86 VINDICATION OF SHAKSPEARE. 



the " gentle mortal," " sweet bully Bottom," wHtli 

 whom, in consequence of the potent spell laid on 

 her by Oberon, she has become " much enamoured." 



" Steal from the humble bees. 

 And for night tapers crop their waxen thighs. 

 And Ug'ht them at the fiery glow-worms' eyes." 



Act III. Sc. I. 



This passage has been thus censured by Doctor 

 Johnson : — " I know not how Shakspeare, who com- 

 monly derived his knowledge of Nature from his o^^^l 

 obsen'ation, happened to place the glow-worm's light 

 in his eyes, which is only in his tail." To tliis. Mason 

 has replied, that " the blunder is not in Shakspeare, 

 but in those who have construed too literally a poetic 

 expression ;" and adds, " Surely a poet is justified in 

 caUingthe luminous part of the glow-worm the eye : 

 it is a Uberty we take in plain prose ; for the point 

 of greatest brightness in a furnace is commonly 

 called the eye of it." * 



Hoping you will agree with Mr. Douce, that Dr. 



Johnson's objection has " been skilfully removed by 



Mr. Monck Mason," I shall give you, in the words 



of that celebrated antiquarian, the meaning of Shaks- 



peare's most appropriate epithet " uneffectual," in 



the passage from Hamlet, 



" The glow-worm shews the matin to be near. 



And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire." — Act I. Sc. V. 



* Comments on the last edition of Shakspeare's Plays, p. 12. 



