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Remarks on fome English Plays, from Miscellanies in Profe and Verfe, continued.

Much ado about Nothing, a Comedy.

THERE is not, on the British theatre, a more entertaining play than this; and I always thought Benedict was Gatrick's masterpiece, but grofsly injured by Garrick's alterations. The curious and judicious reader, who has a true taste for Shakespeare's genuine works, will be, in fome measure, amufed, and still more offended, with the modern alterations and additions which I have pretty exactly traced out on the margin of the text *. The reader will, with me, abhor the ftage-managers, who have vilely perverted, and never once reformed, or improved our divine author.

In Act IV. Scene 3. Beatrice, speaking of Clodio's treachery, cries out. Beat. Is he not approved in the height a villain, that hath flander'd, fcern'd, difhonoured my kinfwoman! O, that I were a man! what! Bear her in hand untill they come to take hands, and then with public accufation, uncover'd flander, unmitigated rancour—O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place.

Bene. Hear me, Beatrice.

Beat. Talk with a man out at a window?a proper faying!

Bene. Nay, but Beatrice.

Beat, Sweet Hero! fhe is wronged, she is flandered, she is undone. Bene. Beat

Beat. Princes and counts! furely a princely testimony, a goodly countcomfect, a fweet gallant, furely! O that I were a man for his fake! or that I had any friend would be a man for my fake! r.

Here the judicious editor, inftead of feeing the beauty of the break in the name of Beatrice, has altered it for that eloquent monyfyllable BUT ¶. By this fample, you may judge of the havock made among Shakespear's other plays, and in your own library, preserve the original author. I look on it as one evidence of degeneracy in fenfe and good tafte, that thefe deteftable alterations have been fuffered, and are ftill allowed on the ftage. A judicious critic, yet to come, may retrench fome parts of Shakespeare. The greatnefs and force of his imagination fometimes fly into obfcurity, perhaps from defect of our fight. But it is impoffible both to alter and amend him. There is, in page 34th of this play, a curious alteration of the text, where the critic makes the clown laugh moft improperly. Vide Shakefpeare's advice to players in Hamlet"Let thofe that play the clown, fpeak no more than is fet down for "them. For there be of them that will themselves laugh, to fet on fome quantity of barren Spectators to laugh too: though, in the mean time, "fome neceffary queftion of the play be then to be confidered. That's villainous, and fhews a moft pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it."

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This can only be feen or the marked plays

Vide Belt's edition, printed in 1774, Vol. II. p. 336,"reulgated from the prompt books" of the two Theatres Royal in London,

ENGRAVED for the BEE

Loch Leven Castle.

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THE BEE,

OR

LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER,

FOR

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1791.

The Caftle of Lochleven.

With a Plate..

DURING that aristocratical influence which prevailed in Scotland for many ages, every chieftain had a caftle or fortalice for his own perfonal fafety. Those who poffeffed a lake with any islands in it, thought themfelves very fortunate'; for, by erecting their fortalice on one of the islands, they were fecure from any fudden attack, at least while they were poffeffed of all the boats that were upon the lake. This is the reason why at this day we fee fo many fortreffes ftill remaining, on small islands in lakes in every part of Scotland.

The caftle of Lochleven owed its origin, no doubt, to this kind of polity, though, on account of its high antiquity, I have not met with any account of its first foundation. The island on which it ftands lies near the weft end of a beautiful lake by Kinrofs in Fifeshire, and is fo fmall as to be almost entirely covered with the few buildings that are upon it. This fortalice had been +

VOL. III.

P

erected before the days of Robert Bruce. In the year 1335, it sustained a memorable fiege by Sir John Stirling, one of the partizans, and a principal officer of Edward Baliol, who, under the protection of Edward third of England, contefted the crown with David second of Scotland. After the affailants had endeavoured in vain to take it by ftorm, they adopted the plan of damming up all the rivers that flow out of the lake, expecting thus to raise the water in it for high, as to drive the befieged from the fort. They were, as has often happened in fimilar cafes, disappointed. The water continued to rife for fome time indeed, as they expected: They thought themselves certain of fucceeding: A great part of the army went to pay their devotions at Dumfermling, on a particular feftival: The befieged feized the favourable opportunity, collected all the boats they could find, and broke down the dam; when the water rushed out with fuch impetuofity, as to overwhelm the camp of the befiegers, and to throw them into the utmost confufion. The belieged returned in triumph, and were no longer difturbed.

But the circumftance that renders this castle particularly confpicuous in Scottish ftory, is the confinement here of the unfortunate Queen Mary. After she was taken prisoner at Pinkie, in the year 1567, the rebels privately conveyed her from Holyroodhoufe by night, and shut her up in this castle, under the care of the mother of Murray (her baseborn brother), who had been married to Douglas of Lochleven. This lady, whofe manners were as unpolished as her conduct as a woman had been irregular, bore an implacable ill will to Mary, alleging that her own fon was the true and legitimate heir to the crown. Under fuch a guardian, the affociates thought fhe would be watched with care. But the personal charms of the Queen were fuch as to intereft the fon of the jailor, George Douglas, a youth of eighteen, fo much in her favour, as to make him effect her escape. The keys of the castle

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