gentleman's name, which it seems he was bound to do, and what is no uncommon case with persons of his description, for few gentlemen like to have their names publicly exposed in catalogues of the property they send to be sold.

Mr. Richardson, in his proposals for publishing two plates from the above picture, promises to give a fac-simile of the hand-writing, at the back of the portrait, and which is shown in the first plate by Trotter, That this promise is not fulfilled, I will prove by giving fac-similies of both the writings, (see the plate.) That Mr. Richardson is, by some means, under a mistake, is evident as to a letter (N), being one of the initials of the painter's name, and it might originate from the circumstance, that it requires a good sight to distinguish what it really is, as it has been rubbed at frequent inspections. The reader will observe in the plate I have given, which is traced from the original writing, that the tail of the (R) has been mistaken for the centre line of the letter (N). There are also two other mistakes, as to the spelling of the poet's names; first, his christian name is spelt Gul. and not Guil. and, therefore, is not translated into "French" (as Mr. Boaden says it is at page 89), but in Latin, consequently, Mr. Steevens is also in the wrong. At the end of the surname there is not a letter (e), as it finishes with (r), part of which is imperfect, it having been taken away with a piece of the wood.

The perpendicular line on the plate is the extremity of the panel, the square attached to it with thé letter (a) is the piece of wood that is cut out of the panel. As the above document is of so much importance in establishing the originality of the portrait, I thought it essentially necessary to be thus explicit on the subject.

It is impossible to imagine at this distant period, what could have caused, originally, the report, that Burbage had painted Shakspeare, for the only information we have, that he was a painter, is to be found in the satirical lines, by John Davies, of Hereford, 4to. 1605, page 215, (see Steevens's Preface to Richardson's Proposals, page 22,) within eight years after the date of the Felton picture. I must here express my regret, that our accounts of that actor does not go so far back as the above date, for the first mention of him, in his dramatic profession is, as we are informed by Mr. Chalmers, (see Malone's History of the Stage, page 50, 1821,) in the licence (granted by King James I. soon after his accession to the throne,) to the company at the Globe Theatre, which is found in Rymer's Foedera :

"Pro Laurentio, Fletcher and Willielmo Shakespeare, and aliis.

* It is a singular coincidence, that the first notice taken of the Stratford monument, is in some poetical lines by L. Digges; at the same time also, the Droeshout print, is first mentioned by Ben Jonson in the same manner.

"A. D. 1603. Pat.

"I Jac. P. 2. m. 4. James by the Grace of God, &c. to all justices, maiors, sheriffs, constables, headboroughs, and other our officers and loving subjects, greeting. Know you that wee, of our speciall grace, certaine knowledge, and meer motion, have licenced and authorised, and by these presentes doe licence and authorize theise our servaunts, Laurence Fletcher, William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, Augustine Phillippes, John Hemings, Henrie Condel, William Sly, Robert Armin, Richard Cowley, and the rest of their associates, freely to use and exercise the art and faculty of playing comedies, tragedies, histories, interludes, morals, pastorals, stage-plaies, and such like other as thei have alreadie studied or hereafter shall use or studie," &c.

The above grant, proves Burbage, if not a painter, to have been, at least, an actor, within six years from the date of the Felton portrait, and which picture "Mr. Steevens thinks too good as the work of an amateur, but of an artist by profession; and, therefore, could hardly have been the production of Burbage." p. 16. With due deference to that gentleman's opinion, I beg to observe, it is not impossible but that he did paint it, and that he pursued both callings for some time previous to the above period; his first occupation might even have been that of a painter, for we

F

have instances at the present time of performers drawing of portraits, the late Mr. Emery drew them very well, and Mr. Pope, I consider to be of the first class in the line of portrait painters, indeed, it was his first profession; therefore, let us not suppose the above picture too good to have been done by Burbage, the principal actor of his time; and though he handled the pencil as a favourite amusement, we may imagine he would do himself some credit in the arts, especially when taking the likeness of one with whom he so much associated.

The next mention of Richard Burbage, by Malone, (p. 184,) is of his being introduced in person, in a play, called "The Return from Parnassus," (written in or about 1602,) and instructs a Cambridge scholar how to play the part of King Richard the Third, in which Burbage was greatly admired; that he represented this character, is ascertained by Bishop Corbet, who, in his Iter Boreale, speaking of his host at Leicester, tells us,

When he would have said, King Richard died, "And call'd a horse, a horse he Burbage cry'd."

Mr. Malone, p. 183, informs us, that Burbage was born about 1570, consequently, he was twentyseven years of age at the date of the Felton Head, and died the latter end of March, 1618. That this picture is the genuine portrait of Shakspeare, by Richard Burbage, is my belief,