—â—ront a God â— his Face And of a Crime impeach a Deity An Animal of Mortal race is very elegant as much as to say an Animal of Animal race or a Mortal of Mortal race there being no animal but what is mortal I Believe the School-boy Elkanah when he wrote this had learning enough too as well as pays to tell him that an animal was of mortal race and yet for all that he has a little of Bays his confidence too to believe this Line more elegant than our Ironick friend is pleased to think it For had he said dares a weak animal affront and impeach a God 't would have been as dull and flat if possible as a Scene in the Polish Princess or the Five Acts of Charles the Eight The other Line is Burlesque Thy â—reath has damn'd thee thou shalt dye First he is damn'd and afterwards he shall dye Here is Breath agen which is every thing and does every thing with Elkanah nay breath that makes others live shall make Orpheus dye If a man should tell me that any Creature living had patience to read thy Pamphlet out at once sitting I should swear the story of the Famous Grizil were nothing to him Nay he deservs to be Canonized as much as she and to make his Memory live like hers in such another Pindarick as Full â—iâ—teen Winters she lived still contented No wrong she thought upon c. I know a friend of mine that if he would be so kind and strain hard might do this man the same favour and in the same style Rhime him into immortality But how prettily so ever this Objection is worded as first he is damn'd and â—fterwards dyes First let me ask him if Mens sins do not damn them and then when sins are committed before men dye or after death I wonder where 's the nonsense to say such a mans ambition or such a mans blasphemy damn'd him and wherein is Pluto's fault to tell Orpheus that his words had damn'd him and he should dye But then this over-curious Sophister has turn'd damn'd into a Passive Verb he is damn'd which relates to the suffering of damnation For to say a man is damn'd implyes he is dead and his soul in Hell and thereon he builds his seeming argument but to say in the Active sense such a sin damns a man implyes as the word is used that damnation will certainly follow as a reward of that sin after his death But his pittiful snarling objection that Breath which makes others live makes Orpheus dye is so Phlegmatick a thought that none but our sensless man of Gall but would be ashamed of Unloose your twisted Crests of Snakes Into his Breast those swift Totmentors fling And his tortur'd Entrals Sting Twisted Crests of Snakes viz. upon the Furies heads I take to be nonsense and sustian â— Ay prethee do take it so and welcome Thou hast such a pretty way of taking things that 't is pitty to baulk thee I dare swear for Elkanah that he would not be unwilling that thou shouldst take all the Plays he has or shall write provided thou wouldst use them so harmlesly as thou hast done this But why swift Snakes Snakes as he takes it agen are far from being swift Creatures Well if the Snakes on the Furies heads as the Poets feign'd were the tormentours the Furies used to fling into the Bosomes of men and our Commentatour will take Furies and their instruments of vengeance to slow creeping things how can we help it But I shrewdly guess what some people would say of such an expression as a slow Snake flung from a Furies head Oh Sir his fatal Doom recal Dispel your furious anger Let not such noble worth your Victim fall Be kind both to a Lover and a Stranger Here Prosâ—rpine calls a God Sir 'T is a very new Title for a God she might as well have said your worship I think not quite so well I 'm afraid a certain new-made Rhimer would
cutting his Throat as well as this Line I 'le with my Army take a walk that way may signify he intends to fight him Just at this rate he finds fault with the last Lines of the Fourth Act. Moren Then with a gentle gale of dying sighs I 'le breath my flying soul into the Skies Wing'd by my Love I will my passage steer Nor can I miss my way when you shine there And says His reason why he cannot miss his way is excellent and undeniable Nor is his observation on six lines in the latter end of the act after Crimalhaz his execution spoken by Abdâ—lcador much unlike See the reward of Treason Death 's the thing Distinguishes the Usurper from the King Kings are immortal and from life remove From their low'r Thrones to wear new Crowns above But Heav'n for him has scarce that bliss in store When an Usurper dies he raigns no more Here the Poet describes the difference of Kings from Usurpers by their reward after death and Mr. Impertinent tells us 't is nonsense for death makes all men equal I may as well say that Mr. Drydens Notes upon Morocco and Mr. Cowleys Davideis are equal pardon the profanation for neither the Authors nor their writings are to be named ' â—'th the same breath and prove it thus they are both but paper and Ink and therefore not different If the Poets discourse tended to nothing but the corruption of their bodies I am of his opinion that Death makes a King and an Usurper equal But this worthy Gentleman keeps constant to his Notions of Kings and as he has not only made so great a Fool of a King in his Boabdâ—lin but by his sense of them through his Notes made out his opinion of them in general to be the same or worse then he has character'd there I wonder not at all at a Tenent that has been so long cherisht by him Another sentence Kings are immortal and yet dye The Poet is so far from such a contradiction that he calls it only removing from Life Yet if he had used Sir Positives own words the sense had been entire considering how the whole Speech affirms that Kings leave this Temporal Life for an immortal one But for a more glorious sentence when a man dyes he raigns no more Certainly a King 's a man and yet the Authour had said they raignd agen after they dye But I grow tired and wonder for what cause he could crowd such a Rabble of Iingles and Blunders together unless he courted the favour to be ridiculous which he of all mankind might have had without this trouble though perhaps not so Plentifully But I perceive our Laureat has done writing of Plays and though impotent yet desirous to be fumbling still like Old sinners worn from their delight as one of this Prologues has it he desires to be whâ—pt to appetite It had been much more to his purpose if he had design'd to render the Authours Play little to have searc'd for some such Pedantry as this Lyndaraxa page 17. Two ifs scarce make one Possibility Zulema p. 19. If Iustice will take all and nothing give Iustice methinks is not Distributive Benzayd p. 48. To dye on kill you is ah ' Alternative Rather than take your Live I will not live Observe how prettily our Authour chops Logick in Heroick Veâ—se Three such sustian canting words as Distributive Alternative and two â—fs No man but â—imself would have come within the noise of But he 's a man of general Learning and all comes into his Plays 'T would have done well too if he could have met with a rant or two worth the observation Such as Alman page 156. Move swiftly Sun and fly a Lovers pace Leave Months and Weeks behind thee in thy race \ But surely the Sun whether he flyes a Lovers or not a Lovers pace leaves Weeks and Moneths nay Years too behind him in his race Poor Robin or any other of the Philomathematicks would have given him satisfaction in the point Almanz. page 56. to Abdalla If I would kill thee now thy Fate 's so low That I must stoop e're I can give the blow But mine is sixt so far above thy Crown That all thy men Pil'd on thy Back can never pull it down Now where that is Almanzors saâ—e is fixt I cannot guess But wherever 't is I believe Almanzor and think that all Abdaâ—las Subjects piled upon one another might not â—ull down his Fate so well as without piling besides I thiâ—k Abdalla so wise a man that if Almanzor had to â—d him piling his men upon his back might do the feat he would scarce bear such a weight for the pleasure of the exploit But 't is a huff and let Abdalla do it if he dare But though your hand did of his murder miss Howe're his Exile has restrain'd his pow'r But though and howe're signifie both one thing Sir I kiss your hand 't is the first time I ever heard so much before He fiâ—ls a Verse as Masons do Brick walls with broken pieces in the middle Pardon me Sir if I quible with your Similitude But though and However are not in the middle but the beginning of the Verse In common Murders blood for blood may pay But when a Martyrd Monarch dyes we may His Murderers Condemne but that 's not all A vengeance hangs o're Nations where they fall What does a vengeance hang o're Nations where Murderers of Kings are punisht where they fall to what does they relate if to martyrd Monarchs 't is false Grammar If they may not relate to martyrd Kings in general the last Line being a distinct sentence from the rest Mr. Bays has reason No Prologues to her Death let it be done Let what be done Let her Death be done No let her Execution be done Thy poysond Husband and thy murdered Son This injur'd Empress and Morocco's Throne Which thy accursed hand so oft has shook Deserves A blow more fierce than Iustice ever strook Deserves is false Grammar for deserve And afterwards Whose Fortune and whose Sword has wonders done There he finds the same fault has for have And in another place And though your hand and hers no Scepter bears Bears for bear Here our Old Friend has met with Grammar again but he keeps his old humour and treats it as uncivilly as before A Boy that had never arrived beyond the construing Qui mihi discipulus c. Would tell him that the Verb after more Nominative Cases than one may agree with them all or only with the last at pleasure What does he think of this expression in Ovid. Quum mare quum Tellus correptaque Regia Coeli Ardeat But how does her poyson'd Husband deserve a blow and why does her murdered Son deserve another I can tell him how the Poysoning of her Husband and the Murdering of her Son deserves one But if the Poet has taken too much Liberty in the exprâ—ssing of it he begs his
then expect now no more of that Stamp his last fury being spent in his Love in a ` Nunnery And to convince you of this truth he is now grown as Ill-natur'd as Old Women in their decay of Beauty who make it their business to rail against all that 's young Thus the best Title he can allow this Stripling Poet is to call him Great Boy and indeed that is his Fault if it be one To be but a few Years past Twenty and to show how much he thinks him a Boy as one not able to answer for himself he quibbles upon his God-Fathers and at every pinch to make out a feeble Iest he cryes Oh Elkanah well said Elkanah read Philosophy Elkanah As if he supposed the Reader would be infinitely taken with the Novelty of such a Name as Elkanah But hold what have I done Indeed I was too much to blame to tell the World he is Old When Mr. Drydâ—n as he has declared himself designes to please none but his fair Admirers the Female part of his Audience and for them to know he is in Years is very severe however in the same Epilogue he answers for himself and says But yet he hopes he 's young enough to Love 'T is in this Garb unhappy Princes mourn To pass by his Impertinent question are Fetters the Crape or the Purple that Princes mourn in here he says Muly Labas confesses himself a man of mean Courage and his reason is this because if a man mourns or complains he must be a coward Now whether he takes mourning for blubbering or howling I cannot tell but certainly to make a Prince sad and concern'd for a King and Fathers unjust displeasure his being the cause of a Mistriss Imprisonment and the occasion of a War between her Father and his might be pardonable in any mans writings but he who dares reflect on Mr. Dryden But he is so far from being a Coward that others think the Poet in the whole Speech proves the quite contrary and wonder Mr. Dryden should be so ill a Judge Yet Fortune to great Courages is kind 'T is he wants Liberty whose Soul 's confin'd My thoughts out-fly c Great Courages are here the same thing with unconfin'd Souls and the sense is Great Courages or unconfin'd Souls are unconfin'd by the kindness of Fortune that is Great Courages are valiant by chance or by good luck Now every man but our Commentator that is every Rational man and one that had but Brains enough to carry the Sence of two Lines in his head would have construed it thus yet Fortune that reduces Princes to Fetters is kind to those of Great Courages for as the following Lines express it gives e'm an occasion of manifesting their Courage To the short Walk of one poor Globe enslav'd A walk of a Globe Now by Mr. Settles Leave a Globe is a round thing and a thing improper to be walked upon for a woman on a Globe is the Emblem of Fortunes Inconstancy Well argued witty Mr. Dryden If he means such a kind of of Globe Alexander was enslaved to Aristotle was very unkind to give his Pupil the trouble of Conquering a World when an Astronomers Library might have satisfied his Ambition But we must suppose Mr. Dryden to be of his Indians Belief that the World is no Globe and that the Earth is like a Trencher and the Heavens a Dish whelmed over it when he says My Eyes no Object met But distant Skies that in the Ocean set Or if he will allow the World to be round perhaps he may have the same opinion of Alexanders expedition as some Old Women have of Captain Drakes Navigation for I shrewdly suspect his Faith to be as Ridiculous as his Reason and having heard him call'd Alexander the Great supposes him to have been some huge heavy monstrous creature that the Earth shook under him and consequently 't was not a Globe fit or safe for him to walk on But to judge more favourably of him for this is most to his advantage it may be he tells us a Globe is a round thing to shew us his Skill in Mathematicks My Soul mounts higher and Faâ—â—s Pow'r disdains And makes me reign a Monarch in my Chains c. But then wherein do his thoughts out fly Alexanders Alexanders thoughts were too big for a World and Muly Labas his for a Prison as if he should say he scornd the World but I scorn a Jayle I am a greater man than he because he was a greater man than I. This Argument is one of the best he has in all his Notes for the generality of them neither are nor look like Arguments But this is a little degree advanced above the Crowd for this looks like an argument though it be none For first he mistakes the whole design of the speech in mistaking what thoughts those are of Muly Labes and Alexander which the Poet makes his comparison upon Because desâ—res of greatness and ambition are thoughts therefore there can be no other thoughts or at lest the Poet can mean no other But the whole speech proves that the Poet makes the comparison between the thoughts of their 〈◊〉 and the satisfaction of their Souls not the extent of their wishes dominions or prisons which was the more satisfied not which was the greater Man Alexander thought himself confined in a World and Muly Labas thought himself free in a Prison He was a Slave in Empires and this a Monarch in Chains Thy rage brave Prince mean Subjects does despise None but thy Son shall be thy Sacrifice Here his Old Emperour is a brave Prince and why Because he is so Bloody-minded a man that for Recreation of killing he must pick out â—his son for his Sacrifice I would fain ask him if it had not been famous in Solyman when he strangled Mustapha had Mustapha real'y been that Traytor he suspected him This dazling Object my weak sight invades That is comes before my weak sight Ever since A horrid stilness does invade my Ear. After so excellent a Line Invade will be sence no where else Such Beauty would make Dungeons loose their shades Shades for darkness I Why not Sir Positive When I fond Woman in a borrow'd shape Was a Conspiratour in my 〈◊〉 Rape Here Morena repents of her hard â—argain and why Because she calls her self fond woman but I should think that a woman of a perfect Character â—ow great or reasonable soever her passion was may in modesty call her self fond for running away from her Father on any soore But Mr. Dryden can make his perfect Characters fond Bawdy and Impudent and not know they are so or at lest never blush for their being so as for Example His beloved Almahide Who being present amongst other Granadin Damsels at the Famous Tryal of Skill alias the Bull-baiting and seeing the Butcher-like discords that arose between the Bear-garden assembly of the Zegryes and the Abencerrages where for a quarrel raised at
in nature that no man can think of two things much less two such contraries as Ioy and Grief at onâ— and the same Moment and words being the discription of thoughts to speak e'm so as is impâ—ssible If then they cannot Iump but by turns Tarbox Muly Labas is not the Fool this bouâ— But now for the most unintelligible pieâ—e of Non-sense has been meâ— with yet Heaven fits our swelling passions to our souls If every word had been Sphears Orbs Infection White Forms c. the sense had been as good But now for this Gordian Heaven predestâ—ns nothing for any man that should raise him to an excess of joy or grief or any other passion more than what he can bear which I think is fitting passions to our Souls The Soul being the seat of Passions But though it be not Non-sense yet unintelligible I 'le grant it is viz. with Mr. Commentatour Sense and Understanding I confess have been formerly of his acquaintance but he has long since shook hand with them I assure you And indeed I commend him for it he consults his own ease in it as a man ought to do at his Years and why should he burdâ—n himself more than his occasion requires When some great fortune to Mankind's convey'd Such blessings are by Providence allay'd Thus Nature to the World a Sun creates But with cold Winds his pointed rays rebates Cool winds allay the blessing of the scorching Sun Why the scorching Sun O yes the blessing of the scorching Sun looks like a Contradiction and therefore scorching is the word for thy turne Well to humour the Child scorching shall be the word But then sure the heat of the Sun that scorches men produces Plants and Fruits c. and though it offends their Bodies it maintains their Lives and if this be not a blessing Notes is infallible Nay where the heat of the Sun is so excessive that it makes the Earth barren as to the production of plants yet there it operates another way and produces Gold Aâ—d there are those who say Bays what he can will think that a blessing too Thy early growth we in thy Chains had crusht And mix'd thy Ashes with thy Fathers dust A strange Engine it must be that can crush a man to Ashes and as strange a Poyson that can turn a man to Dust in two howres time for it could be no longer since the Emperour dyed Bear up briskly Laureat there you have him For the Poet lyes Divellishly if he tells you that his Emperour can be really Dust and Ashes in so little a time But if Mr. Dryden had ever had a friend worth following to the Grave he would have heard e're this time of Dust to Dust and Ashes to Ashes said of those that had been neither of them How common a Figure is this in Discourse Does his Montezuma when he says of Cortez Grant only he who has such honour shown When I am dust may fill my empty throne Desire that Cortez may not enjoy his Throne immediately after his Death but stay till he is Dust first See what mistakes his malice makes though to his own disadvantage He has two more observations of the same kind in the Fifth Act. page 55. His Blood shall pay what to your Brothers dust I owe He turn'd Dust very quickly in a Country which preserves Mummy 3000. years Page 57. So may my Body rot when I am dead 'Till my rank Dust has such contagion bred My Grave may dart forth Plagues as may strike Death Through the infected Air where thou drawst Breath By that time it is Dust it will cease to be rank and consequently breed no contagion if it bred none before Well but to make it sense in Bays his Style let it run thus So may my Body rot when I am dead 'Till my rank Putrifaction or rank Corruption or Filth Nastiness or the like How delicately this would run in Heroick Verse and how proper and pleasant would it be for a Gentleman to speak and an Audience to hear If the Author had used Dust in a strict sense as Bays to make it Non-sense would have you believe he does he should nor have said so may my body rot when I am dead till my rank Dust c. but thus After my Body has done rotting may my rank Dust c. for I take it the Rotting must be over before it be really Dust. This Positive Critick sure would find infinite fault with such an expression as the Turkish Crown and to bring it to his sense alter it and say Turkish Turbant for they wear no Crowns Poison'd my Husband Sir and if there need Examples to instruct you in the deed I 'll make my actions plainer understood Copying his Death on all the Royal Blood She will instruct him by an Example to do a deed that 's done and by an Example that must be copyed after his Example which he again is to copy c. A great deal more pudder he makes about a Copy and a Copy and a Copy c. This Objection has a little of the Polish in it for he talks of a Copy much at the rate of the Cloak-bag But now to the Argument she will instruct him to do a deed that 's done c. Here hee 's at his old way of Begging the meaning but a wiser Body would have guest her meaning to have been that for his better understanding what she had already done she would give him more examples of the same kind for his instruction I am a Convert Madam for kind Heaven Has to Mankind immortal Spirits given And Courage is their Life but when that sinks And to tame Fears and Coward faintness shrinks Which he writes into tame Fears c. which quite alters the sense We the great work of that bright frame destroy And shew the world that even our Souls can dy The Poet is at his Mock Reasons But I am afraid the Commentatour is Crimalhaz is converted to Villany for the very Reasons he should be honest If Crimalhaz be beyond the fear of damnation and is possest that in being Ambitious Villanous and Bloody he does well and nobly 't is Non-sense for him to call himself otherwise then a convert to Villany for Conversion and Aâ—ostacy are sense only as they respect the Opinion or Faith of him that speaks ' em A Roman Catholick shall tell you of such Protestants made Converts to his Religion and a Protestant of such Converts of Catholicks to his and so with Turks and Christians c. And yet they all speak sense If any good Character in the Play that believed Crimalhaz his Tenents ill had said he had been converted to Villany it had been Non-sense But hang consideration Mr. Dryden's above it But for his next Objection Riddle my riddle can Courage become Cowardise or Immortality mortal What pretty Sophistry is this A Couragious man it is possible may turn a Coward which is the sense of the very
could no other Verb have followed Breast The Queen does not talk of Ravishing 'till twelve Lines after this and sure Muly Hamet was not so hot but he might stay a thinking while before the Sport began and so Muly Hamets Cruel Breast might be first supposed to have harboured some thoughts to her dishonour and some desires to be doing before he fell to it His alter'd Brow Wore such fierce looks as had more proper been To lead an Army with than Court a Queen He places a mans looks on his Brow and says his Brow wore looks c. In the last act the Queen says I should meet Death with Smiles upon my Brow This is so notorious an Errour that 't is not a sufferer in the common Crowd but is Arraigned amongst the Capital sins of the Epistle This Common Barrater in Poetry is resolved to jar and quarrel with every thing Surely he has lived long enough to understand better one would think Has not he heard Brow used for the whole Face or Aspect of a man oftner than in a stricter sense Nay has he not in Granada said I cannot clear my mind but must my Brow If the Brow be taken strictly then Boabdelin has liberty to make mouths at Almanzor provided his Brow be clear still I wonder how fronti nulla fides would scape with him if the Latine Authourâ— had the honour to be examined by him But for Mr. Drydens sake for once I 'le alter these two Lines and express their design'd sense in words at large and no Synecdoche 1. His alter'd Countenance wore such fierce looks c. 2. I should meet Death with Dimples in my Cheâ—k or with wrinckles in my Chin for that is smiling This would be almost as good as the incomparable Line of Almerias Kil'd in my Limbs reviving in my mind And as a Ravisher I abhorr'd him more In that black form than I admir'd before She abhorrd him as a Ravisher in a black form c. this no body can make any thing of Let it be in that black form still and any body will tell you what to make of it by what the word that points to Our â—oly Prophet dares not see him fall I 'm sure had he my Eyes As if changing of Eyâ—s would alter ones mind What says thy Lyndaraxa to this Page 93. Fortune at last has chosen with my Eyes And where I would have given it placed the Prize How often do expressions of this kind signify Eyes and inclination too Sure this Coffee-House Oracle thinks all Mankind his Cullies If he expects to be cry'd up for such stuff as this The Powers above would shrink at what he felt He has felt nothing yet as I know but her c. Sure the King had told him that for his offence the Law required his death and what means the Queen Mothers pleading for him but that supposing that Law were executed on him the powers above would shrink at what he felt Here bind the Traytour and convey him strait To Prison there to linger out his Fate Till his hard Lodging and his slender Food Allay the Fury of his Lustful Blood That is here take this Letcherous fellow away carry him to Prison mortifie him and take down his Mettle that my Mother and my Women may live in quiet for him Since he'â— so good at Burlesquing I may as properly apply it to Mr. Commentatour Heâ—e take this wretched Scribler away carry him to School agen lash him and mortisy his Letchery of writing Nonsense that the Town and the Press may be at quiet for him My Soul Dull Man what has my Soul to do In such mean Acts as my betraying you Murder and Tâ—eason Without the help of Souls when I think good Such Toys I act as I 'm but flesh and blood This is written like one that thinks without a Soul as his Queen Mother does Such Villanies I act and think as I 'm but flesh and blood c. She says indeed she will act Villanies without the help of her Soul as she is but flesh and blood but for thinking without her Soul I cannot find any thing like it For when I think good which indeed is no more than when I please reflects not at all upon the designing or managing of her Treasons or the acting of her Villanies but only upon the time when she resolves to be Vilâ—anous As if she had said let me but once resolve to be Treacherous and the acting of Treason is so customary to me that it comes easie and unstudied Hell No of that I scorn to be afraid Betray and kill and damn to that degree I 'le crowd up Hell till there 's no Room for me This is the principal huff of the Play and by consequence thickest of Nonsense c. But you shall see how he proves it The Queen Mother says she scorns to be afraid of Hell yet she plainly confesses she is afraid of it for she will kill and damn to a horrible degree to avoid it At this rate every man that draws his Sword to defend himself and offend his enemy must be afraid of him For her killing and damning to fill Hell till there 's no room for her is her Guard against the Power of Hell as a mans sword is his against an enemy And so why the is not afraid of Hell she proves in the following Lines for she shews that she need not fear it but then this mighty man of morals disputes the dimensions of Hell and the cause of damnation and says she is the liker to come to Hell her self than send others thither Oh! then the Queen Mother tells a lye and threatens to do what she cannot do and therefore the Poet writes Nonsense O thou Great Master of little wit if all were Nonsense that persons in plays say more than they can do I am afraid thy Granada must suffer a great Lop to be squared into sense Thy beloved Almanzors rants would dwindle much to come within the compass of possibility nay his large actions too which the Poet will force the audience to beâ—ieve performed would suffer much correction to be brought to standard measure And so his Picture of Achilles would be much defaced by it But 't were no great matter Achilles would be but a little sufferer for the execution that was done him in effigie for like the piece of painting with the superscription of this is the Dog and this is the Hare had he not told us he meant Achilles the features and lineaments he has made of him like Hugh Clod pates representing the King would never have discovered the original without a marginal note As I take it I have heard that Tamberlane and Bajazet at the Red Bull the four London Prentices and the seven Champions of England Club'd their Talents to make up an Almanzor But I rather think he had a more modern Original and that Sir Arthur Addles Masty Dog was his sire for hee 's very
to it self it made one lose a Husband the other a Son Sure her fuâ—y had done something more then all this If the King had died in his bed one would have lost a Husband and the other a Son And Morocco a King c. But certainly it might be supposed his Murder might be the occasion of more Calamitiâ—s then his natural death would have been They might expect a Vengeance that would attend his Murder besides the concern and sorrow of a Nation for so fatal a blow which her fury was Author of But this unmerciful fellow keeps up his old little thoughts of Kings Such a word as Lead on shall rob 'em of all authority and make Cyphers of them whilst they live and when they are dead dye which way soever like Cats and Dogs there is an end of them Too fit for Heav'n is a bull nothing can be too fit for the end it is design'd for much less for Heav'n But relatively a thing may be very properly so call'd Her saying he was too sit for Heaven but not to go so soon Implied as much as if she had said he was so good and so Virtuous that he was too fit for Heaven that is in so much he was so Virtuous mankind did not deserve him but not fit to go so soon considering what loss mankind would have of him by his going thither too soon Was it not you that arm'd me to this guilt Told me I should a Ravishers blood have spilt I should have spilt before she did it is nonsense it must be I should spill But now she had don to say she should have done otherwise may be sense Had it been I should spill it had scarce been so His telling her and the deed being both past 't is more properly said of her I should have split For 't is a praeterperfect in relation to now she speaks it not when it was told her first For if he be so strict as to examine in what tense her spilling a Ravishers blood was first spoke to her 't was neither I should spill nor I should have spilt For when the Queen Mother set her a work 't is likely she said Madam do as I tell ye and you shall spill a Ravishers blood But such pittiful observations raise more words then they are worth But madness alway usâ—ers in great Sins Madness takes away all sin Mad men cannot sin These are two of Commentators sentences and the application of 'em is excellent Because a fellow that is Lunatick or a Man that 's absolutely devested of Reason and understanding commits no sin Therefore madness cannot be accused of â—in I hope he designes this excuse for writing his Pamphlet that he was Frantick when he writ it for indeed he that reads it would guess as much and his sentence too holds Good here For Elkanah I dare swear for him thinks his Pamphlet so far from a sin or an offence that nothing could please him better But I wonder at Mr. Commentators rateing of madness how cruel our English Law is that hangs a Man when he 's sober for a crime committed when he was drunk whereas if the man had had his right senses and not a tangue of frenzy occasion'd by his Wine 't is likely he had not commited it And it so he sin not in the committing it why is he punisht She mov'd star'd walk'd storm'd rag'd curst rav'd and dam'd She mov'd and walk'd as if any body could walk without moving But sure one may move without walking The Author has Printed it she mov'd star'd walk'd not she walk'd star'd mov'd and 't is imagin'd that people may move before they walk storm'd rag'd raved that is raged raged raged Well now I do not wonder at Mr. Commentators blunders in Grammar by his ignorance in English For 't is a received opinion that the rules a man makes of what he does not understand may very possibly be faulty If his great education and greater conversation has taught him no distinction between storming raving and raging certainly two great blessings have been thrown away upon him This is no news to that which she has done Done news Why done news Was ever such a construction made That which she had done might be News without making News the Accusative case to don Her face discolour'd grew to a deep red That is either her red face grew red or her tauny or black and blew face Any colour but the right will serve thy turn Nothing but sense comes amiss to thee Then with an infant Rage more soft and mild She playd with madness leap'd sung danc'd and smild She plaid leap'd sung danc'd and smild these are pretty effects of rage But 't is an infant rage Little or moderate rage that is moderate excess is a bull But sure a less or more moderate rage spoken in comparison to a greater that was mention'd before is no bull Observe how idly her wild fancies walk But she who acts so ill as ill may talk who 'd think a thing so young so soft and fair Could be so kind a Husbands Murderer But see when Heaven commands its gifts away The Wits and senses lost the Soul may stray The Poet thinks his own fancy flies but his Queens but walks What ever the Poets may do flye or walk I 'm certain the Commentators fancy does but creep and so humbly too that Placidius's maggot and that may go together one for the husk of Loâ—â— and the other for the husk of sense But then The Wits and senses lost the Soul may sâ—ray That is when the Wits and senses are gone 't is possible to be mad Never was man so unlucky at sentences as I 〈◊〉 Never was man so lucky at 'em as Bays Thy wits and senses gon 'tis certain thou art little less then mad But thine is such an innocent madness such an infant rage as Elkanah has it thanks to thy Saturnine humour as thou calst it for why tamer qualification that thy Dogs days are not so hot as otherwise might have been expected I st not enough that my dear Lord I slew But must he actor and designer too It should be I must I being as necessary as any word in the verse I wonder thou didst not tell us that she moved stared c. should have been she mov'd she star'd she walk'd she storm'd she rag'd she curst she rav'd She being as necessary there as I must here after I shew in the line before Morena's hand shall wash the stain She wears As Condemn'd men turn Exeâ—utioners Morena must execute her self as condemn'd men execute others and she must wash the stain off her self as condemn men wash the stain off themselves by being Hang men In the first place Mr. Bays do not deal so unnaturally and ungentleman like to treat so honourable a man as a Hang-man so rudely consider dear heart consider a Hang-man is a Squire Now wherein lyes the wondrous fault to say Morena will wash off her