CHAR A C T E RS. 



351 



years regular attendance, for no 

 real cause ; and left Stockdale, 

 whom he took up on quitting 

 White, all at once in the same ec- 

 centric and unaccountable manner. 

 He never took a pinch of snuff after 

 he lost his box in St. Paul's church- 

 yard, though it had been the custom 

 of his life, and he was much addicted 

 to the practice, and in the habit of 

 making his memorandums by bits 

 of paper in his box. He was rich 

 in books and prints. He bought 

 largely at Mr. Baker's auction of 

 sir Clement Dormer's library, col- 

 lected by general Dormer, where 

 he got the French translation of 

 Xenophon's works, by Pyramus de 

 Candale, Cologn, l6l3, bound in 

 Morocco and gilt leaves, worth 40/. 

 and upwards for 12/. 12*. He 

 had the second folio of Shakespeare, 

 with notes, and alterations of the 

 scenes by Charles H. in his own 

 hand. He never would sit for his 

 picture, but had no objection to il- 

 lustrate his own Shakespeare with 

 1500 portraits of all the persons in 

 the notes and text, of which he 

 could make drawings or procure en- 

 gravings. His set of Hogarth also 

 is supposed to be the most complete 

 of any that ever was collected ; and 

 his commentary on the productions 

 of that inimitable painter, which 

 accompanies Mr. Nichols's " Bio- 

 graphical Anecdotes," would alone 

 have stamped a lasting fame on his 

 critical acumen. He had a happy 

 memory, richly stored, was a very 

 pleasant tete-a-tete companion,com- 

 municative of his knowledge, but 

 jealous of other men's. Mr. Stee- 

 vens has bequeathed his valuable 

 Shakespeare to earl Spencer ; his 

 Hogarth (perfect, with the excep- 

 tion of one or two pieces) to Mr. 

 Windham ; and his corrected copy 



of Shakespeare to Mr. Reed,together 

 with a bequest of 200 guineas. To 

 his niece. Miss Steevens, who is his 

 residuary legatee, he has left the 

 bulk of his fortune, including his 

 library of curious and rare books 

 (which has been sold by auction 

 by Mr. King). There are only 

 two or three other small legacies 

 in money. 



The early editors of Shakespeare 

 looked to little more than verbal ac- 

 curacy ; and even Warburton con- 

 fined the sagacity of his mighty 

 mind to the restoring uncertain 

 readings, and explaining dubious 

 passages. Johnson, who possessed 

 more of the knowledge necessary to 

 an editor of Shakespeare than those 

 who had preceded him in that cha- 

 racter, was found wanting ; and his 

 first edition of Shakespeare's plays, 

 which had been expected with 

 much impatience, brought disap- 

 pointment along with it. In a sub- 

 sequent edition, he accepted the 

 assistance of Mr. Steevens ; and 

 consented that the name of that 

 gentleman should be in editorial 

 conjunction with his own. Mr. 

 Steevens possessed that knowledge 

 which qualified him in a superior de- 

 gree for the illustration of our divine 

 poet, and without which the ut- 

 most critical acumen would prove 

 abortive. He had, in short, studied 

 the age of Shakespeare, and had em- 

 ployed his persevering industry in 

 becoming acquainted with the wri- 

 tings, manners, and laws, of that 

 period, as well as the provincial pe- 

 culiarities, whether of language or 

 custom, which prevailed indifferent 

 parts of the kingdom, but more par- 

 ticularly in those where Shakespeare 

 passed the early years of his life. 

 This store of knowledge he was 

 continuaUy increasing by the acqui- 



