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uttered them, is not at all extraordinary. Who has not, in his own experience, met with fimilar variations in the accounts of a tranfaction which paffed but a few months before he had occasion to examine minutely and accurately into the real state of the fact?

In further fupport of Mr. Aubrey's exhibition of these verses, it may be observed, that in his copy the first couplet is original; in Mr. Rowe's exhibition of them it is borrowed from preceding epitaphs. In the fourth line, Ho (not Oн ho, as Mr. Rowe has it,) was in Shakspeare's age the appropriate exclamation of ROBIN GOODFELLOW, alias PuckE, alias HOBGOBLIN."

Mr. Aubrey informs us laftly, that Shakspeare was wont to go to his native country once a yeare. I thinke I have been told that he left near 300l. to a fifter. He understood Latin pretty well, for he had been in his younger years a fchoolmafter in the country."

Many traditional anecdotes, though not perfectly accurate, contain an adumbration of the truth. It is obfervable that Mr. Aubrey fpeaks here with some degree of doubt;—“ I think I have been told;" and his memory, or that of his informer, led him into an errour with refpect to the person to whom our poet bequeathed this legacy, who, we find from his will, was his daughter, not his fifter: but though Aubrey was mistaken as to the perfon, his information with refpect to the amount of the legacy was perfectly correct; for 300l. was the precife fum which Shakspeare left to his fecond daughter, Judith.

See Percy's Reliques of Ancient Poetry, Vol. III. p. 2oz.

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In like manner, I am ftrongly inclined to think that the laft affertion contains, though not the truth, yet fomething like it: I mean, that Shakfpeare had been employed for fome time in his younger years as a teacher in the country; though Dr. Farmer has inconteftably proved, that he could not have been a teacher of Latin. I have already fuggefted my opinion, that before his coming to London he had acquired fome share of legal knowledge in the office of a petty country conveyancer, or in that of the fteward of fome manerial court. It is not neceffary here to repeat the reafons on which that opinion is founded. If he began to apply to this ftudy at the age of eighteen, two years afterwards he might have been fufficiently converfant with conveyances to have taught others the forms of fuch legal affurances as are ufually prepared by country attorneys; and perhaps fpent two or three years in this employment before he removed from Stratford to London. Some uncertain rumour of this kind might have continued to the middle of the laft century; and by the time it reached Mr. Aubrey, our poet's original occupation was changed from a fcrivener's to that of a fchool-mafter.

I now proceed to the more immediate object of our prefent inquiry; our poet's merit as an actor.

"Being inclined naturally (fays Mr. Aubrey) to poetry and acting, he came to London, I gueffe about 18, and was an actor at one of the playhoufes, and did act exceedingly well. Now Ben Jonfon never was a good actor, but an excellent inftructor."

The firft obfervation that I fhall make on this account is, that the latter part of it, which informs us that Ben Jonfon was a bad actor, is inconteftably confirmed by one of the comedies of Decker; and

therefore, though there were no other evidence, it might be plaufibly inferred that Mr. Aubrey's information concerning our poet's powers on the ftage was not lefs accurate. But in this inftance I am not under the neceffity of refting on fuch an inference; for I am able to produce the teftimony of a contemporary in fupport of Shakspeare's hiftrionick merit. In the preface to a pamphlet entitled Kinde-Hartes Dreame, published in December 1592, which I have already had occafion to quote for another purpose, the author, Henry Chettle, who was himself a dramatick writer, and well acquainted with the principal poets and players of the time, thus fpeaks of Shakspeare:

"The other, whom at that time I did not fo much fpare, as fince I wish I had, for that as I have moderated the hate of living writers, and might have used my own difcretion, (especially in fuch a cafe, the author [Robert Greene] being dead,) I am as forry as if the original fault had been my fault; because my felfe have feene his demeanour no lefs civil than he EXCELLENT in the qualitie he profeffes: befides, divers of worship have reported his uprightnefs of dealing, which argues his honeftie, and his facetious grace in writing, that approves

his art."

To those who are not converfant with the language of our old writers, it may be proper to obferve, that the words, "the qualitie be profeffes,” particularly denote his profeffion as an actor. The latter part of the paragraph indeed, in which he is praised as a good man and an elegant writer,

9 That by the words The other, was meant Shakfpeare, has been already fhewn in the Esay on the Order of his Plays, Vol. I.

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In like manner, I am that the laft affertio truth, yet something fpeare had been en

younger years as a Dr. Farmer has i not have been a fuggested my London he ha ledge in the

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tand at the under gentleing themselves non fcoffing when ey looke afkance at day before they begged this, as though every one ie, fo abufed him felfe; for that fome of them are fober, learned, honeft householders, and nought on amonge their neighbours nough the pride of their fhadowes (I ofe hange-byes whome they fuccour with cause them to bee fomewhat talked of

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thus early was Shakspeare celebrated as an tor, and thus unfounded was the information which Mr. Rowe obtained on this fubject. Wright, A more diligent enquirer, and who had better opportunities of gaining theatrical intelligence, had laid about ten years before, that he had "heard our author was a better poet than an actor;" but this defcription, though probably true, may ftill leave him a confiderable portion of merit in the latter capacity: for if the various powers and peculiar excellencies of all the actors from his time to the prefent, were united in one man, it may well be doubted, whether they would conftitute a

In the margin this cautious puritan adds-" Some players modeft, if I be not deceived.”

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Mr. WILLIAM

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e part of the Ghoft in fome.. ..ch was produced before Shakspeare either actor or writer. That fucha exifted, I have already fhewn to be highly le; and the tradition tranfmitted by Bet on, that our poet's performance of the Ghoft in is own Hamlet was his chef d'oeuvre, adds fupport to my opinion.

That Shakspeare had a perfect knowledge of his art, is proved by the inftructions which are given to the player in Hamlet, and by other paffages in his works; which in addition to what I have already ftated, incline me to think that the traditional account tranfmitted by Mr. Rowe, relative to his powers on the ftage, has been too haftily credited. In the celebrated fcene between Hamlet and his mother, fhe thus addresses him;

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Alas, how is't with you?

"That you do bend your eye on vacancy,
"And with the incorporeal air do hold difcourfe?
"Forth at your eyes your fpirits wildly peep;

"And, as the fleeping foldiers in the alarm,

"Your bedded hair, like life in excrements,

"Starts up, and stands on end.-Whereon do you look
"Ham. On him! on him! look you, how pale he

glares!

"His form and caufe conjoin'd, preaching to ftones,
"Would make them capable. Do not look upon me,
"Left with this piteous action, you convert

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