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In reading dramatic poetry, we are apt to resign ourselves to the emotion which the general idea of the passion of the speaker excites, without pausing scrupulously to weigh each word of the phrase in which his sentiment is expressed. This heedless habit is so common, and so natural, that it merits but gentle blame, except in a commentator; who is not to be excused, when his inattention is the cause of his misconstruing an author's meaning.
Mr.Steevens says:—"One of Shakspeare's favourite morals is, that criminality reduces the brave and pusillanimous to a level."—(Mr. Steevens, probably, meant to say, that crimi-
