The Reputation of Christopher Morlozve. 391 



the old woman if she had any more books besides those in the shop. She 

 said "she had ; but they were in an inner room without any window-hght ; 

 and that the last person that had been there was the noted book-worm Dr. 

 Rawlinson," — who then had been sleeping with his fathers some few years. 

 Mr. Dodd ask'd if it was agreeable for him to accompany me. We had 

 two candles lighted, and going into this dark recess, saw a great number of 

 books laying on the ground, which took us some hours looking over. He 

 brought out a book or two ; but was not lucky enough to find Kit Marlow 

 there. 



It was about this time, or a little later, that Garrick assemliled 

 the rare Marlowe quartos which form the micleus of the British 

 Museum collection, and J. P. Kemble those that passed into the 

 Devonshire library. A less legitimate kind of interest appears in 

 John Berkenhout's BiograpJiia Litcraria, lyjj. The account of 

 Marlowe and his works on pages 357-359 of this book offers noth- 

 ing that is essential; but on page 399 (note g) Berkenhout prints 

 the following very obvious forgery, which purports to be a letter 

 from George Peele : 



Friend Marie, 



I never longed for thy company more than last night : we were 

 all very merrye at the Globe, when Ned Alleyn did not scruple to affyrme 

 pleasantely to thy friend Will, that he had stolen his speeche about the 

 qualityes of an actor's excellencye, in Hamlet hys tragedye, from conver- 

 sations manyfold whych had passed between them, and opinyons given by 

 Alleyn touchinge the subject. Shakespeare did not take this talke in good 

 sorte; but Jonson put an end to the strife, wittylie remarking. This affaire 

 needeth no contentione ; you stole it from Ned, no doubt ; do not marvel ; 

 have you not seen him act tymes out of number ? 



G: Peel."' 



The third volume of Thomas Warton's History of English 

 Poetry (1774-1781) devoted to Marlowe half a dozen pages of 

 appreciative criticism, which, though marred by certain errors and 

 ineptitudes/'^'^ furnish the most adec|uate judgment the poet had 

 received since the days of the Elizabethans. On Marlowe's moral 

 character Warton ventured a palliative construction, which, though 

 hypothetical and defiant of tradition, remains far from improbable : 



"' Berkenhout adds : 'Whence I copied this letter, I do not recollect ; but 

 I remember that at the time of transcribing it, I had no doubt of its 

 authenticity.' 



^"' Edmund Gosse remarks : 'I can never forgive Thomas Warton for 

 arriving at Marlowe's Hero and Lcandcr and failing to observe its beauties.' 

 {Two Pioneers of Romanticism : Joseph and Thomas Warton. Proceedings 

 of the British Academy VH, 1915.) 



