'My night's repose made daylight fresh to me; 6 The way I seek to find, where pleasure dwells, 'Is hedg'd behind me, that I cannot back, 'But needs must on, although to danger's gate.' Independent of particular speeches, there is certainly one fine scene between Mosbie and Alice, which immediately succeeds what is above quoted, and in the opening of which Alice, with a prayer-book in her hand, struggles hard to return to virtue, but her strength failing, she at last abandons herself to the guidance of her guilty passion. Mosbie asks her, in the commencement, What, are you changed,' and she replies with exquisite pathos 6 'Aye-to my former happy life again: เ From title of an odious strumpet's name < To honest Arden's wife-not Arden's honest wife. Ah, Mosbie, 'tis thou hast rifled me of that, 'And made me slanderous to all my kin!' Mosbie reproaches her, threatens to leave her for ever, and her fears take instant alarm 6 Nay, hear me speak, Mosbie, a word or two: 'I'll bite my tongue if it speak bitterly. 'Look on me, Mosbie, or I'll kill myself! Nothing shall hide me from thy stormy look. * I have here taken a liberty with the text where this expression stands Each gentle stary gaile,' &c. A stary or starry gale is non sense. เ If thou cry war, there is no peace for me: 'I will do penance for offending thee, 'And burn this prayer-book, where I here use, ́ See, Mosbie, I will tear away the leaves, 'And hold no other sect but such devotion!' Had Mosbie been drawn merely low and wicked,' Alice would have been without excuse for her infidelity to Arden, and her blind love for her paramour. After the detection of the murder, and when they are on their way to the place of punishment, Mosbie, with a want of generosity consistent with his character, instead of pitying Alice, abuses her. Alice says Leave now to trouble me with worldly things, • And let me meditate upon my Saviour Christ, 'Whose blood must save me for the blood I shed. 'Mosbie. How long shall I live in this hell of grief? Convey me from the presence of that strumpet. 'Alice. Ah, but for thee I had never been a strumpet! 'What cannot oaths and protestations do 6 'When men have opportunity to woo? We have thus arrived at about the period when it is probable that Shakespeare began to write for the stage; and there seems every reason for supposing that he employed himself, in the first instance, in reviving, altering and adding to the works of older dramatists. There are six plays, four of which were acted a shorter or a longer time before Shakespeare commenced dramatist, and upon which he is said by Steevens (who published them collectively in 1779) to have 'founded' six of his productions: to these it will be necessary now to advert, in order to show (as far as these six old plays' will enable us to do so) the state of the drama prior to the era of Shakespeare, and to establish the degree in which he was indebted to the works of earlier writers. It has been a growing opinion, founded upon progressive discoveries, that our great dramatist touched comparatively few subjects that had not been previously brought upon the public stage. 61 ON THE SIX OLD PLAYS TO WHICH SHAKESPEARE WAS, OR IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN INDEBTED. THE six old plays on which, it is asserted by Steevens, Shakespeare founded' his Measure for Measure, Comedy of Errors, Taming of the Shrew, King John, Henry the Fifth and King Lear are the following:The History of Promos and Cassandra, printed in 1578. : The Troublesome Reign of King John, printed in 1591. The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth, acted prior to 1588, probably published in 1594, and certainly printed in 1598. The Taming of the Shrew, printed in 1594. The Chronicle History of Leir, King of England, probably published in 1594, and certainly printed in 1605. Menæchmi, taken out of Plautus, printed in 1595. When Steevens reprinted these pieces in 1779, he ventured upon no argument nor explanation to prove how, and to what extent Shakespeare was under obliga tion to their authors: with respect to the last, of which I shall speak first, it may now be taken for granted that he did not make the slightest use of it. Menæchmi taken out of Plautus, by W. W. (perhaps W. Warner,) did not appear, in all probability, until several years after The Comedy of Errors (which has been supposed to be founded upon it) had been brought upon the stage. Malone assigns The Comedy of Errors to 1592, and we may conclude with tolerable safety that it had its origin in that or in the following year. Although there is no trace of any similarity between it and the translation of the Menæchmi by W. W., yet there is little doubt that The Comedy of Errors was founded upon an older English play, which was an adaptation of the Menæchmi much anterior to 1595. On new-year's night 1576-7, the children of Paul's acted The History of Error at Hampton Court. This fact is recorded by Malone*, but he has not remarked also, that it was repeated on Twelfthnight, 1582-3; for although by mistake, in the account of the Revels at that date, it is called A History of Ferrar,' the person who made out the list of plays, writing from the sound only, meant probably the same piece as the History of Error. This play may have been the foundation of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, and the circumstance, that he borrowed certain parts from the old History of Error, will explain all that the commentators have said regarding doggrel *Shakespeare by Boswell, iv. 151. 6 |