having written some love-verses for Mutio, and he adds elsewhere that "absolute Castilio" had supplied himself in a similar manner, in order that he might pay acceptable court to his mistress. Therefore, if Shakespeare had now and then condescended to supply the wants of his friends in this way, who thus became possessed of his "sugred sonnets," as Meres calls them, it would, at all events, not have been without precedent. Thorpe's edition of "Shakespeare's Sonnets" is a well printed volume, although not perhaps so good a specimen of the typography of that time, as Field's impressions of "Venus and Adonis" and "Lucrece." It is remarkable, that while most of Shakespeare's plays came from the press in the quarto editions in so slovenly and uncorrected a state, his minor poems have been handed down to us, perhaps, more accurately printed than those of any poets of the time, with the exception of Daniel and Drayton, who seem generally to have bestowed great pains upon their productions. At the end of the "Sonnets" is a poem, called "A Lover's Complaint;" and here, although it has no fresh title-page, we are assured that it is “by William Shake-speare." There could in fact be no doubt respecting the authorship of it; but on what occasion, or for what purpose it was written, we have no information. The ensuing sonnets, with other poems, were reprinted in 1640, 8vo, with a frontispiece of the author, engraved by Marshall. It is an edition of no authority: it repeats and multiplies the errors of the previous separate impressions, and includes productions with which Shakespeare had no concern. Our text is that of the 4to, 1609, in every case where a reason is not assigned for deviating from it. In all modern reprints various errors have been committed in consequence of carelessness of collation, or because one editor copied the mistakes of another of these our notes will contain a sufficient indication. SONNET S. I. FROM fairest creatures we desire increase, Within thine own bud buriest thy content, II. When forty winters shall besiege thy brow, This were to be new made, when thou art old, And see thy blood warm, when thou feel'st it cold. 1 III. Look in thy glass, and tell the face thou viewest, Or who is he so fond, will be the tomb Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee IV. Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend Nature's bequest gives nothing, but doth lend; Thy unus'd beauty must be tomb'd with thee, V. Those hours, that with gentle work did frame And that unfair, which fairly doth excel: whose UN-EAR'D womb] "Un-ear'd" is un-ploughed. See Vol. iv. p. 169, and this Vol. pp. 11 and 21. 2 Which, used, lives TH' executor to be.] So the old edition. Modern editors read "thy executor," forgetting that "used" is a dissyllable, and, unprecedentedly, substituting y for an apostrophe. For never-resting time leads summer on To hideous winter, and confounds him there; Sap check'd with frost, and lusty leaves quite gone, But flowers distill'd, though they with winter meet, VI. Then, let not winter's ragged hand deface Make sweet some phial; treasure thou some place That use is not forbidden usury', Which happies those that pay the willing loan; Then what could death do if thou shouldst depart, Be not self-will'd, for thou art much too fair To be death's conquest, and make worms thine heir. VII. Lo! in the orient when the gracious light 3 Leese but their show ;] "Leese" is an old form of lose. In Shakespeare's time it was not generally adopted, unless it were wanted for the rhyme. ⚫ That Use is not forbidden usury,]" Use" and usance were the old terms for interest of money. See Vol. v. p. 572; and this Vol. p. 380, where the same thought is expressed in nearly the same terms. But when from high-most pitch with weary car, VIII. Music to hear3, why hear'st thou music sadly? Whose speechless song, being many, seeming one, IX. Is it for fear to wet a widow's eye, That thou consum'st thyself in single life? The world will wail thee, like a makeless wife"; 5 Music to hear,] i. e. Thou, to whom it is music to listen. 6 — like a MAKELESS wife ;] i. e. like a mateless wife: make and mate were sometimes used indifferently. Shakespeare generally mate. Chaucer always has make, and Spenser and |