Mr. URBAN, Temple, Aug. 14. ITH the inclosed View of the for having such easy opportunities afforded them for improvement or W New Gallery lately erected at rational entertainment. the West side of the British Museum, (Plate I.) I think it likely that your Readers will be gratified to find some account of the dimensions and coutents of the building, and of the easy manner in which the whole Museum is now made accessible to the publick. The length of the whole building, as I was informed by one of the keepers, is 217 feet; the width of the main part, that next the eye in the print, is 46 feet; and its height 54 feet. The whole is divided into ten rooms or compartments, eight of which contain Mr. Townley's choice Collection of Greek and Roman Sculptures, which was purchased five years ago by Parliament for the sum of 20,000l.; and in the two others are deposited the Egyptian Antiquities, which were obtained from the French by the capitulation of Alexandria; as also two Mummies, and a variety of small Egyptian Idols, and other curiosities. Over the Egyptian rooms is the Hamiltonian Collection of Greek vases, &c. as also a Medal-room, and a Print-room, to the latter of which strangers are not admitted, but by special leave of the Trustees, and only a few at a time. Were an obscure individual like myself allowed to offer any strictures, I would venture to observe, that the Egyptian Collection, consisting chiefly of large stone coffins, and massive uncouth figures, ought never to have been placed on an upper story, and among the elegant Greek and Roman sculptures. Besides, that their weight and huge bulk renders them only fit for a ground floor: their nature being chiefly sepulchral, it would be much more in character to see them in the solemn recess of a Catacomb, which, in this instance, should be fitted up in the Egyptian style. I would likewise recommend that, if possible, sky-lights be opened over the Hamiltonian rocin, where the light at present is very defective. I was informed in one of my visits, that the Duke of Portland had deposited the celebrated Barberini Vase in this now indeed splendid and wellconducted Repository; and that Mr. Greville's magnificent Collection of Minerals, lately purchased by Parliament, is already removed to the Museum. These, however, are not yet exhibited to the publick. I hope this slight piece of informa will be acceptable to you from Yours, &c. Mr. URBAN, AMBULATOR. Bath, Aug. 20. THE objection of your Correspond The access afforded to the publicktion both to this Gallery, and to the other parts of the Museum, has of late been so much facilitated, as to be now, it may be justly said, incapable of farther extension. Three days in the week (the Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) are now set aside for the free admission of all persons of decent appearance, from whom nothing is required, but their inscribing their names in a book. They are limited neither in number nor in time, except the shutting of the house at four o'clock. A compendious Catalogue, which is sold in the hall, points out the most remarkable objects contained in the Collections. I must own, that in my perambulations I was sin gularly gratified to find with what ease I could satisfy my curiosity, and by repeated and unrestrained visits, to have the means of examining leisurely and attentively such articles as are the particular objects of my curiosity. Indeed, Mr. Urban, the publick must feel themselves very grateful GENT. MAG. September, 1810. ent, Vol. LXXX. p. 618, to the antiquity of a passage in the Tournament of Rowley, has been advanced in so polite and gentleman-like a manner, and is so perfectly consistent with a candid and liberal enquiry after Literary truth, that it is 'entitled to the most respectful attention: I have only to regret that he has with-held his name; because, had he favoured you with that, I should have sat down with double pleasure to remove his doubts. And I am sure, from the general tenor of his remarks, he had no reason to blush at any thing that he has said. Indeed, after the highly respectable and eminent Literary characters who have entered the lists on both sides of the Rowleian Controversy, no man need be ashamed to offer his opinion on either side of the question. Satis Satisfied that your Correspondent wishes only for a fair and candid discussion, I wave the privilege which might have been pleaded for declining to answer any thing in an anonymous form. His objection shall either be completely removed; or I will acknowledge that all which I have hitherto advanced in favour of the antiquity of this and every other publication ascribed to the learned Ecclesiastic of the fifteenth century, has been written in vain. He appears to be convinced that Chatterton has offered an erroneous interpretation of the word unthylle; and is himself of opinion, that it is merely an affected archæological mode of spelling the very plain expression (until); or, that Syrr Symonne de Bourtonne does not like to wait so long, or till a champion appear as an opponent. The quotation, which is rather incorrectly given in vol. LXXX. p. 618, is as follows: "Herawde, bie Heavenne these tylterrs staie too long. Mie phantasie ys dyinge for the fyghte. The mynstrelles have begonne the thyrde [mie syghte. Yett notte a speare of hemm hath grete warr songe, I feere there be ne manne wordhie mie myghte. I lacke a Guid, a Wyllyamm to entylte. To reine anente a fele embodiedd knyghte, Ytt gettes ne rennome gyff hys blodde be spylte. [they're here; Bie heavenne and Marie ytt ys tyme I lyche nott unthylle thus to wielde the speare." Chatterton has rendered unthylle, "useless," which was merely a random guess; he had, as I have already observed, no idea of its meaning and your Correspondent's interpretation is as wide of the mark as that of Chatterton. The real meaning of the antient Author is as follows: Sir Simon is complaining of delay on the part of his expected opponents; and means to say he does not like thus to wield the speare unthylle, for unthylled, i. e. unfixed in its rest, or thyll, as it always was when the champion couched his launce, and began his career: he is eager for action; he does not like to wield the speare unthylle; which is a correct mode of expressing the verb unthylled, legitimately formed from the noun substantive a Thill. This is an irrefragable proof that the young Editor was offering the best all explanation that occurred to him; and that he was ignorant of the proper one. They who are conversant with the language of our antient writers, will immediately recognise the correctness and propriety of this mode of expressing the verb without the final ed; aud those who are less experienced, may soon be convinced by a little attention to the following list of verbs which have been formed in a similar manner by Rowley, Shakspeare, and others. Rowley has, in the third line of the quotation before us, grete for greted; he has upon other occasions, aledge for aledged, distraught for distracted, smore for smored or besmeared, adradde for frightened, distort for distorted, deslavate for deslavated, astounde for astounded or stunned, asterte for asterted or passed by, enstrote for estrauted or banished, dyghte for dyghted or dressed, thyghte for for ycorned or engraved, depycte for thyghted or closely compacted, ycorne depycted, pencte for painted, decorn for decorned or decorated, unthylle for unthylled, and many others. In short, nothing was more common; as may be seen by the following instances, chiefly taken from Shakspeare; and some of which, from the Commentators not having attended to the circumstance, have been the source of obscurities, hereafter to be explained. Credit for credited, 'tis doubt for it is doubted, the imagine voice for the imagined voice, create for created, consummate for consummated, convict for convicted, frustrate for frustrated, disjoint for disjointed, the subject for the subjected, shriek for shrieked, heat for heated, hoist for hoisted, distract for distracted, extract for extracted, wish for wished, derogate for derogated, venom for venomed, widow for widowed, red nose for red nosed, light foot for light footed, candy for candied courtesy, &c. &c. I should have been sorry, Mr. Ur ban, to have occupied the pages of your valuable Miscellany, or the time of your Readers, with this long string of quotations, did they not lead to something of far greater importance, viz. to an explanation of a difficulty in Shakspeare, which, I well know, both you and they will wickedly deem much more valuable than any thing relating relating to the Works of Rowley. I mean an explanation of The Arm-gaunt Steed of Anthony and Cleopatra, Act I, Sc. v. "Alexas.] So he nodded, And soberly did mount an arm-gaunt steed, [have spoke Who neigh'd so high, that what I would Was beastly dumbe by him." There are few expressions in the vocabulary of Shakspeare, that have been more completely misunderstood, or more barbarously murdered, than the arm-gaunt steed of Anthony. Strange and various are the attempts which have been offered by way of explanation; and that finally adopted, is as foreign to the meaning, as light is to darkness. For arm-gaunt, termagaunt has found its way into the text; which the ingenious proposer renders furious, and supports by the termagaunt Scot of Henry IV. On this curious and extravagant amendment the late Mr. Steevens thus expressed himself: "Let the Critick who can furnish a conjecture nearer than termagaunt to the traces of the old reading, arm-gaunt, or can make any change productive of sense more apposite and commodious, displace this AMENDMENT; which, in my opinion, is to be numbered among the feliciter audentia of Criticism, and meets at least with my unequivocal approbation." We are under too many obligations to Mr. Steevens for that ardent spirit of industry and zeal with which he often successfully laboured, in elucidating the obscurities of Shakspeare, to indulge in any petulant remarks, or unbecoming expressions of triumph, upon this truly unfortunate challenge: but we may be permitted on this occasion to observe, that it is one only out of numerous instances, which will hereafter occur, in examining his remarks on the works both of Rowley and Shakspeare, that will enable us to demonstrate the truth of an old axiom, that confidence of assertion is not always a proof of superiority of judgment or knowledge. Having already clearly proved in my "Introduction to an Examination of the internal Evidence respecting the Antiquity of Rowley's Poems, &c. &c." that neither Mr. Warton, Mr. Tyrwhitt, nor the very acute Author of "Cursory Observations on the Poems attributed to Thomas Row 1 ley," were entitled to the proud distinction of Masters of opinion on that subject in which they were permitted to direct the public opinion; it shall now be shown, that the late Mr. Steevens, upon his own ground, even in the pages of his long and laboriously studied Shakspeare, has betrayed as palpable marks of error and inattention to the peculiarities of the old English language, as those who have been already mentioned; and who, like himself, have been so highly and so erroneously celebrated for superiority of black-letter investigation. But to return to the termagaunt steed, and the haughty challenge. I boldly enter the lists; unequivocally rejecting this, and every other idle attempt at amendment: for an arm-gaunt steed is the true and correct antient mode of expressing an armed-lean steed; which, without the alteration of a single trace of the original, is the literal meaning of Shakspeare. A meaning, which, if Mr.Steevens had taken only one-tenth part of the pains, which he is supposed to have done, in detecting the forgery, he might have found in the elegancy and authenticity of the Pseudo-Rowley; in whose poems we repeatedly find similar omissions of the final ed or d, exactly as Shakspeare and his contemporaries, and predecessors, have given us the list already enumerated; and five hundred others, which might, with the greatest ease, have been adduced. We have another instance of it even in the last line of the present quotation, dumbe for dumbed; which Mr. Theobald, instead of explaining, officiously corrected. It is scarcely necessary to prove, by quotation, the meaning of gaunt, lean; but, that nothing may be wanting to satisfy the minds of Mr. Urban's constant Readers, they may find a curious one in Latimer's 5th Sermon, preached before King Edward VI. fol. 67: "I knewe where a woman was got with childe, and was ashamed at the matter, and went into a secret place, and was delivered of three children at a birth: she wrong their neckes, and cast them into a water, and so killed her children: sodenly she was gaunt again." Mr. Urban, I cannot relinquish the vantage ground on which I at present stand. You and your Constant Reader must listen to another explanation, in |