412 
tency, Shakespeare bas very erroneously 
characterised Louis XI, of France, as “a 
prince soon won with moving words.” 
Some traces of his true character, how- 
ever, appear in the following scenes, 
where be is represented as acting both a 
treacherous and an interested part. 
Upon the whole it appears to me 
that the third division of this historic 
drama, exhibits more numerous and more 
striking manifestations of the genius of 
Shakespeare, than the second part. Dr. 
Warburton has, with his characteristic 
dogmatism, pronounced all the parts of 
Henry VI. to be certainly not Shakes- 
peare’s. Dr, Johnson, on the other 
and, strongly contends that they are his 
genuine productions. Both these opi- 
nions are given without modification or 
qualification: but the truth seems to be, 
that Shakespeare has adopted the well- 
known performances of former play- 
wrights, as the ground-work of his own 
productions, introducing much new mat- 
ter and many entire scenes. 
In the very curious pamphlet, entitled 
Greene’s Groats-worth of Witte, quoted 
by Mr. Tyrwhitt, it is said “ There is an 
upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, 
that, with ‘his tyger’s head wrapt in a 
playei’s hide,’ supposes he is as well able 
to bombast out a blank verse as the best 
of you: and, being an absolute Johannes 
Fac-totum, is in his own conceit the only 
Shake-scene in a country.” - 
That the appellation Shake-scene al- 
Judes to Shakespeare, no one will doubt ; 
and if is evident that ‘his tyger’s head 
wrapt in a players hide,” is a parody 
upon the following line of York’s speech 
to Margaret, 
4¢© tyger’s heart wrapt in a woman’s hide !” 
Henry Vi. Part II. Act I. Scene 4. 
And this passage, upon the whole, seems 
plainly to imply that Shakespeare had 
wade very free with the productions of 
preceding writers, provoking, as it seems, 
the lash of criticism by this unusual 
license. 
RicHaRn Lf. det. I. Scene. 
Wow is the winter of our discontent 
Made glorious summer by this sun of York 5 
And all the clouds that lower’d upon our 
house, 
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried. 
Now are ovr brows bound with victorious 
wreatlis, 
Our bruised arms hung up for monuments, 
Our stern alarums chang’o to merry meetings,- 
@ur’ dreadful “marches to delightful mea- 
1 sures 5 “1 ie 
Critical Remarks on Shakespeare. 
[June 1, 
Grim-visaged War hath smooth’d his wrinkled 
front ; " : 
And now, instead of mounting barbed steeds, 
Yo fright the souls of fearful adversaries, 
He capers nimbly in a lady’s chamber, 
To the lascivious pleasing of a lute. 
It has heen asked, Who capers? War or 
York? IT answer, War: but with an evi- 
dent allusion to the dissolute manners of 
the king, who had exchanged the gal- 
lantry of the camp for that of the court; 
to which Glocester proceeds to contrast 
his own ungenial habits and personal 
defects. 
But {, that am not shaped for sportive tricks, 
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glassy 
&c. Ibid, Scene 4. 
Q. Marg. Live each of you the subject to 
his hate, 
And he to you, and all of you to God’s. 
Ibid, Scene 3, 
“Tt is evident,” says Mr. Walpole, “ from 
the conduct of Shakespeare, that the 
House of Tudor retained all their Lane 
castrian prejudices, even in the reign of 
Elizabeth. In this play of Richard III, 
he seems to deduce the woes of the 
House of York from the curses which 
Queen Margaret had vented against 
them ; and he could not give that weight 
to her curses without supposing a right 
in her to utter them.” This remark, 
however specious, is certainly destitute 
of foundation. If Queen Elizabeth ree 
tained all the Lancastrian prejudices, 
Shakespeare made his court to ber very 
ill, by representing Henry IV. on his 
death bed, as struck with remorse, ona 
review of his past conduct, ** How I 
came by the crown, O Gal forgive!” It 
is observable, that the Bishop of Car- 
lisle, a prelate of inflexible honour and 
integrity, expresses in the strongest 
terms his detestation of the dethrone 
went of Richard IT. ; and his predictions 
respecting the fatal consequences of what 
he styles “ that heinous black and obscene 
deed,” are as literally fulfilled as the pro- 
phetical imprecations of Queen Margaret, 
*¢ The blood of England shall manure the 
ground, 
And future ages groan for this foul act ; 
Peace shall go sleep with Turks and Infidels, 
Andin this seat of peace, tumultuous wars 
Shall kin with kin and kind with kind cony 
found,” 
Nay, Shakespeare makes King Henry VI. 
the feeble and the pious, expressly ac- 
_knowledge, in a personal conference with 
the Duke of York, the illegality of his 
own title. These circumstances, how- 
ever, afford no proof of Shakespeare’s ate 
tachment to the House. of York. They 
are 
