120 
Explanation of Passages in Shakespeare, fSepf. 
tracts from the statutes may not only 
prove entertaining to many of your 
readers, hut may probably iiave the be¬ 
neficial effect of communicating to some 
■worthy veteran, with possibly but a 
scanty pittance for his support, the glad 
tidings that he is nor forgotten, and that 
a comfortable asylum has been secured 
for him by his revered nmnarch, each 
knight having a seperate dwelling-house 
besides his salary, which, being but 
small, may be held together with half pay 
or any other stipend granted for pasfser- 
tices. By the present regulations none 
can be admitted but such as have served 
in the capacity of commissioned officer's 
in his Majesty’s regular army, those who 
may be desirous of obtaining the situa¬ 
tion must apply with proper certificates 
of their claims, to his Majesty’s principal 
Secretary of State for the Home Depart¬ 
ment, and highly to th.e honor of the 
Eight Hon. Richard Ryder, none has 
been appointed by him hut gentlemen 
duly q ualified by their long and honorable 
services; it would, lio-.vever, be injustice 
not to add that the reformation of abuses 
in this department commenced in the 
time af his predecessor the Right Hcwi. 
the. Earl of Liverpool. 
King Edward the Third, out of the 
great regard he had to military honour, 
and those who had bravely behaved 
themselves in the war, yet after, chanced 
to fail to decay, made a provision for 
their relief and comfortable subsistance ; 
tiie stated number at first were 24, but 
shortly after, upon his establishing the 
Order of the Garter, two more were 
added. The intention of the founder 
was as he describes them Milites Pau- 
peres, infirm in body and decayed, or 
as tiie statutes of the Garter qualifies 
tLem, such as through adverse turns of for¬ 
tune, were reduced to that extremity that 
they had not wherewithal to sustain 
themselves to live so genteelly as was 
suitabie to a military condition, which, 
for greater caution, vvas re-iterated in the 
statutes of King Henry the Fifth, and 
afterwards by King Henry the Eighth, 
who by bis will settled lands and manors 
UDon them for their support. Edward 
the Sixth also in the first year of his 
reign bestowed several lauds on die insti¬ 
tution, and in the reign of Philip and 
Iilary, buildings for their residence within 
the castle were commenced, and on Eli¬ 
zabeth coming to the crown she corn- 
pleated the buildings, and confirmed her 
sister’s grants, and August 20th, indie 
first vear of her re/gn, inindmg tae con- 
1 
linuance of King Edward’s foundation, 
the intent of her progenitors, and King 
Henry the Eighth’s will, ordained statutes 
and ordinances for them, under which, 
they still remain, and by which the num¬ 
ber was to be thirteen, to he called 
Knights of Windsor, and for the future 
none but gentlemen born to be admitted.. 
The present establishment consists of 
eighteen knights, including a governor, 
who is chosen from one of the body, 
there are also seven Naval Knights of 
Windsor, all of whom are lieutenants. 
Miles. 
For the IMonthly Magazine, 
‘‘ BIovv, blow, thou winter wind. 
Thou art not so unkind 
As man’s ingratitude ; 
Thy tooth is not so keen, 
because ibou art not seen. 
Although thy breath be rude.’* 
W^OULD beg leave to suggest, with 
delerence to the opinions on'this 
passage, in the “ Critical Remarks 
on Shakespeare,” in your Miscellany, 
that our immortal bard might mean 
something like the following: “ Blow on 
thou winter wind, thy utmost blasts can¬ 
not reach the soul, although they are so 
keen. They are directed by a band 
unseen and unknown, guiltless of malice; 
but, ingratitude penetrates deeper, in 
proportion to our intimacy with the 
wretch who is guiltv of it. We see and 
know the hand that directs the blow, and 
the remembrance of former friendship 
only serves to inflict a more deadly 
wound.” This explanation I think also 
0 A 
IS warranted by the succeeding verse: 
Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky. 
That dost not bite so nigb, 
As benefits forgot: 
Though thou the waters warp, 
Thy sting is not so sharp, 
As friend remenabered not.” 
T. K. Glazedroos. 
Warrington^ March 14, 1811-. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
WAS much surprised to observe a 
difficulty suggested to comprehend an 
obvious passage in our favourite dramatic 
bard, which your correspondent and inge¬ 
nious elucidator of Shakespeare, exhi¬ 
bited CO the readers in your last Maga/ine.^ 
In this too heedless author, who left 
his works so completely at the discretion 
oi those actors with whom he nad asso¬ 
ciated^ I well know that happy conjec¬ 
tures, 
