PR 2950 I82v '^e-'iTc THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES .■_a;Si.">?-.'w; Mr. IRELAND'S Vindication of his Conduft, RESPECTING THE PUBLICATION OF T H E Suppofed Shakfpeare MSS. ^ BEING A PREFACE OR INTRODUCTION T O A REPLY TO THE CRITICAL LABORS OJP Mr. MA LONE, I N H IS " ENQUIRY INTO THE AUTHENTICITY OF '• CERTAIN PAPERS, &c. &c." LONDON: fVBLtSHED Sr MR. FAULDER AND MR. ROBSON, NEW lOND street; MR. EOERTON, WHITEHALL; AND MBSSRS. WHITE, FLEET STREET. 1796. y J--' '■-' ^' fK ..h ADVERTISE M E N T. T' \t^f H E foUowlng {heets originally formed a part of-si work now in confiderable forwardnefs, as a reply to Mr. Msilone's critical labors on the fubje^of the Shakfpeare MSS. The body of this work required confiderable rcfearch, and, fo large a portion of time for its corrt- pletion, as to render fome further delay unavoidable iri' the publication of the whole. But this part of the w6rk< havjng been completed and ready for the public eye, I have yielded to the importunities of my friends, who have fuggefted to me the neceffity at this moment, of laying before the public fuch further particulars as relate to my condudl therein. It will be obferved that I have adverted in the courfe of the following pages to Mr. Malone : and if the animadverfions (hould be deemed frrclevint, I truft, that no other apology is neceflary, than the intimation already given, of my having intend- ed this Vindication as an introdu£lion to the work al- luded to, and therefore that it was a more eligible plan, not to make any deviation from the method, I at firft deter- mined upon purfuing. A recent circumftancc, with which the Public Is well acquainted, fecms to cal! for this Vindication, ;'.nd even ( iv ) fcven (palriful a^ it is) to impofe the meafure upon me as a folemn duty, and obligation. I allude to the publib ftatcment, made by my Son. The world to which he has appealed) will judge arid pronounce upon the triith bf the allegations, and the weight of the teftimonies, which he has laid before them. I beg to aJTurc the public that the refutation of Mr. Malone's book (hall be brought for- ward with all pofllble fpeed ; in which, whether the pa- pers imputed to Shakl^care are genuine or not, it will be clearly fhewn, that he embarkfed in this enquiry as utter- ly deftitute of the information of a philologift, and the acumen of a Critic, as it will, by his grofs and repeati^ cd perfonalitlcs, be manifcfted, that his felfifti and inter- efted views have made him throughout lofe fight of the manners of a Gentleman. ERRATA. Page 12, lad line but i, after my rcsii frie ft Js 12, line 10, after fo add fhe i8, — II, for it read them ^7> ~" *3» before Frank read ^o/jh 30, — I , for fitter into read make A VIN- A VINDICATION, &>c. X H E mod unequivocal charafteriftic of an enlightened age, is the licence which is indulged to all, of free communication with the public On doubtful, and controverted fubjeds. There arcj indeed, fome queflions, in the difcuflion of which it will be always difficult to perfuade the world, that mutual toleration is the moll condu- cive to the interefts of truth, and the moil aux- iliary to the operation of human reafon. But on topics of merely literary reference, that thcfe enmities fhould at all exifl, mufl ap- pear fingular, and even paradoxical. For in li- terary contcfts there is fcarcely^any appeal to any A paillon. ( ^ ) pafiion. They can neither provoke the hopes, nor vibrate en the fears of mankind, to any confiderable degree. It muft, therefore, be a fatisfaflory refleftion to thofe, who have remark- ed on the hiftory of the human mind, that the mutual hoftiJity, and bigotry, which once deformed the writings of critics and philologifts, is at this moment, with few exceptions, totally cxtingui filed. Pofterity, when they read the works of Salmafius, or Bentley, will be per- plexed, even in finding motives for a fpirit fo intolerant, and a zeal fo intradable on matters of fuch light, and trivial import. There are, however, exceptions to a re- mark, fo honorable to the tafte, and liberality of our age. There are ftill fome remnants of that exploded difcipline, which from the difiife into which it has fallen, mufl at this time, be highly difgulting to the lovers of Englifh literature. The arrogance of fchoolmen without their learn- ing, the rancour of controverfy without the wit by which it is embellifhed, mufl at the prefent period. ( 3 ) period, demand the fevereft, and mod exemplary animadvcrfion. Mr. Malone has acquired, it may be faid, fome degree of literary reputation. It is that fort of reputation, to which a laborious and pa- tient frame of mind, in all the departments of literature has its peculiar pretenfions. But nei- ther Mr. Malone, nor any other labourer of the fame defcription, has any privilege of over leap- ing the province, to the drudgery of which a limited capacity has deflincd him, while a pa- tient, and charitable world does not deny him the fmall pittance of fame, that arifes out of it. Illdfejactet in aula. Mr. Malone, of all wri- ters, has the flightefl: pretenfions to that majef- tcrial character, he has lately aflunied, and by virtue of which he undertakes not only to dif- cufs, but to decide on literary queftions, as well as to afperfe the moral reputations of thofc, who differ from him in opinion. The appeal, which I am now about to make A 2 from r 4 ) from the fentence, which this gentleman has paS cd upon the papers in queftion, primarily origi- nates from that f Jiciiude to vindicate my owr> chara(5ler, which it muft be naturally fuppofed, I cannot but feel on this occafion. Whether the critical reafonjngs of Mr. Malone are folid, or unfounded, whether he is entitled to any degree of reputation, as a philologift, or critic^ by the publication of his enquiry, are queftions of which the difcuflion will be poftponed, till my anfwer appears before the public. At prefent I am merely claiming the attention of the reader to thofe topics, which relate to my own perfonal agency in the tranfedion. With regard to the manner in which my own charadler is attacked, it will unqueftionably be expeded that I fhould fpeak fully and amply. It is true Mr. Malone deals only in infinuations; and infinuations, malevolent and flanderous as they are, may eafily be repelled. It is true alfo, that thefe infinuations are conveyed in a manner, which neither refembles the overbearing acute- nefs ( 5 ) p^fs of Dr. Bentlev, nor the fubtle poignancy of Bifliop Warburton. But infinqations may be troublefome, and even noxious ; beraufe the dullcft being alive may at lengtii, by reiteration and importunity^^ in fome meafure, atone for the bluntnefs and impotence of the fhafts with which he aflails you. It may indeed be faid that thefc attacks are of a puny and inefFcdual nature, but to remain indifferent to fuch attacks, is a philo- ibphy which I have never arrogated; and it would look like a fort of affedted ftoicifm, to appear filent and unmoved, amidft iuch mali- cious and calumniating afperfions. Through the whole courfe of his pamphlet, Mr. Malone fpeaks of the " Impoftor," and the " Impofture." I remember in Mr. Locke, along chapter on words, and the intelle<5tual afibcia- tions which belong to them. In a well-known cffay on the fublime and beautiful Mr. Locke's dodrine is oppofed ; and it is contended that words are independent of ideas. The author applied this dodrine only to works of talle, but particularly ( 6 ) particularly to poetry. But in the fubjcd to which Mr. Malone has extended the theory nothing furely can be more ridiculous than the ufe of words without ideas j and until any thing of the fublime and beautiful be difcovered in the profe of that gentleman, the good fenfe and tafle of the world will condemn the ufe of words which are utterly deftitute of a meaning ; efpe- cially when they are employed on a fubjeft of reafoning and demonftration. Would not the conduct of that judge be ludicrous as well as indecent, who on a criminal matter, Ihould ufe the words traitor, murderer, or thief, in his addrcfs to the jury, concerning the evidence before them ? So in the controvcrfy upon the $hakefpeare MSS it would have been better reafoning, as well as more candid hoftility, to have proved the impofture before he proclaim- ed the impoftor. In reply to thefe charges againft me, I fhall lay before the public fome ftriking documents, which will conflitutc a moft irrefragable fyftehi • of ( 7 ) of evidence in my favor, and furnifh the beft refutation of what has been alledged againft mc. I fhall firft repeat that which I have told the world already, and then I fhall enter into the llatements, which corroborate and fortify what I have hitherto afTcrted. In the preface to my folio colleftion of Shakfpeare MSS I ftated all the circumflances rc;lative to them, as minutely as my own know- ledge of them and the delicacy of my fituation permitted me. I fhall now repeat the afTertion, with no other addition than my folemn prctefla- tion of its truth. *' It may be expedled, that fomething fhould " be faid by the editor, of the manner in which " thefe papers came into his hands. He recei- " ved them from his Son, Samuel William " Henry Ireland, a young man, then under " nineteen years of age, by whom the difco- " very was accidentally made at the houfe of a " gentleman of confiderable property." " Amongft: ( 8 ) ** Amongft a mafs of famlljr papers, the ♦« contraifls between Shakfpcare, Lowine and " Condell, and the leafe granted by him and " Hemynge to Michael Frafer, which was firft ** found, were difcoveredj and foon after the " deed of gift to William Hertry Ireland (de- " fcribed as the friend of Shakfpearc, in con- " fequence of his having faved his life on the " river Thames, when in extreme danger of ** being drowned) and aifo the deed of trull to " John Hemynge were difcovered. In purfii- •< ing this fearchj he was fo fortunate as to dif- " cover fome deeds very material to the in- " terefts of this gentleman, and fuch as efta- " blilhed beyond all doubt, his title to a conli- *' derabie property. In return for this fervicc, " added to the confideration, that the young " man bore the fame name, and arms, with " the perfon, who faved the life of Shakfpeare^ *' the gentleman promifed him every thing re- " lative to the fubjed, that had been or fhould " be found either in town or at his country ** houfe. At this houfe the principal part of " the ( 9 ) ♦' the papers, with a great variety of books " containing the MSS notes and three MSS " plays, with part of another were difco- « vered." " Fortified as he is with the opinion of the ** unprejudiced and the intelligent, the editor *' will not allow that it can be prefumption in ** him to fay, that he has no doubt of the truth ". and authenticity of that which he lays before '^ the public. Of this fa<5t he is as fully fatis- ** fied, as he is with the honor that has been " obferved to him upon this fubjeft. So cir- " cumftanced, he Ihould not feel juftified in im- ** portuning, or any way requefling a gcntle- *' man, to whom he is known only by obliga- " gation, to fubjedl himfelf to the impertinence " and licentioufnefs of literary curiofity and ca- " vil, unlefs he fhould himfelf voluntarily come " forward. But this is not all. It was not till " after the mafs of papers received, became vo- *f luminous, that Mr. Ireland had any idea of B " printing ( »o ) ** printing them : he then applied for his pcr- " miffion fo to do,* and this was not obtained, " but under the ftrongeft injunction that his " name fhould not appear. This injunction ** has thro' all the ftages of this bufincfs been " uniformly declared : and, as this gentleman *' has dealt moft liberally with the editor, he " can confidently fay, that in his turn he has ** with equal opennefs and candour conducted ** himfelf towards the public, to whom imme- -" diately upon every communication made, *' every thing has been fubmittcd without ■" referve/' The information, which induced me to lay this ftatemcnt before the public, was derived from written declarations of my fon, and from • The reader is here requefled to underftand, that the application made to the fuppofed original poffeflbr, was not perfonal, but by letters given by him to his fon, to be con- veyed by him, and by anfwers received, thro' the fame channel. thofc ( .. ) thofe of his friend Mr. Talbot, of the Dublla Theatre. I now prefenc to the world the ac- count of the difcovery, as it was written by my fon, and which is at this time, in my poflefllon. " November loth, 1795. " I was at chambers, when Talbot called " in, and fliewed me a deed, figned Shakfpearc. " I was much aftonilhed, and mentioned the " pleafure my father would receive, could he *' but fee it. Talbot then faid, I might fhew " it. I did itot for two days : and at the end " of that term he gave it me. I then prefled " hard to know, where it was found. After " iwo or three days had elapfed, he introduced " me to the party. He was with me in the *' room, but took little trouble in fearching. " I found a fecond deed, and a thi d, and two " or three loofc papers. We alfo difcovered " a deed, which afcertained to the party landed *' property, of which he had then no knowledge. " In confequencc of having found this, he told B 2 " us. ( 12 ) " us, wc might keep every deed, every fcrap " of paper relative to Shakfpeare. Little wai " difcovercd in town, but what was above meu'- " tioned, but the reft came from the country j " owing to the papers having been removed from •' London, many years ago. " S. W. H. Ireland." Being naturally defirous of obtaining the evi- dence of Mr. Talbot, to confirm what had been advanced by my fon, I applied to the former, and received from him an anfwer, from which I have made the following extrafts. Carmarthetiy Novemhr 25, 1795. '' Dear Sir, " The gentleman, in whofe poffefTion thefe *' things were found, was a friend of mine'i and '' by me your Son Samuel was introduced to his ** acquaintance. One morning in rummaging " from mere curiofity fome old lumber, confift- *' ing of deeds, books, &c. in a clofet of my " friend's houfe, 1 difcovered a deed with the " fignaturc ( >3 ) « fignp.turc of William Shakfpeare, which in- «* duced me to read part of it, and on reading " the words *' Stratford on Avon" I was con- " vinced it was the famous Englifh Bard : with ** permiHion of my friend (whom I will in future •' call Mr. H ) I carried the deed to Sa- <* nmel, knowing with what enthufiafm, he and ^' yourfclf regarded the works of that author, *' or any trifling article he was poflelTed of; *' though I was prepared to fee my friend Sa- ** muel a little pleafed with what I prefented to *' him, yet I did not expeft that great joy he " felt on the occafion. He told me there was •* nothing known of the hand writing of Shak- " fpeare, but his fignature to fome deed or will , " in Dodors Commons, and prefTed me to carry " him to H 's houfe, that he might fee, •" if there was amongft the lumber I had fpoken " of, any other fuch reliquc. I immediately " complied with his requeft. This was Samuel's " firft introduftion. For feveral fuccefTive *< mornings we palTed fome hours in examining ^ different papers and deeds, mod of which " were ( «4 ) <*^ were ufelcfs, and uninte re fling. But our *^ labor was rewarded by finding a few more " relating to Shakfpeare. Thefe we took away, " but never without H's permiflion. At laft " we were fo fortunate as to difcover a deed, " in which our friend was materially concerned. *' Some landed property, which had been long " the fubjedt of litigation was here afcertained, « and H's title to it clearly proved. H. now *' faid in return for this, whatever you and Mr. " Ireland find an^ong the lumber, be it what it ?* may, fliall be your own (meaning thofe things *' which wc fliould prize for being Shaklpeare's) *f Mr. H. juft before my departure from Lon- ^' don, (Iridly enjoined us never to mention him " as the pofTefTor of the papers. Tho' I wifhed *f until Sam. fhould have completed his re- " fearches, that little Ihould have been faid on " the fubjed:, yet I was ignorant, why H- when " the fearch was finifhcd, Ihould flill wilh his " name concealed. I thought it abfurd and " could not prevail on him to mention his rea- " fons; tho' from fome trifling upguarded ex- " prefTion ( «5 ) «* preflion, I was at laft induced to believe that " one of his anceflors was a cotemporary of " Shakfpeare in the dramatic profefilon ; that *' as he H. was a man fomcwhat known in the " world, and in the walk of high life, he did ** not wifh fuch a circumftance fhould be made " public i this fufpicion was, as it will prcfently " appear, well founded. Whilft I was in Dub- *« lin, I heard to my great joy and aftonifhment, " that Sam had difcovcred the play of Vorti- " gern and Rowena, the MS of Le«r, &c. *' &c. I was impatient to hear every parti- " cular, and principally for that purpofe made " my late vifit to London. I found H. what I " always thought him, a Man of flridt honor, " and willing to abide by the promifc he made, <* in confequence of our finding the deed, by " which he benefitted fo much. I will now cx- " plain the reafon of H's fecrecy. On account *^ of your defire to give the world fome explan- " ation of the bufinefs, and your telling me, <* that fuch explanation was neceflary, I re- " ncwed my entreaties to him, to fuffer us to dif- " difcover ( i6 ) •* cover his name, place of abode, and every ** circumftance oF the difcovery of the papers, *^ but in vain. I proceeded to prove as well " as I could the folly of its concealment, when ** he produced a deed of gift, which he himfelf " had juft found in the clofet, juft before my " departure. from London, in January laft, but *-^ which I had never feen before. By this deed " William Shakfpeare affigned to John ■ " who it feems was really an anccllor of our friend *' H. every article contained in an upper room. ". The articles were, furniture, cups, a miniature *' pidlure, and many .other things j but except- *' ing the miniature • (which was lately found " and which was a likenefs of Shakfpeare him- *' fclf ), and the papers, very few of them re- " main in H's hands, and the reft very unfor- " tunately cannot be traced. It is fuppofed too, «* that many valuable papers have been loft, and " are deftroyed, as the whole lumber is never " remembered to have been at all valued or " guarded from the hands of the loweft domef- " tics. When I parted from you a few weeks fincc ( «7 ■) *« fince, H. promifcd ipe that the deed of ** gift above mentioned (hould be fent you, ** firft erafing and cutting out the name of the ** grantee,* I hope, my dear Sir, I have omit-' " ted nothing in relating thefe circumftances, *' and though this account rpay not enable you *' perfectly to fatisfy many, who from an idle *' curiofity would know more, yet the liberal- ** minded, I am fure will allow that you have ^^ juft reafons for with-holding what is, and is to " be concealed. I moft earneftly beg you >viH *' fend me a copy of Vortigern and Rowena, as *' foon as it can conveniently be written, with the ** margin marked, according to the curtailment *' for Stage reprefentation. ^ M. Talbot. <« S. Ireland, jEfq," • Within a few days after the receipt of the above, the deed of tnift alluded to, was brought to me by my Son, without any erafurc, as mentioned in the above letter, and was the deed of truft to John Hemynge, inferted in the folio volume of the Shakfpeare papers. C Upon ( >8 ) Upon this authority and with this degree of tcftimony, I proceeded to the pubHcation of the' papers. Yet it may by fome be objeded, that' the weight of the whole evidence colledively taken, is ftill weak and imperfe6t, on account of the concealment of the name of the gentle-' man alluded to. But what inference does this' objection authorife ? It was fuch as entirely to' militate againft any fufpicion of fraud in my breaft. For had the papers been forged, I couid not imagine that the fabricators of it would have left that part of its evidence, to which by ordinary minds, r.nd according to ordinary rules of judgment, the greateft weight is ufually at- tributed, fo palpably mutilated, . and defeftive. I could not imagine that it could have been the work of one impoftor, when I cpnfidered the infinite variety of the papers, and the length of time which mufl: have been confumed on fo ela- borate a fidion. For it muft have been very extraordinary, that of all thofc who were con- cerned in the impodure, not one Ihould have fuggefted ( '9 ) fuggefted the necefTity of forging completer teftimonieSj refpedling the place, and perfon, in whofe poflefllon they were found. Befides thefe reafons, coming as they did through the channel of my Son, I could not fufpcft their authenticity ; and eveiy thing I had remarked of Mr. Talbot during my acquaint- ance with him, placed him in my judgment be- yond even the poflibility of fufpicion, his fairnefs andhonefty in the tranfa6lion appeared invariable. A father is not very eager to entertain furmifes, that affedt the moral credit of one fo dearly .connedled with him as his only fon, and when the fame declarations were made by him in the mofl: folemn and awful manner, before crouds of the moft eminent characters, who came to my houfe, I could not fuffer myfelf to cherifh the flighteft fuljpicion of his veracity. The teftimonies here adduced it were diffi- cult to refift. But thefe were not all by which my conduft was governed in this tranfa^ion. C 2 I in- ( 20 ) I invited to miy iiOufe aH ^o wiihed to gratiff their curiofity, by an mfpedion of the papers* Of thefe, the greater part confifting of the moft celebrated iiterary characters this age has pro- duced, fexpreffed their opinions, not in the phrale of mere aflent, but in the unequivocal language of a full and overflowrng conviction. Some were even defirous of fubfcribing without folici- tation, their names to a certificate, in which their belief might be formally and permanently^ ree'ordf d. The firft of this refpeftable lift was the rev. Dr. Parr. I informed this gentleman, ^liat die late James Bofwell, Efq. had requefted wy permiffion to annex his name to a certificate^ vouching far the validity of the papers and which, he drew up for that purpofe. When I fhewed the Do6tor, at his requeft what Mr. Bofwell had written tlie day before, he exclaimed with his charadteriftic energy and manner, that it was- too feebly expreffed for the importance of the fobjed; and begged that he might himfelf dic- tate to mc the following form of a certificate, ta which he immediately fubfcribcd his own name, and ( " ) and which afterwards received the fignatures of the other refpeftable characters, th&t are annex- ed to it. " We whofe names are hereunto fubfcribed " have, in the prefence and by the favor of " Mr. Ireland, inipefted the Shakf{)eare papers, " and are convinced of their authenticity." Samuel Parr. John Tweddell. Thomas Burgefs. John Byng. James Bindley. Herbert Croft. Somerfet. If. Heard, Garter King of Arms. F. Webb. R. Valpy. James BofwclL* • Mr. Bofwell, previous to fign'mg his name, fell upon his knees, and in a tone of cnthufiafni, and exultation, thanked God, that he had lived to wimefs this difcovcry, and exclaimed that he could now die in peace. Lauderdale. ( « ) Lauderdale. Rev. J. Scott. Kinnairdi John Pinkerton. Thomas Hunt. Henry James Pye. Rev. N. Thornbury. Jon". Hewlett, Tranflator of old Records, Common Pleas Office, Temple. Mat. Wyatt. John Frank Newton. The following is a catalogue of the papers above alluded to, dated February 25th, 1795. 1. VI2. Shaklpeare^s profeflion of faith on two fraall fheets of paper. 2. His copy of a letter to Lord Southamp- ton, and Lord Southampton's anfwer. 3. His letter to Richard Cowley, inclofmg SI curious drawing in pen and ink of himfelf. 4. His ( ^3 ) 4. His letter to Anna Hatherwaye, the lady .whom he afterwards married, inclofinga braided lock of his hair. 5. Five poetical ftanzas, addrefled to the fame lady, in his own hand writing. 6. His note of hand, payable one month 3fter date to John Hemynge, for five pounds, and five fhiljings, together with John He- mynge's receipt the day it became due. 7. A leafe of fix acres of land, and two houfes abutting on the Globe Theatre, granted by William Shakfpeare to Michael Frafer, and figned and fealed by the refpeflive parties. 8. Deed of agreement between William Shakfpeare and Henry Condell for the weekly payment of a certain fum therein Ipecified fof the theatrical fervices of the faid Henry Condell, figned and fealed by the refpeflive parties. 9. Deed ( ^4 ) 9* Deed of agreement between William Shakipeare and John Ix)wine for the weekly payment of a certain fum therein fpecified for the theatrical fervices of the faid John Lowine, ligned and fealed by die rerpe(5tive parties, to. A fmall whole length of a tinted draw- ing, fuppofed to be of Shakfpeare in the cha- rader of Baflanio, and on the reverfe fide the whole length of a perfon in the charafter of Shylock, in its original black frame. H. An original letter of Queen Elizabeth fo Shakfpeare, authenticated by himfelf. In Marfh 1796, In confequence of Mr. Albany Wallis having recently made a difcovery of fome deeds relative to Shakefpeare and Ire- land, the following Certificate was figned by the gentlemen, whofe names are annexed to it, after having carefully perufed and collated the fai4 deeds with thofe in my pofieflion. '^ Londorty ( 25 ) " London, March j 1796. " Wc the underfigned, having infpefted the ** following deeds in the poflfeflion of Albany " Wallis, Efq. of Norfolk Street, viz. ** A conveyance, dated loth March, i6i2> ** faid to be from Henry Walker to William ** "Shakfpeare, William Johnfon, John Jackfon, " and John Hemynges, of a houfc in Black- ** friars, then or late being in the occupation of " one William Ireland y figned Wm. Shak- " fpeare, Jo. Jackfon, and Wm. Johnfon. "And a deed dated loxh February, 1617, " being a conveyance figned Jo. Jackfon, Wm. " Johnfon, and John Hemynges of the fame " premifesj " Having alfo infpefted the following papers " of Mr. Samuel Ireland of Norfolk Street, " viz. D "A MS. ( 26 ) " A MS. Play of Lear, a fragmertt of " Hamlet, a play of Vortigern — feveral deeds, " witneffed Wm. Shakfpeare — feveral receipts " ^ftd flotts of dilburfements of mftnies on ac- ** coiiptof the Globe and certain Theatres—* " familiar letters figned Wm. Shakfpeare, and " other mifcellaneoiis MSS. <* And having compared the hand writing g^ " the above papers in Mr. Ireland's pofleffion, " with the fignatures of Shakfpeare and He^ " myngc t;o the deed in Mr. WalUs's hands, as " w-ell 35 with the pubiilhed Fac-iimiles of the " autographs of Shakfpeare to his laft will and " teftament, and to a deed dated ii March, la " Jac. I. which canae to the hands of Mr. Wal- " ks, about rfie ymi 1760, among the title deeds " of the Rev. Mr. Fetherftonehaugh, and from " the character and manner thereof, wc declare " our firm belief in the authenticity of the auto- " graphs of Shakfpeare, and Hcmynge, m the " haijds of Mr. Ireland. ,' ! Ifaac ( »7 ) Ifaac Heard, Gr. K. at Arms. Francis Webb. Albany Wallis. Richard Troward. Jonn. Hewlett, Tranflator of old Records, Common Pleas Office, Tempi*. John Byng. Francis Townfend, Windlbr Herald, ■ Gilbert Franklin, Wimpole Street. Matthew Wyatt, New Inn. Ricnard Valpy, Reading. Jofeph Skinner. Frank Newton, "Wimpole Street. It may perhaps be almoft unneceflary to ftate that I might have obtained innumerable fignatures to each of the certificates, I have laid before the public, had I reforted to any fo- licitations for the purpofe. The very refpec- table lift of fubfcribers to the publication of Shakfpeare'3 MSS may be adverted to, as a cor- roborating proof in favor of their validity and in juftification of my fending them into the world. D 2 I fhall ( »8 ) I fhall now prefent to the reader a voluntaiy depofition formally drawn on ftamped paper, and intended to be tal^en before a magiftrate by my fon. " Samuel William Henry Ireland, of Nor-^ " folk Street, in the parifh of St. Clement *' Danes, in the county of Middlefex, Gent, " maketh voluntary oath that fmce the 1 6th day " of Dec. 1794, he this deponent hath at various " times depofited in the hovife of this deponent's " Father, Samuel Ireland, of Norfolk Street " aforefaid, feveral deeds and MSS papers " figned and fuppofed to be written by Wm. " Shakfpear and others. And this deponent " farther maketh oath and faith that the deeds " and MSS papers now open for infpedion, " at his this deponent's father's houfe, are the " fame which he this deponent fo depofited as " aforefaid ; and whereas feveral dilputes have " arifen concerning the originality of the deeds *' and MS papers aforefaid, and whereas Ed- " mond Malone, of Queen Anne Street Eaft, of " the ( ^9 ) ** the parlih of St. Mary-le-Bonc, in di€ faid ^« county of Middlefex, hath publickly advcr^ f' yertifed or caufed to be advertiied an alTertion ff to the efFed that he, the faid Edmond Ma- <* lone, had difcovered the above mentioned *^ papers and MS deeds to be a forgery, which " aflerticn may tend to injure the reputation of f his the faid deponent's father. Now this de-r '<* ponent farther maketh oath that he this dc- '< ponent's father, the faid Samuel Ireland, hath '* not, nor hath any one of the faid Samuel Ire- " land's family, other than fave and except this f deponent, any knowledge of the manner in *.* which he the faid deponent, became polTefled r* of the faid deeds or MSS papers aforcfaid or " any part thereof, or of any circumftancc, or - ** circumflances relating thereto, ** S. W. H. Ireland, tt Sworn before me this day of M^rch, 1796." Copied verbatim from the hand writing of my Son, It I ( 30 ) It being thought unnccefTary to enter int6 a formal depofition upon the fubjed, my fon was not fworn to what he has here depofed. But Mr. Albany Wallis in May following drew up the advertifement which I have here fub- joined, conceiving it more adequate to the pur^ pofe, which was inferted in the True Briton, Morning Herald, and other papers. « Shakfpeare MSS, " In juftice to my father, and to remove **^ the reproach, under which he has innocently " fallen, refpedling the papers publifhed by him « as the MSS of Shakfpeare, I do hereby " folemnly declare that. they were given to him <* by me, as the genuine productions of Shakf- « peare, and that he was and is at this moment " totally unacquainted with the iburce from " whence they came, or with any circumflance " concerning them, fave what he was told by •* myfelf, and which he has decJared in the " preface to his publication. With this firm " belief ( 3> ) * belief and convidion of their authenticity, * founded on the credit he gave to me and my ' aflurances, they were laid before the world. * This will be further confirmed, when at fome ' future period it may be judged expedient to ' difclofe the means by which they were ob- tained. « S. W. H. Ireland, Jun." Witnefs, Albany Wallis. Thomas Trowfdale, Ckrk to Meffrs, Wallis and Troward. Norfolk Street, May 24, 1796. This is furely very ample teftimony, which my fon has adduced, to cftablilh my innocence of the imputed forgery. I corroborate this tefli- mony by fome further quotations from feveral letters, written by Mr. M. Talbot, already mentioned to myfelf and my family, of which the originals are preferved in my pofTefTion. ( 3* ) Buhliny 15th Jprili 1796. « So much do I lament the unfortunate " predicament in which Mr. Ireland is involv- " cd, that I mud do every thing in my power ** to extricate him from it, confiftcnt with my •* own honour, and oath. The offer I Ihall " make, therefore will, I hope, be accepted •* definitively without urging any more propofals, •* fince any others muft of neceflity be declined " by me, though my life were the forfeit for *^ being fecret. I will make an affidavit jointly «' with Sam. " ^hat Mr. Ireland is innocent of any *' forgery imputed to him ; that he is equally as unaC" •* quaint ed with the difcovery of the paper Sy as the " world in general i that he has been only thepub- " Ufher of them : aud that the fecret is known to *' no more than Sam. myfelfy and a third perfon, " whom Mr. Ireland is not acquainted with." « If ( 33 ) *< If Oiir making this affidavit and the pub- ** lication of it will ferve Mr. Ireland, Sam *« and myfelf are both ready to ftand forward.'* " If I may venture an opinion, I flill think ** It probable that the papers are genuine, that " Vortigcrn may have been one of Shakfpeare's •* firft effays at dramatic writing." " The play of Henry !2d I never have feen, " nor the manufcript of Vortigern, nor any " thing relative to it^ till I was in London, long " after the latter was in Mr. Sheridan's hands. " I muft therefore depend on the veracity of " others, as to their coming from the fame " fource as the few manufcripts I faw before I *' left London the firft time." " Mr. Ireland has defired my opinion re- " fpe(5ling a plan he propofes of making two " gentlemen of refpedability acquainted with " every circumftance, who are to vouch to the '' world for the authenticity of the MSS. E " This ( 34 ) '-'This will not be confiftent witb our promifc « and oath." « M. Talbot/' It is worth remarking, that ^bout a week before the receipt of this letter (and ftrange as it may appear, at the particular requeft of my fon) a committee confifting of twenty-four re- fpedtable gentlemen met at my houfe, for the purpofe of taking into confideration every cir- cumftance relative to the MSS and the obloquy under which I laboured, in confequence of their publication. This committee met at three dif- ferent times within the month of April, and my" fon wasprefcnt at each of their meetings; at which he propofed that two refpetflable perfons who were not members of the committee, fhould be appointed to receive the following informa- tion* " The gentlemen arc to be informed ** whence the papers came, the name of the '' gentleman, to whom they belonged, by whont " difcovered. ( 35 ) " difcovered, and in what place, and manner. " The fchedule of thofe that remain behind is " in my father's poflefBon, which he may Ihew, " and wijich fhall uc accounted for by me." " S. W. H. Ireland." Copied verbatim fram the above paper in his own hand writing, and in his pre fence read to the Committee. It muft be obvious that this propofal does «ot concur widi Mr. Talbot's opinion, as quoted from his letter above. The following fchedule, likewife, was prc- fented to the committee by my fon, accompa- nied with a folemn proteftation, that every article marked with * he had feen, and would in a fhort time be put into my hands : that thofe, which E 2 had ( 3? ) had not this mark, he had only heard were m cxiftence, but that he had not feen them.* * Play of Richard II. in Shakfpeare's MS. * Play of Henry II. f — — of Henry V, * 62 leaves of K. John, * 49 leaves of Othello. * 37 leaves of Richard III. * 37 leaves of Timon of Athens, * 14 leaves of Henry IV. * 7 leaves of Julius Casfar. * Catalogue of his books in his own MS. ^ Peed by which he became partner of the Curtain Theatre, with Benjamin Kele, and John Hemynges. * Two drawings of the Globe Theatre on parchment. * Verfes to Q^ Elizabeth. ♦ This fchednle was voluntarily written by my fon, on the loth Jan. 1796, in the preferce of Gcc. Chalmers, and J. Reeves, E^qrs. ( 37 ) * Vcrfes to Sir Francis Drake. * Do. to Sir Walter Raleigh. ^ Miniature of Shakfpeare fet in filver, Chaucer with his MS notes Book relative to C^ Elizabeth do. Euphues with do. Bible with do. Bochas's Works with his MS notes- Barclay's Ship of Fools do. Jiollinlhcd's Chronicle do. Brief account of his life in his own hand. Whole length portrait, faid to be of him in pil, The committees alluded to, met three times without arriving at any fatisfaftory determina- tions ; and as we found it difficult to feleft two perfons to receive the information, my fon had promifed, Mr. Albany Wallis, as a profefTionaJ man, voluntarily offered to be himfelf the depofi- tary of the fecret. This trufl, as he fays, he was Jnduced to accept, in order to clear up any doubt in the min^ of the fuppofed Gentleman as to any ( 38 ) tny part of his property that might be endangered by fuch difclofure. In confequencc of this, my fon had frequent interviews with Mr. Wallis. But what was communicated, at thofe confer- ences, I have not learned from that gentleman, notwithftanding my reiterated importunities, and moft anxious folicitations for that purpofe. His uniform anfwer to thefe folicitations was, ^< Do not afk me any queftions. It is not pror ^' per that you fhould know the fecret. Keep f ' your mind eafy j all will be w is of fo mean and pufillanimous a, nature, that the malice has been of fo low and fq contemptible a fpecies, as to refled very ferious difhonour on him, who has condefcended to make ufe of it, becaufe it may naturally be ima- gined, that a perfon calling himfelf a fcholar and a gentleman, might have had recourfe to wor-^ thier and more dignified weapons of controverfy, The other part of this work will be allotted to ( 45 ) to an inveftigation of the critical attacks, that have been difefted againft the papers, in which J truft that Mr. Malone will be completely re- futed. Perhaps it might be expeded of me, that I fliould advert to the other antagonifts, who have appeared in the field of the contro- verfy. Of the firft of thefe publications, enti- tled " A Letter to George SteeVens, Efq. con- <* taining a Critical examination^ &c. &c/* As it has been abundantly refuted in a very able pamphlet, entitled " A Comparative Review of <* the opinion, &c. &c." I fliall fay nothing fur^ thcr. One Waldron likcwife, has waded into the controverfy, a bad aftor and a worfe critic. Thefe are men, <>n whom I fhall not animadvert. They who miftakc their vanity for their capacity, and fuppofe that they are qualified to perform what they have prefumption to attempt, are a tribe, on whom admonition will be wafted, and rebuke will be fuperfluous. But I have confined my reafoning to Mr. Malone 5 bccaufc, as he is known to the world by ( 46 ) by what may be emphatically called his literary labours on other occafions, fo has he diftinguifh- cd himfelf by the bulk of his criticifms on this. What Dr. Warburton faid of poor Theobald, he would have faid with infinitely more juftice of this critic : " That what he read he could *' tranfcribe ; but as what he thought, if " ever he did think, he could but ill cxprcfs, '* fo he read on ; and by that means got a cHa- ^* radlcr of learning, without rifquing the im- <« putation of wanting a better talent.*' In the part, however, which he has taken in this con- troverfy, he has brought the only literary qua- lity he has, that of patient, and laborious re- fearch, into fufpicion. Whether it be the irt- llin6tive property of dulnefs to be dark, and bewildered, in proportion to the efforts it makes to be bright and peripicuous, or chat though he has much reading, he has not enough for the office he has arrogated, it is certain rh^t his book abounds with fo many blunders, and overfiov^s wkh fo much prefumption, that It fecrtts a fort of mi^^ed artimal> engendered be- tween ( 47 ) tween a perfevermg dulncis on one fide, and aU envious mind on the other. If I fuccecd in proving what I have aflert- cd, I fliall do a very cflential fervice to litera- ture itfelf. I Ihall have ridded the literary- world of a fort «f ufurper. I ihall have pulled from Ihs diftatorfliip a man, who has 'afpired with the mod prefumptuous arrogance to a kind of oracular dignity on thefe matters. I fliall have refcued the underftandings of the public firom the dominion of a critic, who, relying oil the bulk of his labours, and the ponderous mals of his refearches, has attempted to give laws on all topics of literature and criticifm. But fhould I nottffed: this purpofe, I fhaU at leaft retire from the public tribunal with the foothing confcioufnels, of having vindicated my own character. For I trufl I have kid before the world, a mafs of documents, which will ef- fedlually lift me above the ftroke of the veno- mous afperfions that have been direded fo per- fcveringly againft me. Should the language I have ( 48 ) have occafionaliy ufed in thcle ittacks, appear harlh and irritable, I beg to obfcrvc in my juf- tiiication, that Mr. Malone's ftri<5l:urcs arc uniformly clothed in the language of afperity and perf©nal farcafm ; and furely fome indul- gence ought to be allowed me, if I repel his at- tacks with the fame weapons, and reply to un- juft infmuations in the diftion of indignant and wounded feelings. It was for the purpofe prin- cipally of vindicating myfelf that I have ves- tured to make this appeal to the public. I might indeed complain of other misfortunes. I might advert to the pecuniary loflcs and the confumption of time, which thefe tranfadions have led me into. But when the moft valuable of all human benefits, a clear and unfollied Ghara<51:er is endangered, I could not but look on every other evil, as of trivial and fubor- dinate confideration. 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