to the fuppofition that Shakspeare's play was written and first acted in that year. There being no edition of the genuine play in print, the bookfeller hoped that the old piece with a fimilar title might pass on the common reader for Shakspeare's performance. This appears to have been a frequent practice of the bookfellers in those days; for Rowley's play of King Henry VIII. I am perfuaded, was published in 1605, and 1613, with the fame view; as were King Leir and his Three Daughters in 1605, and Lord Sterline's Julius Cæfar in 1607.

In the year 1607 it is highly probable that this comedy of our author's was revived, for in that year Nicholas Ling republifhed The old Taming of a Shrew, with the fame intent, as it fhould feem, with which that piece had originally been issued out by another bookfeller in 1594. In the entry made by Ling in the Stationers' books, January 22, 1606-7, he joined with this old drama two of Shakspeare's genuine plays, Romeo and Juliet and Love's Labour's Loft, neither of which he ever published, nor does his name appear in the title page of any one of our author's performances: fo that thofe two plays could only have been fet down by him, along with the other, with fome fraudulent intent.

In the fame year alfo, (Nov. 17) our author's genuine play was entered at Stationers hall by J. Smethwyck (one of the proprietors of the fecond folio); which circumftance gives additional weight to the fuppofition that the play was revived in that year.

• For this bookfeller Romeo and Juliet was printed in 4to. in 1609, and an edition of Hamlet without date; the latter was printed either in that year or 1607.

Smethwyck had probably procured a copy of it, and had then thoughts of printing it, though for fome reason, now undiscoverable, it was not printed by him till 1631, eight years after it had appeared in the edition by the players in folio.

It fhould be obferved that there is a flight variation between the titles of the anonymous play and Shakspeare's piece; both of which, in confequence of the inaccuracy of Mr. Pope, and his being very fuperficially acquainted with the phrafeology and manner of our early writers, were for a long time unjustly attributed to our poet. The old drama was called The Taming of a Shrew; Shakspeare's comedy, The Taming of the Shrew.

It must not be concealed, however, that The Taming of the Shrew is not enumerated among our author's plays by Meres in 1598; a circumftance which yet is not fufficient to prove that it was not then written for neither is Hamlet nor The Second and Third Parts of King Henry VI. mentioned by him; though thofe three plays had undoubtedly appeared before that year.

2

I formerly imagined that a line in this comedy alluded to an old play written by Thomas Heywood, entitled A Woman kill'd with kindness, of which the fecond edition was printed in 1607, and the first probably not before the year 1600; but the other proofs which I have already ftated with refpect to the date of the play before us, haye convinced me that I was mistaken.

2

"This is the way to kill a wife with kindnefs." Taming of the Shrew, A& IV. fc. i. Heywood's play is mentioned in The Black Booke, 4to. 1604. I am not poffeffed of the firft edition of it, nor is it in any of the great collections of old plays that I have feen.

7. LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, 1594.

Shakspeare's natural difpofition leading him, as Dr. Johnson has obferved, to comedy, it is highly probable that his firft original dramatick production was of the comick kind: and of his comedies. Love's Labour's Loft appears to me to bear frong marks of having been one of his earliest effays. The frequent rhymes with which it abounds,

3

of

which, in his early performances he feems to have been extremely fond, its imperfect verfification, its artlefs and defultory dialogue, and the irregularity of the compofition, may be all urged in fupport of this conjecture.

A mix

num

3 As this circumftance is more than once mentioned, in the courfe of thefe obfervations, it may not be improper to add a few words on the fubject of our author's metre. ture of rhymes with blank verfé, in the fame play, and fometimes in the fame fcene, is found in almoft all his pieces, and is not peculiar to Shakeare, being alfo found in the works of Jonfon, and almost all our ancient dramatick writers. It is not, therefore, merely the ufe of rhymes, mingled with blank verse, but their frequency, that is here urged, as a circumftance which feems to characterize and diftinguifh our poet's earliest performances. In the whole, nu ber of pieces which were written antecedent to the year 1600, and which, for the fake of perfpicuity, have been called his early compofitions, more rhyming couplets are found, than in all the plays compofed fubfequently to that year, which have been named his late productions. Whether in procefs of time Shakspeare grew weary of the bondage of rhyme, or whether he became convinced of its impropriety in a dramatick dialogue, his neglect of rhyming (for he never wholly difufed it) feems to have been gradual. As, therefore, most of his early productions are characterized by the multitude of fimilar terminations which they exhibit, whenever of two early pieces it is doubtful which preceded the other, I am difpofed to believe, (other proofs being wanting,) VOL. II.

H

4

Love's Labour's Loft was not entered at Stationers' hall till the 22d of January, 1606-7, but is mentioned by Francis Meres, in his Wit's Treafury, being the Second Part of Wit's Commonwealth,' in 1598, and was printed in that year. In the titlepage of this edition, (the oldeft hitherto difcovered,) this piece is faid to have been prefented before her highness [Queen Elizabeth] the laft Christmas, [1597,] and to be newly corrected and augmented: from which it fhould feem, either that there had been a former impreffion, or that the play had been originally reprefented in a lefs perfect flate, than that in which it appears at prefent.

I think it probable that our author's first draft of this play was written in or before 1594; and that fome additions were made to it between that

that play in which the greater number of rhymes is found, to have been firft compofed. The plays founded on the flory of King Henry VI. do not indeed abound in rhymes; but this probably arofe from their being originally conftructed by preceding writers.

This writer, to whofe lift of our author's plays we are fo much indebted, appears, from the following paffage of the work here mentioned, to have been perfonally acquainted with Shakspeare:

"As the foul of Euphorbus was thought to live in Pythagoras, fo the fweet foul of Ovid lives in mellifluous and honey-tongued Shakspeare. Witnefs his Venus and Adonis, his Lucrece, his fugred Sonnets among his private friends," &c. Wit's Treafury, p. 282. There is no edition of Shakspeare's Sonnets, now extant, of fo early a date as 1598, when Meres's book was printed; fo that we may conclude, he was one of thofe friends to whom they were privately recited, before their publication.

This book was probably published in the latter end of the year 1598; for it was not entered at Stationers' hall till September in that year.

year and 1597, when it was exhibited before the Queen. One of thofe additions may have been the paffage which feems to allude to The Metamorphofs of Ajax, by Sir John Harrington, printed in 1596: Your lion-will be given to A-jax." This, however, is not certain; for the conceit of A-jax and a jakes may not have originated with Harrington, and may hereafter be found in fome more ancient tract.

6

In this comedy Don Armado fays,-" The first and fecond caufe will not ferve my turn: the paffado he respects not, the duello he regards not: his difgrace is to be called boy; but his glory is to fubdue man.' Shakspeare feems here to have had in his thoughts Saviolo's treatife Of Honour and honourable Quarrels, published in 1595.7 This paffage also may have been an addition.

Bankes's horse, which is mentioned in the play before us, had been exhibited in London in or before 1589, as appears from a ftory recorded in Tarlton's Jeft's.

8

6 See Vol. VII. p. 354. n. 9.

7 See a note on As you like it, Vol. VIII. 332. n. 4.

8

"There was one Bankes in the time of Tarlton, who ferved the Earl of Effex, and had a horfe of ftrange qualities; and being at the Crofs Keyes in Gracious-firecte, getting money with him, as he was mightly reforted to, Tarlton then (with his fellowes) playing at the Bell [f. Bull] by, came into the Crofs keyes, amongst many people to fee fashions: which Bankes perceiving, to make the people laugh, faies, Signior, to his horse, go fetch me the verieft foole in the company. The jade comes immediately, and with his mouth drawes Tarlton forth. Tarlton, with merry words, faid nothing but God a-mercy, horfe. In the end Tarlton feeing the people laugh fo, was angry inwardly, and faid, Sir, had I power of your