vels, printed in London 1633. It is taken from a French book called Les Contes du Mende. See the fame ftory in English, in a book of Novels, called the Palace of Pleasure in the laft Novel.

Infatiate. Countefs, a Tragedy, acted at WhiteFryars, printed in Quarto 1603, under the title of Ifabella the infatiable countess of Suevia. It is faid that he meant Joan the firft queen of Jerufalem, Naples, and Sicily. The life of this queen has employed many pens, both on poetry and novels. Bandello has related her ftory under the title of the Inordinate Life of the Countess of Celant. The like story is related in God's Revenge aagainst Adultery, under the name of Anne of Werdenberg, duchess of Ulme.

Male Content, a Tragi Comedy, dedicated to old Ben, as I have already taken notice, in which he heaps many fine epithets upon him. The firft defign of this play was laid by Mr. Webster.

Parafitafter; or the Fawn, a comedy, often preTented at the Black Fryars, by the children of the queen's Revels, printed in Octavo 1633. This play was formerly printed in quarto, 1606. The Plot of Dulcimel's cozening the Duke by a pretended discovery of Tiberco's love to her, is taken from Boccace's Novels.

What you will, a comedy, printed Octavo, London, 1653. This is faid to be one of our author's best plays. The defign taken from Plautus's Amphitrion.

Wonder of Women, or Sophonisba, a tragedy, acted at Black Fryars, printed in Octavo, 1633. The English reader will find this ftory defcribed by Sir Walter Raleigh, in his hiftory of the world. B. 5.

Befides his dramatic poetry, he writ three books of Satires, entitled, The Scourge of Villany, prin ted in Octavo, London 1598. We have no account in what year our author, died, but we find that

"his

his works were published after his death by the great Shakespear, and it may perhaps be rea fonably concluded that it was about t the year 1614.

T

WILLIAM SHAKESPEAR.

HERE have been fome ages in which providence feemed pleafed in a most remarkable manner to difplay it self, in giving to the world the fineft genius's to illuminate a people formerly barbarous. After a long night of Gothic ignorance, after many ages of prieftcraft and fuperftition, learning and genius vifited our Island in the day's of the renowned Queen Elizabeth. It was then that liberty began to dawn, and the people having fhook off the reftraints of priestly aufterity, prefumed to think for themselves. At an Era fo remarkable as this, fo famous in his fory, it feems no wonder that the nation fhould be bleffed with thofe immor. tal ornaments of wit and learning, who all confpired at once to make it famous.This aftonishing genius, feemed to be commiffioned from above, to deliver us not only from the ignorance under which we laboured as to poetry, but to carry poetry almost to its perfection. But to write a panegyric on Shakespear appears as unneceffary, as the attempt would be vain; for whoever has any tafte for what is great, terrible, or tender, may meet with the ampleft gratification in Shakefpear; as may thofe also have a tafte for drollery and true humour. His genius was almoft boundless, and he fucceeded alike in every part of writing. I cannot forbear giving the character of Shakefpear in G 2

the

the words of a great genius, in a prologue fpoken by Mr. Garrick when he firft opened Drury-lane houfe as Manager..

When learning's triumph o'er her barb'rous foes,
Firft rear'd the stage; immortal Shakespear

rofe,

Each change of many-coloured life he drew,
Exhaufted worlds, and then imagined new,
Existence saw him fpurn her bounded reign,
And panting time toiled after him, in vain.

All men have difcovered a curiofity to know the little ftories and particularities of a great genius; for it often happens, that when we attend a man to his clofet, and watch his moments of folitude, we fhall find fuch expreffions drop from him, or we may observe such inftances of peculiar conduct, as will let us more into his real character, than ever we can difcover while we converse with him in public, and when perhaps he appears under a kind of mask, There are but few things known of this great man; few incidents of his life have defcended to pofterity, and tho' no doubt the fame of his abilities made a great noife in the age in which he flourished; yet his ftation was not fuch as to produce many incidents, as it was fubject to but few viciffitudes. Mr. Rowe, who well underflood, and greatly admired Shakespear, has been at pains to collect what incidents were known, or were to be found concerning him; and it is chiefly upon Mr. Rowe's authority we build the account now given. Our author was the fon of John Shakespear, and was born at Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire, April 1554, at it appears by public records relating to that town. The family from which he is defcended was of

good figure and fashion there, and are mentioned as gentlemen, His father, who was a confiderable deaer in wool, being incumbred with a large family

of

of ten children, could afford to give his eldest fon but a flender education. He had bred him at a free fchool, where he acquired what Latin he was mafter of, but how well he understood that language, or whether after his leaving the school he made greater proficiency in it, has been difputed and is a point very difficult to fettle. However it is certain, that Mr. John Shakespear, our author's father, was obliged to withdraw him early from school, in order to have his affiftance in his own employment, towards fupporting the reft of the family. "It is without controverfy,

66

fays Rowe, that in his works we fcarce find

any traces that look like an imitation of the an"cients. The delicacy of his tafte, and the natural "bent of his own great genius, equal, if not fupe"rior to fome of the beft of theirs, would certainly "have led him to read and study them with so much pleasure, that fome of their fine images would na"turally have infinuated themselves into, and been "mixed with his own writings; so that his not copying at least fomething from them, may be an argument of his never having read them. "Whether his ignorance of the ancients was disadvantageous to him or no, may admit of difpute; "for tho the knowledge of them might have "made him more correct, yet it is not improba"ble, but that the regularity and deference for "them which would have attended that correct-> "nefs, might have reftrained fome of that fire, impetuofity, and even beautiful extravagance, "which we cannot help admiring in Shakespear."

As to his want of learning, Mr. Pope makes the following juft obfervation: That there is certainly a vaft difference between learning and languages. How far he was ignorant of the latter, I cannot (fays he) determine; but it is plain he had much reading, at least, if they will not call it learning; nor is it any great matter if a man has knowledge,

G:3

ledge, whether he has it from one language or from? another. Nothing is more evident, than that he had a tafte for natural philofophy, mechanics, ancient and modern hiftory, poetical learning, and mytho logy. We find him very knowing in the cuftoms, rites, and manners of the Romans. In Coriolanus, and Julius Cæfar, not only the fpirit but manners' of the Romans are exactly drawn; and still a nicer diftinction is fhewn between the manners of the Romans in the time of the former and the latter. His reading in the ancient hiftorians is no lefs confpicuQus, in many references to particular paffages; and the fpeeches copied from Plutarch in Coriolanus may as well be made inftances of his learning as thofe copied from Cicero in the Cataline of Ben Johnfon. The manners of other nations in general, the Egyptians, Venetians, French, &c. are drawn with equal propriety Whatever object of nature, or branch of feience, he either fpeaks or dufcribes, it is always with competent, if not extenfive, knowledge. His defcriptions are fill exact, and his metaphors appropriated, and remarkably drawn from the nature and inherent qualities of each fubject. We have tranflations from' Ovid published in his name, among thofe poems which pafs for his, and for fome of which we have undoubted authority, being published by himself, and dedicated to the Earl of Southampton. He appears alfo to have been converfant with Plautus, from whence he has taken the plot of one of his plays; he follows the Greek authors, and particularly Dares Phrygius in another; although I will not pretend, continues Mr. Pope, to say in what language he read them. **

Mr. Warburton has ftrongly contended for Shakefpear'slearning, and has produced many imitations and parallel paffages with ancient authors, in which I am inclined to think him right, and beg leave to produce few instances of it. He always, fays Mr. Warbur

ton,