If Shakespeare hat laboured under the prodigious confiraint of rhyme*, had he bee. contrained by a fyilematical art of postry, as it is called, he would have refembled Corneille very much, However, there is a force of genius in Corneille which often furmounts the derangements of rhyme and rule. Then he is the great dramatic poet, and perfectly refembles Shakespeare, who fubjected himfelf oo rules but fuch as his own native genius and judgment prefcribed. To this aufpi cious liberty we chi fly owe the fingular pleafure of reading is matchiefs work, and of feeing his wonderfully various and natural haracters occafionally performed by excellent acters of both fexes. per It as extremely remarkable that a player never fuls to acquire both fame and fortune by cxc.lling in the proand natur. Iteriormance, even of low parts in Shakespeare's capital plays, fuch as fron. Simple, the gravedigers, Lancelot, Degherty, the Nurie in Romeo, Mrs Quickly, Mine bar of the Garter, down to Doll Tear-fheet, Bardolph, and Pittel, becauferu: pictures of narpre must ever ple fe. The genius of a great painter is as much dilinguithed by an infe&t, as a hero, by a fimple cage, as by a gorge us palace. In the courfe of reading Corneille's plays, I lave b.en rep a ly frank with a ple-fing 18coded on of fined or beauties in Skakefpcore. Of this I fet down one example: Alte two of the three Horati were killed, the furviving brother dexterous retrest was reported at Rome as an inglorious defeat and fligt. Old Horatius pours forth his age and maledictions against the degenerate boy in high strams of poetry, and in the reue character of a heroic Romin father. A friend offers rato al acologies for the young man, and Concludes with flying what "ccu. he do agi. fich adds ??? the noble aniwer is, He could have "died." Voltaire tells us, that this fublime paffage is always received by the audience at Paris with bursts of applaufe-much to their credit. I am fure, the juft admirers of Shakespeare may find fimilar beauties in his plays. Oae occurs to me; it is one of his left efteemed pieces, Henry VI. Part II Scene ii.Lord Somerfet, in company with other leaders,. fining their friend, the gallant Warwick, mortally wounded on the field, of battle, exclaims, «O Warwick, Warwick, wert thou as we are, We might recover all our lofs again. The Queen from France hath brought a puiffant pow'r, Even now we heard the news, thou fly." couldft The Heroic Briton's answer is, Perhaps at the hazard of seeming tedious, if ever thefe notes fhould be published,-my real and hearty admi ration for Shakespeare pushes me, ir. refiftibly, into further remarks on Vol. taire's ill-conceived crit.cifms. He has partly trar flted Shakespeare's excellent play of Julius Cælar, which he ftrangely propofes, to his countrymen, and all foreigners, as a proper, and fair fpecimen upon which they may form a judgment of the original author's genius, and be fully enabled to compare him with Corneile. In a Note on page 2. of this feeble tranfation, he fays, “ il fout favoir que Stake"Speare avoit u peu d'education, qu'il "avoit le malheur d'etre ridit a etre "comedin, qu'il folicit plaire au pou "pi, que le peuple plus ricie en Angle terre qu'auteurs frequente les pece "tacles, et que Shakespeare le fervit felon fon gout." i. e. It must be re"marked, teat Sh kespeare had little "benefit of educatos, that he was unt "toitunately reduced to become a co"m.dan; that he furd it neceffary, "to please the populace, who in Eng"land are richer than in other coun 66 ttis, and frequent the theatres; and Shakespeare ferved them with en"tertainmuts to their taft." In another place, he fays that Shakespeare introduced low characters and fcenes of buffoonery, to please the people, and to get money. I venture to aver, on Full convict on of my own mind, that thefe imputation, are rath, and even grofsly falfe and injurious. Shake fpeare's low characters have fo curious and fo perfect a refemblance to nature, that they must always pleafe, as I have obferve 1, like malter-pieces in paint, ing; and moreover, they never fail to illustrate and en lear the great characters. Take away the odd, humourous, natural characters and fcenes of Faltaff, Poins, Bardolph, Pistol, Mrs ickly, &c. in his two plays of Hen. ry the IV. and particularly the common foldier Williams, in his play of Henry the V. and I venture to affirm, that you at once extinguish more than one half of our cordial eiteem and a 1miration of that favourite hero. In the fime manner, expunge from the phy of Julius Cæfar the reprefentation of a giddy, fickle, and degenerate Roman mob, and you diminith, iu a very great degree, our eftimation of the two noble republican characters, th: honest, fincere, philofophicalBru us, and his brave, able, and ambitious friend Cailius. The juft admirers, and frequent readers of Shake fpeare, will, on their own ref &tions, and without farther explanation, find that these observations, though, as far as "I know, they are new, are clearly applicable to every one of his plays, in which low characters are introduced. Shakespeare was incapable to deviate from the truth of nature and character to please the great, or footh the vulgar; and no dramatic writer ever treated the common people with fo much contempt. His feenes, in ridicule of them, are as exquifite as they are various; though Voltaire ignorantly fays he courted their favour. O this the ludicrous characters, and true comic drollery of Dogberry the contable, and his low afficiates, in the play of Much Ado About Nothing, is one proof; there is fill a more precious fcene, of the fine kind, in that part of his play of Henry the Sixth, where Jack Cade and his gang deliberate on a reformation of the ftate: this is a fingular piece of comedy and ridicule of low life, applicable to all periods and all nations; it has that character of eternal nature, which dilinguifhes Shakespeare; it d feribes to the life, the fooleries of free and ignorant people in all ages. There is no judgment in Voltaire's reflection on Shakespeare, “that he was reduced to become a comedian,” a circumstance waich certainly improved his great natural talents as a dramatic writer. Moliere, who far excelled all French comic w iters, was alfo a player. The native genius and judgment of both poets derived material avantages from experience and knowledge in the theatrical reprefentations of human nature. Voltaire himself was ftudious of the art, and practifed it often. One circumftance must be fufficient to convince ali fenfible foreigners of Voltaire's wilful and partial mifreprefentation of shakespeare. What I mean is that he figly contradicts the unnimous op nion of all British people for a courfe of more than two centuries. An imperfect judge of the Spaniih language might as reasonably attempt to deny the merit of Cervantes, and produce a morfel of a flat, literal tranflation by himf If, as fuffici.nt evidence to difcredit him. Not only the common people in Britain, but all their fuperiors, wife and unwife, all the poets, great and fmall, all the critics, good and bad, concur without a diff ning voice, in admiration of Shakespeare, as an unrivalled dramate poet. Even Pope, (though, like Voltaire, bedazzled by the immoderate praife of his cotemporaries of alt ranks, though, like him, proud of L as Shakespeare was. Indeed, his o pinions of our poets, particularly of the immortal Milton, are evidently warped and affected by the avowed bigotry of his principles in regard to church and ftate; yet he warmly joins the general applaufe. Voltaire invites his countrymen to judge of Shakefpeare's merit by his morfel of literal tranflation, made, to use his own words, mot pour mot; and then he 2ads, (with attonithing levity), thefe words; " Je n'ai qu'un mot á ajouter; "c'eft que les vers blancs ne coutent que "la peine de les diéter, cela n'est pas "plus diffi ile qu'une lettre.”—i. e. “I "have only a word to add, that is, harmonious rhimes, and his art of patry,) joined in the general veneration, and published an edition of his works, with humble notes, which are not fo abfurd as Warburton's-Flies fwarm in the fun-beams, or, to ufe Shakespeare's expreffion, "Whither fly the gnats but to the fun?" Shakefpeare has been plyed by commentatrs and critics more than all the reft of our poets together. Among the crowd I can diftinguith very few. The author of the Canons of Citicilm writes, in my opinion, with fuperior propriety, judgment, and tafte; and he lathes Warburton most justly. An entinent lady, Mrs Montague, has alfo diftinguished herself in the left."that compofitions in blank verfe cost She writes with true difcernment and el gance. I only object, that the treats Vo taize with more complaifance than be deferved. I concur with thofe who allow that Samuel Johnfon poffefied uncommonly strong powers, both of thinking and expreffion; but furely he was not fufficiently unprejudiced and liberal in his knowledge of hu man life, and he was too formally fcientific, to merit the character of a found and unexceptionable critic, on fo great a mafter of truth and nature "only the trouble of dictating them, "which is as eafy as a familiar letter." No man of common fenfe can wonder that a literal tranflation, mot pour mot, and written, as Voltaire boasts, with the indolence and cafe of a famili.r epiftle should be totally inadequate to convey any juft idea of original genius. - Yet I own I have been furprised to meet with fome Frenchmen of reputation for taste and parts, who form their opinions on fuch a trauflation and fuch authority, THE Method of using the Cold Bath to moft Advantage. "Fies nobilium tu quoque Fontium.” SIR, HOR. 3. Carm. xiii. 13. HE intention of the following lines will be a fufficient apology for troubling you with them. I hope and truft the hints they contain may make them worthy the attention of many of your readers, as well as contribute to the health and comfort of fome individuals of that number; than which nothing can be more gratifying to the writer, whofe fole view in their publication is the benefit of thofe who feek, what they deferve, *Health. The important good confequences of Cold bathing need nothing fate at this time of day to recommend it to the notice of the debilitated. The experience of mankind has taught its ufes and effects; which have been further fanétioned by many writers, and fome of the most eminent in the medical world, who have at different times very ably employed their pens on its fubject. To the latter for its virtues, and to the prefent enlightened Faculty for the propriety of its ufe individually, the application of invalids is recommended. When that is deter mined, ined, it is the mode only I am about to prefcribe. Waving, therefore, every endeavour at attempting to offer any thing new on the general fubject, as to the medical powers of the Cold Bath, I fhall only briefly relate what led me to ufe the mode recommended below; what were is effects on my elf, and on fome others who, by my advice, have been in the habit of ufing it; adding a few practical hints, which, I hope, will make an operation, very frightful to many, not only pleafanter, but much more effectually, and, I hope, more extensively, ufeful. From a natural delicacy in my conftitution, and withing to enjoy what one would almoft think fome people thought not worth having, I have been long accufiomed to this remedy, and have the greatest reafon to think I owe much comfort to its friendly aid. Seabathing, if my attentive obfervation has not deceived me, in general, has been more certainly advantageous in its tonic powers; but whether that fuperiority arifes only from its holding faline particles diffolved, or whether the large body of water the fea contains is at all contributing, or if any thing is particularly due to its comparative fpecific gravity; whether the purity of the air breathed during its ufe compared with that of a crowded city, and the relaxation of the mind from bufinefs, and the amusement enjoyed in a large fociety, where every member feems difpofed to be and to make happy, has not each its demand; which feparately has the greatest claim, it would perhaps be hard to determine, while it most be allowed that each has its merit. Something probably is due to its impregnation; bat the fum of all thefe circumitances co-operating, no doubt, fills the measure of its effects; and in is ufe likewife, as well from my own obfervation, as from the information of others, whose conftitutions were alike tender, I have learned there is much Jefs chance of taking cold, an accident to which the most tender are, even with the greatest care and circumfpection, occafionally expofed in using the Cold Bath in the ufual way. This circumftance has induced me for fome years paft to recommend, in the dipping weakly chiltren at a distance from the fea, the addition of as much fea or bay falt to the water as would make the folution nearly as falt, or rather a little falter than fea-water; and the event has ever fully rewarded the practice, and fubstantiated the preference; for I have feen fome unhealthy children more benefited by a few weeks bathing in this way than by months in freihwater; and others, who have received no benefit by fresh long continued, very foon get colour, fpirits, and ftrength, from a change to the falted. The formation of fuch a bath was eafy for infants, but lefs manageable for adults. To avoid, therefore, in the common method of ufing the Cold Bath, fuch temporary interruptions to its ufe, and their difagreeable contequences, which I have frequently known to be a continual diftrels to the too quickly apprehenfive mind of the valetudinarian; and ftudious myfelf to enjoy that luxury as often as poffible, with every advantage to be de rived from any improvement my fancy could fuggeft; it claimed much of my attention: and many schem:s, fome inconvenient, and others impracticable, occurred, till the following prefented itfelf to my mind; and, after long ufe, I have the pleasure to think it highly deferving of notice, as it feems to give the fresh-water Cold Bath fone of the properties of fea-bathing, ari to me that fatisfactory incentive to its ufe, the recollection of never having canght cold fince it was adopted. I has itill another advantage or two of its own; the firft and not the smallest of which is, that by it, the towel's being rendered rougher, the friction, in drying after the bath, is increased; and what is, I fear, too often neglected. I mean the rubbing by thofe with whee whom it fhould be particularly a mat ter of the first confequence (the tender and chilly,) who are generally those who are apt to be too much in a hurry to get on their cloaths, and by that means frequently take cold. For their fakes, now that friction is the fub ject, viewing the importance of that part of the operation, it would feem wrong to proceed without urging the practile of it to a much greater exteat, than is caftomary, and that immediately before as well as after bathing. I believe, from my own experience, that the good effects of this remedy will, in many cafes, be confiderably increased, if, before the immerfion, the body and extremities be well rubbed for a few minutes with a fleshbruh. To the notice of thofe af et ed with chronic rheumatim, as well as to the hivering bither, it is very earnestly recommended. The ftay of the delicate and thofe with tender bowels in the water fhould be very fhort; the more robuit may indulge longer. The other, and perhaps not lefs important advantage, is that of uling, their own towels (which thould be as coarfe and rough as can be borne,) untainted with the excrementitions dif charges of the skins of a multitude, and perhaps often negligently washed; the truth of which no very nice degree of perfection in the olfactory nerves is neceffary to difcover in the clean towels of a public bath. Except in this circumftance, perhaps no public baths in the world exceed in their conveniences and perfection thofe of London, as far as I have been able to learn. The practife alluded to, and which I can now with confidence recommend, is that of impregnating the towels with fea falt, by dipping them in a foJution of the falt in water, and then drying them. The folution I have ufed is four ounces to a quart of water: a coarfe hand towel of the common fize, by being thoroughly wetted in this folution, when dried, acquires an increase of weight of about an ounce, confequently contains that quantity of fea falt, which is as much, perhaps, as is neceffary, or as would be pleafant. The folution may be repeated, after three or four times ufing them, by thofe who are fat sfied with one fet of towels fome time, as easily as once by the more nice. The roughnefs given to the cloths, when dry, by the falt, aflifted probably by the ftimulus of the falt itself, adds very confiderably to the much-to-bewified-for glow. And as in the action of rubbing the body fome of the fait becomes diffolved by the drops hanging to the fkin, and is of course fpread over the whole furface of the body, and is partly abforbed; to that abforption, which is perhaps more alive during the empty state in which bathing is generally recommended, are to be attributed the good effects of medicated baths, both natural and artificial. The common fhower bath will be much improved in its efficacy by the addition of a proper quantity of falt in its water, What is in the prefent cafe the immediate rationale of its action, or to what caufe is to be attributed the preference of fea over freh water, as it is not the profeffed defign of this paper, we wish to leave undifcuffed. The fafeft means of applying a powerful and pleafant remedy to the difeafed, the refult of experience, being all we intended, the indus operandi is left for a more able directed pen. It may be that the flimulus given by the faline fpiculas to the cuticular glands, by its abforption, may not be the smallest of its caufes, etpecially when it is recollected how extenfive is its application, and at the fame time the great importance of the functions of the abs forbing furface. How powerful frequently is the application of a folution of fome of the neutral falts in local glandular affections topically applied! Another circumftance, worth notice is |