King's Company, before prince Charles, the lady Elizabeth, and the prince Palatine elector, in the beginning of the year 1613.

The names of Trinculo and Antonio, two of the characters in this comedy, are likewife found in that of Albumazar; which was printed in 1614, but is fuppofed by Dryden to have appeared fome years before.

Ben Jonfon probably meant to fneer at this play in the prologue to Every Man in his Humour, first printed in 1616, and probably written a few before:

nor tempeftuous drum.

"Rumble to tell you when the ftorm will come."

years

In the induction to his Bartholomew Fair he has endeavoured to depreciate this beautiful comedy by calling it a foolery. Dryden, however, informs us that it was a very popular play at Blackfriars, but unluckily has not faid a word relative to the time. of its firft reprefentation there, though he might certainly have received information on that fubject from Sir William D'Avenant.

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The only note of time which I have observed in this play, is in Act II. fc. ii: when they [the English] will not give a doit to relieve a lame beggar, they will lay out ten to fee a dead Indian." This probably alludes to fome recent circumstance with which I am unacquainted.

It has been generally believed, that Shakspeare retired from the theatre, and ceased to write, about

2

year;

three years before he died. The latter fuppofition muft now be confidered as extremely doubtful; for Mr. Tyrwhitt, with great probability, conjectures, that Twelfth Night was written in 1614: grounding his opinion on an allufion, which it seems to contain, to those parliamentary undertakers of whom frequent mention is made in the Journals of the Houfe of Commons for that 3 who were ftigmatized with the invidious name, on account of their having undertaken to manage the elections of knights and burgeffes in fuch a manner as to fecure a majority in parliament for the court. If this allufion was intended, Twelfth Night was probably our author's laft production; and, we may prefume, was written after he had retired to Stratford. It is obfervable that Mr. Afhley, a member of the Houfe of Commons, in one of the debates on this fubject, fays, "that the rumour concerning these undertakers had spread into the country."

When Shakspeare quitted London and his profeffion, for the tranquillity of a rural retirement, it is improbable that fuch an excurfive genius fhould have been immediately reconciled to a state of mental inactivity. It is more natural to conceive, that he fhould have occafionally bent his thoughts towards the theatre, which his muse had supported, and the intereft of his affociates whom he had left behind him to ftruggle with the capricious viciffitudes of publick tafte, and whom, his laft Will fhews us, he had not forgotten. To the neceffity, therefore, of literary amufement to every cultivated

Nay, if you be an undertaker, I am for you. See Twelfth Night, Act IV. fc. iii. and the note there. 3 Comm. Journ. Vol. I. p. 456, 457. 470.

mind, or to the dictates of friendship, or to both these incentives, we are perhaps indebted for the comedy of Twelfth Night; which bears evident. marks of having been compofed at leifure, as most of the characters that it contains, are finished to a higher degree of dramatick perfection, than is difcoverable in fome of our author's earlier comick performances.

In the third act of this comedy, Decker's Weftward Hoe feems to be alluded to. Weftward Hoe was printed in 1607, and from the prologue to Eaftward Hoe appears to have been acted in 1604, or before.

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Maria, in Twelfth Night, speaking of Malvolio, fays, he does fmile his face into more lines than the new map with the augmentation of the Indies." I have not been able to learn the date of the map here alluded to; but, as it is spoken of as a recent publication, it may, when difcovered, ferve to afcertain the date of this play more exactly.

The comedy of What you will, (the fecond title of the play now before us,) which was entered at Stationers' hall, Aug. 9, 1607, was certainly Marfton's play, as it was printed in that year for T. Thorpe, by whom the above mentioned entry was made; and it appears to have been the general practice of the bookfellers at that time, recently before publication, to enter thofe plays of which they had procured copies.

Twelfth Night was not registered on the Stationers' books, nor printed till 1623.

The comedies particularly alluded to, are, A Midfummer Night's Dream, The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labour's Loft, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona,

It has been thought, that Ben Jonfon intended to ridicule the conduct of this play, in his Every Man out of his Humour, at the end of Act III. fc. vi. where he makes Mitis fay," That the argument of his comedy might have been of fome other nature, as of a duke to be in love with a countess, and that countefs to be in love with the duke's fon, and the fon in love with the lady's waiting-maid: fome fuch cross wooing, with a clown to their fervingman, better than be thus near and familiarly allied to the time." "

I do not, however, believe, that Jonson had here Twelfth Night in contemplation. If an allufion to this comedy were intended, it would ascertain it to have been written before 1599, when Every Man out of his Humour was firft acted. But Meres does not mention Twelfth Night in 1598, nor is there any reafon to believe that it then exifted.

Mrs. Mall's picture," which is mentioned in this play, probably means the picture of Moll Cutourfe, who was born in 1585, and made much noife in London about the year 1611.

The Sophy of Perfia is twice mentioned in Twelfth Night. 1. "I will not give my part of this fport for a penfion of thousands to be paid by the Sophy." 2. He pays you as fure as your feet hit the ground you ftep on. They fay he has been fencer to the Sophy."

When Shakspeare wrote the firft of thefe paffages, he was perhaps thinking of Sir Robert Shirley, "who," fays Stowe's Continuator, "after having ferved the Sophy of Perfia for ten years as

See the first note on Twelfth Night, A&. I. fc. i.

general of artillerie, and married the Lady Teresa, whofe fifter was one of the queens of Perfia, arrived in England as ambassador from the Sophy in 1612. After flaying one year he and his wife returned to Perfia, (Jan. 1612-13,) leaving a fon, to whom the queen was godmother, and Prince Henry godfather.”

Camden's account agrees with this, for according to him Sir Robert Shirley came to England on his embally, June 26, 1612: but both the accounts are erroneous; for Sir Robert Shirley certainly

6

arrived in London as ambassador from the Sophy in 1611, as appears from a letter written by him to Henry prince of Waies, dated Nov. 4, 1611, requesting the prince to be god-father to his fon." Sir Robert, and his Perfian lady, at this time made much noife; and Shakspeare, it is highly probable, here alludes to the magnificence which he displayed during his ftay in England, out of the funds allotted to him by the emperor of Perfia. He remained in England about eighteen months.

If the dates here affigned to our author's plays fhould not, in every inflance, bring with them conviction of their propriety, let it be remembered, that this is a fubject on which conviction cannot at this day be obtained; and that the obfervations now fubmitted to the publick, do not pretend to any higher title than that of "AN ATTEMPT to afcertain the Chronology of the Dramas of Shakfpeare."

MSS. Harl, 7008.

VOL. II.

P