such inferiority arises from the fact of its being an imitation, and
probably required at a short notice. At the same time, though I do
not believe Shakspeare's play to contain a line of any other writer,
I think it extremely probable that we have it only in a revised form,
and that, consequently, the play which Marlow imitated might not
necessarily have been that fund of life and humour that we find it
now.

SAMUEL HICKSON.

St. John's Wood, March 19. 1850.

* * * * *

PROVERBIAL SAYINGS AND THEIR ORIGINS--PLAGIARISMS AND PARALLEL
PASSAGES.

"[Greek: 'On oi Theoi philousin apothnaeskei neos]."

Brunck, _Poëtæ Gnomici_, p. 231., quoted by Gibbon, _Decl. and Fall_
(Milman. Lond. 1838. 8vo.), xii. 355. (_note_ 65.)

"Quem Jupiter vult perdere, priùs dementat."

These words are Barnes's translation of the following fragment of
Euripides, which is the 25th in Barnes' ed. (see _Gent.'s Mag._, July,
1847, p. 19, _note_):--

"[Greek: 'Otan de Daimon andri porsynae kaka,
Ton noun exlapse proton]."