SHAKSPEARE. 



Belides the above thirty-five plays, Shakfpeare wrote fome 

 poetical pieces, which were at firft publiflied feparately, -viz. 

 " Venus and Adonis," printed in 1593 ; " The Rape of 

 Lucrece," 1594; "The Paflionate Pilgrim," printed in 

 1599; "A Lover's Complaint," not dated; and a Col. 

 leftion of Sonnets, printed in 1609. The firft and fecond 

 of thefe poems were dedicated, as " the firft heir of my 

 invention," to Henry Wriothefley, earl of Southampton ; 

 who, according to fir William d'Avenant's llatement, pre. 

 fented the poet with the fum of 1000/. to make fome pur- 

 chafe. If this be a faft, it is honourable to the liberality 

 and good tafte of the nobleman, and fhews that the " poor 

 Warwickfhire lad" met with a munificent patron in an early 

 ftage of his literary career. Other circumftances tend to 

 prove that his merits were known to, and admired by, fome 

 illuftrious perfonagcs. Queen Elizabeth, whofe ear was 

 perpetually availed by fulfome panegyric, and who en- 

 couraged all forts of filly fhows. May-games, and buf- 

 fooneries, was not infenfible of Shakfpeare's talents ; for (he 

 commanded feveral of his plays to be adled before her ; and 

 having been much delighted with the charafter of FalltafF, 

 as delmeated in the firit and fecond parts of " Henry the 

 Fourth," recommended, or perhaps commanded, the bard 

 to portray the fat knight in love. Hence originated 

 " The Merry Wives of Windfor ;" fome incidents in which 

 may have pleafed the daughter of Henry VHI., although 

 they are juftly repulfive to modern tafte and delicacy. 

 King James I. alfo attended the reprefentation of many of 

 our author's plays. Sir WiUiam d'Avenant told Sheffield, 

 duke of Buckingham, that the monarch wrote the poet 

 " an amicable letter" with his own hand ; probably to 

 thank him for the compliment contained in the play of 

 Macbeth. 



Shakfpeare, as already hinted, was an aftor, as well as 

 author of plays, and performed fome of the charadlers in 

 his own dramas. As late as the year 1603, only 13 years 

 before his death, his name appears among the players of 

 Ben Jonfon's tragedy of Sejanus. Thus it is evident that 

 he continued to perform many years ; but of his hiftrionic 

 merits we have no fatiiiai:lory evidence. Hence on this 

 point there is much diverlity of opinion ; fome contending 

 that he was an excellent actor, and others that he was only 

 equal to the perfonificalion of his own charaftcr of the 

 gholl in Hamlet. Some pafTages in his own writings prove 

 that he was well qualified to appreciate and to defcribe the 

 eflentials of good afting. See Hamlet's admirable advice to 

 the players ; the fcenc between Hamlet and his mother ; and 

 alfo the defcription of a tragedian in " King Richard HI." 

 Aubrey ftates that Shakfpeare vifited his native town 

 periodically ; but we do not learn when he finally returned 

 home. From a document in the polIeiTion of Mr. R. B. 

 Wheler, the hiftorian of Stratford, it appears that he was 

 in London in November, 16 14. At that time Mr. Thomas 



Green, a profeffional gentleman of that town, and a relative 

 of Shakfpeare's, vifited the metropolis, to obtain an aft of 

 parliament, or to fettle fome bufincfs relating to the inclo- 

 fure of an open field, in which our poet was a party con- 

 cerned. His memorandums are ; 



" Rec. 16. No. 1614, at 4 o'clock afr. noon, a Ire 

 from Mr. Bayly & Mr. Alderman, [the bailift' and chief 

 alderman of Stratford-upon-Avon] dated 12. No. 1614, 

 touchyng the inclofure bufynes. Jovis 17. No. [16143 

 my cofen Shakfpeare comyng yefterdy to town, I went to 

 fee him how he did. He told me that they" [the parties 

 wifliing to inclofe] " aflured him they ment to inclofe no 

 further than to Gofpel bufh, & fo upp ilraight (leavyng 

 out pt. of the Dyngles to the field) to the gate in Clopton 

 hedg & take in Salifbury's peece ; & that they mean in 

 Aprill to fvey. the land & then to gyve fatisfaccion & not 

 before : & he & Mr. Hall" [Shakfpeare's fon-in-law, pro- 

 bably prelent] " fay they think yr. [there] will be no- 

 thyng done at all." It appears that Mr. Green, after his 

 return to Stratford, made the foUowing entry, which is 

 partly illegible. "23. Dec. [1614 ] a Hall. I.res. wryt- 

 ten, one to Mr. Manyring — another to Mr. Shakfpeare, 

 with almoft all the company's hands to eyther. I alfo 

 wrytte myfelf to my cfn. [coufin] Shakfpear, the 



coppyes of all our then alfo a note of the incon- 



venyences wold by the inclofure." Another part 



of the memorandum ftates, that the town of Stratford was 

 then " lying in the aflies of defolation." 



We find that Shakfpeare had purchafed a houfe, called 

 " New-place," at Stratford, about three years before his 

 death, where he refided in the llyle and charafter of a pri- 

 vate gentleman, Here he died on the anniverfary of his 

 birth-day, April 23, 1616, and was interred on the fecond 

 day after his death, in the chancel of Stratford church, 

 where a monument ftill remains to his memory. It is con- 

 ftrufted partly of marble and partly of ftone, and confifts 

 of a half-length buft of the deceafed, with a cufhion before 

 him, placed under an ornamental canopy, between two co- 

 lumns of the Corinthian order, fupporting an entablature. 

 -Attached to the latter is the Shakfpeare arras and creft, 

 fculptured in bold relief. Beneath the buft are the fol- 

 lowing lines : 



Judicio Pylivm, genio Socratem, arte Maronem, 

 Terra tegit, popvlvs roxret, olympus habet. 



Stay, pallenger, why goeft thov by fo faft. 

 Read, if thov canft, whom cnviovs death hath plaft 

 Within this monvment, Shakfpeare : with whome 

 Qvick natvre didc ; whofe name doth deck ys tombe 

 Far more than colte ; fieh all yt he hath writt 

 Leaves living art, bvt page to fervc his witt. 



Obiit Ano. Doi. 1616, .lEtatis 53, die 23 Ap. 



On a flat ftone, covering the grave, is this curious in- 

 fcription : 



Good frcnd for Jefvs' fake forbeare, 

 To digg the dvft eiicloafed heare ; 

 Bleft be ye man yt (pares thefe ftones, 

 And cvrft be he yt moves my bones. 



The common tradition is, that the four laft lines were 

 written by Shakfpeare himfelf ; but this notion has perhaps 

 originated folcly from the ufe of the word " my," in the lalt 

 line. The imprecation, fays Mr. Malone, was prob.ibly fug- 

 geilcd by an apprchenfion " that our author's remains might 

 inarc the fame i^ate with thofe of tlie reft of his countrymen, 

 and be added to the immenle pile of human bones dcpofitcd 

 in the charncl-houfc at Stratford." 



Mrs. 



