the gentlemen ftudents of both univerfities, prefixed to Greene's Arcadia, 4to. black letter, recommends his friend, Peele, "as the chiefe fupporter of pleafance now living, the Atlas of poetrie, and primus verborum artifex: whose first increase, the Arraignment of Paris, might plead to their opinions his pregnant dexteritie of wit and manifold varietie of inuention *."

In the next place, unfortunately, there is neither fuch a character as a Constable in the Midsummer Night's Dream: nor was the three hundred pounds legacy to a fifter, but a daughter.

And to close the whole, it is not poffible, according to Aubrey himself, that Shakespeare could have been fome years a fchoolmaster in the country: on which circumstance only the fuppofition of his learning is profeffedly founded. He was not furely very young, when he was employed to kill calves, and he commenced player about eighteen! - The

* Peele feems to have been taken into the patronage of the Earl of Northumberland about 1593, to whom he dedicates in that year," The Honour of the Garter, a poem gratulatorie-the Firfiling confecrated to his noble name.' He was efteemed, fays Anthony Wood, a most noted poet, 1579; but when or where he died, I cannot tell, for fo it is, and always hath been, that moft POETS die poor, and confequently obfcurely, and a hard matter it is to trace them to their graves. Claruit 1599." Ath. Oxon. vol. I. p. 300.

We had lately in a periodical pamphlet, called, The Theatrical Review, a very curicus letter under the name of George Peele, to one Master Henrie Marle; relative to a difpute between Shakespeare and Alleyn, which was compromifed by Ben Jonfon.--"I never longed for thy companye more than last night; we were all verie merrie at the Globe, when Ned Alleyn did not fcruple to affyrme pleafauntly to thy friende Will, that he had ftolen hys fpeeche about the excellencie of acting in Hamlet hys tragedye, from converfaytions manifold, whych had paffed between them, and opinions gyven by Alleyn touchyng that fubjecte. Shakespeare did not take this talk in good forte; but Jonfon did put an end to the ftryfe wyth wittelie faying, thys affaire needeth no contentione: you ftole it from Ned no doubte: do not marvel: haue you not feene hym acte tymes out of number?"- -This is pretended to be printed from the original MS. dated 1600; which agrees well enough with Wood's Claruit: but unluckily, Peele was dead at least two years before. "As Anacreon died by the pot, fays Meres, fo George Peele by the pox." Wit's Treasury, 1598. p. 286.

VOL. I.

[0]

--

truth

truth is, that he left his father, for a wife, a year fooner; and had at least two children born at Stratford before he retired from thence to London. It is therefore fufficiently clear, that poor Anthony had too much reafon for his character of Aubrey: we find it in his own account of his life, published by Hearne, which I would earnestly recommend to any hypochondriack:

"A pretender to antiquities, roving, magotie-headed, and fometimes little better than crafed: and being exceedingly credulous, would ftuff his many letters fent to A. W. with folliries and mifinformations." p. 577FARMER.

The late Mr. Thomas Ofborne, bookfeller, (whofe exploits are celebrated by the author of the Dunciad) being ignorant in what form or language our Paradife Loft was written, employed one of his garreteers to render it from a French tranflation into English profe. Left, hereafter, the compofitions of Shakespeare fhould be brought back into their native tongue from the version of Monfieur le Comte de Catuelan, le Tourneur, &c. it may be neceffary to obferve, that all the following particulars, extracted from the preface of these gentlemen, are as little founded in truth as their defcription of the Jubilee at Stratford, which they have been taught to reprefent as an affair of general approbation and national concern.

They fay, that Shakespeare came to London without a plan, and finding himself at the door of a theatre, instinctively stopped there, and offered himself to be a holder of horfes: that he was remarkable for his excellent performance of the Ghoft in Hamlet:-that he borrowed nothing from preceding writers:-that all on a fudden he left the ftage, and returned without eclat into his native county:that his monument at Stratford is of copper:-that the courtiers of James I. paid feveral compliments to him which are ftill preferved:-that he relieved a widow, who, together with her numerous family, was involved in a ruinous lawfuit: that his editors have reftored many paffages in his plays, by the affiftance of the manufcripts he left behind him, &c. &c.

Let me not however forget the juftice due to thefe ingenious Frenchmen, whofe skill and fidelity in the execution of their very difficult undertaking, is only exceeded by fuch a difplay of candour as would ferve to cover the imperfections of much lefs elegant and judicious writers. STEEVENS

* Baptifms, Marriages, and Burials of the Shakspeare family; transcribed from the Register-book of the Parish of Stratford upon Avon, Warwickfhire.

*JONE, daughter of John Shakspere, was baptized Sept.

Margaret, daughter of John Shakfpere, was buried April 30, 1563.

WILLIAM, fon of John Shakspere, was baptized April 26, 1564.

Gilbert, fon of John Shakfpere, was baptized Oct. 13, 1566. § Jone, daughter of John Shakspere, was baptized April 15, 1569.

Anne, daughter of Mr. John Shakspere, was baptized Sept. 28, 1571.

Richard, fon of Mr. John Shakspere, was baptized March II, 1573.

Anne, daughter of Mr. John Shakspere, was buried April 4, 1579.

Edmund, fon of Mr. John Shakspere, was baptized May 3, 1580.

Elizabeth, daughter of Anthony Shakfpere, of Hampton, was baptized Feb. 10, 1583.

Sufanna, daughter of WILLIAM SHAKSPERE, was baptized May 26, 1583.

Samuel and Judith, fon and daughter of WILLIAM SHAKSPERE, were baptized Feb. 2, 1584.

John Shakfpere and Margery Roberts were married Nov. 25, 1584.

Margery, wife of John Shakspere, was buried Oct. 29, 1587. Urfula, daughter of John Shakfpere, was baptized March 11, 1588.

Thomas Greene, alias Shakfpere, was buried March 6, 1589. Humphrey, fon of John Shakfpere, was baptized May 24, 1590.

With this extract from the register of Stratford, I was favoured by the Hon James Weft, efq. STEEVENS.

+She married the ancestor of the Harts of Stratford.

Born April 23, 1564.

This feems to be a grand-daughter of the first John.
This Samuel, only fon of the poet, died aged 12.

212

Baptifms, Marriages, Burials, &c.

Philip, fon of John Shakfpere, was baptized Sept. 21, 1591. Samuel, fon of WILLIAM SHAKSPERE, was buried Aug. 11, 1596.

Mr. John Shakfpere was buried Sept. 8, 1601.

John Hall, gent. and Susanna Shakspere were married June 5, 1607.

Mary Shakipere, widow, was buried Sept. 9, 1608. Gilbert Shakfpere, adolefcens, was buried Feb. 3, 1611. Richard Shakfpere was buried Feb. 4, 1612.

Thomas Queeny and Judith Shakfpere were married Feb. 10, 1616.

WILLIAM SHAK PERE, gentleman, was buried April 25, 16165.

Mrs. Shakfpere was buried Aug. 6, 1623.

*This gentleman was a physician: he married the poet's eldeft daughter.

Judith was the poet's youngest daughter.

As Shakespeare the poet married his wife from Shottery, a village near Stratford, poffibly he might become poffeffor of a remarkable house there, as part of her portion; and jointly with his wife convey it as part of their daughter Judith's portion to Thomas Queeny. It is certain that one Queeny, an elderly gentleman, fold it to Harvey, efq. of Stockton, near Southam, Warwickshire, father of John Harvey Thurfby, efq. of Abington, near Northampton; and that the aforefaid Harvey fold it again to Samuel Tyler, efq. whofe fifters, as his heirs, now enjoy it.

Died the 23d.

§ No one hath protracted the life of Shakespeare beyond 1616, except Mr. Hume; who is pleafed to add a year to it, in contradiction to all manner of evidence. FARMER.

The poet's widow. She died at the age of fixty-feven.

Extracts from the Rev. Mr. Granger's Biographical

Hiftory of England.

The PORTRAITS of SHAKESPEARE.

Vol. I. p. 259. 8vo. Edition.

"WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE; ad orig. tab. penes D. Harley; Vertue fc. 1721; 410"

Done

"WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, &c. Vertue fc. 1719. from the original, now in the poffeffion of Robert Keck of the Inner Temple, Elgt large h fh"

"WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. In the poffeffion of John Nicoll of Southgate, Efq. Houbraken ft. 1747; luft. Heads." "WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE; Zouft p. From a capital picture in the collection of T. Wright, painter in Covent Garden. J. Simon f. b. b. mezz.”.

"This was painted in the reign of Charles II."

* "The portrait palmed upon Mr. Pope (I use the words of the late Mr. Oldys in a MS. note to his edition of Langbaine) for an original of Shakefpeare, from which he had his fine plate engraven, is evidently a juvenile portrait of K. James I.” I am no judge in thefe matters, but only deliver an opinion, which if ill grounded, may be eafily overthrown. The portrait, to me at leaft, has no traits of Shakespeare. The following obfervations are from the printed work of Mr. Granger. STEEVENS.

"It has been faid that there never was an original portrait of Shakespeare; but that Sir Thomas Clarges, after his death, caufed a portrait to be drawn for him, from a perfon who nearly refembled him. Mr. Walpole informs me, that the only original picture of Shakespeare is that which belonged to Mr. Keck, from whom it paffed to Mr. Nicoll, whofe only daughter married the marquis of Caernarvon. This agrees with what is faid in the Cri-. tical Review for Dec. 1770, in relation to the fame portrait, which is there alfo faid to have been "painted either by Richard Burbage, or John Taylor the player, the latter of whom left it by will to Sir William Davenant. After his death, Betterton, the actor, bought it; and when he died, Mr. Keck of the Temple gave forty guineas for it to Mrs. Barry the actrefs." Mr. Walpole adds, that Marshall's print is genuine too, and probably drawn from the life.”