The Wisdom and Genius of Shalrspeare, by the Reverend THOMAS
PRICE, contains a large selection of passages arrangel under the beads of moral philosophy, delineations of character, pictures of nature or the passions, and seven hundred aphorisms— alone glory enough for a common poet! together with some mis- cellaneous passages gathered up afterwards that nothing might be lost. It is observed by JOHNSON, that he who attempts to reconunend SHAKSPEARE by quotations, acts like the pedant in HIEROCLES who carried a brick in his pocket as the specimen of a house : and with respect to the merits of his works as wholes, the remark is just; but the truth and power of single passages seem to us better recognized in quotation, where there is neither story, character, nor context to draw off the mind from the single idea. At all events, if we have not received a stronger impres- sion of the poet's wisdom, we have a stronger impression of more of his wise sayings, from Mr. PRICE'S little volume ; which may be recommended as one of the best of the Beauties of Shukspeare.
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