ANSWERS. Literature Proper. SHAKESPEARE. (1.) "To trash for overtopping" means to bring down on the same level with the tops of other trees, those which have an uncommonly luxuriant growth by cutting off their overgrowing parts. This is the literal meaning of the phrase. It is applied here to signify the conduct of Prospero's brother in getting in of those persons (or at the best bringing them to an equal footing with his other servants) who were ambitious or invested with great honors. The passage admits of another equally good meaning or rather a better one. To trash' is used in hunting to signify, "to keep in restraint such of the dogs as deviate from the main line of pursuit and follow their own will after other games." applied here it means "to oblige such of the attendants of the court as did not go in the same track with him to follow his views and act according to his wishes." (2.) ; having both the key Of officer and office, set all hearts i' th' state When Prospero says to his daughter, that his brother having both the disposal of the offices and persons who were to be employed in those offices, at his own hand, arranged things in such a manner that all public servants officers of the state, were made to act according to his will-He “set all hearts i' th' state to what tune pleased his ear.' He had "both the key of officer and office;" he could create what offices he liked and employ persons of his choice to fill them. (3.) دو With that which, but by being so retired, O'er prized all popular rate. Prospero says to his daughter that he dedicated himself to the improvement of his mind by cultivating such arts and sciences as were above all popular estimation; and that they would have been of great service to the state, and that his merit would have been appreciated if he had been a little less retired. "As it is often found that a good parent begets an unworthy child, so the 'trust I reposed on him operating on his mind did give birth to a faithlessness as intense in its degree as was the greatness of my trust'"-Prospero d placed all his confidence on his brother who in return instead of being grateful became faithless to the extreme. (5.) like one Who having unto truth by telling of it To credit his own lie-he believed "Like persons who are in the habit of telling lies and thereby are unable to distinguish from what they believed, what they did not, and what was truth and what falsehood; and who in that way credit their own lie, he your uncle did believe that he was indeed the Duke." (6.) Nōt on-ly with-whāt mỹ-revenue-yielded The verse consists of five feet, each having two syllables, of which the first is accented and the second unaccented. The word revenue is considered as of two syllables as if there was no e after v. (7.) Fill all-thy bones-with aches ;-make thee rōar The verse consists of four feet the first three having each two syllables of which the first is unaccented and the second accented-The fourth feet has three syllables of which the first and third are accented and the second unaccented (8.) Transparent Helena! Nature here shows art That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart The love juice which Oberon bade Puck to rub against the eyes of Demetrius that he on waking might love Helena, being by mistake rubbed against the eyes of Lysander, he on waking addressed Helena who happened at that time to be near him and rousing him from sleep in the following terms Transparent Helena! Nature here shows art That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart. Lord Bacon has remarked that no where is hyperbole so much used as in Love and this is an example (though the love here is induced). Lysander says to Helena, you are transparent that is your colour is more than snow-like. He further adds that "nature here shows art," she has with such skill adorned thee with this colour and given to it such a polish, particularly in the parts about your breast that through thy bosom I see thy heart-This is surely a language well fitted for a lover and one who has been made so by supernatural agency— (10.) And we fairies that do run By the triple Hecates team. Hecate is the Moon. She was considered as the superintending Deity of the witches and Fairies. She is called Triple on account of her having three names corresponding to her three attributes. Her team' is the number of horses drawing her Car. DRYDEN'S ABSALOM AND ACHITOPHEL. (11.) "Fretted" means "O'er informed" means 66 over (12.) The Earl of Shaftesbury is described in the above passage. (13.) His mind was full of enthusiasm and ambition and his body being too little for his mind, it soon wore out and decayed having had over abundance of matter to execute. He was too daring a polician to be entrusted with the guidance of the state when it is in peril. In order to show his statesmanship he brought about the calamities which were about to overturn the government. He was unfit for promoting the blessings of peace and therefore he liked the state to be near being involved in difficulties so that he may set forth to advantage his wisdom-Great minds are very liable to run to madness: go one step further from the projects laid down by great minds and you are sure to be called mad-So thin is the line of partition between madness and great minds The last two lines if composed according to the rules of grammer in writing prose, would stand thus Great wits are surely near allied to madness, and thin partitions do divide their bounds— (14.) Take then these tears, with that"With that" I think here means the handkerchief. the tears. "These arms" are (15.) The four lines mentioned refer to Antony. Cleopatra is the speaker. (16.) I think Pope. (17.) The persons composing the Cabal, were Buckingham, Shaftesbury Ashton and two others whose name I do not at present remember. The prominent among the public characters referred to in the satire of Absalom and Achitophel are, the Duke of Monmouth, the Earl of Shaftesbury, the Duke of York the Duke of Buckingham, King Charles II. and Titus Oates. (18.) The third line There thou mayest Wings display and Altars raise-" alludes to the kinds of composition in which verses were written in such a manner as to present to the eye a picture of a Wing and of an Altar. In the reign of False Wit' these practices were resorted to generally by writers of inferior ability. Addison in his essay on Wit' in the Spectator has alluded to the practise of it. (19.) The fourth line "And torture one poor word ten thousand ways" alludes to the practise of combining the letters of a word in different ways and using the so formed words in composing the versess-Bye the bye it will not be out of place to state here that a Sanscrit work Nullodoy (I am sorry to add a production of Calidās) is from beginning to the end full of this conceit. (20.) The classical story here alluded to is, this that there were charmers in Thessaly who could bring down the moon from heaven and make her instrumentality subservient to their purposes (21.) As a prose writer Dryden stands very high. His style is not cumbrous like that of Dr. Johnson, it is smooth, chaste and simple. It has not much rhetoric' in it but a sufficient quantity of good sense. a poet I would place him in the third class. 6 As He has not that Dramatic skill which is characteristic of Shakespeare. He has not the sublimity of |