94 



Blackfriars Theatres, cliiefly if uot wholly by authorship, 

 from this fact, and that he alludes in his will to Burbage 

 and Cundell, as his fellows, it is most probable that his 

 brother managers still retained such an interest in his 

 plays as would prevent publication. It is possible, as has 

 been shoAvn by Mr. Knight and Gr. A. Browne, that his 

 wife retained this interest in his dramas and in the 

 theatres, in addition to that portion the law allowed. 

 That he did not in his plays manifest any craving for 

 immortality is so far true, that he did not in them 

 manifest any discoverable egotism, bias, or personality 

 whatever, so far true and no further. From his dramas it 

 would be impossible to predicate any single partiality, 

 leaning, taste, or feature of his life or character what- 

 ever. For one statement in proof of any hypothesis of 

 this kind twenty instances as cogent can be urged in 

 denial. But if we can divine nothing from the dramas 

 we can gain much from the sonnets. From these, or 

 rather from the poem in the sonnet stanza, comj)osed of 

 the first 126 verses, and which is erroneously published 

 under the title of sonnets, we have a large and important 

 amount of evidence. Testimony so sincere in its expres- 

 sion, so earnest in tone as to demand a hearing. It has 

 been contended against this, that the usage of the age 

 admitted the production of a certain class of fictional 

 poetry, of which the sentiments were as purely fantastic 

 and imaginary as if applied to dramatic personages. 



This is an argument which in no sense applies to 

 these sonnets, or to this sonnet poem. They are many 

 of them precisely on those subjects which neither invite 

 nor admit dissimulation. That our author might profess 

 an extravagant loyalty, affection, or love in verse is pos- 

 sible. Not greater than he is capable of feeling, it must 

 be borne in mind, but greater than he experienced to- 

 wards the person or persons to whom the verses are 



