tinto. The dress of this prince in Gravelot's print to Theobald, is much fuperior to the cumbersome trappings in Bell's first edition-and though the bare arms in the former print, might not be pleasing in a portrait— yet, the melancholy luftre which such a comparison as a strange foul upon the Stygian banks ftaying for waftage must throw o'er his countenance, will suffer the eye to dwell on no other part. Page 103, would have offered a pleasing portrait of him, had the lines above referred to, been lefs beautiful.*

Page 125.

THERE is fomething fo pleafing in the embracement of these noble chiefs, that we may ornament this page, with the half-length figures of the old Neftor, Hector, and Aeneas. This laft perfonage is by no means interesting in this play+—unless indeed in this prefent page, where the N 2 words

* Ir may be much better to give no reprefentation of Creffida at all. For though fhe might have been drawn tolerably well from page 81, page 84, or page 107-yet, as we, on viewing her portrait, must well know, that all the generous fentiments the there breathes, quickly vanished into air; we cannot be much interested in her appearance. The best that can be said of her, is, that

her wanton fpirits look out

At every joint and motive of her body.

SHAKESPEARE's favourite character is certainly Ulyffes. The lines he speaks at page 92, are too true-but (as Akenfide fays :)

He walk'd in every path of human life,

Felt every paffion.

There is fine fancy in the fpeech of Neftor, at page 28- it is indeed worthy of the poet.

,,་

words he there fpeaks, though few, are beautiful--and we may therefore represent him, as mildly fmiling at the generous warriors. They may be drawn as at the moment of Neftor's saying: Let an old man embrace thee. The drefs of Neftor may be partly gathered from paffages in the Iliad. The leopards fpotted hide, might have a good effect if gracefully thrown over his fhoulder; and the lines I have fubjoined in the note, will give an artist a pleafing idea of the man.* The drefs of Hector and of Aeneas, may be chofen from the remains of antiquity; and the lines of Shakespeare in this page, will be the best guide to the artist's pencil.

Page 150.

To calm their paffion with the words of age,
Slow from his feat arofe the Pylian fage,
Experienc'd Neflor, in perfuafion skill'd,
Words fweet as Honey from his lips diftill'd;

Two generations now had pafs'd away,
Wife by his rules, and happy by his fway;
Two ages o'er his native realm he reign'd,
And now th' example of the third remain'd.
All view'd with awe the venerable man:
Who thus with mild benevolence began.

ILIAD. BOOK I.

POTTER'S Grecian Antiquities may be confulted. See the graceful figure of Pandarus, in Gravelot's print to Theobald. For the error of Hector's face being lock'd in feel, fee the note of Mr. Stevens, in page 38. The drefs in Cypriani's fine print of the departure of Hector, will prevent me referring to more prints; or to the catalogue of Taffie's Gems, or Mr. Wedgwood's manufactory.

I FIND in the Iliad, fome few lines fo applicable to our prefent purpose, that I cannot forbear extracting them. They chiefly respect the drefs of Hector

Page 150.

MR. Mortimer has given us a portrait of Cassandra, of much merit. He has drawn her, as exclaiming these lines from p. 56 :

Cry, Trojans cry! practise your eyes with tears!
Troy must not be, nor goodly Ilion stand.

BUT as this prophetess in a subsequent scene (in p. 150), utters strains of higher divination, and poffeffes a more frenzied and prophetie enthufiasm; and as this very print of Mr. Mortimer's will be equally expreffive for this last page: (the uplifted finger and the wild frenzy of the eye being perfectly fuited to the scene alluded to)—I cannot but take the liberty (with deference to Mortimer's memory) of fubftituting in the ftead

The radiant helmet on his temples burns,
Waves when he nods, and lightens as he turns.

B. 15.

The filence Hector broke ;

His dreadful plumage nodded as he spoke.

B. 22.

How loft is all that formidable air;

The face divine, and long defcending hair
Purple the ground.-

B. 22.

It is cruel to mangle Homer thus: but no artist will ever think of drawing Hector, without peruf

ing his whole history throughout the whole Iliad.

stead of the above lines, that which follows-it is taken from p. 150-and this print of Calandra will then beautifully ornament this proposed page :

Hark, how Troy roars!-*

Tail-piece.

THERE are three paffages in the remaining part of this play, that would each of them furnish a good portrait of the bold, but defperate Troilus-either at p. 145-at p. 158:

I reck not, though I end my life to day

Or, at p. 164, at the words:

Strike a free march to Troy !-with comfort go,
Hope of revenge fhall hide our inward woe.

BUT on confidering each paffage-this animated character may perhaps be drawn to equal advantage in page 145. The point I could wish him drawn from, would be at the moment of these spirited lines:

Diomed,

Stand fast, and wear a castle on thy head!

HE

*AT Wilton houfe, is a bufto of Caffandra, in white marble. In the above print, fhould not part of the upper row of teeth have been visible, and the under row concealed ?—

I HAVE feen a picture by Mr. Mortimer (hung up in his parlour) which may be termed an offering to Shakespeare. If my memory does not fail me, it represented himself and a young family in a garden or grove, viewing or ornamenting with flowers, the poet's bust.

3

He is in this scene, diftracted with various paffions-with the defperate frenzy of an agitated mind—with grief, at the perfidy of his miftrefs (for never did young man fancy with fo eternal and fo fix'd a foul)---and with rage and honourable revenge on the detefted Diomed-whom he is soon to view in the field, tauntingly bearing on his helm that sleeve which is to grieve his fpirit. Rage and despair rekindle now his injured spirit, and with his sword brandished in the air (and all the courage of the crook-back'd Richard) he is rushing to the field.*

SHOULD the line of :-were it a cafque compofed by Vulcan's skill, be preferred to those I have quoted; it would then be proper to give him less rage and wild revenge in his countenance—and to introduce partly in their ftead, more of a determined and folemn refolution.

THIS refolution of Troilus is somewhat fimilar to that of Macduff when (after the murder of his wife and all his pretty ones) he wishes to meet the fiend of Scotland front to front.+

* JONSON

tranflated the antients, Shakespeare transfused their very foul into his writings.

WALPOLE'S ANECDOTES v. 2. p. 271, 8vo. edit.

+ A LIST of fuch Prints as have been published directly from this play of Shakespeare's. Those I have not feen, are printed in Italics.

1. Bell's two editions.

2. Hanmer.

3. Theobald.

4. Rowe.

5. A cut by Fourdrinier, to an edition, in 8 vol. 8vo. printed for Tonfon, 1735

6. Mortimer's Caffandra.

7. Pope.

8. Lowndes.

9. Taylor.