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Shakspeare is not met with, even as an affiftant, till at least seven years afterward.'— Nash, in his Epifle to the Gentlemen Students of both Univerfities, prefixed to Greene's Arcadia, 4to. black letter, recommends his friend, Peele, "as the chiefe fupporter of pleasance now living, the Atlas of poetrie, and primus verborum artifex: whose first increase, The Arraignment of Paris, might plead to their opinions his pregnant dexteritie of wit, and manifold varietie of inuention."4

likewife to our author, thofe miferable performances, Mucidorus, and The Merry Devil of Edmonton.

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3 Mr. Pope afferts, "The troublesome Raigne of King John," in two parts, 1611, to have been written by Shakfpeare and Rowley: - which edition is a mere copy of another in black letter, 1591. But I find his affertionis fomewhat to be doubted: for the old edition hath no name of author at all; and that of 1611. the initials only, W. Sh. in the title-page.*

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4 Peele feems to have been taken into the patronage of the Earl of Northumberland about 1593. to whom he dedicates in that year, "The Honour of the Garter, a poem gratulatorie the firfling confecrated to his noble name.' "He was efteemed, fays Anthony Wood, "a moft noted poet, 1579. but when or where he died, I cannot tell, for so it is, and always hath been, that moft POETS die poor, and confequently obfcurely, and a hard matter it is to trace them to their graves. Claruit 1599." Ath. Oxon. Vol. I. p. 300.

We had lately in a periodical pamphlet, called, The Thea`trical Review, a very curious letter under the name of George Peele, to one Mafter Henrie Marle; relative to a dispute between Shakspeare and Alleyn, which was compromised by Ben Jonfon. I never longed for thy companye more than last night; we were all verie merrie at the Globe, when Ned Alleyn did not fcruple to affyrme pleafauntly to thy friende Will, that he had ftolen hys fpeeche about the excellencie

See the Efay on the Order of Shakspeare's Plays, Article, King John.

MALONE.

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In the next place, unfortunately, there is neither fuch a character as a Conflable in the Midfummer Night's Dream: nor was the three hundred pounds legacy to a fifler, but a daughter.

And to close the whole, it is not poffible, according to Aubrey himself, that Shakspeare could have been fome years a fchoolmaster in the country, on which circumftance only the fuppofition of his learning is profeffedly founded. He was not surely very young, when he was employed to kill calves, and commenced player about eighteen!-The truth is, that he left his father, for a wife, a year fooner; and had at leaft two children born at Stratford before he retired from thence to London. It is therefore fufficiently clear, that poor Anthony had too much reason for his character of Aubrey. You will find it in his own account of his life, published by Hearne, which I would earnestly recommend to any hypochondriack:

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A pretender to antiquities, roving, magotieheaded, and fometimes little better than crafed: and being exceedingly credulous, would ftuff his many letters fent to A. W. with folliries and misinformations." P. 577.

of acting in Hamlet hys tragedye, from converfaytions manifold, whych had paffed between them, and opinions gyven by Alleyn touching that fubject. Shakspeare did not take this talk in good forte; but Jonfon did put an end to the ftryfe wyth wittielie faying, thys affaire needeth no contentione: you ftole it from Ned no doubte: do not marvel : haue you not feene hym acte tymes out of number?" -- This is pretended to be printed from the original MS. dated 1600; which agrees well enough with Wood's Claruit: but unluckily, Peele was dead at least two years before. "As Anacreon died by the pot, fays Meres, fo George Peele by the pox." Wit's Treasury, 1598. p. 286.

Thus much for the learning of Shakspeare with refpect to the ancient languages: indulge me with an obfervation or two on the fuppofed knowledge of the modern ones, and I will promife to releafe you.

"It is evident, "we have been told, "that he was not unacquainted with the Italian:" but let us inquire into the evidence.

Certainly fome Italian words and phrases appear in the works of Shakspeare; yet if we had nothing elfe to obferve, their orthography might lead us to fufpect them to be not of the writer's importation. But we can go further, and prove this.

When Pistol "cheers up himself with ends of verfe," he is only a copy of Hanniball Gonfaga, who ranted on yielding himfelf a prifoner to an English captain in the Low Countries, as you may read in an old collection of tales, called Wits, Fits, and Fancies,"

Si fortuna me tormenta,

Il fperanza me contenta."

And Sir Richard Hawkins, in his voyage to the South-Sea, 1593, throws out the fame jingling diftich on the lofs of his pinnace.

"Mafter Page, fit; good Mafter Page, fit; Proface. What you want in meat, we'll have in drink," fays Juftice Shallow's fac totum, Davy, in the Second Part of Henry IV.

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By one Anthony Copley, 4to. black letter, it feems to have had many editions: perhaps the laft was in 1614. — The first piece of this fort, that I have met with, was printed by T. Berthelet, though not mentioned by Ames, called, "Tales, and quicke anfweres very mery and pleasant to rede." 4to. no date.

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Proface, Sir Thomas Hanmer obferves to be Italian, from profaccia, much good may it do you. Mr. Johnson rather thinks it a mistake for perforce. Sir Thomas however is right; yet it is no argument for his author's Italian knowledge.

Old Heywood, the epigrammatift, addreffed his readers long before,

Readers, reade this thus: for preface, proface,
Much good do it you, the poore repaft here," &c.
Woorkes, Lond. 4to. 1562.

And Dekker in his play, If it be not good, the Diuel
is in it, (which is certainly true, for it is full of
devils,) makes Shackle-foule, in the character of
Friar Rufh, tempt his brethren with "choice of
dishes,"

"To which proface; with blythe lookes fit yee."

Nor hath it efcaped the quibbling manner of the
Water-poet, in the title of a poem prefixed to his
Praife of Hempfeed: A Preamble, Preatrot, Prea-
gallop, Preapace, or Preface; and Proface, my
Mafters, if your Stomacks ferve."

But the editors are not contented without coin

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ing Italian. Rivo, fays the drunkard," is an expreffion of the madcap Prince of Wales; which Sir Thomas Hanmer corrects to Ribi, drink away, or again, as it fhould be rather tranflated. Dr. Warburton accédes to this; and Mr. Johnfon hath admitted it into his text; but with an obfervation, that Rivo might poffibly be the cant of English taverns. And fo indeed it was: it occurs frequently in Marfton. Take a quotation from his comedy of What you will, 1607.

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In Love's Labour's Loft, Boyet calls Don Armado,

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A Spaniard that keeps here in court,

"A phantafme, a monarcho.”

Here too Sir Thomas is willing to palm Italian up-
We should read, it seems, mammuccio,

on us.

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But the

mammet, or puppet: Ital. Mammuccia.
allufion is to a fantastical character of the time. -
Popular applaufe," fays Meres, "dooth nourish
fome, neither do they gape after any other thing,
but vaine praise and glorie, as in our age Peter
Shakerlye of Paules, and MONARCHO that liued
about the court." P. 178.

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I fancy, you will be fatisfied with one more inflance.

"Baccare, You are marvellous forward," quoth Gremio to Petruchio in the Taming of a Shrew.

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as.

But not fo forward," fays Mr. Theobald, our editors are indolent. This is a ftupid corruption of the prefs, that none of them have dived into. We must read Baccalare, as Mr. Warburton acutely obferved to me, by which the Italians mean, Thou ignorant, prefumptuous man." - Properly, indeed,” adds Mr. Heath,.“ a graduated scholar, but ironically and farcaftically, a pretender to fcholarfhip."

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This is admitted by the editors and criticks of every denomination. Yet the word is neither wrong, nor Italian: it was an old proverbial one, ufed

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