VOL. I. 286. Note.] For p. 282, read p. 280. MENA. 288. Note .] Add: It should likewise be remembered that Verfes by Spenfer are prefixed to Lewknor's Commonwealth and Government of Venice, printed in 1599. MALONE. 292. Add to the obfervations on the Comedy of Errors: The alternate rhimes that are found in this play, as well as in Love's Labour Loft, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midfummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet, are a farther proof that these pieces were among our author's earliest dramatick productions. We are told by himself that Venus and Adonis was his firft compofition. The Rape of Lucrece was probably the next. When he turned his thoughts to the ftage, the meafure that he had ufed in thefe poems, naturally prefented itself to him in his first dramatick effays. MALONE. 294. line 17. with a few of our trivial tranflaters.] Add, as a note: The person whom Nafhe had in contemplation in this paffage, was, I believe, Thomas Kyd. The only play to which his name is affixed (Cornelia), is a profeffed tranflation from the French of Garnier, who imitated Seneca, as did alfo Kyd. MALONE. 303. Note. Add, after the words, attempted to be ridi culed: In The Devil's an Afs, acted in 1616, all his historical plays are obliquely cenfured. Meer-er. "By my faith you are cunning in the chronicles, Fitz dot. "No, I confefs, I ha't from the play-books, and think they are more authentick." They are again attacked in the Induction to Bartholomew Fair: "An fome writer that I know, had but the penning o' this matter, he would ha' made you fuch a jig-a-jog i' the booths, you should ha' thought an earthquake had been in the fair. But these mafter-poets, they will ha' their own absurd courfes, they will be informed of nothing." The following paffage in Cynthia's Revels, 1601, was, I think, likewife pointed against Shakspeare: "Befides they would with your poets would leave to be promoters of other mens' jefts, and to way-lay all the ftale apothegms PROLECO MENA. apothegms or old books they can hear of, in print or otherwife, VOL. I. to farce their scenes withal:-Again that feeding their friends with nothing of their own, but what they have twice or thrice cocked, they fhould not wantonly give out how foon they had dre'd it, nor how many coaches came to carry away the broken meat, befides hobby-horses and foot-cloth nags." Jonfon's plots were all his own invention; our author's chiefly taken from preceding plays or novels. The former employed a year or two in compofing a play; the latter probably produced two every year, while he remained in the theatre. MALONE. 304. In note %, towards the end, dele the paragraph, The reader is likewife defired to correct the following expreffions in Jonfon's character, which the above-mentioned writer of his life had also represented unfaithfully: For rather chufing, read given rather. For nothing right but what either himself or fome of his friends had done, read, nothing well done but what he himself or fome of his friends had faid or done. After the beft fayings, add, and deeds. For being verfed in all, read, as being verfed in both; and add, oppreffed with fancy which overmattered his reason, a general disease in many poets. His inventions, &c. MALONE, 313. Line 13.] For lord Harrington, read lord Stanhope. Ibid. line 32. Add King Henry VIII. not being then published, the fallacy of calling it a new play on its revival, was not eafily detected. MALONE. 314. Note . line 6 from the bottom.] For lord Harrington, read lord Stanhope. —and 320. fine 14. and highly praifes his Venus and Adonis.] Add as a note on these words: See the verfes alluded to, ante p. 254. note This writer does not feem to have been very fcrupulous about VOL. I. about adopting either the thoughts or expreffions of his conPROLEGO- temporaries; for in this poem are found two lines taken verbatim from Marston's Infatiate Countess, printed four years before Myrrha the Mother of Adonis, &c. ΜΕΝΑ. Night like a mafque was enter'd heaven's great hall, "With thoufand torches ufhering the way." It appears from B. Jonfon's Silent Woman, that W. Bark. fted was an actor, and was employed in the theatre where our author's plays were reprefented. He might therefore have performed a part in Measure for Meafure, or have seen the copy before it was printed. MALONE. 331. Article, Macbeth.] To the lift of unpublished plays, add the following: Catiline's Confpiracy, a tragedy-and Captain Mario, a comedy; both by Stephen Goffon.-The True Hiftorie of George Granderburye, as played by the right hon. the Earl of Oxenforde's fervants-The Tragedie of Richard Grinvyle, Knight-Jane Shore-The Bold Beauchamps-The Second Part of Sir John Oldcastle-The General-The ToyThe Tell-tale, a comedy-The Woman's Plot-The Woman's too hard for Him [both acted at court in 1621.]-Fulgius and Lucrelle-The Fool Transformed, a comedy-The Hiftory of Lewis the Eleventh, King of France, a tragi-comedy-The Chafte woman against her Will, a comedy-The Tooth Drawer, a comedy-Honour in the End, a comedy-The Hiftory of Don Quixote, or the Knight of the Ill-favoured Countenance, a comedy--The Fair Spanish Captive, a tragi-comedy. MALONE. 332. Line 16. Dele the words-"though not printed till 1617." The perfons reprefented in this play (which is in my poffeffion) are-Duke; Fidelio; Afpero; Hortenfio; Borgias; Picentio; Count Gifmond; Fernefe; Bentivoglio; Cofmo; Julio; Captain; Lieutenant; Ancient; two Doctors; an Ambaffador; Victoria; Elinor; Ifabel; Lefbia.-Scene, Florence. MALONE. VOLUME I. THE TEMPEST. Page 4.] This play muft have been written after 1609, VOL. 1. when Bermudas was difcovered, and before 1614, when TEMPEST Jonfon fneers at it in his Bartholomew Fair. In the latter plays of Shakspeare, he has lefs of pun and quibble than in his early ones. In The Merchant of Venice, he exprefsly declares against them. This perhaps might be one criterion to discover the dates of his plays. 5. Play the men.] So, in K. Henry VIII: "But thou haft forc'd me E. "Out of thy honest truth to play the woman." Again, in Macheth: "OI could play the woman with mine eyes." Again, in Scripture, 2 Sam. x. 12: "Be of good courage and let us play the men for our people." MALONE. 7. To follow Mr. Steevens's note '.] Again, in The Two Noble Kinfmen, 1634: 66 Up with a course or two, and tack about boys.” 18. Pro. Now I arife.] MALONE. Why does Profpero arife? Or, if he does it to ease himfelf by change of pofture, why need he interrupt his narrative to tell his daughter of it? Perhaps thefe words belong to Miranda, and we should read: Mir. Would I might But ever fee that man !-Now I arife. Pro. Sit ftill, and hear the laft of our sea sorrow. Profpero in page 11. had directed his daughter to fit down, and learn the whole of this hiftory; having previoufly by fome magical charm difpofed her to fall afleep. He is watch VOL. I. ing the progrefs of this charm, and in the mean time tells her a long story, often asking her whether her attention be TEMPEST ftill awake. The ftory being ended (as Miranda fuppofes) with their coming on fhore, and partaking of the conveniences provided for them by the loyal humanity of Gonzalo, fhe therefore firft expreffes a wifh to fee the good old man, and then obferves that the may now arife, as the story is done. Profpero, furprised that his charm does not yet work, bids her fit ftill; and then enters on fresh matter to amufe the time, telling her (what fhe knew before) that he had been her tutor, &c. But foon perceiving her drowzinefs coming on, he breaks off abruptly, and leaves her ftill fitting to her flumbers. -E. Ibid. And now I pray you, Sir, For fill 'tis beating in my mind-] I believe our author wrote: For ftill 'tis beating on my mind- So, in the The Two Noble Kinfmen, by Shakspeare and Fletcher, 1634: "This her mind beats on." The allufion feems to be to the waves of the sea beating on the fhore." MALONE. 22. Paft the mid season.] Mr. Upton propofes to regulate this paffage differently: 24. To do me bufinefs.] I fufpect that Shakspeare wrote To do my bufinefs. There is good ground for fuppofing that the person who tranfcribed these plays for the prefs, trufted to his ear and not to his eye; another dictating what he wrote.- My, as it is frequently pronounced, is undiftinguishable from me. MALONE. It must however be acknowledged that this was the old way of ipelling human. MALONE. 31. note |