confider the fame fubjects; or fuch remarks on life, or axioms of morality, as float in converfation, and are tranfmitted through the world in proverbial fen tences. "Whether he knew the modern languages is uncertain. That his plays have fome French scenes proves but little; he might eafily procure them to be written; and probably, even though he had known the language in the common degree, he could not have written it without affittance. In the ftory of Romeo and Juliet, he is obferved to have followed the English tranilation, where it deviates from the Italian; but this, on the other part, proves nothing against his knowledge of the original. He was to copy, not what he knew himself, but what was known to his audi ence. "It is most likely that he had learned Latin fufficiently to make him acquainted with conftruction; but that he never advanced to an eafy perufal of the Roman authors. Concerning his skill in modern languages, I can find no fufficient ground of determination; but as no intimations of French or Italian authors have been difcovered, though the Italian poetry was then in high efteem, I am inclined to believe, that he read little more than English, and chofe for his fables only fuch tales as he found tranflated. "That much knowledge is fcattered over his works is very justly obferved by Pope; but it is often fuch knowledge as books did not fupply. He that will understand Shakspeare, muft not be content to ftudy him in the clofet; he muft look for his meaning fometimes among the fports of the field, and fometimes among the manufactures of the fhop: there is, however, proof enough that he was a very diligent reader; nor was our language then fo indigent of books, but. that he might very liberally indulge his curiofity without excurfion into foreign literature. Many of the Roman authors were tranflated, and fome of the Greek. The Reformation had filled the kingdom with theological theological learning; moft of the topics of human difquifition had found English writers; and poetry had been cultivated, not only with diligence, but fuccefs. This was a stock of knowledge fufficient for a mind fo capable of appropriating and improving it. "But the greater part of his excellence was the product of his own genius. He found the English stage in a state of the utmost rudeness; no effays either in tragedy or comedy had appeared, from which it could be discovered to what degree of delight either one or the other might be carried. Neither character nor dialogue were yet understood. Shakspeare may be truly faid to have introduced them among us, and in fome of his happier fcenes to have carried them both to the utmost height. There is a vigilance of obfervation, and accuracy of distinction, which books and precepts cannot confer; from this, almost all original and native excellence proceeds. Shakspeare must have looked upon mankind with perfpicacity, in the highest degree curious and attentive. Other writers borrow their characters from preceding writers, and diverfify them only by the accidental appendages of present manners; the dress is a little varied, but the body is the fame. Our author had both matter and form to provide; for, except the characters of Chaucer, to whom I think he is not much indebted, there were no writers in English, and perhaps not many in other modern languages, which fhewed life in its native colours. "Boyle congratulated himself upon his high birth, because it favoured his curiofity, by facilitating his ac cefs. Shakspeare had no fuch advantage; he came to London a needy adventurer, and lived for a time by very mean employments. Many works of genius and of learning have been performed in ftates of life that appear very little favourable to thought or inquiry, fo many, that he who confiders them, is inclined to think that he fees enterprife and perfeverance predominating over all external agency, and bidding help and hin drance drance vanish before them. The genius of Shakspeare was not to be depreffed by the weight of poverty, nor limited by the narrow converfation, to which men in want are inevitably condemned; the incumbrances of his fortune was fhaken from his mind, as dew drops from a lion's mane. “Though he had so many difficulties to encounter, and fo little affiftance to furmount them, he has been able to obtain an exact knowledge of many modes of life, and many cafts of native difpofitions; to vary them with great multiplicity; to mark them by nice distinctions, and to fhew them in full view by proper combinations. In this part of his performances he had more to imitate, but has been himself imitated by all fucceeding writers; and it may be doubted, whether, from all his fucceffion, more maxims of theoretical knowledge, or more rules of practical prudence, can be collected, than he alone has given to his country. To him we muft afcribe the praife, unless Spenfer may divide it with him, of having first discovered to how much smoothness and harmony the English language could be foftened. He has fpeeches, fometimes Icenes, which have all the delicacy of Rowe, without his effeminacy. He endeavours, indeed, commonly to ftrike by the force and vigour of his dialogue; but he never executes his purpose better, than when he tries to footh by foftness. Yet it must be at last confeffed, that as we owe every thing to him, he owes fomething to us; that if much of his praife is paid by perception and judgment, much is likewife given by cuftom and veneration. I am indeed far from thinking, that his works were wrought to his own ideas of perfection; when they were fuch as would fatisfy the audience, they fatisfied the writer. It is feldom that authors, though more ftudious of fame than Shakspeare, rife much above the standard of their own age: to add a little to what is beft, will always be fufficient for prefent praife; and those who find themselves exalted into fame fame, are willing to credit their encomiafts, and to fpare the labour of contending with themselves. "It does not appear, that Shakspeare thought his works worthy of pofterity; that he levied any ideal tribute upon future times, or had any future profpects than of preient popularity and prefent profits; when his plays had been acted, his hope was at an end; he folicited no addition of honour from the reader. He therefore made no fcruple to repeat the fame jefts in many dialogues, or to entangle different plots by the fame kind of perplexity, which may be at least forgiven him, by thofe who recollect, that of Congreve's four comedies, two are concluded by a marriage in a mafk, by a deception, which perhaps never happened, and which, whether likely or not, he did not invent. "So carelefs was this great poet of future fame, that though he retired to eafe and plenty, while he was yet little declined into the vale of years, before he could be difgufted with fatigue, or difabled by infirmity, he made no collection of his works, nor defired to rescue thofe that had been already published from the depravations that obfcured them; or fecure to the rest a better deftiny, by giving them to the world in their genuine ftate." ODE ON THE GENIUS OF SHAKSPEARE. RAPT from the glance of mortal eye, Say burfts thy Genius to the world of light? Seeks it yon ftar-befpangled fky? Or fkims it fields with rapid flight? Or mid' yon plains where Fancy trays, Or where the violet pale Droops o'er the green-embroider'd ftream; Or where young Zephyrftirs the ruftling prays, O'er yon bleak deferts unfrequented round See'ft thou where Nature treads the deepening gloom, Or haunt meek Quiet's fimple dome; The loofe-rob'd Graces crown'd with flow'rs, O'er all bright Fancy's beamy radiance fhone, 5 10 15 20 25 30 Then from her glowing lips thefe melting accents broke, “To Thee, my favourite fon, belong "The lays that steal the liftening hour; "To pour the rapture-darting fong, "To paint gay hope's elyfian bower. D 35 |