but that what he thought, was commonly fo great, so justly and rightly conceiv'd in it felf, that it wanted little or no correction, and was immediately approv'd by an impartial judgment at the first fight. But tho' the order of time in which the feveral pieces were written be generally uncertain, yet there are passages in fome few of them which feem to fix their dates. So the Chorus in the beginning of the fifth Act of Henry V. by a compliment very handsomely turn'd to the Earl of Effex, fhews the Play to have been written when that lord was General for the Queen in Ireland : And his Elogy upon Queen Elizabeth, and her fucceffor King James, in the latter end of his Henry VIII. is a proof of that Play's being written after the acceffion of the latter of those two Princes to the crown of England. Whatever the particular times of his writing were, the people of his age, who began to grow wonderfully fond of diverfions of this kind, could not but be highly pleas'd to fee a Genius arise amongst 'em of fo pleasurable, so rich a vein, and so plentifully capable of furnishing their favourite entertainments. Befides the advantages of his wit, he was in himself a goodnatur'd man, of great sweetness in his manners, and a most agreeable companion; so that it is no wonder if with so many good qualities he made himself acquainted with the best conversations of those times. Queen Elizabeth had feveral of his Plays acted before her, and without doubt gave him many gracious marks of her favour: It is that maiden Princess plainly, whom he intends by A fair Vestal, Throned by the West, Midsummer Night's Dream. And And that whole passage is a compliment very properly brought in, and very handfomly apply'd to her. She was so well pleas'd with that admirable character of Falstaff, in the two parts of Henry the fourth, that the commanded him to continue it for one Play more, and to thew himin love. This is faid to be the occafion of his writing The Merry Wives of Windfor. How well the was obey'd, the play it self is an admirable proof. Upon this occafion it may not be improper to observe, that this part of Falstaff is faid to have been written originally under the name of * Oldcastle; some of that family being then remaining, the Queen was pleas'd to command him to alter it; upon which he made use of Falstaff. The present offence was indeed avoided; but I don't know whether the Author may not have been somewhat to blame in his second choice, fince it is certain that Sir John Falstaff, who was Knight of the garter, and a Lieutenant-general, was a name of diftinguith'd merit in the wars in France in Henry the fifth's and Henry the fixth's times. What grace foever the Queen conferr'd upon him, it was not to her only he ow'd the fortune which the reputation of his wit made. He had the honour to meet with many great and uncommon marks of favour and friendthip from the Earl of Southampton, famous in the histories of that time for his friendship to the unfortunate Earl of Effex. It was to that noble Lord that he dedicated his Poem of Venus and Adonis. There is one instance so fingular in the magnificence of this Patron of Shakespear's, that if I had not been affur'd that the story was handed down by Sir William D'Avenant, who was probably very well acquainted with his affairs, I should not have ventur'd to have inferted, that my lord Southampton * See the Epilogue to Henry 4th, Southampton at one time gave him a thousand pounds, to enable him to go through with a purchase which he heard he had a mind to. A bounty very great, and very rare at any time, and almost equal to that profuse generofity the present age has shewn to French Dancers and Italian Singers. What particular habitude or friendships he contracted with private men, I have not been able to learn, more than that every one who had a true taste of merit, and could diftinguish men, had generally a just value and esteem for him. His exceeding candor and good-nature must certainly have inclin'd all the gentler part of the world to love him, as the power of his wit oblig'd the men of the most delicate knowledge and polite learning to admire him. His acquaintance with Ben Johnson began with a remarkable piece of humanity and good-nature; Mr. Johnson, who was at that time altogether unknown to the world, had offer'd one of his Plays to the Players, in order to have it acted; and the persons into whose hands it was put, after having turn'd it carelesly and superciliously over, were just upon returning it to him with an ill-natur'd answer, that it would be of no service to their Company; when Shakespear luckily caft his eye upon it, and found something so well in it as to engage him first to read it through, and afterwards to recommend Mr. Johnson and his writings to the publick. Johnson was certainly a very good scholar, and in that had the advantage of Shakespear; tho' at the fame time I believe it must be allow'd, that what Nature gave the latter, was more than a ballance for what Books had given the former ; and the judgment of a great man upon this oссаfion was, I think, very just and proper. In a conversation between Sir John Suckling, Sir William D'Avenant, 7 D'Avenant, Endymion Porter, Mr. Hales of Eaton, and Ben Johnson; Sir John Suckling, who was a profess'd admirer of Shakespear, had undertaken his defence against Ben Johnson with fome warmth; Mr. Hales, who had fat still for fome time, told 'em, That if Mr. Shakespear had not read the Ancients, he had likewise not stollen any thing from 'em; and that if he would produce any one Topick finely treated by any of them, he would undertake to shew Something upon the Same subject at least as wellwritten by Shakespear. The latter part of his life was spent, as all men of good sense will with theirs may be, in ease, retirement, and the conversation of his friends. He had the good fortune to gather an estate equal to his occafion, and, in that, to his wish; and is faid to have fpent fome years before his death at his native Stratford. His pleasurable wit, and good nature, engag'd him in the acquaintance, and entitled him to the friendship of the gentlemen of the neighbourhood. Amongst them, it is a story almost still remember'd in that country, that he had a particular intimacy with Mr. Combe, an old gentleman noted thereabouts for his wealth and ufury; It happen'd, that in a pleasant conversation amongst their common friends, Mr. Combe told Shakespear in a laughing manner, that he fancy'd he intended to write his Epitaph, if he happen'd to out-live him; and fince he could not know what might be faid of him when he was dead, he defir'd it might be done immediately: Upon which ShakeSpear gave him these four verses. Ten in the hundred lies bere ingrav'd, Oh! ho! quoth the devil, 'tis my John-a-Combe. But But the sharpness of the Satire is said to have stung the man so severely, that he never forgave it. He dy'd in the 53d year of his age, and was bury'd on the north fide of the chancel, in the great church at Stratford, where a monument, as engrav'd in the plate, is plac'd in the wall. On his Gravestone underneath is, Good friend, for Jesus fake, forbear He had three daughters, of which two liv'd to be marry'd; Judith, the elder, to one Mr. Thomas Quiney, by whom she had three Sons, who all dy'd without children; and Susannah, who was his favourite, to Dr. John Hall, a phyfician of good reputation in that country. She left one child only, a daughter, who was marry'd first to Thomas Nash, Elq; and afterwards to Sir John Bernard of Abbington, but dy'd likewife without iffue. This is what I could learn of any note, either relating to himself or family: The character of the man is best seen in his writings. But fince Ben Johnson has made a fort of an effay towards it in his Discoveries, I will give it in his words. "I remember the Players have often mention'd " it as an honour to Shakespear, that in writing "(whatsoever he penn'd) he never blotted out "a line. My answer hath been, Would he “had blotted out a thousand! which they thought a "malevolent speech. I had not told pofterity "this, but for their ignorance, who chose that circumstance to commend their friend by, "wherein he most faulted. And to justifie mine "own 66 |