iifiilplliliiiliiiliilili: IMPERFECT HINTS TOWARDS A NEW EDITION OF SHAKESPEARE, WRITTEN CHIEFLY IN THE YEAR 1782. • bard divine ! For many a care beguil'd By the fweet magic of thy foothiiig la)-, For many a raptur'd thought, and vifion wild. To thee this deh of gratitude I pay. Mr. Warton's Soknet to Gray. O, might feme verfe with happieft (kill perfuade Expreffive piflure to adopt thine aid ; What wondrous draughts might rife from every page ! What other Raphaels charm a diftant age ! Collins to Sir T. Hanmer. This chief Enchanter of the willing breaft, Will teach thee all the magic he poffeft. HaYLEy's EflSTLE TO RoMNEY. LONDON: PRINTED AT THE ilCQOgrap&lC lpref0, BY J. WALTER, PRINTING-HOUSE- SQUARE, BLACKFRIARS, FOR THE AUTHOR AND SOLD BY J. ROB SON, NEW BOND-STREET ; R. BALDWIN PATERNOSTER ROW ; AND W. RICHARDSON, UNDER THE ROYAL EXCHANGE. IiI,DCC,LXXXVII. THE HONOURABLE HO R J C E WA LP OLE, AND 5/r JOSHUA RETNOLDS, (Whom Shakespeare, had he lived in thefe Days, would have cho- fen for the Coiidu6lors of any fplendid Edition of his Works) THIS SMALL TRACT IS WITH ALL RESPECT INSCRIBED, BY THEIR MOST OBEDIENT, AND HUMBLE SERVANT, Decemher i^th, 1786. The Author. * 7262:^2 CONTENDS. Titus Andronicus --•--« I Coriolanus - - - - . « ^ tt Taming of the Shrew - - - - _ iq Merchant of Venice - - -- _ -"^i Lovers Labour Lof - - - _ - er All's Well that Ends Well 63 Comedy of Errors - - - - - _ ^^ Troilus and Crefjida - - - _ _ -Sc Midfummer Night's Dream - - - _ q^,. ADVERTISEMENT. TH E great dramatick writer whofe works are the fubjeifl of the enfuing pages, had for more than a whole century receiv^ed (what may be termed perhaps the trueft applaufe) the grateful incenfe of filent adoration — when Pope and Lord Burlington were willing to decree to him, ftill more extended and more publick honours ; and they configned the ereclion of his ftatue in the Abbey of Weftminfler to thofe, who have conceived his form in an attitude truly graceful, giving him a calm perfedlly confiftent with the dignity, and with the chara6ler and difpo- fition of Shakefpeare : * — but it was referved for the prefent age to em- bellifh his volumes with a fpirit worthy of their author, and in a ftyle of coftly magnificence, nqt hitherto attempted for any writer whatever — the zeal and talents of many of the artifls concerned In the now prepar- a Intr * Many of Shakefpeare's cotemporaries have recorded the benevolence of his heart and the fuxetnefs of his manners — and not one of them has handed down to us a fingle trait injurious to his memoiy. And though one is forced feverely to cenfure the envious malignancy with which Ben Jonfon viewed his high reputation — yet when Shakefpeare died : Ben feems to have buried all malevolence in the po- et's grave — for he thus informs pofterity of the virtues of his fellow Shakefpeare — / loved the man, and do honor his memory, on. this Jidc idolatry., as much as any. He '■xas indeed honejl, and of an open ^ndfree nature, had an excellent fancy, brave notions, and gentle exprejjions. He redeemed his vices Viiith his virtues : there -was ever more in him to he praifed than to he pardoned,— huA in the poem to hi^ memory, Ben thus records a trait of Shakefpeare's difpofition.— Yet mufl: 1 not give Nature all ; thy Art, My gentle Shakefpeare, muft enjoy a part. 5 Dae ( ii ) ing edition of Mr. Boydell, will juftify this conje£lure — and indeed the- name of one artift alone^ \vill caufe the edition to be received with un- ufual expectation.* It is no lefs furpriflng than true, that a whole century elapfed, with- out any Painter having given the publick a fingle fketch or defign from Shakefpeare — and furely no Poet was ever more capable of animating ait artifl's miud» than he who has fo wonderfully defcribed every paffion that fooths and alarms the human breaft — Homer has been termed the Poet of Painters — well may Shakefpeare defer ve that appellation. In the reign of Elizabeth, few of our author's plays were printed, and thofe few One may colle(5l even from the Commendatory Verfes preSxed to the old editions of our author's plays^ publiflied foon after his de.ith, what perfonal cfteera was entertained for him-^fome of them being ad- drelTed To my ivorthy friend Mujtir W. Shalefpeart — To the memory of my belo-jed Mrt W. Shakifpcare^ On -worlfjy Maflcr Shakefpeare., t^c. And in the dedication of the plays by Heminge and Condell to the Earls of Pembroke and Montgomery (who had both treated Shakefpeare cy/zi/S OT2/f;6 /iii^oBr) they profefs to have colleifted them ivithout amhitlon either of felfe-profit, or fame : only to kecpe thi memory of fo luorthy a friend, andfello-xv alive, as ixias our Shakefpeare. And his epitaph at Stratford upon Avon, always ftruck me, as very ftrongly fpcaking the regret with which his townfmen parted with him. * We may juftly enlarge our espeftations, when this projcfled Edition will be attended with an ex- pence of more than 50,0001.— and when the following paragraph is one of thofe which announced the Edition of Mr. Boydell — It is the paragraph from the Morning Herald, which is referred to in the Ad- vextifcment prefixed to th« firft part of this work — SHAKESPEARE! *' This ornament of nature, andboaftof Englaiid, will fliortly receive fuch marks of eftiraationand *' honours from this country, as never yet attended any poet of modern age. " A defign is on foot to prefent to the public a new edition of Shakespeare, upon a fcale that has •* never yet attended any publication. It is to be of a large folio fize, on fuperfine paper ; each play " is to contain two plates, engraved by the firftartifls of the age, from the defigns of our moft appro- *' ved hiftorical painters. Col. Hamilton is faid to take the lead in bringing forward this work ; to *' whofe name may be united thofe of Sir Jojbua Reynolds, Mr. Hayhy, Mr. Malone, and Mr. Stee^ " vens. A fubfcription is to be opened for this work, which will be publiflied in numbers. Every •' number few were illll lefs difperfed ; confequently tl>ey ejccited little emulation among the artifts of tliat day — and perhaps had it been otherwife, Eliza- beth would have given little encouragement to Painters: for flie feems to have refpected the art no further than as it tended to fet off her own per- .fon.* She had little relifh for that art, which fne knew would caufe Mary ot " number, we learn, is to contain two plays, and four engravings, for which five guineas are to be *' paid : and as the work will extend to twenty numbci's, it will coft each Subfcriber, when complete, " O.N'E Hundred Gu I KEAs. " The moft eminent painters of England will be eng::ged in the dcfign : two of the moft flrikin^ " fcenes in each play ere to be feleded, and treated oa a fcale that will admit the figures being drawn *' as large as life. *' The artifts already confulted, are, belides Sir Jcjhua Reynolds, Mr. Jftjl, Mr. Copley, and Mr. •* Romney. The pencil of Mr. Gainsborough, is alfo to be engaged, for who like him has a foul *' pofieiTed of the finefl energies of poetry ! — Thofe young artifts who have attached themfelves to the *' hifcorical, and given proofs of genius and tafte will likewife be applied to. The expence attending " the neceflarj- paintings, is to be defrayed out of the fubfcription money : the engraving of the fub* ** jc€^3 are to be paid for from the fame fund, *' Mr. Alderman Boydell will take an active part in this undertaking; and among other circumftan- *' ces, it is intimated that a building is to be erefted at the espence of the city of London, where the *' pidlures painted for this work will be depofited." *■ " There is no evidence that Elizabeth had -much tafte for painting ; but ihe loved piifiures of her- " felf. In them Ihe could appear really handfome ; and yet to do the p'rofeffion juftice, they feem to " have flattered her the leaft of all her dependents : There is not a fingle portrait of her that one can •' call beautiful. The profulion of ornaments with which they arc loaded, are marks of her continual *' fondnefs for drefs, while they entirely exclude all grace, and leave no more room for a painter's •' gtnius than if he had been employed to copy an Indian idol, totally compofed of hands and necklaces. " A pale Roman nofe, a head of hair loaded with crowns, and powdered with diamonds, a vaft ruff, •' a vafter fardingale, and a buflicl of pearls, are the features by which every body knows at once the ^' pifturcs of Queen Elizabeth." Anecdotes o? Painting, vol. i. Elizabeth would certainly have patronized a painter of the name of Huyfman, had he lived in her reign — for we are thus told of Huyfman being employed by the queen of Charles the Second. — " He *• created himfelf the queen's painter, and to juftify it, made her fit ibr every Madona or Venus ii« «' drew." to bloom hi after ages^;— the portrait of the Virgin ^cen^ preferved hi the Catalogue of royal and noble authors, is not quite io beautiful as are the portraits of Mary. Nor was the pretlilc6tion of 'James for painting, much flrongcr than that of Elizabeth. The works of James convince one, that he muft have little rellfhcd the deep reflexions of Shakefpeare. He was more pleafed perhaps with the politcnefs of that good blfhop, who in the pre- face to a Welch vcrfion of the Bible, made an apology for being obliged to prefer the Deity to his moft facred majefty — James would fooner have engaged Janlen, or the exquifite Oliver, to have thrown away their time on the portrait of this pious prelate, than have engaged them to have recorded a charailer, a fcene from Shakefpeare. Prince Henry s paffion for the arts was of fliort duration — death prevented him from extending a colledlon, which he was preparing with all the zeal that arts could infplre. But what fhall we fay to the accompliflied Charles, who, during the tranquil part of his reign, had not one fcene drawn from his beloved Shakefpeare. — How congenial to the difpofition and foul of Vandyck would have been the fce'nes of Shakefpeare — and with what fond enthu- fiafm would Charles have viewed a fcene, when realized by the concep- tion of the favoured Vandyck ! — If the mind of Rubens (whofe works a union oj happy excellencies endear to the bejl judges) was fo oft entranced by the rapture of poetry : one wonders, or at leaft one wifhes to have found in the catalogue of his works fubjoined in Defchamps, fome pro- duction ♦ Pope adJiefles thefe lines to Jervas, who had painted Lady Bridgwater : 3'/ JliU Icr charms in hrcath'ing pa'nt cngave ; Her moticft cheek JI:aU ivarm a future age. Beauty, frail Jloiver, that C'v'ry fcafonfears^ Blooms in thy colours for a thoufand years. ( V ) duftion of his, from the volumes of Shakefpeare, the firfl: of po- ets.* The fame difappointment occurs, in infpsding the catalogues of Villiers Duke of Buckingham, and of James the fecond. Rubens painted the apotheofis of James the firft — but how would his fondnefs for poetry have made him paint the apothoefis of Shakefpeare ! — If Ru- ben's genius (hone fo bright when picturing that of the fimple and pedan- tick James: grace and feeling alone would have guided his pencil in the apotheofis of SHAKESPEARE.]; There were other artifts in the reign of Charles the Jirfr, from whom might have been expected fome fcenes from our Post; as from John de Critz's nephew, who painted bravely f:enesfor mafks — from Hofkini — and from Bordier, who is very hand- fomely recorded by Mr. VValpole, for having painted the field of Nafeby. In the after-times of infolent and canting bigotry, it would have been more congenial to the gloomy aufterity of Cromwell, to have viewed a group of anabaptifts, than a group of perfonages imm.ortalized by every charm that genius and fancy could beftow — Thofe fcenes which charmed the noble Southampton, muft have ill fuited the natural mean- nefs * " At the age of twenty-three, Rubens fet out for Italy, and entered into the fervlce of Vine t •' Gonzaga Duke of Mnntua. One day when he was at that court, and was painting the ftory of " Turniis and jEneas, intending to warm his imagination by the rapture of poetry, he repeated with " energy thofc lines of Virgil : " Ille etiam patriis agmen ciet, &:c. *' The Duke who overheard him and entered the chamber, was furprized to find the mind of bis *' painter cultivated with a variety of graceful literature. Rubens was named Envoy to Spain, " and carried magnificent prefcnts to the favourite Duke of Lerma ; exerting at that court his political " and elegant talents with a dignity and propriety that raifed the latter without debafing the firmer.— " No wonder his emulation was raifed at Mantua, where the works of Homer were treated " by Raphael and Julio Romano." Anecdotes of Painti.vg, vol.2, j Had Vandyck furvived the murder of his royal mafter, how would his feclingj have led him to have painted the apotheofis of Charles — This would indeed have been a compofuiou of fentlment. ( vl ) ncfs and revengeful Tp'rlt of Cmnwell — Southampton died as he had li- ved, with a mind untainted : embahned with the tea-'S of every friend to virtue, and to fplendid accomplifhments : all who knew him, 'w'lficd to h'lm lon^ Ufe^JlUl kngthened tz-'ith all happinefs — But the terror of Cardinal Beaufort's lafl fcene accompanied the guilty Cromwell : what a fign it is of evil life, ivben death's approach isfeenfo terrible: Cromwell's laft Icene was dreadfully embittered.* In times of the complexion of this reign, one cannot wonder if publick tributes were withheld from the me- mory of a man like Shakefpeare : his manly and extended fcntiments would have ill accorded with the nonfenfe and flarchnefs of Puritans. — In times of this indignant cad:, the filent homage of the heart, was all that could — was all tliat durft be offered to hisfliade. During * *' Cromvvcirs dexterity equally i'lUisfied every feft; with Prefbytenans, a Prefbyterian ; with " Dcifts, aDcift; only aa Independent in principle. It was by thefe arts he continued his authority, " firft cemented by blood, and maintained' by hypocinfy and ufurpation. Yet, notwithftanding thk "*' conduifl', which contributed to render him truly formidable at home, he was, after a few years reign, '' become truly miferahle to himfelf. He knew that he was detefted by every party in the kingdom ; " he knew the fierce Ipirit of the people whom he had made (laves, and he was inceffantly haunted by the " terrors of an affallination. To increafe his calamity, a book was publiflied, intitled, Killing vo Munkr ; ' in which it was proved to be juft to dellroy^him at any rate. SJ:al} we ((aid this .p ipukr dcclairaer) ^^ luho '^'ould not fuffcr the Hon to invade us, tamely Jland to be devoured hy the ivalf? Cromwell read •*' this •fpirircd treatife, and itis-faid was never fecn to fniile afterwards. He wore armour under his " cloaths, and always kept a loaded piftol in his pocket ; his afpeft became cloudy, and he regarded " every ftranger with a glance of timid fufpicion. He always travelled with hurry and precipitation,- " and never flept two nights fucceHivcly in the fame apartment. A certain ague came at laft to deliver "" him frojn a life. of liorror and mifcry." History of England, in a fcries of Letters from a Nobleman to his fon, vol. 2. .■/rius fame work records another trait of the mind, of this brutal afTaffin : " Few volunteers repaired to the royal ftandard, and Charles at length faw his vigilant enemy over- ** take him at Worcefter. Both armies fought with equal intrepidity, but Cromwell was again vifto- " rious — Never was fo complete a viflory obtained by him before. Two thoufand periflied by the •^ fword, v^6^ four nmci that numler^ being taken, iverc fold a$JIavcs to the Americanplanters." During the reign of Charles- the fecond, as well as dirring the fucceed- hig reigns, there were many Painters, from whom one might have ex- pected fome fcenes from our great Poet — as from Streater (if painting. all the fcenes at the eld play houfe, and the portrait of L^^'rv the player, would have enabled him to paint from the genius of the Poet) — from Sir Pe- ter Lely — Michael Wright — Zouft, who has given us a copy of fome moil; graceful portrait of Shakefpeare — from Kneller* — and.laftly troiTs. Vanblfcck. It is fomewliat extraordinary, that one has heard of no Painting hav- ing ever been taken of the great tragedian Betterton, in any of thofe fcenes of our Poet, in which his powers of ading flione with fuch fu- perior excellence — " all the Othellos, Hamlets, Hotfpiirs, Macbeths and Brutus s whom you may have feeu fince his time (fay's Gibber) have fallen.. * " The original fketch (fay the Anecdotes of Painting) of the hlftoric pi(f\ure of King William, *' at Houghton (by Kneller) is ftruck out with a fpirit and fire equal to Rubens. The hero and the " horfe are in the heat of battle.— Of all his works. Sir Godfrey was moft proud of his converted " Chinefe, at Windfor ; but his portrait of Gibbons is fupcrlor to it. It has the freedom and nature " of Vandyck, with the harmony of colouring peculiar to Andrea Sacchl. — His airs of heads have " extreme grace." This fliews one, how capable Kneller was, of painting from our Poet. Liotard the painter, who lived ab'out this time, would have been ill calculated to have drawn from Shakefpeare ; for the Anecdotes of Painting (under the articles Liotard and Fuller) thus fpeaks of him : " Devoid of imagination, and one would think of memory, he could render nothing but what he faw ** before his eyes. Freckles, marks of the fmall-pox, every thing found its place ; not fo much from •' fidelity, as becaufe he could not conceive the abfence of any thing that appeared to him." — — — — — " In his hiftoric compofitlons. Fuller is a wretched painter, his colouring was raw and unnatural, and " not compenfated by difpofition or invention. In portraits his pencil was bold, ftrong, and maftcrly : " Men who fliine in the latter, and mifcarry in the fbrmer, want imagination. They fucceed only in " what they fee. — Liotard is a living inftance of this fterility. He cannot paint a blue ribband if a lady " is dreffed in purple knots. If he had been in the prifon at the death of Socrates, and the paffions " were as permanent as the perfons on whom they aft, he might have made a finer piilure than Nicolo " Pouffin." ( vlli ) fallen far ftiort of him." t Clbber has fo warmed huTifelf with the re- colleaion of Betterton's Hamlet, that his language approaches nearly to the force of Painting. The other great adtors whom Gibber men- tions are equally unrecorded by the pencil. And therefore the frjl Prints ever publiflied from the page of Shakefpeare, were the miferable defigns of Fourdrinier, for the edition by Rowe, in 1709. J To thefe fucceeded the duodecimo edition of Pope and Sewell, in 1728, with cuts by Fourdrinier; I have not fcen this edition ; but I have reafon to believe the cuts are nothing more than fac-fimiles of thofe in Rowe's edition (with fome trifling alterations in fome of them) and with the fubftitution of fome plates by Du Guernier. The next print that was taken from the plays of Shakefpeare, was an etching by John Laguerre, oiFalJlnf, Pijlol, ■\\\^Doll T'earjlieet, with other theatrick chara£lers, al- ludino- to a quarrel between the players and patentees ; this print muft have been publlfhed in the year 1733 — and in the fame year came out, Hogarth's Southwark Fair, wherein he has exhibited thefe figures of Laguerre's in a reduced fize. In the year 1735 came out an edition in eight volumes fmall o£lavo, [aid to be printed by Tonfon ; it feems to have been publilhcd by one Walker, and is a fpurious publication of Rowe's edition ; with fac fimllics of the cuts of Fourdrinier (with fome very trifling alterations in fome of them) and the fubftitution of about fourteen plates from the defigns and graving of Du Guernier; the plate prefixed to the play of I'bomas Lord Cromwell, by this laft artifl, poflefTes fome ■f " The mod that a Vanayck can arrive at, is to make his portraits of great perfoiis f«em to thlnl! ; * a Shakefpeare ^oa farther yet, and tells you i\jbat his piitures thought ; a Betterton fteps beyond •' them both, and calls them from the grave, to breathe and be thcmfclvcs again, in feature, fpeech, *' and motion," ClBBER. X At Wmdfcr is a pifture by Michael Wright, (who died in 1700) of John Lacy the comedian in the charafler of Sandy in the Taming of the Shreiv — but there is no fuch charadter -in Shakefpeare's play. There are two plays on this fubject with nearly the fame title. fotne merit, and that prefixed to Lear, deferres an hifpeciion. Per- haps thefe are the lame fc t of plates as are in the edition by Pope and Sewelh The next edition in fucceffion (with the ornam&nt of cuts) was the duodecimo one of Theobald, publifhed in 1740, with the deligns of Gravelot — and as Garrick's genius burft forth in the following year in the theatre in Goodman's fields, in the character of i?/c,W^ : we ftiall find that his wonderful powers of realizing his Shakefpeare's fcenes, transferred an almoft general afFeiflion for the dramas of that poet — I will continue the lift of Prints publifhed from our author's plays, to the end of the year 1765, which will verify my aflertion — Sir Thomas Hanmer foon followed with his handfome quarto edition, with plates defigned by Hayman, but five of them were from the defigns of that more pleafing artift Gravelot. Hogarth in 1746 produced his fine Print of Garrick in Richard the Thirds in which the ftarting and trembling terror of Richard, is moft happily expreffed.* A metzotinto of Faber's cameoutini75i, being Mrs. Margaret IVqffington in the chara^er of Mrs. Ford, in the Merry Wives of Windfor, from a pifture by J. Heatley. AVrmt oi JFoodward in Mercutio, was publifhed by W. Herbert at the globe on London-bridge, in 1753 — and about this time, Vanbleck en- graved a metzotinto of Mrs. Cibber in Cordelia, Mac Ardel engraved a very poor Print of ^in in Faljlaff, from his own defign, and Hayman etched a fmall plate on which is reprefented Falftaf feated upon a drum. In the year 1754, Anthony Walker publiflied Five fcenes f ram Romeo and Juliet, and this fame year came out a fine Print of Garrick's Hamlet, from the pencil of B. Wilfoa. In the year 1756, a wretched Print of Theophilus Cibber in the charadler of P//?s/ was prefixed to his Dilicrta- tions on the Theatre, and perhaps about this time Hayman painted his feven Pidlures from Shakefpeare, for Vauxhall gardens. In 1761, b B. Wilfon * The original painting is now at Duncombe Park, in Yorkfhire — The late Mr. Dun combe paid Hogarth two hundred pounds for it. ( x.- ) B. Wilfon gave the public- another Print of Ganick, namely a repiefcn- t<ition of him in the ftorm fccne of Khig Lear, engraved in metzotinta by Mac Ardel, and the expreflion of Garrick's countenance will be found to poflels confiderable merit, if the bcH: imprclfions (and thofe only) are looked at — And in the Exhibition for this year, was a Painting by Hayman, of ^/> Jo.b/i Ri/pf rai/tng recruits. In 1763, a large Print came out, dcfigned by Dawes, and engraved byBannerman, of Mr. Gar- rick in the charaBer of Macbeth, and though objedions may be formed againft all the witches (one only excepted) from their being by no means happily conceived — yet one cannot refrain from allow-ing much merit to the attitude and look of Macbeth. B. Wilfon again drew Gar- rick : for in 1765, he publifhed his Print of Mr. Garrick and Mifs Bc!- lamy, in the characters of Romeo and Juliet^ and tins fl\me year produced a Print of Mrs. Pritchard in Hermione, from after Pine. From this time, each fucceffive year produced many prints.* And thou^'h, in the extenfive number of Prints which have appeared iince the clofe of the above year, mod of them are marked by mean con- ception, aftually difgracing the fcenes they were meant to adorn, (for it mufl be confeflcd that in general, Artifts have not touched his fcenes ivith a trembling hand) — yet fome of our Artiftshave fiuthfully conveyed to us thefpirit of our author — and one is proud to enroll among the many who- have attempted to paint from our matchlefs Poet, the names of Reynolds — Romney — TFeJl — Mortimer — Dance — Kaufman — Cypriani—^Fufeli — Louther- hoiirg — and Siuari,^ — and to thefe Artifts who have already painted from^ Shake- * Thofc wTio cenfure thefe particulars as tedious and unintereftinc;, can be little converfant Avith Shakcfpeare — more candour will be hoped for from thofe who confefs the attachment of his name. § I can only difcover two prints from the paintings of Sir Jofluia Reynold?, which are taken from Shakcfpeare ; namely a Head of Lear, engraved by Sharp ; and the charaftcrs of Profpero and Ca- liban 5. C XI ) Shakelpeare (befides fume few, others whofe names might be mentioned) we willingly receive moft of thofe whom Mr. Boydell has announced to us. — One incitement to an Artifl to paint with grace, or with vigour and energy the fcenes for the now preparing edition of Mr. Boydell, will be liban, which he has introduced in his poKrait of Mrs. Tahnafli, whom he has drawn as Miranda. It is engraved in metzotinto by Jones. INIr. Romney has painted Henderfon in IMacl;>eth, from which there is a metzotinto lately engraved hy Jones. Mr. Weft- has painted the Funeral Oration of Marc Antony over the dead body of Caefar, from which a metzotinto is engraved by Val. Green ; and there are two engravings by Shaip, from the defign* of Mr. Weft, from the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The late Mortimer painted Twelve Heads of Charailers from Shakefpeare, from which etchings are publiilied. And at a ftle of Drawings (chiefly by Whcatly) at Greenwood's, in 1785, Wds a Iketch ty ]Moi tinier, of Macbeth meeting the witches. I have feen this (ketch, and it was worthy of Mor- timer. The print of the B;4ttle of Agincourt, from this artift, is more hittorical, than dramatick. Mr. Dance has painted Garrick in Richard the Third, from uhich a metzotinto is engraved by Dixon ; and a fcene from Timon of Athens, engraved by Hall. The pencil of the amiable KaufFman has drawn, Cordelia, Hermione, Celia, and Rofalind, a fcene from the tempell, and a fcene from Coriolanus ; from each of which, prints have been pubiifatd. I omit the two prints from after this lady, of the Birth and Tomb of Shakefpeare, as the prefent iiit is meant to apply only to the fcenes or charade rs taken from Shakefpeare. I have difcovered only two prints from the defigvis of Mr. Cypi iani, from the fcenes of Shakefpeare, viz. Ferdinand and Miranda, defigned by Cypriani and Barret, and engraved by Bartolozzi and Mid- diman ; and Orlando refcuing his brother Oliver from the lionefs, defigned and executed by the fame artifts. Mr. Fufeli exhibited a Drawing of the Death of Cardinal Beaufort, in the Exhibition of 1774; a picture of Hubert and Prince Arthur, in that of 1775, and in the firil year of the Exhibition of Painting and Defign, in Liverpool, Fufeli exhibited his pifture of Hotfpur, Glendower, Mortimer, and Worcefter, difputing on the divilion of England — No prints have been taken (I believe) from either of thefe pifturcs. This artift has alfo painted Lady Macbeth in her ileep-fcene, from which a metzo- tinto is taken by Smith ; Lear, and Cordelia, engraved in metzotinto by Smith, Heads of Witches engraved in metzotinto by Smith, the Vifion of Queen Katharine, engraved for the firil number of Macklin's Piftures from the Britifli Poets, and there are fome fniall prints likewife from after Fufeli, from the plays of Shakefpeare, in a periodical publication, which came out fome years ago, called the London Theatre. b 2 M. de ( xii ) be from an honefl: wifh and pleafing hope, of partaking in that wifli ill which Pope (ou another occafioa) uidulged himfelf: Oh ! tuhile along thejlream of time, thy name Expanded JlUi, and gather i all it's fame ; ^ay, Jhall my little bark attendant fail, Purfue the triumph, and partake the gale ?* The vile creations of the fancy which the eye is fo frequently wea- ried with (taken from the page of Shakefpeare) and which are meant to defcribe to us the Poet's fcenes, convince one that it is no eafy matter to defign M.de Loiitherbourg painted Garrick in Richard the Third, which was in the Exhibition of 1774, but no print (I believe) has been taken from it. Many of the plates to Ball's laft edition of Shake- fpeare, are from the deligns of this artift. Rlr. Stuart painted Henderfon in the charafler of lacjo, which Bartolozzi has engraved ; and he has likewife painted a head of Kemblc in Richard the Third, now in the pofleffion of Mr. P^bus, and which is engraved by Keating. This enumeration, no doubt is very fcanty and imperfeft ; I wifli I could have rendered it more per- {r£i. Very few of the above artifts have painted from the plays contained in the enfuing pages of this profptHus: otherwife I would have applied to them what Timon of Athens fays to a painter : Tour painting is tilmoft the natural man ; / like your ivori : And you Jhall find I like it. * Another incitement will fill the artift'sbreafl-, and infpire him with an emulation to produce dc- figns worthy of the munificent patronage now given to the arts, and worthy of accompanying the vo- lumes of him, whom Mr. Malone calls, the delight and -wonder of fuccegive ages. — and this incitement will be : the hope that his works may be honelily and impartially weighed for the attention of a future »g«> by fome v/rlterof unbiafled and acknowledged judgment. — Every voice would inftantly accord to the candour and talents of one gentleman : whom the pi;-/'eni artifts of Great Britain would moil chear- fully fingle out as the faithful biographer of their merits and defers : and whofe warmth in recording the piety, mildiiefs, and ingenuity ol Vcrtue, muft incline every artift, ardently to wifli a length of days to iWxr time honoured Lancafter, from whofe pen, a future age might precifely know, the degree of genius poflelTcd by a Reynolds — a Beauclerc— an Opic — or an Haward. r ( xUi, ) defigii frrm Shakefpeare. Indeed fomeof.his fcenes are fo highly co» loured, and difplay fuch daring efforts of true fublimity, that one muft not expeft to fee them painted equal to their native ipirit — for who thinks he can approach the Fancy and Nature of Shakefpeare ? — Had the fcenes of Lear been even painted by Raffaelle : he himfelf would fcarcely have ex- pected to have entranced the mind more, than what it feels by a bare peru- fal of them — and the daring Michael Angela would have hefitated : ere he had attempted to throw on his canvafs the folemnity of the enchant- ments in Mcubcth, or the fire and enthufiafm which pervades the cha- railer of Richard.\ If the mind of the Painter is not infpired by fome portion X Sir Jofhua ReynolJf, in an animated Difcourfe, delivered to the Students of the Academy, ii* 1772, thus fpeaks of Michael Angelo: — " It is to Michael Angelo, that we owe even the exillence of " Rafl'aelle : it is to hiin Raffaelle owes the grandeur of his llyle. He was taught by him to elevate " his thoughts, and to conceive his fubjefts with dij-mty. His genius, however formed to blaze and' " to ihine, might, like fire in combuftlble matter, for ever have lain dormant if it had not caught a fpark " by its lontacl with Mithacl An^elo : and though it never burft out with that extraordinary he it and " vehemence, yet it muft be acknowledged to be a more pure, regular, and chafte flame. Though- " our judgment will upon the whole decide in favour of Raffaelle; yet he never takes that firm hold ** and entire poileilion of the mind in fiich a manner as to delire nothing elfe, and feel nothing want- " ing. The effeft of the capital works of Michael Angelo, perfei'iiy corrcfponJ to what Bouchar- " don fiiid he felt from reading Homer. His whole frame appeared to himfelf to be enlarged, and all " nature which furrounded hira, diminiflied to atoms. " If we put thofe great artifts in a Ught of comparifon with each other, Raffaelle had more Tafie " and Fanc)-, Michael Angelo more Genius and Imagination. The one excelled in Beauty, the other *' in Energy. Michael Angelo has more of the poetical Infpiration ; his ideas are vail and fubiime ; " his people are a fuperior order of beings; there is nothing about them, nothing in the air of their " aftior.s, or their attitudes, or the ftyleand caft of their very limbs or feat-urcs, that puts one in mind *• of their belonging to our own fpecies. Rafaelie's imagination is not fo elevated; his figures are " not fo much disjoined from our own diminuti' e race of beings, though his ideas are chaftc, noble, " and of great conformity to their fiibjcifts. TMLchael Angelo's works have a ftrong, peculiar, and " marked character : they feem to proceed from his own mind entirely, and that mind fo rich and " abundant, that he never needed, or fcemed to difdain, to look abroad for foreign help. Raffaelle's " materials are generally burrowed, though the noble ftructure is his own. The excellency of this " extraordinary man lay in the propriety, beauty, and MajeUy of his charaders, his judicious contri- " vaiice ( xlv. ) portion of thnt celeftial fpirit which animated our Shakefpeare : he muft not exped that his work fliould caufe other emotions than thofe of tame, unwilling, and parfimonious approbation. As " vanceof his Compofitlon, corrc^Vnefs of Drawing, purity of Tafte, aud the fkilful accommodation " of other men's conceptions to his own purpofe. Nobody excelled him in that judgment, with which '' he united to his own obfervations on Nature, the Energy of Michael Angelo, and the Bea.uty and " Simplicity of the Antique. To the queftion therefore, which ought to hold the firfl rank, RafFaelle; " or Michael Angelo, it muft be aufwered, that if it is to be given to him who poffeireJ a greater ccm- " binationof the higher qualities of the art than any other men, there is no doubt but Raffaelle is the •' firft. But if, according to Longinus, the fubllrae being the higheft excellence that human compo- " fition can attain to, abundantly compenfates for the abfcnce of every other beauty, and atones for " all other deficiencies, then Michael Angelo demands the preference." We may fee from a variety of paflages in Sir Jofhua's Difcourfes, as well as from his fecond letter to Dr. Johnfon (inferted in the Idler), and from fomc of his notes to Mr. Mafon's tranflation of Du Frefnoy, what predileftion he has ever fliewn for tl;e works of Michael yin^elo. It is pretty evident, that one of the moll favouilte painters of Shakefpeare, was Julio Romano — and no wonder: when the following charafters have been given of him : '* De tou5 les difciplcs de Raphael, il n'y en a point ei'i qui I'ayent fi blen Imite, foit dans I'invcn- " tion, foit dans la coloris ; ni qui ayent approche de cette fierte, de ce correct, de ces beaux caprices, " de cette abondance, et de cette variete de penfces qu'on voit dans ces ouvrages. Les beaux talens de " Jule, fon humeur douce et affable, fa converfation plaifante et gracieufe, furent caufe que Raphael " n'eut pas moins d'amite pour lui que s'il eut ete fon propre frere. C'eft pourquoi il I'employa tou« " jours dans les plus importants entreprifes." Felieien. " II deflinoit fierement, avoit des expreffions terrlbles ; et comme il pofledoit les Belles-Lettres, la " Poefie avoit beaucoup de part a fes conceptions ; fon ordonnance eft peu commune et de bon gout." Description des Tableaux du Palais Royal. " See Raphael there his forms celeftial trace, «» Unrivall'd Sovereign of the realms of Grace. " See Angelo, with energy divine, " Seize on the fummit of correift defign. " Learn ho=w, at Julians hirlh, the MufesfmiVS^ *' And in their myjlic caverns nursed the child, 2 •' How, ( XV. •) As I have certainly In the enfamg profpecl us, felecled and recommend- ed an extenfive number of Engravings to be taken — yet I think I liave not recommended one more Engraving than ought to be inferted in an edition — and this multiplicity proceeded from a wifh that Shakef- peare's volumes might be adorned with every varied fpiendour of art — that they might be conveyed to pofterity in a matchlefs ftyle of deferved pre-eminence — and that each (or at leaft moft) of his great Scenes, and fine and noble Paflages, might be acccompanled by the praife of ingenious and (if it can be obtained) faultlefs art. Ift " Hon.', hy tl} Aonianpo-Mers their f mile hejiovi'd, " Hii pencil iMith poetic fervor glo'jS' d ; " IVhen, faintly -ve'-Je Apollo's charm con-jefJ, " He oped thejhrtne, and all the god difplay'd : " His triumphs more than mortal pomp adorns, "■ With more than moi tal rage his lattle burns, " His Hiroes, happy heirs of fav' ring fame, " More from his art than from their aHions claim. Mason's Translation of Eu Fresxoy, " They all juftly deferve that high rank in which Frefnoy has placed them ; Michael Angelo, for •* the grandeur and fiiblimity of his characters, as well as for his profound knowledge of deCgn ; Raf- " faelle, for the judicious arrangement of his materials, for the grace, the dignity, and expreffioa of " his characters ; and Julio Romano, for poffejfng the true poetical genius of painting, perhaps, to *' a higher degree than any other Painter -whate-yer." A Note by Sir Joshua Reynolds on Du Fresnoy's Poem, I will elofe thefe teftimonies to the merit of this great artift, by giving my reader the fine and gene- rous eulogium which Shakefpeare has pronounced on him — that rare Italian maftcr, Julio Romano ; <i\}ho, had he himfclf eternity, and could put Ireath into his ivori, ivould beguile Nature of her cujiomy fo f-erfcHly he is her ape : he fo near to Hermione bath done Hermione, that they fay, one vjouldfpeak t» Ixr, and ftand in hope of anfvuer." Winter's Tale. This is not the only teftimony we have of Shakefpeare's attachment to the Fine Arts — Many pafla- ges in his works ftrongly evince the niceft difcernment for the arts both of Painting and Sculpture — particularly In the enfuing pages, I feai* I may have too mucli incumbered fomc of the Scenes or Subjects recommended, with my own obfervations — and yet, I believe, it would not have been pollible to have recom- mended them to tbe notice of an Artift in fewer words— And I muft beg again to remind my reader, that if in the courfe of my furveying any of the following Plays, I Ihould overlook, or be quite filent as to any of thofe Prints which are included in the Lift fubjoined to the end of each Play : that it proceeded from my not perceiving in any particularly paiTa^s in hU Twelfth Night — Cymbeline-^Taming of a Shreiv — Antony and Cleopa- tia—Timon of Athens — and in his Poems — but tlie following fcene from the Winter's Tale, relating to the Statue of Herraione, would have been read with the moft partial attention, by the firrt mafter* of ancient Rome ; Leon. O Paulina, Jf'e honor you ivith trovhk : Butive came fnfee thejlatuc of our queen : your gallery Have I'je fnfi\l through, not luithout much content In mar.y Jingularitics ; hut 'Mcfaiv not That Kvhich my daughter came to look ufon^ The Jlatue of her mother > Paul. Asjhe lived pecrlefs. So her dead likenefs, I do fjell iclieve. Excels ivkatever yet you look'd upon. Or hand of man hath done ; therefore I keep Lonely, apart :—But here it is : prepare To fee the life as lively mock'd, as ever Still Jleep moci'd death : behold; and fay, 'tis well. [Paulina undraws a curtain, and difcovers a ftatue. I lilic your filence, it the morejhcws off Tour wonder :* hit yet fpeak \—fi'ft, you, my liege — Comti it not fomtthing near ? Leon. • This thought, eonvlncediy ftews th« Poet's fond «at for the Arts— thefe lines ftould be written in every Theatre, when the Tragedies of Bhakcfpeste art performing. ( xvii. ) any part of them, any merit, or any thing that was likely in tlic fmalleft degree, to make it worth an Artift's while to infpe(5t fuch Print- If any of the fingle lines, or the paflages felefbed or quoted in the enfuing pages for the purpofe of recommending them to the notice of an Artift, fliould appear flat, or tedious, or cold; let it be re- membered, that it is owing entirely to my disjointed feleclion of them — 'Who will be fo imprudent as to call them tedious and un- impaflioned, without firft perufing the context or the fcene at larger To Leon. Her natural pofture .'— Chide mc flcarjlone ; that I ma-/ Jay, indeed Thou art Hermione : or rather, thou artjljc^ In thy not chiding ; for Jlje ivas as tender As infancy and grace. ■Oh, ihusjhejiood. Even tuithfuch life of majejly, (•■warm life. As no'W it coldly (lands) ivhenfrfl I iijoo^d her ! — — — — — -^-^ Oh, royal piece, There's magick in thy majefy ; ivhich has J\fy evils conjured to remembrance ; and From thy admiring daughter took thefpiriti. Standing likefione voith thee ! Paul. Indeed my lord. If I had thought the fight of my poor image Would thus have vjrought you, {for the font is mine) I'd not have f>e'U}' d it, Leon. Do not draiv the curtain. Paul. No longer flmll you gaze on*t ; Uft your fancy May think anon, it moves. Leon, ( xvlil, ) To thole few Portraits of Shakefpeare which I have alUided to, in page vi. and vli. of the preface to the former part of this work, I am now enabled to add to that lift, another difccvered Portrait: for in the memoirs of Mr. Aftley, of Duckenfield Lodge, (which ap- peared a few months ago in fome of the public papers) this new Portrait is thus mentioned : " Aftley too, though not fo elegantly minded as Reynolds, might *' have been confpicuous in his art. Wlien he left Hudfon, and *' went Leon. Lei le, let le. W^ould I li^ere dead, hut that, 7neth'iHTiS already— IVIjat vjas he, that did make it ? See, my lord, U-^ould you not deem it breath' d? and that thofe veins Did verily bare blood ? Paul. Mafterly done : The I'ery lifejecms ivarm I'pon her lip. Leon. The fixurc of her eye has motion i>Ct, As '■Me are ?nocVd tvith art. Paul. /'// drav] the curtain ; Aly lord's almojl fo far tranfportld, that He'll think anon, it lives Leon. O frveet Paulina, Alake me to think fo t-vienty years together ; No fettled fenfes of the 'world can match The plcafure of that madnef. Let't alone. Paul, I am forry, fir, I have thus far flirr'd you : but I could affllH you further. Leon. Bo, Paulina ; For this offliBion has a tafte asfiveet As any cordial comfort.— Still methinks. There is an air comes from her : vjhatfne chizzel Could ever yet cut breath i 2 Paul ( xk ) *' went to Rome, he fliewed fuch parts as got, and kept, the pa- *' tronage of Lord Chefterfield. The bed pi£lures he ever painted, " were copies of the BentivogHo's and Titian's Venus, and a Head, " much in the manner of Shakefpeare, — and in the opinion of a judge^ *' (zvhom feiv can doubt) Stuart, the portrait painter, far preferable to *' the famous head in the colkdlion of the Duke ofChandosy It muft be a fine Head indeed, if preferable to that in the colleftion of the Duke of Chandoa. I offer the few underwritten extracts to my reader, as a kind of chart (however wide and imperfeft) to diredl his enquiries in the attempt to difcover fome yet feckided original Portrait of Shakefpeare. The hope of yet difcovering fome new Portrait (however diftant it may be) ought not to be damped : from recollefling that the invahi- able Portrait of MILTON, which gives one a difinSl idea of hii coun- tenance, has been very lately brought to light, after having eluded a fearch of more than fixty years — Milton's admirers will have a higli treat, by perufmg page 547 of Mr. Warton's lately publifhed edition of Milton's Poems.* Paul. • Shall I i/raiv the curtain ? Leon. "No, not thcfc tivcnty years. PerJ. So lot!^ could IJlaml by, a looker on. This fcene could only have been written by a mind warmly devoted to the ai'ts — and who butShakc- fpeare could have conceived the line of Wl^ai fi,i£ chlztel Could ever yit cut breath ? * I give my reader the few following extracts or notices, merely in the hopes of their 'eadinj to further difcoveries : The firft extraft is from No. 73 of the third volume of the Cenfor, (in imitation of the Speftator) publilhcd in 17 17 — which .iirft recites a letter which had been written to the au- c 2 thor; ( ^^ ) tlior ■ in which letter 'a fiflitious one) are thefe words — " I hope you %vill do me tht " honour your worthy predeceflbr the ingenious Air. BickerftafFdid Mr. Dogget fome years " fince I mean, to grace me with your prefence at the Theatre in little Lincoln's Inn Fields, «' on Thurfday the nth of tliis inft. to fee the dramatick Opera called the Prophciefs, or the «' Hlftory of Dioclcjiaii, which will be a£ted that night for my benefit. If you fliall be pleafed ••' to honour me fo far, I will keep one of the ftage-boxes for you, and your friends ; and to " heii'hten your entertainment, the front of the gallery will be adorned with the Original " Figures of thofe Poets, who have been moft excellent in the dramatickway ; as Shakcfpeare, " Ben Jonfon, Fletcher, Sir John Suckling and Mr. Dryden." — The paper, having thus re- cited this fiftitious letter from a fuppofed correfpondent, goes on thus : " It mull give a fine •' rational pleafure to the minds of a well turned audience, to behold, inftead of a trivial " landfcape of a folitary towrer, or a waving grove, all that can be preferved of the images " of our fathers in Poetrv. While they trace the lineaments and features of this glorious " aiTembly, forming to themfelves the ideas of how they looked, moved, fpoke, wrote; " their hearts fhould be infpired with fnch fentiments of delight and wonder, as filled the " breaft of iEneas in the fhades, when he faw the images of the great heroes and captains " who had trod before him in the paths of fame ; mighty fouls (as Virgil fays) and born in «' better days. The poets methinks fhould lt)ok on Shakefpeare with a religious awe and " veneration, and behold him with the fame eye Mr. Dryden did, in that incomparable " poem to Sir Godfrey Kneller, where he fays, Shakefpeare, (thy gift) I place before my fight;, j^nd a/k his bleffmg ^ere I dare to write. "■ And indeed there is not a greater'difference be— " twcen the flower of our years, and the decline of them, than there is between Shake— •' fpeare, and all other Englifh Poets The greatclt pleafure that I received through " the whole play, was to obferve thofe Original Piftures that were the ornaments of tlie " gallery, and could not help taking notice that nofe-lefs Sir William Davenant had more " fearful flarers from the pit, than any of the reft of his fraternity. For mv own part,. " my eye dwelt upon my favourites Shakefpeare and Dryden, though I often flole a look. " on the company, which gave me a very fenlible delight." This paper then concludes with a " Prologue fpoken at Lincoln's Inn-Fields Theatre, en occafon of the Figures of •' our old Englifh Dramatick Poets, being placed in front of the Gallery." This is in- fetted, merely to fhew the reader (what there is no doubt of) that the Old 7"heatres would have been likely places to have obtained intelligence on this head. It is not improbable, but fome Pifture of Shakefpeare, was in the Sale of Betterton the player. In ( xxl ) la the Catalogue of the Medals, Statujs, Pictures, and Jewefs of Mrs. Oldfield, there- appears no Picture of Shakefpeare. Nor is there one at Dulwich College. " At Wimpole in Cambridgefhire (I quote the Anecdotes of Painting, under the arti- " cle Belcainp) the feat of the Earl of Oxford, which had been Sir Henry Pickering's, *' and before him the feat of the Tempefis, luere copies by Eelcamp of f^veral Englifh " heads, remarkable perfons in the reigns of Henry VIII. Elizabeth, James, and " Charles I. bat they were all fold and difperfed with the reft of the Harleian Colleftion." There mi^ht perhaps have been a Pi£lure of Shakefpeare at this ancient feat, as well as at fome other ancient feats in England, Who more likely to have known the different Piftures of Shakefpeare than the late Ver- tue ? ^ s Henry Earl Southampton (the friend of Shakefpeare) married Elizabeth the daughter of John Vernon of Hodnet. The portrait of this Elizabeth was drawn by Cornelius Janfen, and " the face and hands are coloured with incomparable luftre." The intimacy that pro- bably fubfifted between this family and our Poet, inclines one to think that Janfen might have painted Shakefpeare — The metzotinto prefixed to the edition of King Lear, by Jen- nens, is Jaid to have been taken from a picture of Janfen's, Though it has been doubted whether Janlen ever did paint Shakefpeare. " James Maubert, diftinguifhcd himfelf (fay the Anecdotes of Painting) bycopving all: " ihe ponra'ns hv cou/d meet 'u.'ith of ^ngVilh. Poets, fome of which he painted in fmall " ovals. Dryden, Wycherley, Congreve, Pope, and fome others, he painted from life. " He died at the end of 1746. Venue fays he mightily adorned his piftures with flowers, - ^ honey-fuckles,^ &,cJ' From this artift fome information might have been obtained. K I N a KING JOHN. ADVERTISEMENT. TTAVING feen a few weeks ago, a paragraph iii the Morning Herald, intimating a new edition of Shakefpearc, and having feen the re- fpedable names that are there inferted of thofe who are fiid to have taken the lead in bringing forward this work ; it muft feem prefumptuous in me to obtrude my weak efforts on the public, or to think that any of the enfuing pages would give rife to any change or alteration for tlie ftill further improvement of this projedled edition. I do not fuppofe there can poffibly be one difcordant voice againft any one of the gentlemen who are mentioned in fuch paper; and happy is it for the honour of this coun- try, and for the glory of the fupreme bard to whom it gave birth, that fuch names are announced — bad commentators and bad artifts might have crept in, and by the penury of their genius or the inurbanlty of their minds, might have deprefled the exertions of Tafte and Learning. Araidil all the numerous editions of thofe authors whofe works have been pub- llrtied with coftly fplendour, thofe of the unaiTumlng Shakefpeare have been overlooked — if we except the edition of Hanmer, and that is no ways to be compared to the fpiendid publications of other editors — and we muft indeed except the late edition of Bell. How many fine and beau- tiful editions have been publifhedof Don Quixotte, of Mollerc, of Fontaine, and particularly of A riofto ; and need I mention the late projected edition of Voltaire ? There are even the Petites Conqiietes JeLonis quatorze, publlfhed without any regard to expence ; and the very Amours PaJloraJes ds Daphn'n & Cloe, are ornamented in a ftyle much fuperior to any edition of Shake- fpeare — and to crown all (amidft numerous coftly publications on Mofies, a Frogs»-., ( ii ) Frogs, Mufhrooms, Moths, Batterflles and Beetles) we have StoU's H'tf- ioire des Cigales et des Punaifes, avec figures colorces d'apres nature, and ten numbers fewed, for five guineas ; and the price of the greateft part of the above works has doubled that of Shakefpeare's beil: edition. But the time is now come when Shakefpeare's works will receive every em- bellifhment of grateful art — when a temple will be eredled to his memo- ry — and where the produdlions of Britifh artifls will receive an eternal afyl um. Delay, however in this generous plan, has already deprived us of the grateful affiftance of Cypriani ; and Shakefpeare himfelf warns us, that on our quickefl decrees. The inaudible and noifelefs foot of time, Steals 'ere we can efFeft them. If the enfuing pages can give rife to one fingle new hint — or can (by the lift which is given of fome Paintings and Prints which have appeared on the fubjeft of Shakefpeare) fave any trouble to an enquiring artift, my end is anfwered. They were not written with the intention of being publifhed ; but merely for the amufement of leifure hours, and as an in- ward tributary efteem to him, whofe fcenes had ohfsothed me with many apenfive pkafure mild. And though I have long had much at heart, and was willing to indulge an expeftation of fome future fine edition — yet I had no certain, nor even the moft diftant hope of any one being actu- ally in contemplation. The expence alone made one loath to conceive any grand edition would ever be accomplifhed. And as the nice dependen- cies * TVcfuhltme dreams of Piranefi, might be confulted for the architecture of this building. See Mr. Walpole's Anecdotes, v. iy. p. vii. ( "i ) cies of an extenfive undertaking cannot at once be adjufted, it is now the time (in its earlieft progrefs) to offer any hints, however imperfect. Though many of the engravings that have been hitherto publlfhed from the page of Shakefpeare, are merely trafh — yet it may not be un- fatlsfaftory to thofewho wifh to defign from him, to view fuch engra- vings ; as from fome of them, there m.ay perhaps be caught fome idea worth improving on. I have therefore at the end of the few plays which are treated of in the enfuing tra£l (and in which the pages are marked from the edition by Johnfon and Steevens) inferred a lift of all fuch as have been publlfhed from each play.-f- Many objeftions may be raifed againft the plan that I had formed for an edition ; particularly on account of the multiplicity of the prints ; but I was willing to recommend the introdu£lion of more of them than may be necefTary, rather than too fev/ — from an unwillingnefs to reject fuch of thofe already publiflied, which might poflibly poflefs even a very fmall fhare of merit — leaving it to fuperior men to feleft from my crowded variety. TJie plan of Meffrs. Boydells edition, in having the plates on a large fcale, and fe- parate, (like thofe perhaps of Cooke's voyages) will exhibit many of the fcenes, in a rauch fuperior manner to what my reduced fize can. If there fhould be found any of thofe prints that are mentioned in the lift at the end of each play, not taken any notice of in any part of the play — it is, becaufe they did not ftrike me as pofTefling any merit, or as con> f Charles Taylor's publicati'^n of the PlElurefque Beauties of Shaiefperre, is not yet compleated. Nor is the edition of the plays by Lowndes. The editors of the French edition of Shakefpeare, pub- liflied propofals for a fet of prints ; but I believe they were never carried into execution. In a Gen- tleman's Magazine about the time of Dr. Dod's death, is a letter pofitively affuring the public, that he was in want of a fum to pay Parifian artifts, who were executing plates for an edition of Shakefpeare in quarto. The letter mentions that the perfoii who wrote it, had feen fpecimcns of the print — that Dr. Dod had the undertaking deeply at heart — and that he went to Paris once or twice about k. a 2 ( Iv ) containing any thing, that was likely in the leafi: degree, to give rife to an}"good hint. The Plan I had formed in my own mind was this : . To have printed the mofl approved Text and Notes, with a type equal to tliat of Foulis ; and of a fize fomewhat larger than the Memoirs of Thomas Mollis ; that is, of the largcft Quarto fize pofiible. . All the Prefaces which have yet been written by the various Commen- tators (including thofe by Dod, Capell and fome other later ones) to have been inferted in ihc order in tvhich they were written ; and in fhort,, all that the united exertions of Mr. Steevens, Mr. Malone, and JVIr. Reade, have enrich-ed the late editions with.* The Frontifpiece to have been the old head of Shakefpeare, by Droefli- out, with the lines of Ben Jonfon engraven under. And to the firfl Preface or Dedication, namely the Dedication of the Players, I meant to have propofed a Head-piece being engraved on the top of the fhect ; and it might be a fac-fimlle of the fmall head which Marfhall bad the felicity of engraving, and which faces page 196 of the laft edition by Johnfon and Steevens, with the fame lines engraved under. The Preface of the players will follow next — and afterwards the Pre- face of Rowe — on the top of which might be engraved a fac-hmile of the fmall head only of Shakefpeare, which appears in the frontifpiece to each cf * To thefe might be added, at proper places,, fome few particular extracts from the work o( Mrs. Montague, C;is her chapter on the Prf/fr«rt/a)W .5m;^i, to precede, or to be placed after the Tem- peft) and from fome very few other writers. A few good additions might be likewife made to the Commendatory Verfes on Shakefpeare ; and fome of them might be extrafled from the Italian poem of Lorenzo Pignotti, entitled Shakefpeare^ and dedicated to Mrs, Montague ;. it is in quarto, and printed *t Fjrenze, in 1779. ( V ) of the volumes of Rowe's edition. The head mav be encrraved as it now is, -without any ornament whatever thrown round it; not even the ufual laurel wreath. The clumly figures in this frontlfpiece were probably deligned by Fourdrinier — but they Ihould not be cenfured ; for though they are poorly executed, yet they were meant as a grateful offering to the poet. The next Preface is that of Pope's. The head prefixed to his edition, is declared by Oldy, to be a juvenile portrait of James I. This how- ever, is no decided authority ; and as this head (engraved as it is in Mrs. Griffith's work) appears a noble ornament ; it might therefore be placed oppofite the Preface of Pope. It is likewife well engraved by Vertue. Opposite Theobald's Preface might be placed, the pleafing head pre- fixed to his large 8vo, edition, by Arlaud. There is fome very little re- femblance in the eyes of this portrait, to Marfhail's-print.. The head which appears inHanmer's edition, (hould not be placed be- fore his Preface, unlefs fome proofs of a probable originality can be pro- duced. I would therefore propofe (in the lieu of this) the engraving a Head-piece to his Preface, which might be a fac-fimile of the Vignette which is defigned by Wale, and engraved by Woodfield,.and which may. be feen in fome edition of Shakefpeare, that I do not immediately recol- lect — but it is a fquare Vignette, and contains the figures of Apollo and Minerva. The head in this Vignette, bears fome very little refemblance to that at Wentworth Houfe.* The whole of the Vignette to the republication of Shakefpeare's poems,, by Thomas Evans, might be engraved as a Head-piece to Warburton's Preface. To * The epiflle of Collins might be fubjoiued to this Preface. It is Ilrange that a critic Ihould ob. ferve of this poem — that if it has not fo much merit as the reft of his poems, yet that it has ftill more ihan the/ubjeii deferves. ( vi ) To the Advertlfement to theReader, (prefixed to the edition of twenty of the old quarto copies) might be placed Vertue's punt, from the original m the pofleffion of Mr. Keck, and the fame lines may remain engraven under it. Houbraken's pleafing portrait, from one in the pofleffion of John Nl- colljof Southgate, Efqulre, may likewife ornament the^Preface of Johnfon. And oppofite poor Dod's Preface, might be placed the rich metzo- tinto, which is given in the edition of King Lear, by Jennens. As a Head-piece to Steeven's fecond Advertifement, might be engraved a copy of the head which is in Johnfon's firfl edition, and which is en- graved by Vertue. And oppofite the Preface of Reade, might appear the fame beautiful head which he has prefented to the public, from a picture in the poflef- fion of the Duke of Chandois * The head in Bell's edition might be engraved as a Head-piece to fome other Preface, or fome other of the introduftory matter. This head is fomewhat like the pidlure in the Britifli. mufeum. And the fmall head by Vandergucht, in Theobald's lamo. edition, may be worth looking at. As a Head-piece to Shakfpeare's Will, might be engraved the fame print of his Houfe, which is in Mr. Malone's Supplement — and as a Tail-piece to this Will, might be Introduced the prefent appearance of the • Joseph Taylor (fays Mr. Malone) is faid by fome to have painted the only original piflure of Shakefpearc now extant, in the pofltffion of the Duke of Chandois. By others, Burbage is reported to have been, the painter. Vol. i.page 57. ( vU ) tills fame Houfe ; or in the ftead of that, might be engraved as a TalU piece, the fac-fimile of his Hand Writing. The Bufl in Stratford Church will be feen in the aftermentioned print of his tomb. As a Head-piece to that leaf which treats on the Portraits of Shakef- peare, might be engraved a new Portrait — namely, that which is now at Wentworth Houfe. He has an unhealthy look, and his mind feems de- prefled by fome anguifli, which is fettled in a confirmed gloom. * x^t each corner of the canvas, is a laurel wreath. I believe this pidure be- longed to Sir P. Lelly, who either left or gave it to Dryden. On the back of the old canvas, fome few years ago, was written : 'This pldlure be- longed to the poet Dryden, ot at leaft words very fimilar to thefe. There was * He feems, (at the time of life when this pidure was drawn) to have been lame and poor. See his 37th Sonnet and Crit. Rev. for January 1784, page 33, I find a few traces of fome pictures of Shakefpeare : Pope, (fays Mr. Walpole) was not the only bard that foothed Sir Godfrey Kneller's vain.glory. Dryden repaid him for a prefeut of Shakefpeare's pidure, with a copy of verfes full of luxuriant, but immortal touches. Sir W. D'Avenant was poflefled of the only original picture of Shakefpeare ever painted. Malone's Sup. v. 2. page 185. At the Duke of Dorfet's, at Knoll, is a pifture of Shakefpeare. I believe there is one at Lord Exeter's, which is fuppofed an original. Amiconi's next work was a pifture of Shakefpeare and the mufes over the orcheftra of the new Theatre in Covent Garden. Walpole. This copy of Amiconi's, might have been taken from fome pidureof Shakefpeare, at that day well Vnown in the theatre, which might have been an original. There is a portrait in the Britifli Mufeum. C via ) ^vas n letter which always jiccompanied, or was fixed to the back of this piiHiure, but on its being new lined and cleaned fome few years ago, the letter was loft. It contained fome particulars about the pifture. If the infertion of fo many Portraits (hould beobjedled to ; let it be re- membered, that the proofs even of thofe few which are generally fuppofed to be original, are at the bed doubtful ; and that fome one of the com- monly rejetSled Portraits might have been painted ad vivum. If the reader will turn to that leaf, on which is tranfcribed the burials of the Shakefpeare family, he may not think it improper to affix a Head- piece to fuch leaf; and it might be an angel or genii, or a weeping child perufing with an afflifted air, that entreating requeft, which (as Mr. Steevens informs us) is thus uncouthly infcribed on his tombftone. * Good Frend for lefus SAKE forbeare To dice TE Duft EncloAfed HERe Blese be TE Man 1 ipares TEs Stones And curst be He ? moves my Bones. Somewhat * Shakespeare's would have been a fine grave for Cromivcll to have trampled oh; Clofe to the poet's tomb, repofe the afljes of his favourite daughter Sufannah, with this infcription : Witty above her fexc, but that's not all, Wife to falvation was good Miilrefs Hall, Something of Shakefpere was in that, but this Wholy of him with whom file's now in blifle." Then paffenger haft n'ere a teare, To weep with her that wept with all ; That wept, yet fet herfelf to chere , Them up with comfort's cordial. Her love fliall live, her mercy fpread, iVheii thou h'all ne're a teare to flied. ( ix ) Somewhat of the fame kind of look and attitude might be given, which we fee in a metzotinto, to the memory of Queen Ann, where a cupid is reading the words : Pajlora is no more^ I do not recollect its title. If the attitude and look of that cupid fhould not be thought fuffici- ently expreffive, the reader may refer to the two weeping children in the Vignette prefixed -to the tenth volume of Lowndes's Englifh Theatre. The face of the foremofl boy may exprefs lefs of anguifh. See alfo two figures in a Vignette to one of the volumes of Lowndes's Englifh Theatre, engraved by Hall, from after Lowe. In the frontifpicce to the firfi: volume of the Colleftion of Drawings by Rogers, is a w' inged bov, (with a pallet) — and fee the<:hlld whichis at the bottom of the firfl fludy of Corregio, in the fecond volume of the fame work. See alfo the weeping child of Cj^priani, in his print of the Nymph of Immortality. And fee the devout and tender calmnefs of two of the heads in Sir Joftiua's portrait of a daughter of Lord William Gordon, where flie is draw-n as in a group of angels. In fome other part (as at page 215) might be Introduced a print of his monument in the Abbey ; and another of that at Stratford. In all the large prints of his monument at Weftminfler the face is wanting in that ferenity which Scheemaker has given him.* In the print HtRE too fweet Shakcfpeare, Fancy's fav'rite chilJ, The marble emulates thy power to pleaf; ; With graceful attrtade, and afpecEl mild, Expreffing native dignity and eafe. Nor ( ^ ) print by Claud Dubofc, his features refemble thofe of a ruffian, more than Shakefpeare's. He appears to more advantage in the print by Maurer, 1742. There is a very neat fized print of this Monument in the Supplement to the 28th volume of the Univerfal Magazine. The Tomb at Stratford has been fo well engraved by Vertue, for tlie edition of Hanmer, that no better print of this tomb can be defired. I am fpeaking of the bed impreffions of this print ; and not of the copy en- graved by Gravelot for the laft edition. I am afraid however that Vertue, (who in his pilgrimage to Stratford did not want true devotion to Shahfpeari) has made the Buft much too handfome and pleafing. The Buft itfelf does not convey near fo pleafing a face. * Mr. Gough informs us Nor thy unrivall'd magic's potent charm, Nor tender ftorics of ill-fated love ; Nor fccnes of horror could his rage difarm. Or the infenfate fpeclre's pity move. Where were ye graces, where ye tuneful nine, When Shakefpeare's active fpirit foar'd away ? Where were ye Virtues when the fpark divine> Forfook its trembling tenement of clay ? Alas ! around his couch attendant all, Ye faw the flroke the ruthlefs monfter gave ; Beheld (fad fcenc !) your darling vot'ry fall. And weep your inability to fave. * The following letter is from the Gent's. Mag. for June 1 759. Mr. URBAN, A doubt of a new kind, and not unworthy of notice, has arifen among fome, whether the old menu- men talBuftof Shakefpcarc, in the collegiate church of Stratford upon Avon, Warwicklhirc, had any refemblance I ( « ) US that there is a good call: of this Bufl in the pofTefnon of Mr. Green, of Lichtield. Opposite the Commendatory Verfes on Shakefpeare, might be placed that moft pleafing ornament to lus memory, defigued by R. Cofway, and engraved by Bartolozzi, of Mrs. Abingdon as Thalia. If well coloured, it is beautiful ; but the features of the buft might have been altered for the refemblance of the bard ; but I find not this doubt to have taken date before the public regard fiiewn to bis memory, by ereding for him the curious cenotaph in We ft minder Abboy : the ftatue in that ho- norary monument is really in a noble attitude, and excites an awful admiration in the beholder ; the face is venerable, and well exprefles that intcnfenefs of ferious thought, which the poet muft be fuppofej to have fometimes had. The face on the Stratford monument bears very little, if any refemblance, to that at Weftminfter • the air of it is indeed fomewhat thoughtful, but then it feems to arife from a chearfulncfs of thought, which, I hope, it will be allowed Shakefpeare was no ftranger to. However this be, as the faces on the two monuments are unlike each other, the admirers of that at Weftminfter only, will have it, that the country figure differs as much from the llkenefs of the original, as it docs from the face in the Abbey, and fo far endeavour to deprive it of its merit : This is a derogation I can by no means allow of, and that for the following reafons. Shaiefpeart i\cA at the age of 53. The unanimous tradition is, that by the uncommon bounty of the then Earl of Southampton, he was enabled to purchafe an houfe and land at Stratford, the place of his nativity ; to which place, after quitting the public ftage, he retired, and lived chearfuUy amongft his friends fome time before his death. Ifweconfider thofe circumftances aright, that Sliakefpearc's difpofition was chearful, and that he died before he could be faid to be an old man, the Stratford figure is no improper reprefentation of him. The exaft time when the country monument .was ereiSled Is now unknown ; but, I prefumc it was done by his executors, or relations, probably while his features .were frelli in every one's memory, and perhaps with the alMance of an original piiilure too. Thcfe are no unreafonable fuppofitions, and which, I think, cannot eafily be ovexthrown, efpecially when corroborated (as I hope to prove they are) by the following obfervation not hitherto made, that I inow of, by any one. , Facins: b 2 ( Xll ) the better. The bcA bult of Shakefpeare that I know, is that in Mr. Gauifljoi-oiigh's wliole length metzothito of Mr. Garrick, from his fine i.iOurc at Stratford. Cypriani's bud too is a fine one. And oppofite Mr. Malone's Attempt to afcertaln the order in which the plays were written, might be placed the moft beautiful and graceful of all Shakefpeare's Portraits— aiamely^ that £i-om after Zoufl, engraved by Si- mon, Fiiciiig the title page of one of the folio editions of Shakefpenrc's works, ttere is an head of hitnr. engraved by one Martin Droefliout, a Dutchman, and underneath this cut appear the following lines,, written by Ben Jonfon,- who pcrfoiially knew, aud was familiarly actiuaintedwith our puet. The figure that thou fee'ft here pur, It was for gentle Shakefpeare cut ; In which the graver had a ftrifc With nature, to out do the life. . O could he but have drawn his wit. As well In brafs as he hath hit His face, the piece would then furpafs All that was ever writ in brafs. . But fiuce he caunot, &c. . In thcfe verfes Ben, plainly aflerts that if the engraver could have drawn Shakefpeare's wit in brafs, . a? well as he has done his face, the performance would have been preferable to every thing of the kindj. a convincing proof how great a likcncfs he knew there was betwixt the poet and that pidure of him. Now, if we compare this picture with the face on the Stratford monument, there will be found as great a rcfembtance as perhaps can well be betwixt a llatueand a pliflure, except that the hair is de- fcribed rather fiiorter and ftreightcr on the latter, than on the former ; and yet this difference will nor; I dare fay, be material enough rojuftify the doubt I have attempted to remove; and, if not, then I hope what I have here advanced will induce thofe gentlemen, who have not thought fo well of the Stratford monuraent, to have a better opinion of it for the time to come. Jv G. Stratford ufon Avon, Miy 30, 1 7 59. C xill ) mon, and done from a capital plBure, in the colleElion of 7". JFright, painter, inCo- •vent Garden. I do not know whether any proofs even of a probable origi- nality can now be given ; but I have licard from feme one, who was told by fome one, that Zouft's was a copy from the original by Zucchero — and that this original was feen.Jn.or near Lincoln's Ian play-houfe, about fortj^yt?iVi ago,. r will take the liberty of fuggefting another hint, for the flill further'' embellifliment of an edition : namely, the ornamenting the engraved Tit- tle page to each play with a llgnette. If fome of them were engraved in the light flyle of fome of the Drawings in the colleftion by Rogers, they would add a pleafing contraft to the darknefs of the other prints — particularly in the flyle of T'he laji- [upper — F. Lauri's drawing — Carlo Maratt's AJfumption, St. Francis, and. Gupid — Titian's Repofe — and Tintoretto's fludy, in' vol. r, and Gner^ cino's Clio, yJJfaJination, and JVonian begging water — Boucher's Batb/ljeba, and his 'T'rinity — and Helena Forman, in vol. 2. Some of them might be- in the fhape and ftyle of Shelley's Marcella, engraved by Burke ; or as-' richly coloured as KaufFman's Celia. The fubje£l of fome of them, might in fome degree be alluding to the play ; and the others might be merely ornamental or fanciful — fuch as- Malks, Crowns, Daggers, Tambourines, and other emblems of the Tra- gic and Comic Mufe, of Poetry, Mufic, and the Drama. My meaning- will be better underflood by referring to the vignette' oppofite p. 120, vol. 2, of Keate's poems — the title page in a colleftion of Poems by !Mendez, in page 124, 135, 174, and 183, of Rogers's Drawings, vol. 2 — tlie very beautiful defign at p. 10, of Idylles de Saint Cyr, which I much, wifh were looked at; it is printed at Amfterdam and Paris, 1771 — the tail-piece to Hamlet, to the Winter's Tale, and to Richard III. in the- laft quarto edition of Hanmer — the title page, and p.. 22, of Nouvellei Tradudion. ( Xlvr ) Tnduiflion dcs Ileioldcs d'OvIde, 8vo. Paris, 1763 — the heads of Shakc- fpearc and Garrick, in Bell's ilT: edition — Hudlbn's print of Mrs. Cibber, engraved by Marchand — to many ornaments accompanying Houbraken's Heads, fuch as thofe of Chaucer, Buchanan, Shakelpeare, and Addi- fon ; and to more of them in the French collcdlionof Heads, as well as round many of their fingle ones, fuch as the Heads of Corneille, Racine, Boileau, Moliere, Defcartes and Crebillon — the Copper Plate Magazine will fliew fome of them — the title page of Bafkerville's Horace, Bir- mingham, 1770 — the two little children at the bottom of the frontif- piece to a colle61:ion of Prologues by Griffiths — the fatyr, in a print to the Britilh Magazine, for June, 1 783 — Hanmer's Head of Sliakefpeare — the Head to his Poems, reprinted by Evans — the heads of Mrs. Monta- gue and Mrs. Barbauld in the Weftminfter Magazine, for June, 1776 — the head of Shutcr, in the fame Magazine, for December, 1776 — the head of Kelly, in the fiune Magazine, for March, 1^77 — the head of Woodu-ard in the fame Magazine, for May 1777 — the head of Mrs. Griffith, in the fame Magazine, for September, 1777 — the head of Vol- taire, in the Hime Magazine, for June, 1778 — the head and tail-pieces of Bell's lafl: edition of Henry IV. part 2d. and the Temped, and to the head-piece of Coriolanus — the top parts of the vignettes in Bell's lafl edi- tion of Macbeth, Much Ado, Lear, Titus Andronicus, Henry IV. part I ft. and to that rich one in Love's Labours Loft — the title page of Lcs Metamorphofcs de Melpomene et de Thalie, defigne d'apres nature par Whiriker, printed at Paris — and to Laurie's metzotinto of Mr. Garrick, after Dlghton. The beft Malks that I have feen, are in M. de Louther- bourg's vignette to Love's Labour Loft, and in a print of Boileau, en- graved by Walker (for a late Engllfti tranflation (I believe) of Voltaire's works. The fame portrait is engraved by Collyer, in quarto, for fome publication by G. Kearfley, but the expreflion of the malk is diiterent. The beft Crown I have ever feen, is among the ornaments to the portrait of Corneille, publlftied by G. Keai-ftey, for (I fuppofe) the Copper plate ^Magazine. For ( XV ) For the title page to the Tempejl, might be engraved the fame Vignette as is in voL 2, of the firft edition of Grofe's Antiquities — leaving out the two figures — in whofe ftead might be introduced an expreflive one of the great magician Profpero, ruminating on the diffolution of nature. Or it might be expreffive of, or alluding to a Tempeft. See therefore the fea weeds in p. 61 of Hooper's tranflation of Gefner's Idylls. And fee a print of a fliip in diftrefs, with lightening, in a fet of prints in 8vo. called " Succefs and triumph to Britannia's arms." They are engraved by N. Parr, without any printer's name to the fet in my poffeffion, and there are verfes under each print. I much wifh this print were looked at. Would it be too ludicrous to recommend as a Vignette, to the firft part of Henry IV. the figure of the man only, in Mr. Bunbury's ticket for Wynftay Theatre, in the winter of 1781? — his bottle of fack might remain with him, and a fewchara(5leriftic ornaments alluding to the play might be introduced. And on the play bill in his hand might be written : Falftaff by ^'ni — Hotfpur by Booth — Prince of Wales by JFilkes — and Fi'ancis by Edwin. Among the tragic emblems for the Vignette to Othello, might be drawn the fame turban, which is in a portrait of Racine, engraved by Colyer, for (I believe) the Copper-plate Magazine ; and the fame fword and torch that are in the Vignette to Bell's Othello. Would it be proper to introduce among thefe ornaments the handkerchief) To form a Vignette for As you Like it, we muft fee the rich ornaments to M. de Louthejbourg's pleafing print to this play — for what ornaments can fo chaftly apply as the bugle -horn, thefpear, and bow, to wound xhtpgorfequejleredjiag ? In the Vignette to Henry VIII. might be in introduced the fame Car- tllnal's hat, and the fame viper, ftaif, and vine, which aje in Houbra- ken' ( ^vl ) ■ken's head of Wolky. Among other decorations might be drawn an axe — the fame ruby which Wolfey gave the King, and for which fee Walpole's Anecdotes, v. i, p. 137, 8vo— and at a diftance might be dimly fbcu thofe twins of learning, Jpfwich and Oxford : one of which Indeed /f// W//A him. The gateway to Wolfey's College at Ipfwich, may be feen in Grofe — and part of that building at Oxford which ini- .prefils us with the great conceptions of the Cardinal's mind, may be -leen at a fmall diflance. In the V.ignctte to C(?r/(5/^««j, miglit be drawn (among ^:)ther things) the fame warlike trophies which are in Bell's laft edition — and in that for the firfl: part of Henry VI. may be introduced thofe emblems that arc in Bell's edition. of the firft and third parts of this play. See .alfo the Tail-piece to Hanmer's edition of tlie firft part, which will give an idea of introducijig the arms of France. In the third part of this play (among other ornaments) mi^ht be given adiftant viewof the Abbey of Tewklbury. And fome of tlie fame military trophies, may be given to Henry V. in addition to thofe rich ones which M. de Loutherbourg has thrown jound ,his Vignette to Bell's lafl edition of this play : a print animated with the very fpirit of Shakefpeare ; and were the boy taken out: it would perhaps be one of the moft charadleriftic prints ever defigned. A Xword covered with crowns imperial might be introduced---tor now fits expeftatioii in the air, i*, nd hides a fwordfrom hilts unto. the point, With crowns imperial : crowns and roronets, Promifed to Harry and his followers. As a Vignette to King fohn, might be engraved the figure of Agiv\ now at Wentworth-houfe — Not the fmallcfl: alteration fliould be made, if it were engraved in the colours of the pi6lure, it would better exhibit •the green fafli. No pidlure ever fo well painted a mother's grief. Thoie 5 who ( xvii ) who have feen this divine conception of Guido's, will thank me for ha- vlnor mentioned it — and to thofe who liave not been fo fortunate : words are infufficient to defcribethe propriety with which it might be an- nexed to a page of Shakefpeare's.* For a Vignette to Richard III. I would propofe the figure of an angel (in no mean ftyle) tenderly furveying a fmall reduced portrait of Ver- tue's Edward V. which might be the iize of, and fomewhat fimilar to the heads of Rubens and Bronkhorft, in Defchamp's Vies des Peintres, or like Bell's head of Spencer. There might be introduced a fmall dead lamb — and thefcroll, on which was written, Jocky of Norfolk. And there might be drawn a part of a battle-horfe ; for a defign for which, fee the Head-piece to the third volume of Defchamp's. — On a nearer infpeiflion, this horfe proves to be a unicorn, but by taking away the horn and the cloven feet, it will give the moft fpirited head of a horfe I ever faw.--- both the animals are equally expreffive : — At a diftance might be feeii either the Tower, or Chertfey Monaftery ; and we may unite the white rofe. and the red. See alfo Vertue's print of Richard, Or * If a«y objeillon can arlfe againfi; its being a Vignette, it will be on account of Its being too much reduced in fize. Were It richly engraved on a large fcale, it would form a chafte and fupeib ornament for fome department of an edition, which might be appropriated for the receiving of Fancy Deligns, or Tributary Memorials, in honour of the Genius, or ingratitude to the Memory of Shakefpeare. In this woman's hand might be a volume of Shakefpeare, and her fublime grief would feem to flow from having juft perufed fome of thofe fcenes : where the heart fviells, and the tears biirj} out, juft at their fro' per ^acei» The late Duke of Northumberland offered th« Marquis of Rockingham, feven hundred guineas for this pidure. ( xvlii ) Or might there not be wove fome tributary wreath in memory of neg* levied Gar rick ? — for on his death, — all the pomp of Shakefpcare's rites were ceas'd * For a Vignette to the Merchant of Venice^ there might be drawn a fweet child readhig with an exprefTive air, the humane lines of: The quality of mercy is not flrain'd— And the expreflion of the face may be {bme what fimilar to the bcfl im- prefTions (and not to the pirated copies) of Mr. Bumbury's firft print of Charlotte, publifhed in 1782, by C. White. Or a fancy head of Shakefpeare might be drawn, (fomewhat (imilar in attitude and drefs to Mortimer's head of the Poet') with the mildexpreffion ofZouft's metzotinto--- and (with a fcroll in one hand) as at the moment of writing the above lines. The evident proofs we have of his good heart, will give an artift more pleafure in defigning for him. If other ornaments are preferred : they may be thofe of the fcales, the knife and bond-— or they may be alluding to the concord of fweet founds — for which purpofe, fee Bartalozzi's ticket for the benefit of Salpietro— the figure of the winged boy with the reed, and the exprelfive air of the young woman. * Might not fome part of the fubfcriptlon money of Mcflrs Boj'dell's edition, be appropriated to- wards theere£ting a tomb for Garrick ? Seven years have now elapfed, and the fame ueglecft attends iis remains, as thofe of Sir Anthony Vandyck. — His Fame requires we a^ a tenderer part:— His Memory claims tf.{. Tear we gave his Art ! ( ^i-^ ) woman in Cyprianl's title page to the mufic of Rofina — and the face of Apollo in the title page of fome book of mufic, defigned (I think) by Cypriani. Part of the Vignette to Lear, might be api£turefque view of Dover- Cliff — for the meanejl hovel (fays Mr. Warton) to which Shakefpeare has an allufon, interejls cur'iof.ty. Some of the flowers with which old Lear was crowned, might be twined round this Vignette, and they will fome of them be found in the Flora Londinenfis. See alto the rich ornaments (and the lightening) in Barney's print to Bell's edition — and fee the flow- ers in the fame print. I CANNOT but recommend, as a Vignette to the fecondpart o^ Henry IV. a fac-fimile of the whole and entire Vignette to the fifth volume of the Englifh Theatre, by Lowndes. It is defigned by Edwards, and en- graved by Byrne. It contains (among other figures) the mufe of Comedy, with a mafk in on hand, and a glafs in the other. It has too much merit I think to be rejected. Designs or Ideas for other Vignettes, may be conceived from a fine one, which is annexed to a volume of the publication of plays, by either Bell or Lowndes. The print in my poflefiion has the names of the pain- ter and engraver cut off; but it reprefents Comedy, with a fatyr and a young bacchanalian — both of which lafl figures however might admit of fome little improvement. See alio a Defign by Mr. Weft, engraved by Byrne, for the feventh volume of one of the above publications. And Angelica Kauffman's Dellgn for that volume which contains Tamerlane. — were the face of Melpomene more empaflioned, it would form a rich ornament to one of the Tragedies of Shakefpeare. See alfb the follow- ing Defigns; namely one by Mortimer, engraved by Hall for one of the volumes of the above pubhcations, being the Tragic Mufe, with a fla- ming torch and dagger — the conception of this print is wild and lugubre : Another Defign for one of the volumes of Bell, being the Tragic Mufe, c z with ( ^^ ) with a goblet In her right hand, her dagger by her fide, and a figure above her, with a Iword and torch. A Defign for one of the volumes of Bell, being Thalia pointing to many of Shakefpeare's charafters, and on a fcroll is written the names of Centlivre and other dramatic writers. A defign by Mortimer, engraved by Walker, for one of the volumes of Lowndes, reprcfenting moft of the charafters of Shakefpeare, in procef- fion. A fmall defign for (I think) the fourth volume of the publication by Lowndes, drawn by Lowe and engraved by Hall. Another defign by Mortimer, engraved by Hall, for one of the above publications, being a figure of Melpomene with bcr irejfes tvildly -waving, and a fhip at fea. A Defign for one of t e volumes of the above publications, drawn by Edwards and engraved b}- Hall, where the part of a fkeleton is introdu- ced, with lightening, and the figure of defpalr — and the Vignette to the twelfth volume of Lowndes. I muft entreat the reader's pardon for dwelling fo much on this fubjeiSl; ; but my only motive for offering x\ns profpe^us is, a wilh to throw in my mite of fervice towards that undertaking, which is now formed in ho- nour of our poet. And if any one can fuggefl thoughts which may Jave trouble to the conduftors ; it is proper they fhould be communicated before the edition is in a more advanced flage. I have therefore further to mention, that Ideas of other Defigns for Vignettes may be gathered froin Cyprlani's Contemplation — and from his Power of Beauty : either of which figures might be fondly furveying a Portrait, a Buft, or a neat exprcflive Statue of Shakefpeare — if Cyprianl had been fpared, Shake- fpeare would have owed him much obligation. See alfo his print of Faith ; and the little boy reading in his print of Hiftory — and the figure in his print of Admiration — In his Power of Love, he has drawn a Cu- pid which may not have been furpalTed by Albani. See the Vignette of Memory, in an Hiftorical Rhapfody on Pope. The landfcape, and the child, in Kauffman's print of Lady Rufhout and Daughter. The figure of the w^oman reading in the Head-piece to the firft volume of the quarto edition of Buffon's Hiftoire Naturelle. And the exprefilve Head-piece to ( xxl ) to the third volume of Defchampes Vies de Peintrcs. In the frontifpiece to Defchamp, will be found a little boy reading — Might not this be in- troduced inlbme Vignette, with a volume of Shakefpeare in his hands, and his little face might exprefs a deep and fixed attention; as if the poefy of Shakefpeare had taken empire oer it's wiU'ing breajl. See the arms of England, engraved by Bartolozzi. The figure holding up the medallion, and the Cupid on the right hand above it, in the frontllpiece to the Tableaux de Duffeldorf ; and the fourth and feventh Vignettes to the 2d volume of this work. If it fhould be thought proper in any of the Vignettes, to place a fmall Head of Shakefpeare : fee then the ftyle in which thofe are drawn in Defchamp ; particularly the Heads of Van Afch, and Thielen, in the fecond volume — and the emblematic ftyle in which that pleafmg Head of Bronkhorft is drawn in this fame volume, and thofe of Steenvvick, Lucas Van Unden, Bramer, Van Goyen, and Rombouts in the firfl: vo- lume. See alfo the medallion, at the bottom of a print of the Queen of Hungary, publifhed in Dec. 1780, by Fielding and Walker, for one of" the numbers of the Weflminfter Mao-azine. t) Numberless are the engravings publifhed both in England and France, of the Tragic and Comic Mufe. I have ^Qtn very few of thofe publifhed In France ; and not many of thofe which have been defigned by Englifh artifls. It were needlefs however to catalogue them, when our own country has produced a figure of the Tragic Mufe, which we may almofl venture to pronounce unequalled. It is the impreffive figure of Mrs, Slddons by Sir Jofhua Reynolds. It paints. The tread majeflic, and the beaming eye That Ufted fpeaks it's commerce with thefky.*^ An * On the late revival of the Jubilee, at Drury Lane, Blrs. SidJons perfonated the Tra<n'c Mufe, Her car was fitted up cxaiftly in the ilyle of this piiture, fo that flie prefentedthe fame fubjefl to the eye. ( xxu An edition of our great Poet would be ftrangely defective, were this fine figure omitted. Mr. Romney has likewife given us a very interefting print of Mrs. Yates in the Tragic Mufe. And there is au expreflive figure of the fame Mufe (clafping her own Lenr') in Pines prhit of Garrick fpeaking his Ode. There was a portrait of Mrs. Yates (which I have not feen) in the character of Melpomene, in the Exhibition of 1780, by Roberts. We have another portrait of Melpomene, from the pencil of Sir Jo- fliua, ill the print of Garrick between Tragedy and Comedy ^-and as this print contains a figure of Thalia that I do not think any artifl has yet fur- pafled ; and as the whole Defigu will ever remain a generous ornament to ihe mojler of the pajfiom — why may it not be inferted in fome part of an edition of Shakefpeare that might be appropriated to the memory of Mr. Garrick ? — This figure of Comedy, has the rich archnefs of 1" hallo's face. I have before hinted at two Mafks, that I thought were good ones, and 1 Ihould now add that which Thalia holds. If there fhould be required a print of the Comic Mufe, in conjunilion withthe above mentioned print of Mrs. Siddons ; the metzotinto portrait of Baccelli, by Sir Jofhua, will immediately furnifh one. At leaflit will re- f]u ire very few additions. I have not feen many prints of the Mufe of Comedy — but amongfl thofe I have feen, I know none that can approach tlie portrait of Baccelli : unlefs it be the Thalia of R. Cofway, engraved by Bartolozzi. I have not yet feen Sir Jofhua's print of Mrs. Abingdon, as the Comic Mufe. In fo grand an edition as that announced by MelTrs. Boydells and Nicoll, we may reft well afllired that Shakefpeare's volumes will receive every proper eye. Nothing (fay the papers) could be more grand and impreffive than her attitude and air. A poem by JMr; Keate, to the memory of Mrs. Gibber, gives an interefting pitture of the Tragic j\Iufe. See alfoihc Notes in page 6S and 80, of Mr. Warton's Milton, and Mr, Whalley's Verles to Mrs, Siddons i ( xxlii ) proper and graceful ornament. Would there be any improprierv' then, hi introduchig in fome part of the work (either in the introdudlory, or a fupplemental part) : Fancy Defgns, by eminent artifts, to the memory of Sh.ikefpeare f jOneDelign might be a Fancy Portrait of the bard, with a jen in hh hand, feeming to have jiiji conceived one of thofe fublime Ideas, to which (fay the x^bbeGrofley) he oiveshis reputation.^ The nature of the other Defigns muft be left to the imagination of each artift. How pleafingly might an artiil: amufe himfelf, in painting Fancy Por- traits of Shakelpeare, (at whole length) as at the time of compofing or conceiving; fome ofthofe various and diverfified fcenes which have ions' de- lighted this nation. — Either at the fombre moment of his gloomy imagi- nation diving into the myfleries of Witchery and Incantation in the cavern of the Weird Sifters, and there treading in that circle in which nam durji walk but he. — Or when his breaft was inflamed with the rapidity of pre- paration for Bofworth-field, and he was writing (a noble wildnefsflafl.nno- from his eyes) thofe words, with which Mr. Garrick has fo oft eleftrified not only his attentive audience, but the very aftors on the ftage :— -of with his head! fo much for Buckingham. When fired with young Harry Piercy-'-Or when indulging his fancy with fome of the moft pleafing fi(£lions that ever poet feigned of the light Fairies and the dapper Elves.— When compofuig the Prologue to Henry V.---When ruminating on the murder of Duncan-"Or on thofe rifing fpe£lres which daunt the pale Mac- beth. — On the awful magic of Profpero— Or when imagining fome of thofe irrefiftable appeals to the humane heart, which his own good mind diftated to him, and which none but his own genius could fo well ex- prefs. In Defigns fimilar to this laft, his features fhould poffefs the mild animation of Zoufl's metzotinto, with fome what of that calm elevation which * I am afraid the veneration of my good countrymen, does not extend quite fo far as the Abbe Grofley is willing to bslieve it does — " I have feen (fays the Abbe) the vulgar weep, at the fiobt of Shakefpeare'j beautiful and expreffive ftatue, which recalled to their memory thofe fcenes of that ce- Jebrated poet, which had filled their fouls with the moft lively emotions." Observations on Engla.vd. ( xxlv ) wiiicli is fo well exprcflld In Mr. Romney's print of Mi 5. Yates, in the Trn^ic Mule. He fliould have all the magic of the mouth open, which we have fcen fo well exprefi'cd in fomc ItaHaii pi(fture3; and Milton's Jim light (hoLild be admitted into a chamber, fomewhat refembling a Jludiotis clo\'J\erpa!e. in the whole length of him at Stratford, Mr. Wil- fon has featcd him on the very chair which tradition fays, belonged to him ; has placed in the chamber fome of the old chronicles, of which he was a frequent perufer; has fliewn on the table and floor, fome MSS. on which -are written th-c names of fome of his plays ; and has placed in the chamber an antiq-ue window of ftained glafs. JNIight not a print from this piclure be fomewhere introduced? If he fhould be drawn as revolving in his mind, more turbulent fcenes, or when his a£live fpirit is borne away with the grandeur of his ideas : let not his figure be difgraced as we have lately feen it, (in a large print) but let fomewhat of that energy of conception be given him, and fomewhat of that noble air and peculiar grace, which we fee in the whole length portrait of Mrs. Stanhope in the rooms of Sir Jofhu'X Reynolds. We are well affured that every mufe adorned his mind ; and from what is hand- ed down to us, fand the portrait which Mr. WaJpoh thinks an original, as well as the portrait by Zouft) we have fome reafons to think that (like what is faid of Rafaelle) every grace adorned his body. Before an artift attempts to defign, it is proper he fhould firft perufe fome few fcenes from fome of the various plays — let him tranfport himfelf from Juliet's tomb, to the pleading of Ifabella ; or from old Arder^s inmojljimde, to the diftribution of flowers by Ophelia. This will heighten his attachment to the Poet ; and he will then be the better enabled to prefent to the public, what will ornament, rather than difgrace Shakefpeare's memory.* I will * A T his name, Fancy's pulfe, wild in -motion ihall beat, Strnge extacks rife, and the heart glow with heat. "? Pearce. ( XXV ) I will tranfcribe fome paffages from thofe authors who have honoured his genius ; and from which paffages, Defigns might be taken ; or at leaft, fome hints caught. — Methinks I view the laft fepulchral frame. That bears infcrib'd her much lamented name: See ! to my view the drama's fons difplay'd ; What laurel'd phantoms crowd the awful fhade ! Firft of tlie choir immortal bhakefpeare ftands, Whofe fearchingeye all Nature's fcene commands : Bright in his look celeftial fpirit blooms, And Genius o'er him waves his eagle plumes ! Hoolts Monody to the memory of Mrs. I raffing! on. ■ For loftv fenfe, Creative fancy, and inlpeftion keen Through the deep windings of the human heart. Is not wild Shakefpeare thine and Nature's boafl? Thomfii The great Shakefpeare fat upon a ClliF, looking abroad through all Creation. His pof- feffions were very near as extenfive as Homer's ; but, in fome places, had not received fuf- ficient culture. But even there fpontaneous Flowers fhot up, and in the ujiwecded garden, ■ •which grows to feed, you might cull Lavender, Myrtle, and Wild Thyme. Craggy rocks, hills, and dales, the woodland and open country, ftruck the eye with wild variety, and o'er our heads roU'd Thunder, deep and awful, and the Lightning's flafii darted athwart the folemn fcene; while on the blafted Heath, Witches, Elves, and Fairies, with their own Queen Mab, play'd in frolic gambols. Mean time the immortal Bard fat with his eyes in a fine frenzy rolling, and writers both in the Tragic and Comic ftile were gathered round him, Ariftotlc feemedto lament that Shakefpeare had not ftudied his art of Poetry, and Longinus admired him to a degree of enthufiafm. Otway, Rowe, and 'Congreve had him conftantly in their eye, ande\'en Milton was looking for Flowers to tranfplant into his own Paradife. Gray's Inn Journal^ zol. i . When our Magician more infpir'd. By charms, and fpells, and incantations fir'd, Exerts hismoft tremendous pow'r; The thunder gro-wls, the heavens low'r. Ana ( xxvi ) And to his darken'd throne repair. The demons of the deep, and fpirits of the air ! But foon thefe horrors pafs away, Thro' ftorms and night breaks forth the day He fmiles, — they vanifh into ait ! The bufkiu'd warriors difappear! Mute the trumpets, mute the drums. The fcenc is chang'd — Thalia comes. Leading the nymph Euphrofync, Goddefs of Joy and Liberty ! She and her Sifters, hand in hand, ' Link'd to a num'rous frolic band, With rofes and v/ith myrtle crown'd O'er the green velvet lightly bound, Circling the Monarch of tV Inchanud land f Indulgent Fancy I from the fruitful banks Of Avon, whence thy rofy fingers cull Frefli flow'rs and dews to fprinkle on the turf Where Shakefpeare lies, be prefent — Garrlck's Ode. Akenfide. ■ when lightning fires The arch of Heaven, and thunders rock the ground. When furious whirlwinds rend the howling air. And ocean, groaning from his lovveft bed. Heaves his tempeftuous billows to the Iky; Amid the general uproar, while below The nations tremble, Shakefpeare looks abroad From fome high cliff, fuperior, and enjoys The elemental war. — jlkenjide. In the firft feat, in robe of various dyes, A noble wildnefs flafhing from his eyes. Sat Shakespeare. — In one hand a wand he bore, For mighty wonders fam'd in days of yore ; The ^^ xxvli ) The other held a globe, which to his will Obedient turn'd, and own'd the matter's fkill ; Things of the nobleft kind his genius drew. And look'd thro' Nature at a fingle view : A loofe he gave to his unbounded foul. And taught new lands to rife, new feas to roll ; Call'd into being fcenes unknown before, And pafling Nature's bounds, was fomething more. ChurchUl. What arc the lays of artful Addlfon, Coldly correfl to Shakespeare's warbllngs wild? Whom on the winding Avon's willow'd banks Fair Fancy found, and bore the fmiling babe To a clofe cavern : (ftill the fhepherds Ihew 1 he facred place, whence with religious awe They hear, returning from the field at eve. Strange whifperingof fvveet mufic through the air) Here, as with honey gather'd from the rock, She fed the little pratler, and with fongs Oft footh'd his wondering ears, with deep delight On her foft lap he fat, and caught the founds. Jof. Warton. Fancy, warm enthufiaftic maid, O hear our prayer, O hither come From thy lamented Shakefpeare's tomb, On which thou lov'ft to fit at eve, Mufing o'er thy darling's grave. Jof, Warton' s Ode to Fancy. But Shakefpeare's magic could not copied be. Within that circle none durft walk but he. Dry den.. On Avon's banks I lit, whofe dreams appear To wind with eddies fond round Shakefpeare's tomb. The year's firft feath'ry fongfters warble near, And violets breathe, and earlieft rofes bloom. **« Here ( xxvlli ) i/ciY Fancy fat, (her dewy finger'' i cold Decking ivUhflowrcCsfrcJh th'unfullied fod,) And balV d with tears thefadfispulchral mold, Her fav rite offspring's long and lajl abode* [See the whole of Cooper i Poem of die Tcmb of Shaktfpeare, in Dodjleys Collet, Far from the fun and fummcr gale, In thy green lap was Nature's darling laid, What time, where lucid Avon (Iray'd, To him the mighty mother did unveil Her awful face. The dauntlefs child Stretch'd forth his little arms, and fmil'd. This pencil take ((he faid) whofe colours clear, Kichly paint the vernal year : This can unlock the gates of joy ; Of horror that, and thrilling fears, Or ope the facred fource of fympathetic tears. Cray, IVIethinks I fee, witli Fancy's magic eye, The fliade of Shakefpeare in yon azure fky ? On yon high cloud, behold the bard advance. Piercing all nature with a fiugle glance ! In various attitudes around him {land The Paflions, waiting for his dread command — Smart's Prologue to Othello. Above controul, above each clafTic rule, His tutrefs Nature, and the World his fchool. On daring pinions borne, to him was giv'n Th' aerial range of Fancy's brighteft Heav'n ; To * In a dcfcrlption of Wilton, there is mention made of a fmall ancient Tomb, fuppofed for Children, in thcfe words—" At the ends of the front arc two more Cupids ; they look very forrowful with one hand upon their breiift, the other hand holding a torch with the lighted end downwards, ..-•--• Aftatus of Cupid lying afleep upon the aforefaid Tomb," ( xxix ) To bid rapt Thought o'er nobleft heights afpirc. And wake each Paffion with a A'lufe of Fne. — Revere his Genius — To the Dead be juft, And fpare the Laurels that oe'rlhade the Dull — Low fleeps the bard, in cold ohjiruilion laid. Nor afks the chaplet from a rival's head. O'er the drear Vault, Ambition's utmoft bound, Unheard fliall Fame her airy Trumpet found ! Unheard alike, nor Grief, nor Tranfport raife. Thy blaft of Cenfure, or thy Note of Praife i As Raphael's own Creation grac'd his Hearfe, And Iham'd the pomp of ollentatious verfe, Shall Shakefpeare's Honours by himfelf be paid, And Nature perifh ere his Pictures fade. Keates Eplftle lo Voltaire. What a portrait of Shakefpeare might Su* Joihua Reynolds draw from fome of the foregoing lines ! Whoever will cafl: his eye on the portrait of young 'Edwin ; and obferve how wonderfully well Sir Jofhua has caught the fpirit of Beatie's poem ; will not only join with me in this opinion, but may apply to him part of an expreffion which has often been applied to Mr. Burke — that he poffefles all the grace of cultivated fancy.^ A pleafing fubjeft might be formed from Mr. Warton's poem ; of Fan- cy mujing er the tomb of Shakefpeare. Some few Iketches might be taken from an Ode to the Genius of Shakefpeare, in Ogilvie's poems. In one part he fays : O'er yon bleak defert's unfrequented round See'ft thou where Nature treads the deepening gloom, Sits on yon hoary tow'r with ivy crown'd. Or vj'ildly vja'ih o'er thy lamented tomb. And * " A knowledge boundlefs as fcience, with all the fplendour of learning, and all the grace of culti- i-ated fancy." Letters on England, z-jiz. ( XXX ) And fee the conclufion (and indeed the whole) of this Ode. See alfo the 7th, 8th, 9th, and loth ftanzas of Lloyd's Progrefs of Envy. Page 52^ ^f the Art of rlfmg on the Stage, quarto edition. And the fable of Genius, Virtue and Reputation, in Dodfley's Fables. See alfo fome of thofe Prints, propofed for Vignettes— and above all fee that fweetly expreflive figure of the Genius of Liberty, in the Memoirs of Hollis. Many will recoiled the Apotheofis of Cooke, exhibited laft win- ter at Covent-garden. The following are the only Prints I have fecn, d/re^ll)' relative to our prefent fubjeiflr. 1. TheEirthof Shakefpeare. By KaufFraan. 2. The Tomb of Shakefpeare. By Kauffman. 3. Mrs. Abingdon as Thalia, crowning the Buft of Shakefpeare. By R, Cofway ; en- graved by Bartolozzi. 4. Mr. Garrick leaning on thcBufl of Shakefpeare. ByGainfborough. 5. Pine's grand, but imperfcft and unfinifhed print of Mr. Garrick reciting his Ode ; in which are one or two expreffive figures furrounding the Statue uf the Poet. 6. The reader may as well look at an imperfeft Defign in Wilkes's Vie%v of the Stage. 7. And the poor Sketch or Frontifpiece in each volume of Rowe. 8. A Metzotinto by Martin, from after Carpentiers, of Roubiliac modelling a Statue of Shakefpeare. The original, (or at leaft a very fine copy) is at Tong Caille in Shropfliire. 9. No. 362, of the Exhibition of 1784, was Shakefpeare, Milton and Spencer, with Nature dilating to Shakefpeare. I have not feen this. 10. A Head -piece in vol. i, of Piercy's Reliques of Ancient Poetry. It reprefents Shakefpeare at full length, with his arm refting on a pedeftai, and attentively liftening to the melody of a minftrell's harp, which accompanies a boy's chaunting fome rude carol or ancient ballad. The ballad of the Jew, with fome others (famihar in his day) are before 1 him— i^ xxx'i ) liiin — his pen is in his hand, and the uplifting of his left hand, has a pleafing effe<^. This Defign is not meant to be capital — it is prefixed to thofe Ballads that illujlrate Shakefpeare ; but it certainly ferves as a moft pleafing little ornament to them. 1 1. A ticket for the benefit night of Bonnor, a comedian at Bath, about the year 1782. The fubjeit is : Shakefpeare catching a thought from Nature, This print poflefles no merit in the execution. It was meant however (which it certainly isj as an honeft compliment to the Poet. 12. The Nymph of Immortality, attended by the Loves, crowning the Buft of Shakef- peare ; by Cyprlani, engraved by Bartolozzi. Three of the Loves have very little to captivate; and the crowding in, and conceit of the ftream, is unworthy of Cypriani, If the whole of this defign, had equalled the happy thought of the weeping child, it would have been a maftcrly performance . The Buft and the Nymph of Immortality are charmingly conceived.* Part of the lines under this print are : His trump of Fame fo loud, that Time's laft date The deathlefs echo fliall as loud repeat. Messrs. Boydells and Nichols, may apply to themfelves the words of Sir Thomas Hanmer — " Since therefore, other nations have taken care to dignify the works of their mofl celebrated poets, with the faireft impref- ons, * Those who hn^e the faccefs at heart of the edition now coming out, will think it unfortunate that this good man Ihould have been cut off, ere his genius had produ.-ed more tributary offerings to Shakefpeare. The Poet himfelf would have applied his own words to him : His life was gentle, and the elements So mixt in him, that nature might ftand up, And fay to all the world : This ivas a man. And what Cowley has fo nobly faid of Vandyck, will not be inapplicable to Mr. Cypriani ; Nor was his life lefs perfeft than his art. Nor was his hand lefs erring than his heart. There was no falfe or fading colour there.— ( xxxll ) fions, beautlhcd with the ornaments of fpulpture, well may our Shakef- peare be thought to defcrve no lefs confideration : and as a frefh ac- knowledgment hath lately been paid to his merit, and a high regard to his name and memory, by eredting his ftatue at a public expence ; fo it is defired that this new edition of his works, which hath coft fome atten- tion and care, may be looked upon as another fmall monument defigned and dedicated to his honour." TITUS TITUS ANDRONICUS. It is no incurious fpeculatiou, to mark the gradations by which he rofe from mediocrity to the fummit of excellence ; from artlefs and unintereiting dialogues," to thofe unparal- leled compofitions, which have rendered him die delight and wonder of fucceffive ages. Malone. Ah 1 if Longiaus had read Shakefpcarc ! M. Sherlock* Vignette. ( 3 ) Head-piece. THE refpedlable names who have given decided opinions againft this play being the produ£tion of Shakefpeare, will rather deter the propofer of this edition from being very anxious in adorning it with many engravings. He muft confider it as no produftion of Shakefpeare's, not- withftandlng the opinion of an Ingenious and moralizing female critic, " that he would never have ftrewed fuch fweet flowers upon a caput mor- tuum, if fome child of his had not lain entombed underneath." Few will find themfelves much interefted In this yfl«§-«?«^ry performance *. As we are told, however, that from the exceeding candour and good-nature of Shakefpeare, he very frequently affifted others in their dramatic pur- fuits ; and as fome fine touches of a fuperior hand occafionally (though rarely) prefent themfelves, it would be hard to deny due homage to fuch, as they might have been, and no doubt were, the production of his pen. I WOULD propofe then as a Head-piece to this play, an exaft copy of the whole and entire Vignette fcene print, with which Mr. De Louther- bourgh has enriched Bell's lafl edition, without the leafl alteration what- B 2 ever * Who can fuppofe Shakefpeare to have written thefe Unes : Sorrow conceakJ, like an even JlopfJ, Doth burn the heart to cinders, ivbere it is. We may as well fuppofc Mortimer to have given us the defigns of Henry Overton — or Hogarth to have drawn thofe of Collet. I cannot but think that many parts of this play (particularly the third aft) were- written with the fame defign as Fielding's Tom Thumb — if not — they are of that com- plexion that his own Caliban would flirink from them ; and yet we are aiTured by an Editor of no Gothic prtpojjejjions, that this third all in particular may be read viith admiration^ even by the viojl delicate ! ( 4 ) ever, unlefs liuleed fome very little alteration in the face of ^infus. For though the deligned print for page 497 will be relative to this unhallowed and blood-Jlained hole, yet it will by no means interfere with the prefent Head-piece ; and befides, fo fine a defcriptlon as this play gives us of the pit, may well deferve to be the fubjedl of a fecond engraving ; and I fhould be blamed for relinquishing from this projeded edition, fo well executed a defign as the above moft certainly is. Scene-Prints» I CAN fcarce conceive a more interefting etching than might be taken in the ftyle of Mortimer's Toi% and reprefenting a half-length or portrait of 7;/«i, when fpeakingthe funeral oration on the interment of his fonsf.. The drefs might be partly taken from the cut in Theobald's izmo. edi- tion. Page 497. To produce a metzotinto for this page will require the invention of a wild and terrible imagination — -favage as Sahator Rofa, fierce as Michael Angelo.. f The lines arc inexprcfTibly foothing — to give them the highefl praifc — they are worthy of Shakef^ peare. They are fuch as we may fuppofe his (hade to have offered, at the tomb of his vvarmeli advocate- In peace and honour reft thou here O Garrici : My readieft champion, repofe though here in reft^ Secure from worldly chances and mifliaps ! Here lurks no treafon, here no envy fwells, Here grow no damned grudges ; here no ftorni„ No noife, but filence and eternal fleep. C 5 ) Angela. The gloomy terrors of Poufln fhould be aided with the imagination of fuch painters as Brueghel d'enfer, Callot, P. Tefla, Al- bert Durer (who has given us a hell-lcene, and a man on horfeback fol~ lotved by a fpedfre, and accompanied by Death on horfeback'), the painter of Ugolino, perhaps %, and others, whofe pencils have touched the terrible graces. Such only can reprefent this deteftedy dark, and blood-drinking pit. This admirable defcription of Shakefpeare's, well merits the exertions of genius. He himfelf tells us, that in or near this abhorred pit, at dead time of the night A tlioufand fiends, a thoufand laiffing fnakes, Ten thoufand fwelling toads, as many urchins. Would make fuch fearful and confufed cries, As any mortal body, hearing it, Would ftraight fall mad, or elfe die fuddenly. The ragged entrails of the pit will be feen, by means of the light ari- fuio- from the ring on the bloody finger of Bajfianus, whofe ghaftly and murdered carcafe m.ufl be drawn, with Marcus viewing it with ftartled fear*. A human fkeleton would not be improperly i:itroduced in fome corner X " With whofe pencil, Beauty in all her foim?, and the Paffions in all their varieties are equally familiar." Kicholl's Hogarth. * No light, but only darknefs vifible Serv'donlyto difcover fights of woe. Milton. The fituation of Aaron Hill, fhocking as it was, was yet wanting in one ot the terrible gracei oi Shakefpeare's pit : — the fearful and confufed cries of fnakes and fwelling toads.^— " The celebrated Aaron Hill, when in Egypt, had the curiofity to examine a catacomb ; he was accompanied in his expedition by two other gentlemen, and conduced by a guide, (one of the natives of the country'.) They at length arrived at the fpot, and without taking notice of fome fellows who were fauntering about the place, they defcended by ropes into the vault. No fooner were they let down, than they were prefented with, a fpedacle which ftruck them with terror : two gentlemen, ap- parently ftarved to death, lay before them. One of thefe unhappy vlclims had a tablet in his hand, on which was written, in pathetic language, the ftory of their lamentable fate ; it feems they were brothers of rank and family in Vealcc, and having, in the courfe of their travels, entrufled themfelves with one of the natives, for the purpofe of vifitlng the inf;de of the catacomb, the perfidious villain had left them to. ( 6 ) corner of this doleful cave (with a toad crawling through the ribs) ; but the addition of fiends, fweUing toads, &c. muft be introduced, ad libit um^ by feme fecond Brueghel. Page 502 '*. The lines in this page, defcribing the powers of harmony, may pro- duce from fome artift of eminence, a Fancy piece worthy of them ; and the ideas which will arife in the painter's imagination, will be the fureft guide to beauty, and will (hew the futility of here offering more hints than briefly faying — that a kind of St. Cecilia figure may be introduced, playing on a lute — whofe celeftial countenance may be expreffive of that fublime harmony, which, we may prefume, the perufal of Dryden's Ode would give birth to ; or the liftening to Handen's ftrains would raife in the heart of a Sheridan. The monfter ^i7ro«, that damned Moor , may be in the back-ground, as liftening to her ; and (with his cloudy melancholy And fleece of woolly hair, that now uncurls Even them there to perifh. The danger to which Mr. Hill and his friends were expofed, inflantly alarmed them ; they had fcarce read the (hocking tale, when looking up, they beheld their inhuman guide, allifted by two others whom they had (ecn near the fpot, clofing the entrance into the vault. They were now reduced to the utmoft diftrefs, however they drew their fwords, and were determined to make fome defperate effort to rcfcue themfelves from a fcene fo truly dreadful. With this refolution, they were groping about at random in the dark, when they were llartled at the groans of fome one feeming- ly in the agonies of death; they attended to the difmal found, and at length, by means of a glimmering light from the top of the catacomb, they favv a mnnjull murdered; and a little beyond, they difco- vered his inhuman murderers, flying with the utmoft precipitation ; they purfiied them immediately, and though they were not able to come up with them, they however had the got)d fortune to reach the opening through which thefe wretches efcaped out of the cavern, before they had time to roll the ftone on the top of it. Thus Mr. Hill and his friends were by a miracle faved." [ Jcurnalfrom Baffbra to Bagtiatt. ] * A VERY intcrefting Iketch of a head, might be taken from what Marcus fays of the boy, in fagc S I J— but as this fant could not have been written by Shakefpeare, it will be paflcd over. ( 7 ) Even as an adder, when fhe doth unroll To do fome fatal execution) as at the moment of his dark vh^didtive features, being foftened and relenting from his dire purpofe, by the fweet founds of mufic— his knife dropping from his hand — He would have dropp'd his knife, and fell aflecp As Cerberus at the Thracian poet's feet, f His drefs may be taken from Hanmer's edition. Page 545- lam Revenge ; fent from the infernal kingdom^ To eafe the gnawing vulture of thy mind. From thefe lines might be etched a wild Fancy head (Jn ftrange and fad habiliment) i fomewhat in the ftyle of Mortimer's head of Lear. Or, fhould thefe lines not be chofen, another print of a fimilar kind might betaken from p. 490, reprefenting the head of y^ar on, as proclaim- ing the revenge and vengeance of his foul. Page ^^6. It would be difgufting to reprefent all the dead and mangled bodies on the flage ; and had T'iius been an interefting character, (which he cer- tainly f — ^^— ' Scylla wept And chid her barking waves into attention, And fell Charibdis murmur'd foft applaufe. Milton. ( 8 ) tainly is not) an affecting painting might have been taken at the time his fon imprints his lafl kifs on his father's pale cold lips. How then are we to introduce to adv^antage, the beautiful lines which Luc/us addrefTes to the Boj — (and which, by the by, are not introduced in Dod's Beauties of Shakefpeare.) — Are we to drawLwcm as fpeaking them to the Boy ; whofe innocent and mildly affefted look may be glancing, or fixed on his fond grandfue. — Or mufl we have a Fancy piece of ^ge and Touih, reprefenting a fond, interefting, and venerable old man, ill the moment defcribed in thefe lines : Many a matter hath he told to thee *, Meet, and agreeing with thine infancy ? If the former is preferred, it would be better to omit Marcus and the other charaders. Should the latter be chofen — nature alone mufl: diiftate to a painter, the fmiling expreffion of each countenance. A Fancy-piece of venerable age, will be more interefting than the mangled trtink of T/'/w. t Some may choofe to give to the Boy, a look different from fmiling ; and fomewhat fimilar to that in Mr. Bunbury's Sad Story. And a Fancy drefs may be chofen by fome, like that in Guercino's IVoman begging water, m the collodion of Drawings by Rogers ; and in the fame ftilc of en- graving. "* What a pi<^urc would Sir Jofliua produce from this fcenc ! f Can we poffibly fuppofe Shakefpeare to have written the two laft lines which the boy fpeaks ? Tail- piece, ( 9 ) Tail-piece* The touches of Shakefpeare being difcernlble in the Clown', It will form a good print for this department, to have a half length etching of^ him, as faying in page 532 — Ohl the gibbet-maker ? and it might be in the fame ftyle of etching as Mr. Bunbury's Courier Anglois, or Ryland's print from Vandyck in the coUeftlon of drawings by Rogers. The expreffion of the face, mufl be left to each one's humorous imagi- nation. * A LIST of fuch Prints taken from this play, as I have feen. Thofe I kaye not feen, are printed in Italics. I, Bell's firfi and fecond edition. i, Hanmer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rowe. 5. A cut by L. du Guernier, to an edit, in 8 vol. 8vo. printed for Tonfon, in 1735. 6. Pope's I imo, edition 7. J^oivriJes. 8. Taylor's piHurefiiue Beauties* CORIOLANUS» CORIOLANUS. Thine too thefe golden keys, immortal boy ! This can unlock the gates of joy ; Of horror that, and fhrilling fears. Or ope the facred fource of fympathctic tearst Gray. Vignette. ( '3 ) Head-plece. There is fcarce any other play of our author's, fo barren of fubje5:3 for engravings, as this tragedy of Coriolanus. Volumnia is much too grofs and mafculine to be any ways interrefting ; and the modefl and amiable VirgU'ia makes her appearance too feldom to be the fubjeft of more than one print. Notwithftanding the many fine fentiments fcattered through- out this play, we do not meet with many coacerns that touch the heart, or that forcibly engage the attention. The fituations in which Coriolanus might be drawn to moft advantage, are at the pages 341, 352, 358, 367, 377, 428, 434, 437, 459, 440, 431, 482, 484 and 497. I WOULD wifh to felect the Head-piece from page 352 — and it may be an etching of the portrait oi Coriolanus, as he appears in that page, at the moment of faying Pluto and hell! — and though there may be no neceffitv to reprefent him as curjing, yet he fhould have in his appearances, (with his fword drawn) that animated and feroce paflion, which the daftardly Shrinking of his foldiers mufl have given rife to. The fame ornaments might be thrown round this Head-piece, which decorate the Vignette to Bell's laft edition. * * His military drefs may betaken from the booki which treat on the Roman antiquities ; from the |)rint in Hanmer ; or from the Vignette to Bell's laft edition. Scene- ( H ) Scene-Prints. Some beautiful lines tit page 377, will fiirnlfh a good picture of C^/w- hnus, and his wife Virgilm. It is needlefs to reprefent the other charac- ters. The lines are thefe : o Cor. My gracious filence, hail ! Would'ft thou have laugh'd, had I come coffin'd hoiKc, That weep'll; to fee me triumph ? Ah ! my dear. Such eyes the widows in Corioli wear. And mothers that lack fons. They might be drawn as half-lengths ; and his drefs maybe partly taken from Gravelot's print to Theobald. Her head may be gracefully de- clining ; and her hand clofed in his. The expreffion of, my gracious Jtlence (fee the note to this page) fufficiently paints her charafter. Page 428. I FIND a difficulty, whether to give this page the preference to the words : 'There is a world elfeivhcre — in page 437 — or to fele<St the words : ^luft I gojloeiv them my unbar\ifconce? from this prefent page 428, for a portrait of Coriolanus, in the ftyle of Mortimer's etchings of heads from, Shakefpeare. I think he will appear to as much advantage in this pre- fent page. He will be drawn in the attitude of addrefling himfelf to the other characters; and muft of courfe bear the marks of that auftere dignity, and ( ^5 ) and haughty command, which made him i'o reluctantly obey tlie entreaties of his mother — and as of one, who had rather follow his enemy in a fiery gulfythanjlatterhiminaboiver. Perhaps he would appear to equal ad- vantage at the words : -To the niatket place. — Page 451. We muft not omit adorning this page, with a very fpirited reprefenta- tion of the noble Coriolanus diiclofing himfelf to his greateil: enemy, ^tifidius. We may draw them both as half-lengths ; zn<\ Coriolanus tnzy be in the moment of faying : If, TuUus, Not yet thou know'il: me, and feeing me, doll not Think me for the man I am, neceffity -Commands me name myfelf. I MAY incur the cenfureof prefumptlon, in pofitively fixing on the above lines, as the moft proper moment to reprelent them ; but if this particular paffage fliould not be deem.ed the moft beautiful point to draw rhem from; the whole fcene is very happily fo nobly drawn, that many other lines will afford the fullefl fcope for an artift's pencil. If the above lines are approved of, we may draw them at half-length ; and though the tackle of the noble foldier is much torn-, yet he muft fhew himfelf a noble vejfel. He may be in mean apparel — muffled up and his fi\ce, during the time of his fpeaking the above lines, fhould wear the marks of him, whom all tongues /poke of— znd to whom the nobles bended, as to fove' sflatue — but whofe ufual martial andcommand- ing fiercenefs may be fomewhat foftened by a dejeftion arifing from his thanklefs countrymen. Equal jufticelhould be done to the noble mind- ed Aufidius', and in order to imprefs us with a veneration for his pre-. fent ( i6 ) fent behaviour, we fhould perufe what is (aid of him in fome preceding pages, where his violent enmity to Coriolantis is fo ftrongly painted : Auf. If we and Calus Marcius chance to meet, 'Tis fworn between us, we fhall everftrikc 'Till one can do no more, page 345. Auf. We hate alike; Not Africk owns a ferpent, I abhor; More than thy fame and envy, page 361. Juf. • where I find him, were it At home, upon my brother's guard, even there, Againft the hofpitable canon, would I Wafh my fierce hand in his heart. And yet in this fcene, (extremity having brought him to his hearth) all ancient malice is forgot, and every root of ancient envy. Tail-Piece, f The concluding page of this play will furnifli a very proper Tail- piece ; as it will give an opportunity of again reprefenting Aufidius., who is now generoufly touched with forrow at the untimely end of : — The moft noble corfe that ever herald Did follow to his urn. He may be drawn at half-length ; either faying : my rage is gone, and 1 am /truck with forrow ; with an attitude expreffive of an elevated look to + H.\D I not already propofcd four different reprefentarions of Coriola/iusthe raighthare been drawn with Aufidlus^ in a very fpirited fcene at p. 497, at the expreflion of: thou bey oj tears.— ^Somb may p'erlraps prefer this, to what 1 have tinted for the Tail-piece. Heaven — ( 17 ) Heaven — or he may be rather turning on one fidei as if viewing the corfe, and faying, Yet he Ihall have a noble memory ! The nobleft figure of an ancient warrior (and which almoft gives one the very defigu and figure of Corlolanus) is in The Departure of HeSlor — a very fine print, and I believe, one of the latefl produdtions of the la- mented Cypriani. * * A lift of fuch Prints, taken from this play, as I have feen. Thofe I have not feen, are printed va. Italics. T. Bell's two editions. 2. Hanmer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rowe. 5. A cut by L. du Gueraier, to an edit, in 8 vol. 8vo. printed for Tonfoa, in 1735. 6. Papers iimo. til it ion. 7. LoiL'ndes. 8. Taylor. 9. Coriolanus^ ht An^ei. Kaufman — engraved Dy Bartolozzi, il. is, 1785 or 1786. It de> bribes the iZKiment of Coriolanus, faying to the boy : The God of foldiers, With the confent of fupreme Jove, &c. p. 484. D TAMING OF THE SHREW. It was impoflible for Shakefpeare, in his idleft hours, perhaps when he was only revifing j/ the tralh of others, not to leave fome ftrokes of the majler behind him. Hurd. Nature herfelf was proud of his defigncs, And joy'd to weare the dreffings of his lines ! Vignette. B. Johnson. f: ( 21 ) Head-piece. 'TpHE InduSilon to this play (which is dignified by the expofitioii of an accompllflied critic) is a delightful frolic of the poet's fancy — It will furnifh an excellent print for the head piece. It may be taken from page 408 ; where the fervants fliould be drawn as officioufly running after Sly^ with fack, conferves, and apparel — the Lord at a diftance fmiling — and Sly (a drunken-looking, carelefs, lounging, unthinking jolly tinker), as willing to get rid of, or avoid their attentions ; yet intreatingly, though at the fame time fretfully crying out — For God" s Jake^ a pot of Jmall ale. Should the next page be preferred ; he may appear as provoked at their attentions, and paffionately, or rather very fretfully telling them. If yoii give me any conferves., give im conferves of beef. There are two other exprefGons of Sly^ in page 410 and page 412 ; either of which would fuit the prefent defign ; fuch as, If fie fay I am not fourteen-pence — and his catching at the name of Cicely Hacket. In the Gen- tleman's Magazine for June 1767, may be feen fo very pleafuig a figure from the happy pencil of M. De Loutherbourg, that we cannot but wifli the figure of Sly might be given from his idea of it *. * A VERY droll print of village fociality, might be taken by Mr.'Bunbury, from p. 412. Itmight reprefent this worthy tinker, at Marian Hacket' s of Wincot, with Stephen Sly, old John Naps 'oth^ Green, Peter Tur/aad Henry Pimperuell, not as fmoking their pipes, (as fcarce at that day introduced) but drinking their ale \a^one-jugs. Scene- ( 22 I Scene-Prints. The fTrfl fcene-prlnt that will occur in this play, is from page 439. It will exhibit an admirable contrail: of the two fillers. The father may- be coming in at the moment after Katharine has ftruck her filler. The figure of the Shrew Ihould be commanding, and her features Ihould bear the marks of haughty infolence and domineering paffion — and yet at the fame t'lmQ young and beauteous — while thofe of her gentle filler Ihould be foftened with that beauteous modefty, that meek and inoffenfive fpixit, and thofe winning charms which caufed her lover to cry out — Sacred and . fweet was all Ifaw in her. Her attitude may be that of weeping modef- ty ; and her father may be turning in amazement to her, and faying (witk a look of pitying commiferation). Poor girl ^ pe weeps. Page 464. The moll proper ornament for this page (which is " a whimfical luxuriance of rifible defcription," would be a coloured etching in the, manner of Mr. Bunbury, and reprefenting Petruchio and his trufty plea- fant fervant on horfeback, as Biondello defcribes them. Mortimer's wild fancy Ihould be joined to the humour and grotefque imagery of Mr. Bun- bury. They may be galloping or plunging over a rough, or through a marfhy place — Petruchio looking wild and fierce — and poor Grumio pad- dling on a poney after him. To Mr. Bunbury it would be impertinent to fuggeft hints ; otherwife, flafhes of that grotefque wildnefs, fo eflcntial to this outre fceiie, might be caught from Coypel's, Picart's, or fome of the other prints to Qulxotte ; or from Hogarth's quarto prints to Hudi- bras ( 23 ) bras. There are threfe horfes In Mr. Bunbury's prints, which inftantly prefent themfelves as proper for Grumio: — the fervants poney In Mofes which may either be on a canter or not) — that on which Dr. Dauble rides — and that whimfical one in the City Hunt, on which a butcher is mounted -f. Page 474, This Is the only fcene where we fliall fee Katharine and Petruchlo at high wrangling ; and the chara£teriil:ic pafTions of each, (hould be ex- prefled in a manner worthy of fo fpirited a page. There ought to be no lefs than nine figures in this fcene ; yet even this fhould not weigh againft: the Introduftioii of fome print ; as there is only one other page where the parties are downright quarrelling, which is at page 499, (and a print of another kind will be there Introduced) — for the fcene of their courtfhip confifts more of the bullets of the brain than quarrelling. Suppose Katharine and Petruchio only are drawn, and the other charac- ters left out (as they will appear elfewhere) ; if fo, we may drefs Petruchio as Biofidelh defcribes him, (and a whip In his hand, like thofe the French poftillions have, and which are frequently met with in Mr. Bunbury's prints), in the moment of grafping the injured and infulted Katharine firmly by the hand, and faying, with a look of ilern determination, But for my bonny Kate, Jhe mujl with me. The fine countenance of Woodward, in Bell's firfl edition of Shake- fpeare, will eafily be empaflioned with a more confirmed refolve. Katha- rine * Some may prefer the fcene defcribed in page 479, where Katherlne may be drawn with the horfe tumbled on her j and Petruchio belabouring his man hccanfe her horfc Jlumikd, ( 24 ) rine may be eying her furly groom with a big look, and as feemlng willing, (if (he could get looie from him) to Jlamp, ^ndjiare, and fret %. Pao-e 482. Amidst the numberlefs paflages from this wonderful poet, which corr- tinually prefent themfelves as obje<fls for our prefent defign, we find it every difficult to determine which fhall be chofen, and which rejected ; as many of them muft unavoidably be, from their becoming too numerous, fuch is the arch and imprudent waggery of Biondello (page 424), when he a(ks his mafler, whether he hzsftolen his cloaths — (Edwin, with thefe words, would fet an audience in a roar) — fuch the gibing courtfliip of Petruchio and Katharine in atl the fecond — fuch, the droll figures that might be taken from page 479, where Grumio ftrlkes his fellow fervant on the ear — fuch the ludicrous impertinence oi Grumio (page 405), when he offers his miflrefs the muftard without the beef ; — and the rich lines in the laft page but one, would furely furnifh a fine reprefentation of the humbled Katharine. Thus are we fituated in the prefent page, being at a lofs whether to fele£l the fubjeft here prefented, or that in page 484. If the former is preferred, we may draw Petruchio in a boifterous atti- tude and ftorm of paflion, as having Juft fmacked his whip ; and in the fame drefs B ionM/o defcnbes — with the draggled Katharine, fcarce reco- vered from her fall ; yet bearing ftill the marks of flubborn peevifhnefs — and Grumio in the attitude of faying : Here, Sir ; as foolijli as I ivas before. Strokes of humour may be thrown into the fearful countenances of the amazed fervants ; but Curtis may be advancing a little forwards, as arch- ly enjoying the fcrape poor Grumio is in ; who is not now quite fo pert and courageous as when heftruck Curtis on the ear. To thofe who have feen Woodward in Petruchioy Cllve in Katharine, and Yates in Grumio, additi- onal j It is impoffibk to recommend the unmeaning Vignette, in Bell's laft edition. I I I ( ^5 ) onal ftrokes of chara6i:er muft prefent themfelves. I have a faint recol- leflion of Baddely in this laft chara£ler — his figure feemed an incompa- rable one — it was the very pifture of a little fot. To do juftice to Gru- mio will well exercife the pencil of commicallity. Should the preference be given to the latter page, the wild fantaftic Petruchlo may be drawn in the moment of dafhing the mutton at their heads ; and it will confiderably heighten this fcene, to introduce as much confufion as poffible. The table may be on the point of tumbling over ; the trenchers, tup's, &c. falling down ; Katharine leaning back on her chair, as wifhihg to get fafe out of the wav ; the fervants fcampering off, and one ef them knocked down by another running againft him, or tumbling over the ^^«/V/ Troilus ; and Grumio fhould be pourtrayed in fuch a manner as will beft defcribe the peculiar dry archnefs of fo droll a creature §• E Page § In- one of Petruchio's mad fits, when he and his bride were at fupper, Woodward ftuck a fork, it is faid, in Mrs. Clive's finger ; and in pufhing heroflfthe ilage, he was fo much in earneft, that he threw her down. This inimitable comic adiei's (\v\\o for more than forty years was the delight of the town) was a perfeifl mlllrefs of Katharine's humour. There is another chara£ter of Shakefpeare'a ; in the performance of which llie acquired uncommon applaufe j though flie certainly performed it in a manner very different from what the author in- tended — it was Portia — for that fine fcene in which the appeal to mercy is introduced, was no doubt dc- figned by Shakefpeare to he folcmn, pathetic 3.x\i affe^ing : — " the comic finlfhing, therefore, f fays Vidor) which Mrs, Cllve gave to the different parts of the pleadings, (though marked with her delightful fplrit of humour,) was very far from being in charafter : yet fuch were the fafcinating charms of this dar- ling of the public, that fhe forced the town to follow, and beftow on her the loudeft plaudits." I do not know that any of Shakefpeare's other characters were graced by her pre-eminent powers ; or whether ihe ever appeared in Audrey — in JuUet^s nurfe — in Tearjhcct, or in dame Ridley — in Maria in Twelfth Night — or in Margaret'm Much Ado. I cannot find any mention of her having appeared iii thefe parts ; or even in that of the fprlghtly Beatrice ; and yet the writers on the fVage have been par- ticularly fond of dwelling on Clive's excellencies : fhe having been highly complimented, not only by Churchill, but by thofe pleafing biographers Wilks, Vidor, and Davies. " Happy vvas that author, ("fays Davles) who could write a part equal to her abilities! flie not only in general, exceeded the writer's expedation; but all that the moft enlightened fpedator could conceive. 1 (hall as foon expeft to fee another Butler, Rabelais, or Swift, as a Clive." I quote this from the Dramatic •Mifcellanies ; but in the life of Garrick, her excellencies and merit, are recorded with the pen of a Cibber. SiNCS ( 26 ) Page 500* Peiruchlo and Katharine having already made more than one appearance, there is no great neceflity to introduce them, or Hortenjio in this page. And though, by this means we fhall mifs a moft comic reprefentation of the Taylor s face, when in the moment of teUing Petruchio—JJie fays^ your ivorjhip means to male a puppet of her — as well as the fudden ftart of Gru- mio, when he fays — 1 gave him no orders., I gave him the Jtuff- — and muft alfo mifs that droll attitude and look of Grumio, when faying to his maf- ter — if ever I /aid a loofe-bodied gown — and yet, perhaps, thefe omifTions may be amply recompenfed by giving the figure of the 'faylor., with Gru- mio faying to him — marry., Sir, with a needle and thread; or, thou has faced many things. It muft be left to each one's imagination, toimprefs thefe figures with charafleriftic humour. Was Petruchio to be introduced, what a fine con- traft there would be, from his tyrannic roughnefs and the Taylor's figure. As the fcene lies at Petruchio^ country-houfe, the room may be orna- mented in the ufual manner of old halls, with ftags horns, pikes, and rufty armour. Page Since I wrote the above, Mrs. Clive is dead : — Some nioiulis after her deceafe, the following tri- bute appeared in the Morning Herald for January 1786. — " What, not a fingle verfe to the memory oi Kitty Clive? — ^flie who has indeed kept ' theatres in a roar,' and by the ncateft playing, and moft chafle humour that ever adorned the mimic world !" C ^7 ) Page 514 As Biondello has not yet been introduced, we may in this page draw liim to advantage. He fhould be a fly arch-featured rogue, with that kind of peculiar humour which we have feen on the ftage, when fuch parts as Marplot — Tom, in the Confcious Lovers — Brafs — and poor Timothy Sharp, have been performed by eminent comedians. He may be in the moment of faying— ^r / never faw you before in all my life. Vincentio may be preffing his cane, to lay it about him ; the Pedant may be looking out at the window, and Petruchio at a fmall diftance, with Katharim ; who has not yet appeared otherwife than as the haughty Shrew ; but who may now be drawn as her father has defcribed her, young and beauteous, lean- ing on the arm of her hufband, with features inclining to, orexpreffive of thofe meek and conciliating fentiments which fhe delivers at the end of the play. The atrendants may be left out. Page 527. It appears, at if Petruchio % fantaftic drefs was continued to the end of the play ; and yet we have liberty to prefume he may have changed it at Luce?itio''s apartments; and tliis is feemingly confirmed in page 496 ; if fo, it will be more pleafant to fee him in his natural drefs, which no print for this profpe£lus, has yet exhibited him in. The print therefore that I could wifh might adorn this page, is that beautifully exprelFive one of Woodward, in Bell's firft edition of this play. The cotempora- ries of Woodward will be much pleafed, in feeing fo fine a memorial of that worthy ornament of the flage. There is a half-length print of £ 2 Woodward ( ^8 ) Woodward in the fame charaaer, engraved by Smith, after Van- dergucht; and I do not know but what the print in Bell, is partly taken from it. Tail-piece. The church-fcene as defcrlbed by Grumio, in page 470, will form the beft print for this department; and will be a connic finifhing to this ad- mirable comic piece. Petruchio muft be in the drefs defcrlbed by Bion- dello ; and may be fternly and roughly quaffing off the mufcadel, with his eye glancing towards the fimple Sexton, and as on the point of dafhing the fops into his face — but the chief beauty in this defign will be the Sexton s look and attitude. He may be drawn in the moment of feeming to ajk hhn fops as he ivas drinking; and the kind of face that would beft fuit him, is that of the laft monk, in the portrait of Ghezzi, in the firft volume of the colledlion of drawings by Rogers — or fimilar to the look of Tom Wefton, as it appears in a fmall print of him, in Dr. Laft, in Smith's fet of prints of dramatic chara£lers dedicated to Mr. Garrick — or at leaft fomething like this look. His look fhould be one of thofe which Edwin very frequently exhibits Katharine may be withdrawing on one fiJe : fearful, yet frowning. Gremio may be very well left out, as he might have been a fpedator of this wedding at a diftance in the church — but the poor Vicar, being juft recovered from his cu//~ and tumble, may be pulling wry faces in a corner. It would confidcrably heighten this little piece, to introduce one of thofe dogs which we fee in Mr. Bunbury's prints, either looking diredly at the pained Ficar, or peeping up at the fexton. It would be too ludicrous (cum facris) to have the fame dog whicli is near the wall in Pont-Neuf, in a corner with the Ficar ;— but fuch a dog as the little one in the Chriftmas Academics, might, I think, be well introduced ; or that in the Shaver and ( 29 ) and the Shavee^ of a lefs fize, though with the fame eye, lookhig at the Firar ; or perhaps a little (harp, impudent looking dog, with his tail cocked up (peeping behind a pillar) and juft catching the Ficar's look *. * A LIST of fuch Prints as have been publiflied from this play. Thofe I have not feen, are printed in Italics. 1. Bell's two editions, 2. Hanmer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rowe. 5. A cut by Fourdrinier, in an edition, in 8 vol. 8vo. printed for Tonfon, 1735. 6. Pope. 7. Loivnt/et. 8. Taylor's puhUcation. 9. IFood^.vard in Petruchio. Engraved by Smith, from after Vandergucht. MERCHANT If MERCHANT OF VENICE, Each line, each verfc. Here Ihall revive, redeem thee from thy hearfe. Befurc, my Shakefpeare ! thou can'ft never die, But, crown'd with laurel, live eternally I L. D I o o £ s. Vignette/ i ( 33 ) Head-piece. T 'HE Vignette Scene-print to Bell's laft edition by M. de Louther- bourg, is fo well defigned, and the ornaments fo happily imagin- ed, that I would propofe a fac fimile of it, for the head-piece. No alter- ation whatever I think {hould be made, unlefs indeed the dre{s of Gratiafto were lefs cumbrous, and his face more expreffive — and the lafl look of Shylock {hould be direded more to Gratiano than to the audience. The figure of Shylock is as finely drawn, as that by Ramberg is meanly fo. Mr. Bell, is indeed right, when in his addrefs he fays — '* The public have much to expedl from the fuperior talents of Mr. Loutherbourg — his having long-lived in habits of intimacy with Mr, Garrick, his fami- liarity with the flage, and dramatic efFe(fl, added to the renown he has acquired in every line of his profeffion, promifes to foar flill higher on the prefent occafion." His figure of this maflerly charafter, fhews Jlrorig conceptions of deep malevolence. It is indeed infinitely fuperior to any defign yet given of the Jew, nor can any other bear the leaft competi- tion with it, unlefs it be the print mentioned for page 225. Scene-Prints. As Launceiot is no fmall favourite on the ftage, and poflefles a good fhare of the drollery of Shakefpeare's clowns, I would exhibit him for page 158 ; where I think this unthrifty knave will appear to more advan- F tage ( 34 ) tage than in any other pnge, and he will there appear with old Gohhoy as faying : Do I look like a cudgel, or a hovel pofl, A flafF, or a prop ? — do you know me, father ? And if the figure oi Launcelot^ m the print which reprefents that very fcene in Taylor's " Piilurefque Beauties of Shakefpeare," fliould not be entirely approved of: we may fele£l from this fame print, the figure of Gobbo, which I think will be liable to no objeftion. And from Canalet- ti's Views of Venice, or froirt the Views of Venice, engraved by Luca Carlevarlis, or any of the other books on the buildings of Italy, may be fele6led fome fmall buildings to fill up the back-ground. Of the comedians' who have moft fhone in the charafter of Launcelot, I believe the follow- ing names have been the moft confpicuous — Neale*, Shutert (or " co- mical Need of Covent-Garden,") Woodward |, W. Palmer §, Yates ||,. Qiiick, and our favourite Edwin. This part might have been given in Shakefpeare's time to JVill. Ketnpe, who was " as well in the favour of her Majeflie, as in the opinion and good thoughts of the general audi- ence." Page * Neale was a fort of grotefque aftor, whnfe particular talent was fiiited only to fbme very pecu- liar charafters, in which he was fure to excel every body elfe. He excelled in Shakefpeaie'^s Laun~ eelot. Davies's Life of Gar rick. •f Shuter's Laa«cc/o? is equal to our warmcft vvifhes. Wilkes. % Launcelot, another child of laughter, was reprefen'ed with extreme plcafant propriety by Mr. Woodward. The archnefs and fimplicity requifxte, were blended by him judicioudy. Dram. Censor. § Old Gelho, by Mr. Parfons, is the character Shakefpeare intended; and his foil Launccloi, is plea- fantly hit oft" by Mr. W. Palmer. Theat. Rev. v. i. II Mr. Yates is perhaps the only a^lor living who feems to have a juft notion of Shkcfpeare's fools • there is achaftnefs about his playing thofe charafters, that forms the befl comment on that great poet, and illuftrates the true force of his pen;— add to all thefe, he dreffes his parts with fmgular propriety; Theat. Biography, 177. I C 35 } Page 178. In this page, the warm affection of generous friendfhip is thus beautl^* fully exprefl'ed : Sal. A kinder gentleman treads not the earth. I faw Baffanlo and Jnthonio part. ***** * * * ♦ • And even there, his eye being big with tears, Turning his face, he put his hand behind him. And with affe£licn wond'rous fenfiblc He wrung Bajfanlo's hand and fo they parted. Salan. I think, he only loves the world for him. * To feel the full force of thefe lines, we fhould refer to the feveral 7- tuations of thefe two perfons throughout the whole courfe of this play — particularly at the pages 138, 200, 201, 204, and 224. There might be a half-length metzotinto of them ; and the drefs of Bajfanio may be partly taken from the print to Bell's firft edition, from F 2 the * This noble fpirit of friendfhip might have been realized, when my lord Southampton (the dear and generous friend of Shakefpeare) embarked for the feige of Rees in the Dutchy of Cleve. A SITUATION {between ^nthonio znd Bajfanio) fomewhat fimilar to that in the text, and which offers a very fine fubjeft for the pencil will be found in the tryal fcene, at the line of : fpeak me fair in death :«- I think the preference will be given to this hit. V 36 ) third plate of Taylor's work ; and from that prefixed to the edition of Lowndes. Perhaps the Habiti della donne Venetiane, by Giacomo Franco, publiflied in 1606, might be ufeful in referring to for the article of drefs. I have fomewhere read, that the Venetian fchool painted moft of their hiftorical figures in their own habits, thinking them more noble and pic- turefque than any other +. The countenance of Anthonlo fliould be mark- ed with an embraced heavinefs. Page 187. This is the firft page in which Shy lock might be well introduced. The paffages (throughout the courfe of this play) from whence he might be drawn to moil advantage, in my humble opinion, are at the following pages. Page 146. If I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the antient grudge I bear him. Page 159. Though the whole of this page is attended to with great attention in the Theatre, particularly when Macklin with a peculiar firm look,) fays. Hath a dog money ? is it poffible A cur can lend three thoufand ducats? Or, f A VERY good fubjedl offers itfelf in A(\ i. Sc. i . when Morochim fays : Even for that I thank you. But this play will offer a fufficient number of engravings without this— and yet one is loth to overlook it. ( 37 ) Or, when he afterwards fays, Fair Sir, yon fpit on me on Wednefday laft.— Yet, as a great part of the beauty of this page depends on the tone of voice in which it is delivered, it would of courfe be loft in engraving. * Page 169. Let not the found of Ihallow foppery enter My fober houfe. — Page 186. let him look to his bond. — Page 187—188 and 189. Page 202. I'll have my bond ; I will not hear thee fpcak. I'll have my bond ; and therefore fpeak no more. Page ai3 — 217 — 220 — 223 — 225 — 226. Page 228. In chriftening thou fhalt have tv?o godfathers. As the above pages are too numerous to reprefent Shylock in each of them ; I will endeavour to fele£l fuch fituations as may be deemed moft proper for the bringing forward fo celebrated acharailer. In the fcene at page 187, there are many fituations, in each of which Mr. Macklin exhibits fuch infernal beauties, that it is impoffible to fay, from which particular line Shylock ftiould be drawn. This prefent fcene is certainly one of the mafter ftrokes of Shakefpeare ; and Mr. Macklin (even now in his advanced age) wonderfully fupports the fudden tranfi- tions from one pafTion to another — from diftradion bordering on defpair, for ' I HAVE very frequently attended the theatre at Mr. Macklin's performance o£ Shjloik; and I have always waited with impatience for his fpeaking one fliort line in the next page, which he delivers with a tone of voice fo fuited to the occafion, as to imprefs every aviditor with a high fenfe of his niafterly conception of this chaiaifter. It is the line of: This is kind I ofE«r. ( 38 ) for the lofs of his jewels — to joy, malevolence, and vindicative revenge, at the news oiAnthonios lofles. % It is impoilible to fay which particular fituation in this prefent fcene with 7«^^/ would furnifh the befl: painting, and I will therefore only add the following paflages which flrike me as the X Mr. Macklin was born In the b(l century. His age therefore creates wonder, when we reflcA upon his vigour of body and llicngth of intellecTual faculties. The boxes are crowded with perfons of the fiifl diflindion, on each night of this veteran's appearance in a charader in which he never had an cqu.il. It is unaccountable to many of Mr. Garrick's friends, why he never attempted this part ; and whoever perufes the above fceiic with Tuhal, mufl: think it written almoft purpofcly to call forth fuch powers as he poflcfled. And this indeed is the opinion of Wilkes, who in his general view of the flage, page 260, fays, " I have heard one of the bed judges of the Drama, I ever knew, fay, that if he were to perform Shylock only, it would furpafs all his other charaiSers." — I find no mention in any of the old books, written on the fubjcd of the theatre, of any other perfon excelling in the part oiShy'ock ; but we may fuppofe the excellent aftor, Sandford performed it, from Colley Gibber terming him the i^og-- r.oUttooi the theatre. Mr. King has received much appluufe in this parr, and on the deceafe of Macklin will ftand unrivalled. Thofe who have feen the late Mr. Henderfon in this part, will bear teftimony of his excelling powers. In a prologue written for Mr. Macklln's comedy of the Man of the World, is the following tribute to it's author: In days long part our bard your fathers knew. Who has not heard of Shakefpear's matchlefsjew ? Still like an oak in green old age he thrives, Fann'd by your breath, the fire of youth furvives. His fpring was fofter'd by a genial ray. Till time had ripe'd him to his fummer's day. Now winter's come, protcd him from the blaft, And fhield a vet'ran genius to the laft! The Dramatic Cenfor pays him the following compliment : — There is no doubt but Mr. Macklin looks the part as much better than any other perfon as he plays it; in the level fcenes his voice is moft hap- pily fuited to that fententious gloominefs of expreffion the author intended ; which, with a fullen fo- Icmnity of deportment, marks the charadler ftrongly; in his malevolence, there is a forcible and ter- ntymg ferocity ; in the third aft fcene, where alternate paffions reign, he breaks the tones of utterance, and varies his countenance admirably ; in the dumb aftion of the trial fcene, he is amazingly defcrip- tive ; and through the whole difplays fuch unequalled merit, as juflly entitles him t,o that very com- prehenfive, though concife compliment paidhim many years ago, " This is the Jew, that Shah/. J>cart drew." And i 39 ) the moft proper to exhibit Shylock ; and in each of thefe fituations, he fhould be accompanied by 'fubal. I would my daughter were dead at my foot and the jewels in her ear \ would flic were hears'd at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin ! No news of them? — Why fo : — and no fatisfaftion, no revenge: nor no ill luck ftirring, but what lights o' my Ihoulders ; no fighs, but o* my breathing; no tears, but o' my fliedding. I thank thee, good Tubal; — Good news, good news : ha! ha! — Where ? in Genoa ? * I am glad of it; I'll plague him ; I'l' torture him ; I am glad of it. I would not have given it for a wildernefs of monkies. I will have the heart of him, if he forfeit ; for were he out of Venice, I can make what tnerchandife I will ;— P ^ rage 190. And the author of the New Rofciad, fpeaks thus of his Shjhck : How does chill horror all the foul invadej Whffn Shylock, unrelenting, whets his blade ! What rooted rancour, and what fteadfaft hate, Appears to urge the unhappy merchant's fate ; Whilft in the Jew's keen vifage is expreft, Whate'er fpite, envy, malice can fuggeft ! In future times when Shakefpeare fliall be read, V\' hen Shylock is no more — when Macklin's dead— ■ Then fliall pofterity revere thy name And future Shylocks wiflj to match thy fame. * At the words ah > ah ! the countenance of Macklin difcovers fuch a mixture of vindiaive joy, and deadly revenge, as can never be conceived by thofe who have not feen him. And he fpeaks the Ime of : 1 would not have given it for a viiUkrnsfi of monkies, with a fpirit of wildnefs which terrifies the audience. ( 40 ) I Page 1 90. I WILL fele£t for my reader thofe paflages throughout the courfeof this play, which appear to me, the mofl favourable for the exhibiting Bajfanio in company with Portia. They are thefe : Page 190. Bafs. Let me chufe ; For as I am, I live upon the rack. For. Upon the rack Bajfanio ? then confefs What treafon there is mingled with your love. Page 196. A gentle fcroU; — Fair lady, by your leave.— Page 197. I give them with this ring ; Which when you part from, lofe, or give away, Let it prefage the ruin of your love, And be my 'vantage to exclaim on you. Page 200. Bajf. O fweet Portia, Here are a few of the unpleafant'ft words, That ever blotted paper J Page 201. For. Is it your dear friend, that is thus in trouble ? Ba(f. The deareft friend to me, the kindeft man — Page 243. For. What ring gave you my lord ? Not that I hope, which you receiv'd of me. BaJf. If I could add a lye unto a fault, I would deny it ; but you fee, my finger Hath not the ring upon it, it is gone. Or in this fame page : Bajf. Sweet Portia, If you did know to whom I gave the ring, If you did know for whom I gavetlie ring. — Again ( 41 ) Again, in the fame page: For. If you had known the virtues of the ring, Or half her worthinefs that gave the ring. Or your own honour to retain the ring, You would not then have parted with the ring. From the above paffages, one fcene print (at the Sefl) fhould be taken ; and if the preference be given to that part where Portia fays : Upon the rack, Bajfanlo P— it will admit of her being drawn in a fine attitude, and with expreffive pafiions. This rich fcene of the cafkets, m:>y Introduce much magnifi- cent ornament in the chamber ; and fome very im.perfedl hints towards this part of the fcene, may be caught from the print to Hanmer's edition, as well as from that in Taylor's work. The drefs to Baffanio In this laft print is well defigned, and worth referring to. Gratiano, and the refl of the attendants, may be partly Introduced, at a proper dlftance in the back- ground, refpedlfully waiting the anxious declfion oi Portia s fate.* Page 213. Shy. I have poflefs'd your grace of what I purpofe; And by our holy Sabbath have I fworn, To have the due and forfeit of my bond ; G It * Many of our moft capital aclrefles have gained diftingulflied applaufe in the part oi Portia. The late Mrs. Woffington is fpoken of in terms of the higheft excellence. And the late Mifs Macklin's performance (through the excellent tuition of her father, aided by her own accompllfhments) would have been unexceptionable, had her figure been lefs petite. Mrs. Abington is alfo mentioned in high terms. I have had the pleafure of feeing Mrs. Yates, Mifs Yonge, and Mrs. Bulkley in this charaiflerj and though Mrs. Yates was fuperior to competition, yet the mofl generous applaufe has ever been given to thefetwo laft aiftrefles. I have not fcen Mrs. Siddons perform this part (to IMr. King's Shy- lock), but there is little doubt of her excelling. ( 43 ) Thou almoft mak'ft me waver in ray Talth, To hold opinion with Pythagoras, That fouls of animals infufe themfelves Into the trunks of men. Thy currifla fpirit Govern'd a wolf, who, hang'd for human flaughter, Ev'n from the gallows did his fell foul fleet : >\nd, whilft thou lay'ft in thy unhallow'd dam, Infus'd itfcif in thee ; for thy defires Are wolfifl^, blaody, ftarv'd, and ravenous. Shy. Till thou can'Ji rail the fea! from off my bond, — Thou but ofFend'ft thy lungs to fpeakfo loud. What lines can poffibly afford a finer fubjefb for the pencil !' — for Macklin, immediately and diredly after Gratiano has ended his generous- inveflive, gently draws the bond from out of his pocket, and with his knife pointed to its feal, and a moil cool malignant fuUeu facer on: QratianOt fays : Till thou canfl rail the feal from off my bond — ■Thou but offenji'iL thy lungs to fpeak.fo loud. The other chara£lers had better be omitted ; and the only two fTgures^ therefore, will be, Gratiano znA Shylock, at full length. The countenance of the former fliould be frronglj^ marked with an aniinated and generous in- dignation ; his figure fhould be fpirited and graceful ; and his drefs may be partly taken from M. De Loutherbourg's Vignette to Bell: To feel the force of this fcene, we fhould fee the attitude axid look of Macklin. Page 2 2.1.. This play win ever continue, ** one of the darling reprefentations of the theatre" ; and the nervous and benevolent recommendation of mer- cy in this page (the favourite fuhjeft of Shakefpeare), has been confider- ] ed ( 42 ) It would be unpardonable to pafs over the above lines without giving a portrait of Sfr\'lock as fpeaking them. The other charafters need not be introduced ; and this portrait fliould be marked with that determined firmnefs, that bloody defgnation of cruelty and fulkn folemnity^ with, which Macklin always Ipeaks them. * Page ziy. Mr. Mortimer has given us a head of Shykck. It is drawn from the lines in this page, of: If every ducat infix thouf and ducats, ^c. — and though I cannot think the ufual excellence of the rapid Mortimer ^ is vifible in this portrait ; yet for fear of giving an erroneous opinion, and from a refpeft to the name of the artill:, I wifli to propofe a fac-fmiile of the portrait, to accompany this page. Page 220. Gra. O, be thou danin'd, inexorable dog ! And for thy hfe let juftice be accus'd. G 2, Thou • I.v the Senate fcene (fays Mr. Ireland, in his life of Henderfon, and fpeaking of Macklin) the judicious conception of this patiiarch of the theatre, fecures him from every competitor. And the fame gentleman tells us, that previous to Mr. Macklin's performance e{ Shylock, it was looked upon as a part of little importance and played with the bufFoonry of a Jew pedlar; and that to the underftanding of that venerable performer, we arc obliged for the firft true reprefen^ation of the charader. Mr. Rowe in his Life of Shakefpeare, fpeaks thus oi Shylock : — " To thefe I might add, that* in- comparable charadler of Sl-yhck the Jew, in the Merchant of Venice ; but though we have fcen that play received and afted as a comedy, and the part of the jew performed by an excellent comedian, yet, I cannot but think it was defigned tragically by the author. There appears in it fuch a deadl;^ fpirit of revenge, fuch a favage fiereenefs and fellnefs, and fuch a bloody defignation of cruelty and mifchief, as cannet agree either with the Ilyle or charaifters of comedy. *;''':'«-''■ ( 44 ) ed one of the happleft efforts of immortal genius. No adrefs can have ever delivered that fpeechwith more emphatic elocution, than Mrs. Yates. The dignity of her air, her unrivalled powers of declamation, and that glow of colouring which fo wonderfully animated her expreffion of this part, will never be erafed from the memory of her delighted audience. If the exaft appearance which Mrs. Yates made when fhe performed this part, could be now obtained, I would propofe, (as the nobleft and moft grateful ornament to Shakefpeare's page) an engraved portrait of her, as fpeaking the lines on mercy, for art could fcarce produce a figure of more expreflive grace. If no artift can retain the exadl appearance this lady made ; I would then propofe, a fancy head of Portia might be drawn, as fpeaking them. It will be fcarce poffible perhaps for the pencil to attain the magic of Shakefpeare's mufe. * Pas :e 2 2 3" In this page, there are two fituations fo well calculated for the pencil, that I will fubmit them both to my readers. The one is : Jlnt. Moft heartily I do befeech the court. To give the judgment. For. * GuERciN'o painted a Magdalen, (now near Naples) and the account that is given of it, is what Ciou'.d be faid of foinc portrait to acompany the lines on mercy — " To celefiial beauty, her counte- nance adds expreffion as afFceting as it is fublime ; and reprefents with perfed truth all the reflections to which fuch meditations might be fuppofcd to give birth." And fee the very interefling figure of the principal woman, in Weft's RaiCug of Lazarus. z ( 45 ) Por. Wijy ihf»f thus it is : Tou muft ■prepare your bofom for his knife. Shy. noble jud^e ! O excellent young man I The Other is Por. Therefore lay bare your bofom. Shy, Ay, his hreajl ; So fays the bond ; — Doth it not noble "Judge? Neareji his heart, thefe are the very words. If we prefer this laft felefted paffage, it may be proper then only to give a figure of Shylock alone ; leaving out all the other characters ; for Portia will not appear I think quite to fo much advantage if drawn as faying : Therefore lay bare your bofom, as fhe would in repeating the firft lines. I will therefore recommend the figure of Shylock, in the print to Taylor's work.* It is fo well de- figned that I think it will be proper to engrave this fingle figure by itfelf. * When I have recommended this, as well as many other of the foregoing print', it has been, Itcaufe they tui rf the heft that ka~je yet been puhltjhed. Had I fcen (at the time mofl of the above pages were written) any profpedt of an edition coming out, like that of Meflrs. Boydells, and the names of fuch -artifis as are now anonuncedj it would have made me reje£l fome of thofe which I have now en- deavoured to perfuade the reader to look at — ftill however let thofe hold their places of merit, 'till replaced by future defigns of fuperior execution : Si quid novifti redlius iUis, Candidas impcrti ; fi non, his utere mecum. - What have we not to expeft, if a late paragraph in the St. James's Chronicle fliould prove true :— " We liften alfo with pleafure to a report that Sir Jolhua means very foon to give up Portrait Painting, and apply himfelf wholly to the decoration of our great dramatic Author." The variety of defigns then that Sir Jolhua may yet live to complete, will have the fame effeft as what Dr. Johnfon attri- butes to the writings of Shakespeare \—jiUingtbe ejeivitb awful po/np, and gratfying the mind -with end- Icfs diverjify" ! oHCii dviilw ( +7 ) Page 22^' Among the few good prints which have yet appeared of Sfy/ock, there IS one, wliich (in my poor opinion) pofleires eminent merit. The copy of this print in my pofleflion, has neither the name of painter, engra- ver or publifher ; nor any date or letters wiiatever. The impreflion f^ems t<) be a very fine one. It is of an 8vo. fize, and is evidently drawn from the fpirited line of a fentence ! come, prepare. There is a kind of border or frame round it, and at the top is a very griitt headof Shakefpeare, furrounded with laiu-el. I cannot recolleft from whence I came into poffenion of it — it may have come from fome Magazine, but wherever it came from, or whoever was thedefigner of it, it mufl: be confidered as a happy ornament to this page. I think few painters could have more happily exprefl'ed the fire and triumphantjoy of the favage Shylock. He feems as if he had whetted his knife on the floor, and, having juft brandished it, is now cafting his looks at the bankrupt Antonio. This print need only to be enlarged to a proper fize, and it will merit thebeft engraving ; and may accompany this page, with- out the addition of the other charaders. * The print in Bell's firft edition is taken from the above words ; and as there is certainly much merit in this print, I purpofe recommending it for the Tail-piece. * This page offers another line where Shyleck nright be drawn in flron^ chara<?ters— for when he fays : Is that the Lavj ? he darts a look on Portia^ which none but Macklin can exhibit. ( 46 ) to accompany thefe laft lines — but yet, notwithftandlng its merit, it certainly does not reach that idea of the Jew which we form, when he is repeating the above fejitence — his countenance fhould exprefs fomewhat of exulting joy, as well as favage fellnefs. A figure of Shylock from the above lines by the pencil of Loutherbourg, would give us the very Jew that Shakefpeare drew — for he would exprefs the animated rapidity of Macklin, and point the countenance glowing with rapturous adoration to Portia, and yet at the fame time mixed with malevolence and terrifying ' ferocity. The expreflion of nearefl his heart — -is perhaps one of the fir ft fituations in the play to dirzw Shylock from. If we reje£l the giving a fingle figure of Shylock to this paffage ; or if we wifh to retain that which is in Taylor's work, (in cafe no better is produ- ced) we may even then decorate this fame page with an engraving from the above firft fele£led lines ; for no liues can offer a fitter opportunity ta draw the whole chara>Slers from, whocompofe the trial fcene. We fhall now for the firft time view Portia, as drejfed like a doctor of laws : and the gracefuhiefs of her attitude will be finely difplayed, when pronouncing the Merchant's fentence. It will admit of all the grace of expreflion. Her fentence is uttered with a look of mild firmnefs, and not with one of fallen or morofe harfhnefs. And the Jew's fpirited lines of O noble judge ! O excellent young man ! is almoft equal to his rapturous exclamation of A Daniel come to judgment ! yes, a Daniel!— and will therefore require his appearing to every poffible advantage. When Portia pronounces her fentence on the Merchant, the paffions in his countenance, as well as on thofe of his dear friend, and of Gratiano, will form a very interefting fcene. It is ojie of thofe fituations, which fixa €xpe£fation. Page ( 48 ) In this concluding part of the trial fcene, are many anxious fituations, where both Shylock and Portia, the Merchant and Bajfanto, as well as the other charaders, might be well reprefented. I will point out that paf- fage, which flrikes me as the moft proper to draw them from.* Shy. Is that the Law ? Port. Thyjelfjhaltjee the all : For, as thou urgejl jtijiice, be affur'd Thou fhalt have juflice, more than thou dcfir'll. Shylock (with his knife and fcales in his hand) may be receding from the attitude in which he pronounced his late triumphant joy ; and with his favage eyes fternly rivetted on Portia, may be addrefling to her the above queftion — and this animated defender of the injured Merchant will appear to every advantage, as on the point of fpiritedly enforcing his lines. The other characters may be drawn in intereflhig fituations, particularly the delivered Antonio, and his kind friend — as well as the generous Gra- tiano. Joy will be painted in each countenance, except in thofe of the two friends, whofe minds are now agitated with fofter paflions, and whofe countenances fliould exhibit that pathetic exprefiion which frlendfhip claims. Page 236. A61 ^. Sc. 1. We fhall be interefted in paying fome tributary efteem to the writer of this fweet fcene, from the attachment he fo frequently difcovers for that fcience : to the effects of which — even fell Charybdis murmur'd foft applaufe. f but * Instead of having quoted many of the foregoing pafTages, I fliould have obferved the advice of Dr. Johnfon, who fays that " The reader is feldom pleafed to' find his opinion anticipated — it is natural to delight more in what we find or make, than in what we receive. — Judgment, like other fa- culties, is improved by pra(flice, and its advancement is hindered by fubmiffion to dldatorial decilions." + Though a very refpeiSlable Commentator does not. ( 49 ) but more fo, from a divine religious (train which illumines this page— and which fo frequently ennobles the poetry of Shakefpeare : There's not the fmalleftorb, which thou behold'ft, But in his motion like an angel fings, Still quiring to the young eye'd cherubim S; Such harmony is in immortal fouls, But, whilft this muddy vefture of decay Doth grofly clofe it in, we cannot liear it. The many paffages of this fine nature, fo frequently met with In the writings of Shakefpeare, tend forcibly to ftrengthen the traditionary reports of the fweetnefs, benevolence, and goodnefs of his heart. It Is fcarce poffible for an irreligious mind to have written that paflage with which the Fryar fooths the parents of Juliet, on her fuppofed death — aiid Ben Johnfon tells us: " that he was indeed HONEST, and of an open and free nature ; had an excellent phantfie, brave notions, and gentle expreffions." — If the countenance is the mirror of the foul — the traits of the moft pkafing qualities are flrongly exprefled in the metzotinto, by Simon, from after Zouft. * We could have wifhed the figures in this fcene, had been drawn by Mr. Cypriani ; and that the landfcape might come from the pencil of Mr. Gainlborough. They might be drawn as liftening to the mufic which firfl plays, — which I think would be better than at the fub- H fequent * The child of Fancy, by the Firtues crown'd, Universal Magazine, July, 1784^ And a Poem in vol. 2. of Pearch's Colleftion, fpcaks thus of him : Where were ye Graces, where ye tuneful Nine, When Shakefpeare's active fpirit foar'd away ? Where were ye Virtues when the /park divine^ Forfook it's tremiling tenement tf day ? ( so ) iequent paffage of, mark the mufic — as the (eninntnw Lorenzo utters be- fore the founds of the firft mufic, will permit his being drawn with an adion more elevated. Something of that very fine attitude and expreflion fliould be given to Lorenzo, which we meet with in the figure of the prince, in Pine's beautiful print oi Miranda. This print is worth referring to. The fcenewill reprefent a grove or green place, with a view of part of the houfe of Behnont, " bofom'd high in tufted trees," with the rich foliage and other wildnefles of luxuriant nature, and the moon Jleep'mg (not ftiining) upon the bank. Caii painting exprefs this happy word of the Poet ? To feel this fcene properly, an Englifhman fhould tranfport himfelf into the warmer climate of Italy ; which he may do in imagination by a perufal of Martin Sherlock's Letters from an Englifh traveller. * Page Naples, Feb. 3, 1779. * LETTER XIV. v. i. It b not furprifrng that Virgil fliould make fuch fine verfes at Naples : the air there is fo foft and f> pure, the fun fo brilliant and fowarm, and the face of nature fo rich and diverfified, that the ima- gination feels a vivacity and vigour which it fcarce ever perceives in other countries. L E T T E R IX. V. 2. A great enjoyment for a man who loves letters, is to have in his walks, his Horace in one pecker, and his Virgil in the other, and to look at a thoufand objeds which have been painted by thefe Maf- ters. - . - - A great writer never throws out a word at random J all his expreflions are precious, and there are a thoufand paflages in Virgil and Horace which can fcarce ly be under- ftood, but which it is impodible to feel without having feen Italy. PraccpsAmo — to- feel praecfs, you muft gp to Tivoli. I could quote numberlefs examples, but I Ihall only mention one or two : NuUus in orbe locus Baiieprsflucetam«ui»>i ^^ -^ ,\ot anv-Vil iav.h It is impoffible to feel praluctt but at Bai*. ( SI ) Page 226. For. — — ^— — nay, if the fcale turn But in the eftimatioii of a hair, Thou dieft, and all. thy goods are coufifcate. Gra. A fecond Daniel, a Daniel, Jew ! Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip. For. Why doth the Jew paufe ? — The firft lines in the above feledllon, will be a fine fituation to paint the animation of Portia — -and they will admit of the paffions of Shylock being advantageoufly introduced — as well as the fplrited retaliation of Gratiano. The other charailers who compofe the court, will be in the fame fituations as at the lafl: feleded lines. If flie is drawn in faying : — PFhy doth the Jew paufe ^ — (which will be a truly fine fituation to draw him from) his countenance fliouldthen, I think, be rather altered. . In this fame page another fituation is offered : — Shy. Shall I not barely have my principal ? For. Thou fhalt have nothing but the forfeiture. To be fo taken at thy peril, Jew. Shy. Why then the devil give him good of it ! I'll (lay no longer queflion. I fele£l thefe lines for the purpofe of introducing Shylock ; who may •either be drawn as fpeaking the firft of them ; or the laft line but one. H 2 Each ( Si ) Each fituation will be fpiiited. All the other charatflers will appear as at the former lines. I will not prefume to fay from which of thefe fe- leded paflages an artift might choofe thebeft point to draw the whole of the charadlers who compofe the trial fcene from — as that muft be left to the fancy and judgment of each artill, aided by hxs familiarity with the J\age and dramatic effects Tail-Piece. The print of Shylock which is in Bell's firft edition, poffefles a good deal of merit ; and I cannot but recommend it for the Tail-piece ; and though it is drawn from the fame lines that the print which I have recom- mended for p. 225 is taken from — yet it cannot be difpleafing to preferve two defigns of Shyloch, which are fo well executed. An ornament might be thrown round this print, fomewhat fimilar to that very happy one which graces M. de Loutherbourg's Vignette fcene-print. It certainly muft not be the fame, but yet it may be allufive to the play. A fmall, but by no means an imperfed hint towards it, may be feen in the cut to Lowndes's edition to this play. * *A lift of fuch Prints as have been publifhed from this play. I have feen all the Prints, except that in Pope's edition. T, Bell's two editions, 3. Hanmer. 3. Theobald, 4. Rovve. 5. Lowndes. 6. A cut in an edition in 8 vol. Syo. printed for Tonfon, 1735. 7. Mortimer's head of Shylock, from his etchings of charadlers from Shakefpcare. 8. Taylor's publication. I 9. Night I S3 ) 9. Night, a Landfcape, engraved by C. Taylor, from after Smirke, It is taken from the line* of: How fweet the moonlight, ice.—' 10. A print of Shylock, mentioned for page 225. 1 1. Mr. Macklin in Shylock, from after Kitchinman, an oval, 1784. 12. Mr. Macklin in Shylock, from Smith's 24 Charafters of the Hage, in umo, 13. Mr. Clark, in the charafter of Anthonio, from the fame. 14. Mr. Macklin in Shylock, from the Weftminfter Mag. for Oftober 1775. This is copied' from a print by Lodge, of the fame fize. 15. Fope. LOVE'S LABOUR LOST. In the wild extravagant notes of Shakefpeare, you every now and then encounter ftrains that recognize the divine compofer. In his moll negligent hours he could never fo totally diveft himfelf of his genius, but tluit it v\rould frequently break outwith aftonifhing force and fplendour. Theobald. Vignetted k ( 57 ) Head-piece. This play will not afford many fubjeds for engravings. The mafterly hand of Shakefpeare appears not in many places of this chequered per- formance ; and it is the opinion of his beft commentators that it was not altogether the entire produftion of his pen There are however fome fcenes, and fome paflages, that grace him in the difgrace of death — and have bought him that honour which makes him an heir of all eternity. I would propofe as the Head-piece, an half-length figure of Cojlard In p. 388, when faying : — Not a word of Cojlard yet — and it may either be a copy of Tom Weflon's performance (if it can hut faintly glimmer through the memory^ or imperfect atteflation of a few furviving fpeSlators) — or fuch. a figure as will be moft defcriptive of xKis fi allow vaJfaL His features will be entirely different from what they are in p. 389, or 390 ; and he well dcferves to be drawn in more than one look. • There are other pa- ges where he might appear to much advantage, as at p. 499 * or 509. And I would recommend this figure of Cofard to be inclofed in the very fame frame as is given in that beautiful Vignette to Bell's lafl edition to this play, with an exa£l fac-fimile of the infignia at the top. The artifl who defigned this rich embellifliment, may perhaps join in opinion that Armado may appear to equal advantage in page 472, and it is for this reafon only that 1 have prefumed to hint a mutilation of this Vignette print, and not give it entire as a Head-piece. I Scene * Edwin, with O LordSif.-^viould fet the houfe in a roar. ( 58 > Scene-Prints. The firft fcenc I would choofe, is at page 389; The figures and drefles of Longaville, and Dnmain^ may be taken from a very pleafmg defign by Gravelot, in Theobald's edition ; or the drefs in which Biron appears, ia Bell's firlt edition, may perhaps be preferred: their charafter swill befeen in page 400. Thefe three lords may be fignificantly looking at, and en- joying the fituation of Coftard. The King's figure in this defign by Gravelot, is a very graceful one, and in that of Bell's firft edition, he is fingularly interefting — though his foftened air of melancholy may more properly become him when he has feen her, nvhofe glory through his grief is JJiewn. His drefs is extremely elegant ; and in this fcene, he will be in the attitude of reading the letter, and juft glancing his eye on Coftard. The two remaining characters are Anthony Dull, and Coftard. I know not what performer on the ftage has exhibited y^w/Z^owy Dull; or whether he has had the good luck to be reprefented by a comedian of merit ; but a pencil of humour will ftrilce out a conflable worthy of the author's crea- tion. He would appear to the mofi: advantage in faying the words which are given him in this page of: — Me, anU- pleafeyou; I am Anthony Dull, — but he cannot be reprefented as immediately faying them — for in the propofed print he will be a mere looker on. As for Cojiard, it were to be wiflied that no one would attempt to draw him, who has not beheld that unparalkd fon of fimpiicity, Tom Weflon. The original flrokes of fimple nature which he could throw out, cannot be conceived by thofe who have not feen him. And to fuch only who have feen him, fliould he configned the execution of this part of the propofed print. In Bell's firfi: edition, he is drawn as fiiying — I ivas taken with none Sir; — probably fome may think he would appear to equal advantage in faying — l^Fith a wench — • or, / had rather pray a month with mutton and porridge ; — but this can- only be determined by his furviving admirers. Page C 59 ) Page 407. A PLEASING print might be annexed to this page, o£Boyet and Maria, (who is the beautiful emprefs of Longaville's love) — and the other ladies may be left out. Maria may be faying : My lips are no common. The character or appearance which Boyet fhould make, may be feen in that ad- mirable defcription in page 490. A print in the ftyle of Guercino's Woman begging water, in the drawings publifhed by Rogers, would have a pleafing effect. Page 447, There are two fuch exquifite lines in this page, and which breathe fo much the language of nature, and of Shakefpeare, that it were in- juftice to the poet to pafs them over without fome deiign to accompany them : — Do but behold the tears that fwrell in ire. And they, thy glory through my grief will fliew. Such lines from the pencil of a Cypriani, would produce a drawing of exquifite delicacy. It might reprefent a half length of the King (in a fancy drefs perhaps) with the influence of the paffion they exprefs, im- printed on his features. I 2 Page * The fprightly Bircn, and his Rofalinc^ cannot well appear in page 403, as (lie is malked. ( 6o y Page 472. This page gives us a happy opportunity of reprefenttng to much ad- vantage, feveral of the charafters. And we have one of thcfe characters already drawn in a mafterly manner, by the pencil of M. de Louther- bourg ; — for in the Vignette \vhich I have before referred to, may be feen the true and lively portraiture of that j^rmado h'lght — and the only alterations it might be proper he fhould undergo for this prefent page, would be, to have his arms perhaps a kimbo (as having juft pronounced his boifterousoath) and cafling a fignificant glance at the poor enraptu- red Cojiard, who is giving his fmall pittance (the beft he has) to his figeon-egg of difcretion. And this XitiXe friip f nap youth is fo well drawn in the above Vignette, that he will admit of no improvement. — (I am fure the pofition of his toes will not) — unlefs indeed a very little more fharp archnefs were thrown into his face for this prefent page. Cojlard can no where be drawn to more advantage than in this fcene ; and the figures of Holofernes, Nathaniel, and Dull, cannot but enliven the group ; and they deferve to be drawn with truth and nature. Tail-piece. It would form no unpleafing print for this department, were we to reprefent the Khg in fome forlorn and naked hermitage, Remote from all the pleafures of the world. Where he is to ftay, Until the twelve celeftial figns Have brought about their annual-reckoning. I That ( 6i ) That foft air of tender melancholy, and the fame beautiful drefs fliould be given him, in which he appears in Bell's firft edition. And his attitude may be fomewhat fimllar to that penfive one of Sir Philip Sydney, (under a tree), by Vertue. The landfcape may be a romantic view of fome fequeftered hermitage. In fome of the impreffions of this print in Bell's firft edition, the air of the King's face is materially dlifer- ent. In the impreffion before me, it is very interefting.* * A LIST of fuch Prints as have been publiflied from this plajv * Thofe I have not fcen, are printed in Italics, 1. Bell's two editions. 2. Hanraer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rowe. 5. A cut by Lud. du Gaeruier, in an edition, in 8 vol, Svo, printed for Tonfon, i 735, 6. Pope. 7. Lo'vnifes, 8. Taylor's i ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. Wh a t age, what fex, what charafter, ftation, or office of life, efcapes the touches of Shakefpeare's plaftic hand ! Mrs. Griffiths. He that has read Shakefpeare with attention, will perhaps, find little new in the crowded world. Mrs. Lenox- Vignette. C 65 ) Head-piece. The moft proper ornament for this part, would be a beautiful coloured print of the head of Helen, as faying thefe words : It were all one That I fliould love a bright particular ftar, And think to wed it, he is lb abase me. Page 9. Her attitude may be fomewhat fimilar to that of the principal female figure ill the firft ftudy by Corregio, In the 2d vol. of the colle<5tIon of drawingf) by Rogers — but more ferenely mild and lefs elevated. She will of courfe have the traits of that beauty which ajloniped the furveyof r'lchejl eyes : and of thofe interefting qualities which won her the warm friend- fhlp of the good old Countefs of Roujillon, * Scene ■* Of all the cliaraflers of Shakefpeare : none more rcfemblcs Ihs beft female advocate, (Mr'f. Montague) than the Countffs of Ronjtllon. The following lines, which Helen fpeaks in p. 10, of ————— virtue's fteely bones L(X)k bleak to the cold wind. might well apply, or be written under, a very fine print from Gainftoroughj called a SJjepbcrd (bad he lefs enibon-point)— or they would equally well apply to a piflure by Opie (one of his earliefl per- formances) which was exhibited at Somerfet-houfe, in 178^, It is well remembered by the name of the Boy and Dog. r €(> ) Scene-Prints. The good old King (notwithftanding his misfortune in htix\g fjlulat If- Jimus) win appear to much advantage if drawn (in the ftyle of Morti- mer's etchings of Heads from Shakefpeare) to accompany p. 22. He may be drawn with that penfive dejedion with which this time honoured Lan- cajler utters the lines of: — /, after him, &c. — and his time of life may be gathered from his fpeech to Bertrand, when he tells him, that haggifli. age has flolen on, and wore him out of acl» Page 35' This page gives us an opportunity of reprefentlng to great advantage the Coimtefs of Roufllon, in company with Helen. And on perufal of a character of fuch worth as the Countefs is — of fo much piety — fine fenfe — of fo noble an education — and of the tendereft aifedtion for Helen — there is no doubt but fome artifl: will adorn this page with a venerably graceful portrait (in rich metzotinto) of her, who throughout every fcene, irrefiftlbly commands a reverential efteem. Shakefpeare no doubt had great delight in drawing this charadler ; and we may hope to fee ex- preffed in her countenance, that mild luftre of calm thought which the mind alone gives, and that certain expreflive air which can only proceed from virtuous paffions. She { ^7 ) She jnight be drawn at half length, with Helen, as repeating this paflage : Count. Wherefore ? tell true. • Hel. I will tell truth ; by grace itfelf I fwear. — The attitude of He/en may be fomewhat like that which I have propo- {ed for the Head-piece : and there might be added to the animation with which fhe ought to fpeak this fentence, *' une douceur feduifante." * Pacre 66* Of all the different fituations in which ParoUes appears, it is neceflary to know which is the moft comic one ; as a bare perufal of the play may not befufficieut to afcertain that with certainty — for it is well known that good comedians frequently introduce many exquifite ftrokes of chara6ter and humour, which were evidently defigned by the author ; but which may have efcaped the eyes of literary critics. The admirers therefore of fuch comedians as Woodward and King (who I believe have {honemoft In this charafVer) will be the moft proper to feledl the fcene beft fuited to our prefent purpofe. It is impoffible for the writer of thefe pages to fe- K 2 led * She would appear to yery great advantage, in fayinj I follow him not By any token of prefumptlous fuit ; Nor would I have him, 'till I do deferre him. p. 34. ( 68 ) le£l the beft fituation, as he has never feen this comedy on the ftage. * He will therefore only mention thofe pages which ftrike him as giving the beft views oi Parolles. They are page 40, 66, 90, 91, 97, 98, 118, 119. Page 131 is omitted to be hereftated, as that page will certainly be accompanied with him a^d the Clown. Perhaps * When this play was revived In 1741, Milward, who afted the King, is faid to have caught a dif- temper which proved fatal to him, by wearing in this part, a too light and airy fuit of clothes, which he put on after his fuppofed recovery. He felt himfelf feized with a fliivering ; and was aflced by one of the players, how he found himfelf ? " How is it poffible, he faid with fome pleafantry, " to be fick, when 1 have fuch a phyfician as Mrs. WofHngton." This elegant and beautiful aftrefs was the HcLn of the play. His diftemper however increafcd, and foon after hurried him to his grave. On its revival in 1757, under the direftion of Mr. Garrick, the part of the Countcfs was given to Mrs. Pritchard, Helen to Mifs Macklin, and ParoUa to Woodward. Yet am I thankful. If my heart were great, T'would burft at this. Captain I'll be no more. This fcene always afforded much pleafure to the audience. Upon its laft revival, it was at^ed with fuch theatrical ikill as excited general merriment. The unbinding ParoUes, who looked about him with anxious furprize and terror, redoubled the burfls of laughter which echoed round the theatre. Davies's Dramatic Miscellanies. When this Play ws got up at the Haymarket, in 1785, anew Prologue was written on the occa- fipH by Mr. PiUon— and the fpUpwing are the concluding lines : — — — — — a mightier charge we boaft-^ 'Tis Shakefpeare lleers to night upon our corft ; To cut him down from firfl rate fize we've dar'd Finding fome planks and beams by time impair'd ; The heart of oak of genius is the fame ; You fend the gale that blows him on to fame. One glowing, bold, energic, golden line, Drawn with the fire of Shakefpeare's pen divine, Genius and Tafte can never prize too high, For whilft he lives, thofe twins can never die. ( h ) Perhaps he would appear to as much advantage in the following pages, as any where elfe — namely, at page 40, at the words : — it was thii very f-.vord entrench'd it. At page 90, at the words — But a drum ! or. At page 9 1 , when he fays — I would have that drum — or another, or hlcjacet. On xhejlage, it certainly would have a fine effedl (in the moment of Lafeus re-entry) to behold Parolles, as in page 66 ; but this effe6l would be much leffened in a print. And the fame objedlion would be againft introducing hun in page 98, when he is told of feventeen poinards being at his bofom — merely on account of his being blind folded. The drefs and figure of this jackanapes with fcarfs, may be partly gathered from what Lafeu {Tiys of him :— " I did think thee, for two ordinaries, to be a pretty wife fellow ; thou didft make tolerable vent of thy travel ; it might pafs : yet the fcarfs, and the bannerets about thee, did manifoldly diffuade me from believing thee a veffel of two great a burthen-" And yet in page 132, we . are fo interefted in the deje(flion of poor Tom DrufUf fMy Lord, I am a man whom fortune hath cruelly fcratch'd : — ) and fo ftrucken with the relenting and generous Lafeu (Cox' my pajjtonl give me your hand: — how does your drum?') who is not willing that he Should at laft hefuffered tojiarve: that we can fcarce — and ought not indeed to leave this laft page without reprefenting them. Some may think the de- jedlion oi Parolles will appear equally to advantage in the preceding page, in company with the Clown ; where he may be faying : — Nay, you need not tojlopyour nofe^ Sir, IJpake but by a metaphor — with a look rather turned up, and ( 70 ) and by "no means dlre£led to the Clown. * His drefs may be partly ga- thered likewife from the Vignette to Bell's laft edition ; in which print the mulket and drum are charaderiflic ornaments. In the print to Hanmer's edition, is introduced Lafew, whofe figure (though poflefling much grace, and worth looking at) is by no means charafteriftic. Page 78, I CANNOT for"bear recommending another fcene of the Countefs and her beloved -ward. They may be finely drawn in this page, at the words of: But I d.0 wifli his name out of my blood, ^nd thou art all my child. And fhe may be tenderly grafpiug the hand of, and foothing the dc- jeded and weeping Helen; who may hold the letter in her hand, which ihe has jufl read, f * ThaxLafcu is made fo relenting we muft attribute to our author's great Tcnowlcdge of man, and hli large nature as Ben Johnfon exprefles it. He knew that thofe who are molt prone to vehement anger are the fooneft pacified. Hot fpirits make quicker ha(ie to repair the milchiefs of their efcapes from jeafon, than thofe who are more temperate and fedate. Davies's Dramatic Miscellanies. ■f- Norwithftanding the virulent inveftives which the authorefs of " Shakefpeare illuftrated" has rtirown out againft Hf/ra, (as well as againft Shakefpeare in this play) I believe all readers are intcr- efted ia her charafter— and indeed the Countefs is only attached 10 her, from her being a maid too virtuoui For the contempt of empire. The ( Page 88, We fliall now fee the pretty Helen in that drefs, in which fhe has barefoot plodded the cold ground^ in her pilgrimage to St. Jacques — led thither ^^ttr^ love. The old J'Fidow, and her beauteous daughter, will of courie be introduced; to whom ihh holy pilgrim may be addreffing her. invitation : Pleafe it this matron, and this gentle maid, To eat with us to-night ; the charge and thanking. Shall be for me. The pilgrim'^s drefs in Gravelot*s print to Theobald's edition, is wanting in that grace which we often meet with in his defign's. % The- mo ft. The late Thomas Davies fpeaks more candidly of her : i///^7i'j love is as hoiieft as her parentage. Ir appears throughout the whole- play, that the paffion of this fweet girl is of the nobleft kind : " Nature, fays Shakefpeare in Hamlet, is fine in love ;" that is, it purifies and refines our paffiorrs. Before marriage Helen diminifhes the blemilhes of Parolics, becaufe he is the conftant companion of Bertram, and after marriage, though flie might rtafonably exclaim againft the feducer of her hufband, with the utmoft delicacy (he reilrains heri'eif from the leall reproach : nay,^ converts a queflion, implying cenfure, to a mark of honour. Dram. Miscellanies. J It isfcarce pardonable to pafs over the fpirited lines with which the widow's daughter encounters Bertram, in p. 88, without wifhing they may give rife to fome animated (half-length) portraits of them, from the words : Mine Hondur*s fuch 3 ring ••■ My chaftity's the jewel of our houfe,— •• I The ( 7^ ) mofl pleafing ftile of engraving, for this propofed print of Helen, would be that, in which Celia appears : a beautiful coloured print from after KaufFman, and engraved by Bartolozzi. The drefs may be likewife partly gathered from the print oi Helen m Bell's laft edition. And fee a lately publifhed print of a Nun. I do not immediately recolle£t its title ; but I think it is defigned from a poem of Mr. Jerningham's. Tail-Piece. A MOST interefling portrait o^ Helen, may be taken from p^ge 79, as fondly fupplicating her abfent hufband : — Poor lord ! is't I That chafe thee from thy country, and expofe Thofe tender limbs of thine to the event Of the none-fparing war > and is it I That drive thee from the fportive court, where thou Waft fhot at with fair eyes, to be the mark Of fmoky mufkets ? O you leaden meflcngers, That ride upon the violent fpeed of fire. Fly with falfe aim. She may be drawn In half-length, in the ftyle which is recommended for page 88 — and a peiufal of the whole of her tender addrefs ia this prefent The drefs of Bertram, might be partly talcen from Bell's firft edition ; and partly from a very fpi- rited figure in the print of Tarquin and Lucrece, engr. by Bafan, from after Luc. Jordans ; and the features of Bertram, might poflefs foraewhat more (perhaps) of that keen impatience which is fo finely exprefled in this print. It appears from what the C/oww fays in p. ii8, that Bertram fliould Baveone^ the delicate fine hats^ and moft courteous feathers. (. 73 ) prefeat page 79, will be the beft guide, and the beft incitement to an artift, for producing a fpirited and graceful portrait of this fweet de- jefted girl. * * She would appear well in page 14.9 : as {zj\ag-*-Tis lut thcfl;adovj of a wifeyoufee — but it would be impoffible to receive any fatisfadion in introducing Bertram with her ; for the reafons given by Dr. Johufon, v.\ his concluding obfervations on this play. If flie were to appear in this page, (lie might poffefs fomethlng of that foftened melancholy which is feen in the figure of iVIifs Macklin, in Bell's iirft edition — or there might be a group of half-lengths, of the Kiug, Countcfs, and the other charafters, looking afFeftionatc'.y on her. The Kirg faimfelf niight be well drawn from page 1 38, as faying ; This ring was mine.— » Or, as fa} ing ; Had you that craft, to reave her Of what fliouid i^cad her moft f A LIST of fucb Prints as liare been publiflied fr,om this play. Thofel have not feen, are printed la Italics. 1. Bell's two editions. 2. Hanmer. 5. Theobald. 4. Rowe. 5. A cut by Fourdriiiier, in au edition, in 8 vol. Svo. printed for Tonfon, 1735. 6. Pope. 7. Lovjndes. 3. Taylor^ L I3i7/ji f.'.ih io 3iiaJiu(j ]i/io:jfc"i^! Jjiij; bv^JnAii ^.^a^ijiiUOiij n COMEDY OF ERRORS. No author had evi.-r fo copious, fo bold, fo creative an imagination, with fo perfeft a knowledge of the paffions, the humours, and fentiments of mankind. He painted all cha- rafters, from heroes and kings, dov.-n to Inn-keepers and Peafants, with equal truth and with equal force. If human nature w^s quite deftroyed, and no monument left of it, except his works, ether beings might learn what man was, from thofe writings. Lord Lyttletox. Vignette. a^o^iia '^o Yaaiiy.o:) / ( 77 ; Head-piece,. 'T^HE admired fpeecH of ylegeon In the firf^ fcene, %vrll furnlfh a very proper Head-piece. It may reprefent the veflel in a tempeftuous lea, at the moment of the obfcured light, conveying to their fearful minds a doubtful warrant of immediate death. The inceffimt weepings of the wife, and the plainings of the pretty babes will be the chief paiiions to attend to, v/ith the interefting fituation of the hufband Aegean. The failors may be efcaping out of the veflel into their boat. The little chil- dren may be difpofed of in afFe£ling attitudes, notvvithftanding they are fo very young. I was going to obferve, that they might have been painted in the entreatin.g fituation of throwing their little arms out to im.plore a paflagein the boat — but I recoUea the poet fays, they mourned for fci/l/ion., ignorant ivh at to fear. Scene-Prints. There- are feveral fituation^, where Dromio of Ephefus might be drawn to advantage; but I think he will- appear beft in p. 172, at the words : 0h, — fixpence, that I had o'Wednefday laft, — In p. 173. If I flaould pay your Worfliip thofc again.— la ( 78 ) In p, 224. Why fir, I gave the money for the rope. Or in p. 225. I would 1 were feiifelels, iir, that I might not feci your blows. And his brother of Syra<uf-e appears equally to advantage iu p. 184, at the wo ids : J m uft get a fconce /or my head . Oj in p. 205, where he gives tlie admirable defcriptloii of the kitchen wench. It mav be difficult then, to feled the bell: and moH: comic fituation for a whole length figure of one of the Dromios. Were 1 to tix on one, it (liould be at p. 172 — and his look Ihould be lomewhat fimilar to the very droll one of Tom Wefton's, in a fmall print of him in Dr. Lall, in Smith's fet of dramatic chara6lers. Bell's firft edition, has a print of Dunflall in Dromio, with the rope, which is certainly a very good situation to draw him in ; but I think his features are not arch enough ; nor is the drefs an luiexceptioiiable one- Was he to be drawn as direftly faying : JFhy fr, I gave the money for the rope, and with that look which Edwin would put on, as correlponding to that faucy impertinent fternefs of voice, with which (in charaders like the prefent) he fo often pleafes — it would (under thefe advantages) be fele£led as fuperior peihaps to any of the other fituations.* A painter will prefer fuch of them, as ftrikes him with mofl: humour on the perufal ; and if he ha.s feen fome favourite comedian in this cha- racter, he will acquire new lights. Tarlton, who lived in Shakefpeare's days, * Those: will comprcheiul my meaning, who have heard Edwin fpeak the fdlo'.ring words to the Uncle, in the Maid of the Oaks — " Why did you noc tell me yovi were a geiitlemai^ r — for I'm lure, I never Ihould have t.ikcu vou for one." C 79 ) days, very probably fhone in this part — for Sir R. Baker tells us — " and to make their comedies complete, Richard Tarlton, for the clown's part, never had his match, nor never will have." Tlie names of Dunftall, Sliuter, Woodward, Wefton, Yates, King, Dodd, Parfons, Quick, and Edwin, immediately flrike one as th« moft proper comedians for the charafi:er of Droinia. From what I have heard of Mr. Yates, perhaps he may have been the foremoft. For the drefs of Shakefpeare's clowns, fee Mr. Tollett's conjecture in p. 434, of vol. 5, by Johnfon and Steeyens. This comedy was altered for the ftage by Mr. Hull, in 1779, and ad- ed at Covent Garden ; and it was again revived in T785. I have been told that Mr. Hull's Aegecn was refpeclable and intereding — and that the paliages which procured him a very loud applaufe from an attentive audi- ence, were, his firli: fpeech to the Duke — and : periiaps my fon, Thou lliam'li to acknowledge me in miferv. Page 1 8 7. The perfon next prefented will be Adr'tana. Throughout every feene Ihe is plcafnig and interefting; and fhe appears in a light fo amiable in page 179, and page 1B7 — that it will not be eafv to determine which to tix on. But as this laft page will give an opportunity of reprefenting Anlipholh of Syracuje (her feeming unkind mate) in the fame plate, I would propofe drawing them at half-length, in the fame ftyle of co- loured etching as the ivoman begging water ^ in the ad vol. of tlie collec- tion of drawings by Rogers. She ( 8o ) She may be faying (with that forrowing look of kind embracement fo becoming her charader)* Ah, do not tear away thyfeJf from me ; Per know, my love, as cal'y may'ft thou fall A drop of water in the breaking gulph, And take uiimingled thence that drop again. Without addition, or diminifliing. As take from me thyfclf, and not me too. or, fhe maybe fpea'king the lines which immediately follow the above, -with the alluring foftnefs of her modeft looks, fomewhat heightened with that firm confcioufnefs of virtuous dignity, with which that true and ardent admirer of our poet, Mrs, Yates, lo nobly graces her Shakef- peare's page. — How dearly would it touch thee to the quick, Should'ft thou but hear, I were licentious? And that this body, confecrate to thee, By ruffian lull fliould be contaminate ? Wouldft thou not fpit at me, and fpurn at me. And hurl the name of hufband in my face. And tear the ftain'd fkin off my harlot-brow, And from my falfe hand cut the wedding-ring. And break it with a deep-divorcing vow ? "It might add to the effed of this fcene were fhe to clafp him by the hand, in the above expoflulation. Her attitude would gain a firm and * .idtiana does not feein one of thole who are only taught " to irurder a tune on the harpficord, or guittar, to dance a. cotillion, and to chatter a little barbarous French — NordoMihon'sJines apply to her : completed to the talle Of luftful appetite, to fing, to dance, To drefs, to troule the tongue, and roll the eye. ( 8i ) and graceful dignity by it. Ant'ipholh wxa^ of courfe look Jlrange and frown. * A beautiful drefs for Adr'iana may be partly taken from Bell's laft edition of this play, where her figure would pleafe more, were it lels ^fteded. Page 243* For this page may be drawn a portrait of the old father Aegeofi, in the ftyle of Mortimer's heads from Shakefpeare; and as he is now going to execution — to the melancholy vale — it may not be improper to have his hands bound. Theperufal of an airedlirig fpeech, will be the beft guide to the painter. Or, inftead of this fingle portrait, there might be drawn the affect- ing interview between Aegean and his fon. — Mgeon. Not know my voice ! Oh, time's extremity ! Haft thou fo crack'd and fplitted my poor tongue, In feven Ihort years, that here my only fon Knows not my feeble key of untun'd cares ? M Though ^ I CANNOT omit obfervhig, how fweet a portrait might be taken from her faying, in page 179, :■■■ ■;! Hath homely age the alluring beauty took From my poor cheek r then, he hath walled it. Or, from the following lines in the fame fpeech my decayed fairne(s A funny look of his would foon repair. Her whole fpeech muft be read. Her portrait fliould be marked with that melancholy forrow fo ten- derly interefting. ( 82 ) Though now this grained face of mine be hid In fap-confuming winter's drizzled fnow, And all the conduits of my blood froze up; "Vet hath my night of life fome memory, My wafting lamps fome fading glimmer left. My dull deaf ears a little ufe to hear : All thefe old witnefles (I cannot err) Tell me thou art my fon Antipholis. E. Ant. I never faw my father in my life. jEgeon. But feven years fince, in Syracufa, boy, Thou knoweft, we parted : but perhaps, my fon. Thou lliam'ft to acknowledge me in luifery. * What high pleafure (hould we receive la feeing this page ornamented by that artift vvliofe genius fo highly compHmented the late Dr. Goldfmith in producing Rejigtwtion — from which is taken a print, of fcarcity, and of •uncommon merit. Tail-Piece Wfi have now the choice of two fubjecls for the conclufion of this play. Either a half-length figure of t\\t faffron-fac^ d pinch — or,, a view of the dankijli vault, in which Ani'ipholh and Dromio are confined. If we are to have the figure of Pinch, it will be no intrufion on the rights of Romeo's Apothecary — for though their figures may be fome- what * Was it not for introducing this fame Antipholis, fo vciy foon again, we might draw him to great advantage in page 203, when he fays : Oh, train mc not, fweet mermaid, with thy note. V 83 ) what fimilar (fliarp mifery having worn them both to the bone) — yet, we fliall find ourfelves more interefled with the poor Apothecary, and fhall therefore wifh his figure may not be omitted in Meffrs. Boydells edition. It is not probable that any edition upon fo grand a fcale, and fimilar to Meffrs. Boydells, will ever again make its appearance. If" this edition is to have one error then, it fliould be that of having too manv engra- vings, rather than too few. It was the extreme poverty, and nut the will of the Apothecary^ that confented to mix the potent poilon — aiul though the circumftances of Mr. Pinch may not be in a very affluent and flourifliing flate — yet we view him with eyes very different from the forlorn Apothecary. The latter we (hould have given a dinner to — (to have gotten him intoflefh) — but I am afraid Finch mufl have paid for his dinner at fbme alehoufe in Ephefus. A look of c/cjeffeii poverty mufl be given to the Apothecary — but to the other, T^parp- looking one of villainy. The delcription of him in p. 240 will caufe his appearance to be that, of a thing dead man; and if the engraving is a coloured one, it might add an eftccl to his drefs. If the above (hould be rejected (for I do not think it a very great ac- quifition), we may then (unlefs the defigns offered in p. 179, and p. 203 are preferred) fix on the appearance which AntiphoUs and Dromio exhibit in the vault. They are bound it feems together ; and the mafler may be very bufily gnawing with his teeth — whilfl his man, whofe humour ne- ver forfakes him, (as we may fee in p. 229) may exhibit fome droll cha- ra6lerifiic look — and Pinch may be feen peeping through an iron grate to view his patients. There is a figureof P/«C/6 in Hanmer's edition, but it is not worth while to refer to it.* A LIST of fuch Prints taken from this play, as I have feen. Thofe I have not feen, are printed ,5n Italics. 1. Bell's two editions. 2. Hanmer, 3. Theobald. 4. Rowe. 5. A cut in an edit, in 8 vol. 8vo, printed for Tonfon, in 1735. 6. Pope. 7. Lo-,x;ndes, %. Taylor. M 2 TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, Or felt great Shakefpeare's pow'rs controul Each various movement of the foul. From pity's fource compel the tear, Or chill my throbbing breaft with fear, Tranfport me through the yielding air. And place me how he would, and where. Keate Vignette. For this department might be engraved afac-fmiile of the entire Vignette title page, pre- fixed to the tenth volume of Lowndes's Englilh Theatre. This print contains the figure of the tragic mufe, attended by the child of anguilh, and the child of grief i and underneath is pictured the burning of Troy. ( 87 ) Head-piece to the Prologue. Now expeftati'on, tickling fkittifh fpirits. On one and other iide, Trojan and Greek f. Sets all on hazard : — The above lines ought not to be paffed over, without affixing an en- graving correfpondent to them. The un-affuming lines immediately fol- lowing them, will be an inducement to an artiftto accompany the above, with every mark of grateful efteem. The moft proper defign then might be — a half-length portrait of a gal- lant youth — one, whofe fpirit lifts him from the earth. He may be drawn as at the moment of his youthful breaft, catching the flame of glorious war, and wifhing to plunge into the approaching battle. He fhould have fomething of the wild young Ha?'rji Piercy in him — and that foftened glow of the lumen purpiireum juventa-, which we fee in the late Mr. Hone's Spartan Boy, fhould be animated v/ith the quick and proud fire of ardent youth. His drefs may be either 'T'rojan or Grecian — or perhaps a fancy drefs, well chofen, with a waving feather in his cap, may be more pleafing. His young hand may be grafping afword. Head-piece. TviOVKis Helen is a charadler immortalized by Homer:* the charm of whofe poefy intercedes fo much in her behalf, as to make us forget even her • The phihfophy of portrait painting, could fcarM produce a more divine portrait, than what the lines in which Homer s Helen joins the lamentation over HeiSor, raig^ht give rife to, in the breaft of that Engiiili . ( ^^ ) her frailties and vices ; yet flie appears only in one fcene of this play, and that fcene is notfufficiently interefting to be the fubjed of an engraving. Her name however caufing a very, interefting fcene in the fecond adl ; and her ^f<?«^K fuff^niigJitt^e ^'"^^i""tion from the p.en of Shakefpeare (parti- cularly at p. ^S and 58) it would beunjuftnot to adorn one of his pa- o-es with the portrait of this frail fair. It may ferve as the Head piece ; and thefc lines may be engraved under it : She is a pearl, Wliofe pi ice hatli launched aliove a tboufand fhips, And turu'd crown'd kings to merchants. A necefl'ary queftion then now arifes — how are we to obtain an original piclureof, or a real view of Hckns features ? The Grecian artifts drew her, and particularly Zeuxis* — tho' from his placing before him no lefs than five of the mofl: beautiful naked girls in Greece, in order to compofe his figure from a feledtion of fuch parts from each of them as approached neareftto perfedion, we find his Helen (though of perfed beauty) was but an imaginary one.-f As an original picture ofthis daughter of L^i/^, will certainly never be landed at the cuftom-houfe — (nor undergo the fate which even Rafaelle and Guido are not exempt from — that of being mea- fured Uke tanner's hides, and paying fo much per yard for being permit- ted to land in this country) wemtift therefore refort to thofe imaginary ones, which the ingenuity of fucceeding artifts (ancient or modern) has given us. As I have not feen many paintings or prints of Helen, I will not Engli(h artlft, ivhofe tajie (we are told) and imagination an incxhaujiilh. The/oitl alone (fays Whj- kelman) can imprint upon the body, the charafter and expreffion of truth. * With Zeuxls' Helen, thy Bridgewater vie. And thefc be fung, till Granville's Myra die. Pope. •f NicoMACHUs paffed an hour or two every day with the Helen of Zeuxis, and on hearing a perfon find fault with the compofition of that famous picture, " Take my eyes," faid he, " and you will think her a goddefs." mot •prerame'to feleffc'Oiie ; 'but muft refer it to thofe :more tGonveiTant m the books of antiquity, and who have feen a greater variety.* In a let- ter of Rafaelle, to his friend CaftigHone, concerning a Galatea he had painted for him, he fays — " to paint a beauty, 1 ought to fee many beau- ties, oncondition you were with me to choofe tlie beft ; but there being at this time afcarcity both of good judges and fine women, I make ufe •of a certain divine form or idea which prefents itfelf to my imagination." One part of this letter, (reprefenting the fcarcity) will not hold good when applied to England — rand unlefs the Englifh artift wlfhes to follow the example d Zeuxis: he muft (if he wiilies to form a portrait af HeleTi)^ make ufe af a certain divine form or idea, which may prefent it- felf to his imagination. We have aflurance however of one part of He- lens beauty — for Mr. Felibien fays : *' outre que la blancheur et la deli- ;catefle du cou leur eft tres reeommendable, it leur fied bien quand il eft un peu long. Helene I'avoit de la forte ; et c'eft pourquoi on a dit aflez plaifamment, que I'oa voyoit bien qu'elle etoit fille d'un Cigne." Scene "* P<z/«;»^j.— L'Enlevement d' Heie^ par Paris ; par G. Hoet ; being No, So, in the catalogue of the grand fale of Le Comte d'Elz's piftures, at Mayence, in the fummer of 1785. The departure of Helen with Paris, by Guldo, at Stourhead. Paris and HeleK, by L'Araife, in the colleftion of the late Sir G. Page. The celebrated rape of Helen, by Guide, is one of the fine piftures In the magnificent gallery of 1' hotel de Touloufe, at Paris. The rape oi Helen, by V. de Caftro ; being No. 80, in the catalogue of Mr. Timmernan's pidu res, fold by Greenwood, in 1785. The interview of Helen and Paris, after his combat with Menelaus, by Dance; exhibited at Somerfet-houfe in 1770. Zeuxis painting a pifture for the Agrigentines, of a naked Helen, by Solemene ; in the colieiTtion of the Duke • of Devonfliire. From this piflure Mr. Boydell publifhed a print. Pr/«/i.— The flight of Paris and Helen, by Kaufman, The carrying off /ff/r«, h. fli. by Marc Antonio, from after Raphael. The Rape of Helen, a fmall plate, copied from this laft print by Jac. •Grandhomme, The carrying off Helen, a. fli. etching by A. Schiavone, from after bis own defign. Statues, Gems, fe'r. — In the 33d. chap. ofPaufanias, mention is made of a figure of Helen, by Phidias, Among Taffie's Gems, are three of Paris and Helen. In the catalogue of Mr. Wedgwood's manufac- tory, is a head of Helefi* C 9^ ) Scene-Prints. There is nofcene in this play where we can well reprefent Troi/us and CreJJida too"ether. For though he interefts us in almoft every fcene — yet the jilt CreJJida does not appear to equal advantage.* The fcenes where we Ihould have mofl wilhed to fee them painted together, would have been at p. 103 — p. 109 — p. no — where he fpeaks thefe two lines : We two that with fo may thoufand figbs Did buy each other Or at page 113, when he fays : Entreat her fair : and, by my foul, fair Greek, If e'er thou ftand at mercy of my fword, Name Crcffid, and thy life fliall be as fafc As Priam is at Ilion. But unfortunately in each of thefe fcenes, fhe Is too unlnterefting to appear with 'Troilus. As we are deprived then of feeing them together; we cannot do juftice to 'troilus without giving two portraits (at the leaflj of him, under the different pafTions in which he appears in the courfe of this play. The 76th page then, will furnifh us with the firfl portrait of Troj/us : as the lines he there fpeaks are very beautiful. It may be a rich raetzo- tinto. • Sbi fpeaks a few good lines at page 84— but thsy could cot well be drawn here together, is the Hou which Trtilui fpeaks immediately preceding themj are aot wonh aa eDgraviog. ( 91 ) tlnto. The drefs of this prince In Gravelot's print to Theobald, Is much fuperlor to the cumberfome trappings in Bell's firfl: edition — and though the bare arms In the former print, might not be pleafing in a portrait — yet, the melancholy luftre which fuch a comparlfon as ajlrangefoul upon the Stygian banksjiaying for waftage mufl: throw o'er his countenance, will fuffer the eye to dwell on no other part. Page 103, would have offered a pleafing portrait of him, had the lines above referred to, been lefs beau- tiful* Page 1 25. There Is fomething fo pleafing In the embracement of thefe noble chiefs, that we may ornament this page, with the half-length figures of the old Nejlor, HeSlor, and Aeneas. This lafl perfonage Is by no means interefting in this playf — unlefs Indeed In this prefent page, where the N 2 words « It may be much better to give no reprefentatlon of CrcJJida at all. For though flie might have been drawn tolerably well from pnge 8r, page 84, or page 107 — yet, as wc, on viewing her portrait, muft well know, that.all the generous fentiments flie there breathes, quickly vanijhed into air : we can- not be much interefled in her appearance. The bcft that can be faid of her, is, that her wanton fpirits look out At every joint and motive of her body. f Shakespeare's favourite charaifler is certainly Ulj/Jfes. The lines he fpeaks at page 92, are to* true — but (as AkenJide fays :) He walk'd in every path of human life. Felt every paffion. There is fine fancy in the fpeech of Nefior, at page 28— it is indeed worthy of the poet. ( r- ) words he there fpeaks, though few, are beautiful— and we may therefore reprefent hlui, as mildly fmiiing at the generous warriors. They may be drawn as at the moment of Nejlors faying : Let an old man embrace thee. The drefs of Nejlor may be partly gathered from paflages in the Iliad. The leopards /potted hide^ might have a good effedl if gracefully thrown over his Ihoulder ; and the lines I have fubjoined in the note, will give an artift a pleafing idea of the man.* The drefs of HeSior and of Aeneas^ may be chofen from the remains of antiquity ; t and the lines of Shakefpeare in this page, will be the beft guide to the artifl's pencil. Page 150, * To calm their paffion with the words of age, Slow from his feut arofe the Pylian fage, Esperienc'd Xeftor, in perfuafion ikill'd, > Words fweet as Honey from his lips diitill'd ; Two generations now had pafs'd away, Wife by his rules, and happy by his fway ; Two ages o'er his native realm he reign'd. And now th' example of the third remain'd. All view'd with awe the venerable man : Who thus with mild benevolence began.—* Iliad. Book i* ■f Potter's Grecian Antiquities may be confulted. See the graceful figure of PanJarus, In Grave- lot's print to Theobald. For the error of HeHor's face hnnghck'J injleel, fee the note of Mr, Stevens, in page 38. The drefs in Cyprlani's fine print of the departure of ifyj!?tfr, will prevent mc referring to more prints ; or to the catalogue of Taffie's Gems, or Mr. Wedgwood's manufadory. I riN-D in the Iliad, fome few lines fo applicable to our prefent purpofe, that I cannot forbear estra(5l« ing them. The^chiefly refpc(5l the drefs of Hc^er— Now rufliing in, the furious chief appears, ; Gloomy as night ! and fliakes two fhining fpears. E. 12. •Beneath his gloomy broWj Like fiery meteors his red-eye balls glow ; The ( n ) Page 150. Mr. Mortimer has given us a portrait of Cajfandra, of much merit. ■He has drawn her, as exclaiming thefe lines from p. 56 : — Cry, Trojans cry ! praftife your eyes with tears ! Troy muft not be, nor goodly Ilion ftand. But as this prophetefs in a fubfequent fcene (in p. 150), utters ftrains of higher divination, and poffefles a more frenzied and prophetle enthu- fiafm ; and as this very print of iVIr. Mortimer's will be equally expreffive for this laft page : (the uplifted finger and the wild frenzy of the eye being perfeftly fulted to the fcene alluded to) — I cannot but take the li- berty (with deference to Mortimer's memory) of fubflltuting in the flead The radiant helmet on his temples burns, Waves when he nods, and lightens as he turns. B, 15. ■' — . The filence HeUor broke ; His dreadful plumage nodded as he fpoke. How loft is all that formidable air ; The face divine, and long defcending hair Purple the ground.— B. 22. B. 22. It is cruel to mangle Homer thus : but no artift will ever think of drawing HtHor, without peruf- ing his whole hiftory throughout the whole Iliad, ( 94 ) {lead of the above lines, that which follows — it is taken from p. 1 50 — and this print of Cajandra will then beautifully ornament this propofed page :— • Hark, how Troy roars ! — * Tail-piece. There are three paffages in the remaining part of this play, that would each of them furnifh a good portrait of the bold, but defperate Iroilus — either at p. 145 — at p. 158: I reck not, though I end my life to day— Or, at p. 164, at the words : _ ■ jf Strike a free march to Troy ! — with comfort go, Hope of revenge fliall hide our inward woe. But on confidering each paflage — this animated character may perhaps be drawn to equal advantage in page 145. The point I could wifli him drawn from, would be at the moment of thefe fpirited lines : Diomed, Stand faft, and wear a caftle on thy head ! He * At Wilton houfe, is a buffo of CafanJra, in white marble. In the above print, fliould not part of the upper row of teeth have been vifible, and the under row concealed ? — I HAVE feen a picture by Mr. Mortimer (hung up in his parlour) which may be termed an offering to Shakefpeare. If my memory does not fail me, it reprefented himfelf and a young family in a garden or grove, viewing or ornamenting with flowers, the poet's buft. a ( 95 ) He Is in this fcene, diftrafted with various paffions — with the defpe- rate frenzy of an agitated mind — with grief, at the perfidy of his mif- trefs (for never did young man fancy with fo eternal and Jo fix" d a foul)— -zw^ with rage and honourable revenge on the detefted D'lomed — whom he is foon to view in the field, tauntingly bearing on his helm that fleeve which is to grieve his fpirit. Rage and defpair rekindle now his injured fpirit, and with his fword brandifhed in the air (and all the courage of the crook-back'd Richard) he is rufhing to the field.* Should the line of: — were it a cafque compofed by Vulcari s Jhill, be pre- ferred to thofe I have quoted ; it would then be proper to give him lefs rage and wild revenge in his countenance — and to introduce partly in their flead, more of a determined and folemn refolution. This refolution of Troilus is fomewhat fimilar to that of Macduff whtn (after the murder of his wife and all his pretty ones) he wifhes to meet the fiend of Scotland front to front.f * JoNSON tranflated the antients, Shakefpeare transfufed their very feul into his writings. Walpole's Anecdotes v. 3. p. 271, 8vo. edit. ■j- A LIST of fuch Prints as have been publiflitd dire£ily from this play of Shakefpeare's. Thofe I have not feen, are printed in Italics. 1. Bell's two editions. 2. Hanmer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rowe. 5. A cut by Fouidrinier, to an edition, in 8 vol. 8vo. printed for Tonfon, 1735. 6. Mortimer's CalTandrai 7. Pope, 8. Loviindes, 9. Taylor, MIDSUMMER NIGHT's DREAM. The poet's eye, In a fine frenzy rolling. Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven ; And, as imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Turns them to Ihapes, and gives to airy nothing A local habitation, and a name. Vignette. In page 78, 1 have taken the liberty of hinting at one artift designing the portraits of Helena and Hermia. And there could not be a more pleafing Vignette (nor a more fweet portrait of infantine fondnefs) than vrhat the fame artift would form of the fame perfons, at a different age from what they will appear at, in page 78, viz. at their age of chi/Mood-i>f nocence, or at that early period, when with their needles they created both one flower, both on one fampler, - ■ fitting on one cnjhion \ Both warbling of one fong, botli in one key.— The fame artift is as capable of painting the tender lovelinefs of innocence, as of producing afublimeand moft expreffivc portrait from the lines of; The poet' t eye,-^ ( 99 ) Head- piece, A Fac-fimile of M. de Loutherbourg's Vignette print to Bell's Lift edition, might be given for this department. Should not the mry fpi~ W/i however, have had lefs of mortal gi-offrufs about them? — P«f/& is ra- ther too fat to gofivifter than the 'wind. Scene-Prints. True love was never better painted than by Shakefpeare. What has been applied to Euripedes, may well apply to our poet: He fteep'd in tears the piteous lines he wrote, The tendereft bard that e'er impaffion'd fong. Some of the interviews of HennJa and Lyfander are tenderly intereft- ing. And it requires an artift of the feeling foul of Cypriani to exprefs the tender defigns which Shakefpeare has left vis.* I will firft mention the feveral pages from which (\n my opinion) Het' mia might be drawn to mofl advantage, and I will then recommend fuch O 7, few * Dr. Armstrong tells us, that Tome French Abhe has fomewherc aflerted, that Shakefpeare uV derftood every paffion but love. ( 100 ) few of them, as ftrike me, as being moll proper to be {elected from the reft, for the purpofe of ornamenting fome of the pages with her por- trait. p. 7. So will I grow, fo live, fo die, my lord— Ere I v/ill yield my virgin patent up Unto his lordfhip, to wrhofe unwifh'd yoke | My foul confents not to give fovereignty. p. 9. Lyf. How nowr my love ? Why is your cheek fo pale ? How chance the rofcs there do fade fo faft ? p. Her. My good Lyfander f I fwear to thee by Cupid's ftrongeft bow, * p. 15. Andin the woed, where often you and I Upon faint primrofe beds were wont to lie, Emptying our bofoms of their counfels fweet.— Or, at the fubfequent line of: Farewell fweet play-fellow. p. 52. Lyf, One turf fhallferve as pillow for us both. One heart, one bed, two bofoms, and one troth. Or, at the lines almoft immediately following of: Lyf. O, take the fenfe, fweet of my innocence ; Love takes the meaning, in love's conference. J mean that my heart unto yours is knit ; So that but one heart can you make of it : Two bofoms interchaLniCd with an oath. — * The reader will be much pleafed by looking at page 42* of Heath's Revifal j at well as at page ;te7i vol. I, of the laA edition of Dod's Beauties. i lOI ) p. 78. Is all the counfel that we two hare fhar'd, The lifter's vows , &c. Those pathetic touches of nature which are given in all the above fcenes with Hermia, render it impoflible to determine, which of them would furnifli to an artift the beft defigns. Were I to fele£l, I would give the folk)v/ing portraits of her : p. 7. So will I grow— A portrait from thefe lines, with fomewhat of the fame kind of fweet expreffion which is in the print of Mrs. Barry in Conjlance, in Bell's firft edition of King John. The arms and the attitude will be of courfe fome- what altered : expreflive of her addreffing herfelf to heaven, as well as to the Duke ; and there fliould be imprinted in her face, the marks of that generous love, that prompted her to rilk all for Lyfander — and of that firm attachment to him, who had bewitched her bofom, and who had JloPn the imprejjion of her fantafy with bracelets of his hair, and other mef- fengers of ftrong prevailment in unharden d youth. Somewhat of the fame attitude might be given that we fee in No. 108, and No. 201, of the Eftampes de Dufl'eldorf. p. 9. How now my love ? Why is your cheek fo pale ? How chance the rofes there do fadefo faft. The above lines will give an opportunity of introducing 'Lyfander with Hermia. They may be drawn at half-length — or their portraits only may be taken. And this page will exhibit Hermia in a very different light from what fhe appears in, in the lafl page ; and fomewhat different from what fhe will appear in, at p. 52. Her appearance may be fomewhat iimilar to that of Helena, as defcribed in A. 3, Sc. 6 — r, loa ) And Helena of Athens fee tliou find. All f';incy fick Hie is, and pale of cheer, With fighs of love that coft the frefh blood dear. p. 52. Lj/f. One turf Hiall ferve, &:c.— Or, at that tender line of: I mean that my heart unto yours is kiut. If fomewhat of the fame neat wildiiefs of romantic fcenery, and the fame khidof engraving were hitroduced, as appears hi the beautiful prints of CeliiJ, by Kauffman, and oi Marcella by Shelley: the above page might be pleafingly ornamented with half-lengths of Lyfander and Hennia as met in the wood, a league without the town, where he met her once with Helena to do obfervance to the morn of May ; and the time they meet (a mld- fummer's night) is at that time, when Pha-he doth behold Her filver vifagc in the vvatry glafs, ]3ecking with liquid pearl the bladed grafs. The drefs of H^rw/^ in Bell's laft edition, may be looked at ; and the landfcape in this print is far from unpleafuig. Pa ge 50- and fome keep back The clamourous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders At our quaint fpirits. This play is only the dream of a fummer's night — but it is a dream in which Shakefpeare has mofi: pleafingly indulged his vifionary fancy and wild imagination. It was no doubt the produftion of thofe years " in which imagination is on the wing," and it ib indeed the fi.ne enthufiafm of age- ( I03 ) a genuine chfld of fancy and of genius. The magic of his mufe has bo- died forth things unknown, and he has trans fufed a portion of that divine fpirit which nature gave him, to airy nothings — to whom he has given a charm that will never fade. The fairies have been very properly termed thefa'Oourite children of his romantic fancy — many of his defcriptions of them are wonderfully fanciful ; and their pleafing fportfulnefs and mirthful de- lufoHs, were never recorded by a pen like Shakefpeare's. He was (to life Mr. Garrick's words) the monarch of the enchanted land: and What mortal, fprite, or fairy can deny To fing their mailer's immortality. G. S. Carey. The genius of Collins aflembled them round the tomb of h'lr Fidele — and they may well afiemble to do homage round that of their fo potent mafler : — No wither'd witch fhall there be feen. No goblin lead their nightly crew ; But female fays fliall haunt the green And drefs thy grave with pearly dew.* Mr. * The fairies by moon-ligbf, dance round his green bed, Por hallow'd the turf is, that covers his head. Garrick's Ode, yhett Is a pleafing thought in the following lines of Mr. Holcroft.— Clad in the wealthy robes his genius wrought In happy dreams was gentle Shakefpeare laid ; His picas'd foul wandering through the realms of thought. While all his elves and fairies round him play'd : Voltaire approach'd; ftraight fled the frolic band, (For envy's breath fuch fprights may not endure) He pilfer'd many a gem, with trembling hand, Then IlabbM the bard to make the theft fecure ! Uno-rateful ( 104 ) Mrs. Montagu, in her chapter on the preternatural Beings of Shakef- peare, has honourably dlftinguifhed and defended the fupremc power which he pofleffed over the fairy land ; and the prefent Bifhop of Wor- cefler, in his letters on chivalry and romance, has not been lefs anxious in adorning the poet's memory, by treating in a very delightful manner on the cajl of Shake/pear e^s magic — or on his prediledlion for the popular tales of elves and fairies and other enchantments of the gothic kind (in preference to pagan divinities) : the allujion of which is fo grateful to the charmed fpirit,* If Ungrateful man ! though vain thy black defign, The attempt, and not the deed, thy hand defil'd ; Preferv'd by his own charms, aud fpells divine. Safely the gentle Shakefpeare flept, and linil'd I * An anonymous female writer, has very pleaCngly thanked Mrs. Montague for being the advo» eate of Shakefpeare. I will extradl part of the lines : Fair blooms the wreath thy generous hand has wove. With laurels green thou deck'll thy Shakefpeare's head. Immortal genius doth the tafk approve. And bids his poet's glories round thee fpread. O ! could his fliade, where peace, where wifdom reigns, Thy nervous page behold, with wond^^r fraught, E'en there the bard would blefs thy friendly drains, And own his magic felt, his genius caught. There would he wifii, (if there a wifhcan be) Whene'er his Montagu from earth retires. Her form on thofe feraphic realms to fee. And tell the gratitude his bofom fires. lit, Sheridan has Hkewife paid her the following compliment : Our hearts are pledg'd to Montagu's applaufe, While Shakefpeare's fpirit feems to aid her caufe- Well ( '^5 ) If I am to propofe a reprefentatlon or drawing of thefe ideal beings, -I am afraid no pencil will ever equal the paintings that Shakefpeare has given of them — and with refpect to their perfons I muft confefs myfelf rather Well pleas'd to aid : fince o'er his facred bier This female hand did ample trophies rear, And gave the greeneft laurel that is worfliip'd there. '.I will extrafl a few pafTages from Mrs. Montagu's Eflay ; as well as from fome other writers, who .Tiave teftified the excellence of our poet on the fubject of preternatural beings.— The poet, who can give to fplertdid inventions, and to fictions new and bold, the^ir and authority X)f reality and truth, is mafter of the genuine fources of the Caftalian fpring, and may juiily be faid to draw his infpiration from the ivcll-fjeaJ of pure poe/~y. Page 135. When the Pagan temples ceafed to be revered, and the Parnajp.an mount exifted no longer, it would have been difficult for the poet of later times to have prefervcd the divinity of his mufe inviolate, if the wefiern world too had not had its facred fables. While there is any national fuperftition which credu- lity has confccrated, any hallowed tradition long revered by vulgar faith ; to that fan(ftuary, that afylum, may the poet refort. — Let him tread the holy ground with reverence ; refpeft the ellabliflied do<5lrine ; exactly cbferve the accuftomed rites, and the attributes of the obje(5l of veneration ; then fliall he not vainly invoke an inexorable or abfent deit)-. Ghofls, fairies, goblins, elves, -were as propitious, were as afliftant, to Shakefpeare, and gave as much of the fubJime, and of the marvelous, to his fictions, as nymphs, fatyrs, fawns, and even the triple Geryon, to the works of ancient bards. Our. poet never carries his preternatural beings beyond the limits of the popular tradition. It is true, that he boldly exerts his poetic genius, and fafcinating powers in that magic circle, in ix-hkh none Jurft. <u;alk but he: but, as judicious as bold, he contains himfelf within it. He calls up all the flatcly phantoms in the regions of fuperftition, which our faith will receive with reverence. He throws into their man- ners and language a myCerious folemnky, favourable to fuperftition in general, with fomething high- ly charafteriftic of each particular being which he exhibits. His witches, his ghofts, and his fairies, ictmfpirits of health or goblins damiid ; bring ii'ith them airs from Heaven or blafsfiom Htll. His ghofts are fullen, melancholy, and terrible. Every fentence, uttered by the witches, is a prophecy, or a charm ; their manners are malignant, their phrafcs ambiguous, their promifcs delufive.— The witches cauldron is a horrid collection of what is moft horrid in their fuppofed incantations. Arid is a fpirit, mild, gentle and fweet, pofleffed of fupernatural powers, but fubjeift to tiie command •of a great magician. Tre P ( 10(5 y. rather at a lofs In defcribing them — and fhall therefore only pomt out what has been occafionally hinted at, or conjedtured, ia refpe^ to their appearance, or modes of life. — Bourne,, The fairies are fportrve and gay ; the innocent artificers of harmlefs frauds, and mirthful delufions, . Puck's enumeration of the feats of a fairy, is the moft agreable recital of their fuppofed gambols. - Page J 36. After the confecrated groves were cvt down, and the temples demolifhed, the tales that fprung from thence were ftill preferved with religious reverence in the minds of the people. The poet found himfelf happily fituated amidft enchantments, ghofts, goblins ; every element fup- pofed the refidence of a kind of deity : the genius of the mountain, the fpirit of the floods, the oak. •■ endued with facred prophecy, made men walk abroad with a fearful apprehenfton, . Of powers unfeen, and mightier far than they. On the mountains, and in the woods, flalked the angry fpeftre ; and in the gayeft and-moft pleafmjf , fcenes, even within the cheerful haunts of men, amongft villages and farms, Tripp'd the light fairies and the dapper elves. The reader will eafily perceive what refources remained for the poet in this vifionary land of ideal forms. The general fcenery of nature, conf.dered as inanimate, only adorns the dcfcriptlve part of. poetry ; but being, according to the Celtic traditions, animated by a kind of intelligences, the bard could better make ufe of them forhis mtfral purpofes. That awe of the immediate prefence of the deity, . which, among the reft of the vulgar, is confined to temples and altars, was here diffused over every cbjeift. They pafled trembling through the woods, and over the mountain, and by the lakes, inhabited ; by thefe invifible powers ; fuch apprehenfions muft indeed ^ Deepen the murmur of the falling floods - And ilied a browner horror on the woods ; give fearful accents to every whlfper of the animate or inanimate creation, and arm every fliadow with terrors. Page 144, Shakespeare had fojuft a tafie that he never introduced any preternatural character on the ftage, that did not alTift in theconduft of the drama. Indeed he had fuch a prodigious force of talents, he could mak* every being his fancy created, fubfervient to his defigns. The uncouth ungainly monfter, Calibaa ( *o7 ) Bourne, in Ills Antiquities of the common People, tells us, that '^' T^hey 2irealw!Lys clad in green, and frequent the woods and fields; when ■they make cakes (which is a work they have been often heard at) they are Caliban, is fo fubjefl to his genius, as to affill in bringing things to the nropofed end, and perfeiflion. And the light fairies, iveak majlcrs though they he, even in their vvautou gambols, and idle fports, per- form great talks by his fo potent art. Page 16^. Shakespeare, from his low education, had believed and felt all the horrors he painted; for though the univei Gtits and inns of court, were in fome degree freed from thefe dreams of fuperftition, the bank! .ot the Avert were then haunted on every fide- There tript with printlefs foot the elves of hills, Brooks, caves, and groves ; there forcery bedimn'd The noon-tide fun, call'd forth the mutinous winds, And 'twixt the green fea, and the azur'd vault Set roaring war.— So that Shakefpeare can fcarce be faid to create a new world in his magic : he went but-back ^0 hi$ tiative country, and only drefs'd their goblins in poetic weeds. — The Editors of B. and Fletcher's works. The good fenfe of Shakefpeare, or perhaps the felicity of his genius was admirable; infteadofthc deep tragic air of TafTo, and his continuance of the paftoral ftrain even to fatiety, he only made ufe of thefe playful images to enrich his comic fcenes. He faw that pafloral fubjeds were unfit to bear a tragic diftrefs. To make up iuyar/r/zc, what was wanting in />a^ff«, he hath with great judgment adopted the popular fyflem of fairies — which, while it fo naturally fupplies the place of the old fylvaa theology, gives a wildnefs to this fort of paftoral painting, which is perfe£ily_inimitable. Hurd's Horace. It is true another poet, who poflefled a grcatpart of Shahefpeare's genius, and all Johnfon's learn- ing, has carried this courtly entertainment (ofMalks) toils laft perfeiSlon ; but the " Malk at Lud- low Caftle," was in fomemcafure owing to the Fairy fcenes of his predeceflbr, who chofe this province of tradition ; not only as moll fuitable to the wildnefs of his vafl creative imagination, but as the fafefl far his unlettered mufe to walk in. Kurd's HoKACE. P z Ta» ( io8 ) are very noify ; and when they have done, they are full of mirth and paftime. But generally they dance in moonlight when mortals are afleep, and not capable of feeing them, as may be obfcrved on the fol- lowing The Fairy land is Shakefpcare's own ; he gives charafters that never had exiftence, and defcribes afllons it is impoffible for mortals to fee ; yet his dcfcriptions are fo forcible, that while we knovA wc are deceived by the poet, we almofl incline to think, that we are inftru6lcd by the hiftorian. ^loRNiNG Herald; Our forefathers looked upon nature with more reverence and. horror, before the world was enlight- ened by learning and philofophy, and loved to aftonifli themfclves with the apprehenfions of witch- craft, prodigies, charms and inchantments. There was not a village in Er/j^ltznii that had not a ghoil in it, the church-yards were all haunted, every large common had a circle of fairies belonging to it, and there was fcarce a lliepherd to be mot with who had not fcen a fpirit. Among all the poets of this kind, our Enj^lijh are much the bed:,, by what I have yet feen ; whe- - ther it be that we abound with more ftories of this nature, or that the genius of our country is fitter for this fort of poetry. For the EngUJl.> arc naturally fanciful, and very often difpofed by that gloomi- - nefs and melancholy of temper, which is fo frequent in our nation, to many wild notions and viiions, to which others are not fo liable. Among the KngVJJ?, Sbaiefpcare has incomparably excelled all others. That noble extravagance »f fancy, which he had in fo great pcrfeftion, thoroughly qualified him to touch this weak fuperllitious part of his reader's imagination ; and made liira capable of fucceeding, where he had nothing to fupport him befides the flrength of his own genius. There is fomething fo wild and ye^ fo folemn in the fpeeches of his ghofts, fairies, witches and the like imaginary peifons, that we cannot forbear thinking them natural, tho' we have no rule by which to judge of them, and mufi: confefs, if there are fuch beings in the world, it looks highly probable they fliould talk and aft as he has reprefented them. Spectator, No. 419. 1\\z TempeJI isi&xht Midfi/mmer Nights Dream, are the noblert efforts of that fublime and ama- zing imagination of Shakefpeare, which foars above the bounds of nature, without forfaking fenfc, or more properly, carries nature along with him beyond her eftablifhed limits. Fletcher feems parti- cularly to have admired thefe two plays, and hath wrote two in imitation of them, The Sea Voyage, and The Faithful Shcpherdcfs After him, Sir John Suckling and Milton catchcd the brightcft fire of their imagination from thefe two plays ; which fliines fantaftically in The GobiinSy but much more nobly and ferencly in The Mnfijue at Ludlow Cajlk. Warburton. Thrice I 109 ) lowing morn ; their dancing places being very diftlnguifhable. For as they dance hand in hand, and fo make a circle in their dance, fo next day tliere will be feen rings and circles on the grafs." Mr. Thrice happy the nation that Shakefpeare has charm'J,. More happy the bofom his genius has warm'd ; Ye children of nature, of fafliioii and whim. He painted you all — all join to praif? him. From higheft to lowefr, from old to the young, - All dates and conditions by him have been fung, All paffions and himiours were rais'd by his pen, He could foar with the eagle and fing with the wren» To praife him, ye fairies and genii repair, He knew where ye haunted — in earth or in air; No phantom fo fubtle could glide from his view. The wings of his fancy were fwifter than you. Garrick; Take from that original genius of our own country, the popular belief in his ghofts and hobgob- lins, his light fairies and his dapper elves, with other fanciful perfonages of the gothic mythology— and you fap the true foundation of fome of the moft beautiful fidions that ever poet's imagination pro- duced. Wood's Essay on Homer.- Next Shakefpeare fat, irregularly great,' And in his hand a magic rod did hold. Which vifionary beings did create, And turn the fouleft drofs to pureftgold : Whatever fpirits rove in earth or air, Or bad or good, obey his diead command j To his behefts thefc willingly repair, Thofe aw'd by terrors of his hragic wand, The which not all their pow'rs united might withftand. Befide the bard there flood a beauteous maid, Whofe glittering appearance dimm'd the eyen ; Her thin-wrought vefture various tints difplay'd, Fancy her name, yfprong of race divine j Hei- 1 ( no ) Mr. Ste-evens, in a note, on the line oi\ for the third part of a m'mufe,f fays : *' The perfons employed ^ve fairies, to whom the third part of a mi- nute might not be a very (hort time to do fuch work in. The critick .might ■■Her mantle wimpled low, her filkeii hair, f Which loofe adown her well-turn'd flioulders ftray'dj She made a net to catch the wanton air, Whofe love-fick breezes all around her play'd. And feem'd in whifpers foft to court the heav'nly nxaid., And ever and anon flie wav'd in air, A fecptre, fraught with all-creative pow'r: She wav'd it round : Eftloons there did appear Spirits and witches, forms unknown before : ■* Again file lifts her wonder-working wand ; Eftfoons upon the flowry plain were feen The gay inhabitants of fairic land, And blithe attendants upon Mab their queen Jii myftic circles danc'd along th' enchanted green. On th' other fide flood Nature, goddefs fair ; A matron feem'd file, and of manners ftaid ; Beauteous her form, majeflic was her air, In loofe attire of pureft white array'd : A potent rod flie bore, whofe pow'r was fuch, (As from her darling's works may well be fliewn) That often with it's foul-enchanting touch. She rais'd or joy, orcaus'd the deep-felt groan. And each man's paffions made fubfervient to her own. Lloyd's progress of Envy, See alfo the Tomb of Shakefpearc, a poem by Cooper — Ogilvie's Ode to the genius of Shakefpeare— the Preface to the works of Maffinger — Duff's Critical Obfervations — Shakefpeare's Jubilee, a mafque ■fcy Carey— The Fairies, an opera— a Fairy Tale in two aif^s— and a Midfummer Night's Dream, al- tered ( ni ) might as well have objefted to the epithet tall, which the fairy beftows on the cotvjlip. But Shakefpeare, throughout the play, has preferved the proportion of other things in refpe^t to thefe tiny beings, compared with whofe trredfor Di'ury-lane, 1763 In thefe two laft pieces is infertcd a fong, which cannot be unplealiig; to thofc who admire Shakefpeare's play : Kingcup, daffodil and rofe, Shall the fairy wreath compofe ; Beauty, fweetnefs, and deUght, Crown our revels of the night : Lightly trip it o'er the green Where the Fairy ring is feen ; So no ftep of earthly tread, Shall- offend our Lady's head. • Virtue fometimes droops her wing, . Beauties bee may lofe her iHng ; Fairy land can both combine, Rofes v^iih the eglantine : Lightly be your meafures feen. Deftly footed o'er the green ; Nor a fpeftre's baleful head Peep at our nofturnal tread. If the reader wifhes to perufe more matter on Paries in general, he may confult Brand on Popular Antiquities — Warton on Spnicer — Spencer'3 poem — Profpero's addrefs io the fpirits before he difmiifes them — Mtrcutio's defcription of Queen Mak — The third volume of Piercy's Reliques, where a very agreeable entertainment is prefenteJ — The beautiful Ode to Indifference by Mrs. Greville, which the extreme length of this note alone prevents me from giving at large. It is however, univerfally known, and may be referred to in any coUeftion of poetry. It is fet to mufic in a ftyle worthy of its poetry. NicoU's Poems, v. 5. p. 176, and p. 207 — In book ift. and verfe ;8i of Paradi'.e Lofl, the midnight ■ revels of the fairies are mentioned — and in Comus, Milton thus fpeaks of their Iports ; On the tawny Tinds and fhelves Trip the pert fairies and the dapper elves,- By dimpled brook, and fountain brim, The wood-nymphs deck'c with daifies trim. Their merry wakes and pailimes keep ; - What hath night to do with fleep ? I In ( l^^ ) whofe fize, a cowfllp might be tall, and to whofe powers of execution, a minute might be equivalent to an age,*' Their In the tliird volume of Mr. Warton's Hiftoiy of Englifh Poetry, be has infcrted the following elegant lines, which Browne wrote on Occleve, a difciple of Chaucer. The reader I am fure will forgive me (and will excufe the length of this note) if I fubflitute the name of William Shakefpeare to that of Pccleve : if it were only for the application of the two lall lines : — ISIany times he hath been feene With the faeries on the greene. And to them his pipe did found As they danced in a round ; IMickle folace would they make him. And at midnight often wake hira, And convey him from his roome To a fielde of yellow broome, Or into the mcdowes where Mints perfume the gentle aire, And where Flora fpreads her treafure There they would beginn their rocafure. If it chanc'd night's fable flirowds Muffled Cynthia up in clovvds, Safely home they then would fee hira. And from brakes and quagmires free hinit There are few fuch fwaines as he Now a days for harinonie. 1 will clofe this note, wifh an extraft from Mr. Warton's third volume :— But the reformation had not yet deftroyed c\-ery delufion, nor difinchanted all the ftrong holds of fupcrftition. A few dim characters were yet legible in the mouldering creed of tradition. Every goblin of ignorance did not vanifli at the firft glimmerings of the morning of fcience. Reafon fufFer- ed a few demons flill to linger, which {he chofe to retain in her fervice under the f^uidance of poetry. Men believed, or were willing to believe, that fpirits were yet hovering around, who brought with them ainfrom hetfuen or blaftsfrom hell, that the ghoft was duly releafed from his prifon of torment at the found of the curfew, and that fairies imprinted niyfterious circles on the turf by moon- light. Much of this credulity was even confccrated by the name of fcience and profound fpeculation. Profpero had not yet broken and buried hisjlaff, nor droivtied his book deeper than did ever plummet .J'tUtldi ( 113 ) Their ftature cannot have been very large ; for when jealoufy reign- ed between their king and queen (caufing the nine-mens morris to be filled with mud — the nights to be unblefs'd with hymn or carol — and the pale and angry moon fo to alter the feafbns, that frofts fell in the frefh lap of thecrimfon rofe), the elves for fear, crept into acorn cups, and hid them there. The dainty Ariel flept in a covvflip's bell"-and has hung many a pearl in many a cowflip's ear-'-and will, to the end of time, live merrily under the bloffom that hangs on the bough : for Shakefpeare might have well applied tohimfelf, the laft lines of Ovid : — Jamque opus exegi, &c. And from his virtues and good qualities, he might have enfured to himfelf the bold pafsport of RoufTeau : — ^e la trompette dujiigement dernier fonne qtiand elle voudra ; je 'ciendrai ce livre a la main me pre [enter devant lejouverainjuge. — Thefe fairies mufl: have been formed with pretty elegance, for they hopp'd as light as bird from briar, and fang and danced it trippingly; and Queen Mab (in the fong in Piercy) tells us : Pearly drops of dew we drink, In acorn cups fill'dto the bi'ink. The grafshopper, gnat, and fly. Serve us for our minftrelfie ; Grace faid, we dance awhile, And fo the time beguile : And if the moon doth hide her head, ' The glow-worm lights us home to bed. On tops of dewie grafs. So nimbly do we pafs. The young and tender ftalk Ne'er bends when we do walk ; Yet in the morning may be feen Where we the night before have been. Some attempts have been made to defcribe their perfons. I will give a lift of fuch Prints of them as I have feen ; however badly defigned fome of them may be. — Q. I. The ( lu ) 1. The print by Fourdrinier in Rowe. The landfcape part may be looked at. 2. The print in an edition in 8 vol. printed for Tonfon, in 1735. This is a copy of the above, with fome fmall variations. 3. The print in Theobald, There is fomething pleafing in this defign by Grave- lot. The fleeping attitude of Lyfander is well drawn. 4. Titania is drawn in the print to Bell's firft edition ; and her hair is dreffed like that of a modern raiUiner. 5. See M. de Loutherbourg's vignette to Bell's laft edition. 6. Two figures of Robin Goodfellow, at the end of the third volume of Dr. Pier- cy's Ancient Englilh Poetry. 7. Oberon and Titania, and 8. Oberon and Puck — a pair of fmall oval prints, not worth referring to^ Q. A figure of the delicate fpirit Ariel, may be fcen in Pine's print of the Ode. 10. Anotherfigure of Ariel is in his print of Miranda. 11. A figure of Ariel, is in Hanmer's print to the Tempeft. 12. Another, in Lowndes' edition of the Tempeft. 13. There is a figure of Ariel, in a print of Ferdinand and Miranda, by Harding, publifhed by Macklin. 74. There either is, or was a painting at Vauxhall, of the failles dancing on the green by moonlight. I have not feen it. In the play-bill of the Tempeft at Drury-lane, in 1785,15 in aft 2d. a dance of Jp'irhs ; — and in aft 3d. a dance oi fantqjlic fpirits. They, or fairies, have been introduced on the London theatres, in the Merry Wives of Wliidfor, and have been clad in green, or in w^hite. 1 have not feen the C 115 ) the cuts to Kent's edition of Spencer's poem, nor thofe in tlie edition by Hughes, which laft I have heard have much merit. * The paffages in this play, from whence they might be drawn to mofl advantage, are I think the following : — P. 32. And never fince the middle fumraer's fpring. Or at the affeding line of: No night is now with hymn, or carol bleft : ?. 41. I^ * Since I have written the above, Meffrs. Boydells and Nicols have informed the public, of the Rames of thofe artifts who are to ornament the four firft numbers. A fcene from this play, is to bs defigned by Fufeli, in which will be introduced Titania, Puck, and the Fairies. This information of the fcenes which the different artifts have fixed on, will tend to increafe the anxiety of expedlation — > and perhaps in no inflance more than in the following : Plate III.— Ad III. (A Hall in Macbeth's Caflle. A Banquet. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Rofle, Lenox, &c. — Ghoftof Banquo.) /[vaunt ! and quit vy fight /— Painted by Romney. <• \ Plate IV.— Aa IV. (A Cavern. Cauldron blazing. Macbeth, Hecate, Witches, Shadows of the eight Kings, Banquo, &c. &c.) Horrihk Jight ! — Now I fee 'tis true f For the blood holtcr'd Banquo fmiles vponme^ And faints at them for his. Painted by Sir Jofliua Reynolds.—* ( "6 ) p. 41. If you will patiently dance in our round, And lee our moon-light revels, go with us,- P. 43. Tiiat very time I faw, but thou could'ft not, Flying bet\veen the cold moon and the earth, Cupid all arm'd. — Puck may be drawn as moft attentively liftening. See the counte- nance of Oberon, in M. de Louthcrbourg's vignette. p, 4-. and be thou here again. Ere the leviathan can fwim a league. P,^0. and feme keep back The clam'rous owl, that nightly hoots, and wonders At our quaint fpirits. I have before quoted thefe lines for the purpofe of exhibiting the quaint fpirits, and their quaint fports, and of exhibiting the fcenery of that hour, When fairies in their ringlets there Do dance tlieir nightly round. In the fong in Plercy's Ancient Poetry, Robin Good-fellow tells us^ that By wells and rills in meadows greene, We nightly dance our hey-day guife ; And to our fairye king, and queene. We chant our moon-light minftrelfies. When the charmed fpirit of an artift fhall have indulged in the magic of Shakefpeare's tales, he will then (and then only) be enabled to draw from his fairy-land. The landfcape may be enriched with the favour- ite ( ^^7 ) he flower of the fairies, the cowjlip — and on a bank may blow the tvUd- ihyme^ and the nodtHng-violet — for There fleeps T'ltan'ia fome time of the night, LuU'd \\\ thele flowers with dances and delisht. If the above fliould be reje£led, we might then draw them (with the lame advantage of m.oon-light fcenery) from the fubfequeut lines of : Sing me now afleep ;. Then to your offices and let me reft. P. 54. Night and filence ! who is here ? Weeds oi Athens he doth wear. Fuck may be drawn as throwing the charm (being the juice of a little weftern flower) upon the eyes of Lyfander. And the only other characters will be Hennia, as fleeping near him, (for which fee p. 52.) and the Fairy ^een. Somewhat of the fame ftill repofe may be given, as we fee in Gravelot's print to Theobald. P. 37. I go, I go ; look mafter, how I go — Swifter than arrow from the Tartar'''s bow. P. 85. My fairy lord, this muft be done with hafte ; For night's fwift dragons cut the cloud's full faft^ And yonder fhines Aurora s harbinger ; Atwhofc approach, ghofts wandering here and there, Troop home to church-yards ; damned fpirits all, That in crofs-ways and floods have burial, Already to their wormy beds are gone ; For fear left day ihould look their Ihames upon. They wilfully exile themfeives from light. And muft for aye confort with black-brow'd night. Tna ( 1^3 ) THE-awfulnefs of this narration will caufe the countenance of Puck to be marked with a very different expreflion to what he wouM have in the recitalof his fp rightly merrimentr>— and though at the time of his fpeak- ing the above lines, the ftarry welkin is not then covered with drooping fog, a^ black as Acheron : yet night's clouds are not quite departed— and ylurora's harbinger might therefore be painted as fliining or flriking through tliem. P. 94, Be, as thou waft wont to be ; See, as thou waft wont to fee: Dian's bud o'er Cupid's flower. Hath I'uch force and blefled power. P. 94. Now thou and I are new hi amitv; And will, to-morrow midnight, folemnly. Dance in Duke Thefcui houfe triumphantly. J*. 95. Puck. Fairy kin^, attend, and mark ; I do hear the morning lark 'a Oh. Then my queen, in filcnct fad Trip vjc after the night's JJ^ade : We the glrbe can compafs foon, Swifter than tlie wand'ring moon. P. 122. The half length figure, or the countenance of P«f /J (in the gloom of midnight) as reciting his terrifying description of night. Page 6 The curious interlude performed by the clowns, will furnifli a very icomic defign. I will feled fuch paflages as relate to that wife Jlage pro-^ jeclof % ( "9 ) jeSlor Bottom^ and to ^ilnce, and the reft of their dramatis perfonze, and which ftrike me as offering the beft fituations to draw them from. P. 19. Bot. I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, P. 21. Snug. Have you the lion's part written ? pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am flow of ftudy. P. 21. ^I'ln. and that were enough to hang us all. ^IL That would hang us every mother's fon, P. 58. Snout, By'zlakin, a parlous fear. Star. I believe, we muft leave the killing out, when all is done, P. 58. ^in. Well, we will have fuch a prologue ; and it JhaU le writ- ten in eight andjtx. P. 59. Bot. for there is not a more fearful wild fowl, that your lion, living — P. 61. ^iin. Ninus' tomb, man : Why you muft not fpeak that yet ; that you anfwer to Pyramus : you fpeak all your part at once 'cues and all.* — P. 62. ^in' * Edwin woula fpeak tbefe lines admirably. This play was performed at the Haymarketa few years ago, under the title of a Fairy Tale; when Edwin played .^kmc^, and Parfons i?o«(j«. The above lines are omitted in this Fairy Tale. The print in Hanmer belongs to this page 61, but pofTefles a poor fl-.are of humour; though the figure of Bottom is a good one, as well as that behind him. The print in Bell's firft edition, is taken from the next page, and though the figure of the Trnker\% an ex- ceeding good one, and that of Jio.tom n.ot amifs, yet its general merit is not fufficiently attradive ta recommend it wholly. In p. 66, Bottom might have been drawn to advantage in his confab with the Fairies, if the expreflion of his facchad not been loft, by his transforiuation. ( I20 ) * P. 62 ^ii>i. Blefs thee Bottom ! blefs thee ! thou art tranflatcd. P. loi. Dot. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of this dream. P. 102. Out of doubt, he is tranfported. V. 103. Bot. And inofl dear a£lors cat no onions nor gatiick, for we arc to utter fweet breath ; and I do not doubt but to hear thcni fay, it is afweet comedy. At his injun«fllon agaiiift the onions, they might be all drawn as flar- ing at him. If the preference be given to the lines in p. 61, it will admit of all the other clowns being drawn, (except Bottom) ; and the figure of Robin Goodfellow may be introduced in the back-ground. Either one of the figures of this merry ivanderer of the night which Dr. Piercy has preferved, may be given ; or elfe {omc fancy fketch might be drawn. The ^^^« of the Fairies may be lying afleep near them ; and the fcene is in a wood, near to an hawthorn brake, and under the Duke''s oak. If it were not for the Fairy Slueen being introduced as well as Puck, the cha- rafters might have been etched in the manner of fome of Mr. Bunbury's prints. And may no artift attempt to defign any character from Shake- fpeare, who does not pofl'efs fome fparks of Mr. Bunbury's genius.* I do not know what efFe£l the figure of a Fairy would have ; but as they are harmlefs merry fprites, their looks might exhibit an archnefs of furprize, or merriment, at the figure of Bottom. Page * There is one line in this play, from which this gentle man might draw a very good print. It it In Puck's recital of his merriments : The •wifeftaunt, telling thefaiil;Ji tale — ( 121 Page 78- Is all the counfel tliat we two have fhar'd, The fifter's vows, the hours that we have fpent^ When we have chid the hafty-footed time For parting us, — O, and is all forgot? All fchool-day friendfliip, childhood-Innocence ? We, Herm'ia, he. A nobler ornament could not grace this page (and It merits the mo{t expreffive one), than what the pencil of Sir Jofhua Reynolds would pro- duce, when Helena aff^ftingly reminds her fweet playfellow of their fchool- day*s friendfliip.* They might be drawn in rich metzotinto ; and the moon-light night may give a view of Shakefpeare's own bank, whereon the wild thyme blows^ and which is o'er canopied with lufcious woodbine. Fage 104- I'iiK only PW///J which I have ever heard of, or feen, of Shakefpeare .n tlie altitude of Inlpiration — (or as at the moment of his genius catch- ing ibme fine thought) are the following R A Ilead- ■' Were it to many other Artifls thaSirn Joduia, I would have recommended a fight of :i print of f.or;c, by Bcnwell, engraved by Bartolor.zi. The figure of Edwin, in Shelly 's print of EJiv.'n and AMgdiiiii, engraved by Smith, And the print to Bell's edition of Love makes a Man, might have been looked at. ( ^" ) A Head- piece ill the fiifl: ^•olume of Dr. Plcrcy's Ancient Englifh Poetrv. The Ticket for the benefit of Bonnor, a comedian, at Bath; the fabjecl of wliich is, Sbakejpean catching a thought from Nature. The only Palntitigs I have ever heard of, or feen, of Shakefpeare in the fame attitude, is the pleafing whole length portrait of him, by Wilfon in the town-hall of Stratford. It was prefented to the corporation by Mr. Garrick, and placed there at the time of the Jubilee. I much wonder no engraving has yet been taken from it. The fuce does not ftrike me as being taken from any of the Prints ; nor do I recolledl any Painting which refembles it. If the features <?r^ caught from any of the Prints, Ifliould think at were from the head.prefixed to Theobald's large 8vo. edition, by Arlaud, or from that to his fmaller edition. The refemblance it bears to either of thefe, is certainly very little. It bears fome little refemblance to a very neat buft, fold by Flaxman. The only Statue of hlni in the fame attitude, (at leafl: that I have heard of), is that by the great Roubiliac, in the temple at Hampton. I have not feen it — but he is reprefented (fiiys the Abbe Grofley) with a pen in his hand, Jeerning to havejujl conceived one of thofc fublime Ideas, to which he owes his reputation. His graceful Monument in the Abbey, reprefents more oi ■penfve thought, or meditation, than of calm, or of fpirited hfpiration. Either an engraving might be taken from Mr. Wilfon's pi6ture, to accompany the lines of T^Jie poet's eye — in p. 104,* or a new fancy defign might * Shakesfeare, in thefe. lines, was not confcious perhaps of having drawn himfelf. The follow- J\x\Z lilies of Mr. Keatc, will well ai)ply te. this propofed and wifhed fer portrait.— On ^ ^23 ) might be drawn (to accompany the fame Hnes) in an attitude •fimilar to that which the Abbe Grofley mentions. Rules or inftruclions cannot be given towards the completing fo pleafmg an ornament to Shakefpeare's memory — it mufi arife from the gratitude of an artift, when feeling ■ What Garrick felt When firft he breath'd the foul of Shakefpeare's pa^e. Or in thofe moments of pleafing tranfport which were felt When firil the Vatican, Unbarr'd her gates, and to a raptur'd eye Gave Raphael's glories. May his features breathe an air dhhie, and may that infinite grace * and expreffive fublimity be given him, which we have often feen in the pro- dudlion of that artift, " whofe tafte and imagination (fays Mr. Wal- pole) are inexhauftible." His features might be partly taken from Zouft's head — from that by Arlaud — from Vertue's print from the portrait in the pofleflion of Mr. Keck — from the face in the Abbey — from the metzotinto in the edition of Lear On daring pinions borne, to him was p;iv'n Th' acri.il rai:ge of Fancy's brighteft Hcav'ii, 'i"o bid rapt Tlioiight o'er noblell )icigbts ufpirc, And wake each P:iiTijn with a Mule of Fire. — ' Mr. Walpole delines gra c to h&a-i C'liaolc ilcgrce of Ma-rJIy, R 2 *r^ear by Jennens — from Gainfborough's buft* — from the head in ReacTs edition — and from the buft in Cyprianl's print of the Nymph of Immor- t.-tlir_y — and from a bnft by Flaxman.-f We have one Dcfign from the lines of I'he poet's eye — by Mortimer — and it is the only Defigu I have yet feen from them. It is propofcd for the Tail- piece. Tail- * Tms bull is from the Picture ofMr. Garrick at Stratford. "Mr. Gainfborovigh feems well calcu- ijtcd to have drawn Mr. Garrick, from what he fays of him in a letter to Henderfon. — "Garrick is the greateft creature living in every rtfpeifl, he is worth fludyinj in everj- action. — Every view, and every idea of him is worthy of being ftored up for imitatioa, and I have ever found him a gencrou* and fiocere friend." f We have the authority (the unhappy authority) of Milton, for thc,plcafure which Charles the firft took in reading Shakcfpeare. — What an cxprcffive Fancy pi£lune then might Vandyck have pre- fentcd to his noble patron, of that Poet, whofe writings had often foothed the turbulent cares oi his diuracled reijjn. — Pilkington fpcaks thus of Vandyck : " His choice of -nature when he painted portraits, was always that which was moft agreeabl'j ; he gave an inexprelTible grace to his heads ; he (hewed abundant variety in the airs, and in fome of them the charaftcr was even fublime ; and as to his exprelTion, it was inimitable, the very foul of the pcr- fon rcprefcntcd being vifible in the portrait. His draperies, which were taken from the mode of the times, are caft-inagrand flyle,'broad and fimple in the folds, eafy and natural in the dif- pofition, and his colouring is lovely. In the collection of the Duke of Orleans, there is a mult admir- able picture by Vandyck ; it is a whole length of IMary de Medicis, which is finiflied as highly as the power of his art could reach ; it ftiews at once the ftrength of Rubens, and almoft the colouring of Titian ; tht manner of it h in the hlghcfl degree nebL; and yet it appears equally eafy and natural." Numberless fine attitudes, and hints, and looks might be conceived, from a view of fome of the fine pii^ures in England — as well as from the prints from after Vandj-ck, and other great mafteri. And it maybe worth while to refer to plates 119 and 134. of Rofii's Statue Antiche MoJerne — to the head of Moliere by Coypel, engraved by Ficquet, (a copy of which may be feen, I think, in the Cop- yer-plate Magazine, and which is a fine pifture of bold and_\igorou5 thought) — to the plcafing vignette to the Hiftorical Rhapfody on Pope — to Sir Jofliua's Mrs. Siddons — to Cypriani's figure of Fame or Liberty iu the Memoirs of HoUis— to a metzotinto of Faith, engraved by Walker, from after Gardner, ( ^^5 ) Tail-piece^ A fac-fimile (though reduced in fize) of Mortimer's Etchuig. Having had frequent occafion to mention Mr. Mortimer's name, 1 cannot refrain from quoting iome part of the generous tribute which has been lately paid to his memory, by Mr. Ireland, in the Letters and Poems of Henderlbn. After mentioning the predilidion which Mr. Mortimer had, of fre- quently delineating with his pencil, objecls of terror or of cruelty, or iiich events as w:ere calculated to give flrong and forcible expreliions, he jiroceeds : " Yet with this difpofition for contemplating, and difplaying fuch ob- *' jecls, INIortimer had afoul, open as day to melting charity, a tear for *' pity, and a heart the mofl fufceptlble of tender impreflions.'"* He made the kindefl allowances for the errors of others,- and would not have trod upon the poor beetle. When he erred, and who fhall dare to name any man Cardner, 1781 — to the print of IMrj SiddonS; in Bell's laft edkon of Jlacbeth, the extreme "beauty of u hich, can only be feen in the earlieft imprelUons — to Earlom's metzotinto of a Shepherd, from after G.iiniboroush — to the Tragic muie in Pine's print of the Ode — to Romney's print of Mrs. Yatc^, m the Tragic mufe — to Sir Jofluia's print of a Contemplative Youth— to Kaufman's print of Poetry, engraved by Rider — to Le Brun's print of Salvatormundi, engraved by Bartolozji— and to a raetzo- liiito of Pope, engraved in 17^8, by Simon, from after Dahll. ( i26 ) man as faultlefs ? his errors had their root in virtues, which the generous warmth of his heart carried to excefs. Added to all this, he had an hi- larity that brightened every eye, and gladdened every heart. I knew his mind well, but that knowledge fhould have deterred me from attemp- ting to defcribe it, had I confidered that Sterne has fo exactly delineated the leading features by which it was a6luated, in the benevolence and fenfibility of charafter which diftinguilhed his uncle Toby. In the fociety of Mortimer I paffed fome of the happiefl years of my life, and the remembrance of the very Intimate, brotherly, and unbroken friendllnp with which we were united until his death, affords me one of thofe melancholy pleafures which may be felt, but cannot be dcfcribed — ■ A tear drops at the recolleftion. The lofs of fuch a friend leaves a chafm in one's life and happinefs, which is very, very rarely filled up." * * A l.lsr of fuch Prints taken from tliis pl;iy, as I have fcen. Thofc I have not fecn, are piintcal ill Italics. I.- Bell's two editions. X. Hanmer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rdwc. 5. A cut by Fourdriuier, in an edit, in 8 vol. printed for Tonfon, in 1735. 6,. jSJortimcr'serching. 7. The figiires in Dr. Pieicy's work, }j. Oberon and Titai-iCi. 9. -Oberonand Purjk, 10. Pepe. 1 1 . L.o wiidcs, iz. layloy. FINIS. I iM PERFECT HINTS TOWARDS A NEW EDITION OF SHAKESPEARE. P A R r SECOND AND L A S r. ll:is any paiitter ever executed a fcehe, a charaifler of Shakefpeare, that approached to the prototype ■fo near as Shakefpeare himfelf attained to nature ? Yet is there a pencil in a living h:ind, as capable of pronouncing the paflions as our unequalled poet ; a pencil not only Inipired by his infight into nature, but by the graces and taflc oi Grecian artifts. Mr. Wai.pol£ oh Lady Dian-a Beauclerc. Then bold Invextiok all thy powers difFufe, Oi all thy fiftcrs thou the nobieil: nuife. Thee ev'ry art, thee ev'ry grace infpires. Thee Phxbus fills with all his brighteft fires. Mr, Masom's Traksxation of Dv FRESioV. Dear fon of nii'jnory, great heir of fan^e, What nced'ft thou fuch weak witnefs of thy name? Thou in our wonder and aftonidiment Haft built thyfeU a llv«-long monuir.enrt. Milton's Epitaph on- Shakesteare^ L O N B O N : TRIWTID AT THE "EOpgCapIjIC l^rcfiS, PRINTING-HOUSE SQVARE, BL A C K FRIARS, AND SOLD BX MESSRS. RCEfON ANn CLARKE, NEW BOND-STREET; R. BALDWIN, P ATE R-NOS lEJi- RIV. ; AN'U W. RlCH^RDSON, UNDER THE ROYAL EXCHAWGS. j>i,»cc,uxxxvaii. T O THE HONOURABLE HORACE rVALPOLE, AND Sir JOSHUA RETNOLDS, In grateful refpeft for the pleafure received from the produ»5lIons of their Genius, and with unfeigned efteem for their highly valued Private Worth, THE SECOND PART OF THIS PROSPECTUS IS MOST HUMBLY INSCRIBED TO THEM, B y THEIR OBEDIENT SERVANT, The Author. CONTENTS. King John - -,r,---i King Henry the Fifth - - - ■' - 51 Romeo and Juliet - - - - . "79 Cjmheline - - - - • "■ "I49 i KING JOHN. It was noc by declamation or by pantomime, that Shakefpeare was to fix his eter- nal dominion over the hearts of mankind. Dr, T. Warton. Here, boldly mark'd with every living hue, Nature's unbounded portrait Shakefpeare drew : But chief, the dreadful group of human woes The daring artift's tragic pencil chofe. — Dr. T. W art o k. II polTedoit les graces terribles de Michel Ange, & les graces aimables du Correge. ,■ Fragment sur Shakespeare par M. Sherlock. Vignette. In page xvi. of the preface to the firft part of the prefent work, I have hinted at a Vignette for this Tragedy, and I mult requeft the reader to turn to that page. Since I have written the firft parr, I have a fecond time beheld the figure of ^gar which is there mentioned ; and 1 am ftill more confirmed in the happy propriety with which it would grace the page of "Shakefpeare. There is a peculiar pro- priety in introducing this figure of Agar in the play of King John : as one of the moft ftriking paffions of that drama, is the dignity of Maternal Grief. What then can fo nobly and fo properly deco- rate our Poet's page, as affixing to it a chef d'oewvre of expreffion — a mafterly produflion of a pencil like Guido's. Indeed Shakcfpeare's own words in this play, will almoft in part apply to the fituation or figure of Agar, as drawn by the above painter. . thii day hath made • Much i<jork for tears, in mayiy an EngUJh mother, Whofc fons lie fcattered on the bleeding ground : Many a ivjdonxi's hujland groveling lies. Coldly tmbracing the difcoloured earth, B Head-Piece. The portrait of Arthur will require the pencil of a delicate hand ; and as he %vlll require to be painted in many fcenes of this play, each (ketch or portrait of him will exhibit the ideas that different painters have form- ed of princely youth and beauty. A fancy portrait 'of him in metzo- tlnto, or in the light ikyle of a beautiful drawing, might be given as a Head-piece, with thefe lines (from p. 26) engraved under: Thefe eyes, thefe bro'MS, were w.mlded out of h'li. - This Utile ahJiraH doth coniain that large. Which dyd in Geffrey ; and the hand of time Shall draw this brief into as huge a volume^ Would there be any impropriety in introducing at the top, or in the back-ground of this portrait, two of the cherubs which are in a plfture of Luca Giordano, being No. 109, of the Tableaux de Duffeldorf? A moft beautiful idea (fimllar to that of one of thefe cherubs) is intro- duced in a pifture of Cain and Abel, in the colle6tion of Lord Scarfdale. Or, in lieu of the above defign for a Head-piece, might be given ano- ther, from p- 27, which might be an etching of the half-lengths of Johfif Philip, Ziid Arthur (without the other chara6lers) from thefe lines:- K. John. From whom haft thou this great commiflion, France, To draw my anfwer from thy articles ? K, Philip. From that fupernal judge, that ftirs good thoughts In any breaft of ftrong authority, To look into the blots and ftains of right. B 2 That ( 4 ) That judge hath made me guardian to this boy ; Under whofe warrant, I impeach thy wrong ; And by whofe help, I mean to chailife it. See the afped of 'John in Vertue's print of him. Scene Prints. Ltvj'is. Before Angiers well met, brave Auftria, — Arthur, that great fore-runner of thy blood, Richard, that robb'd the lion of his heart, And fought the holy wars in Paleftine, By this brave duke came early to his grave : And, for amends to his pofterity, At our importance hither is he come, To fpread his colours, boy, in thy behalf; And to rebuke the ufurpation Of thy unnatural uncle, Engjifh John : Embrace him, love him, give him welcome hither. Arthur . God fliall forgive you Coeur-de-lion's death, The rather, that you give his offspring life : " Shadowing their right under your wings of war, I give you welcome with a powerlefs hand, But with a heart full of unftained love : Welcome before the gates of Angiers, duke. Lewis. A noble boy ! Who would not do thee right ! ^«/?. * To guard againft the too great crowding of an edition with engravings, we muft pafs over the fpi- rlted anfwer of John to ChatiUion, in p. 5— an anfwer, which every Briton reads with tranfport. And for the fame reafon, we muft overlook Queen Ekarwr's mention of the ambitious Conjlance in the fame page, as well as that paflage in p. 21, where the Lady Fakonhridge difcovers to the Bajlard, that CceuT'dc-lion was his father. ( 5 ) Auji. Upon thy cheek I lay this zealous kifs, As feal to this indenture of my love ; That to my home I will no more return, 'Till Anglers, and the right thou haft in France, Together with that pale, that white-fac'd fhore, Whofefoot fpurns back the ocean's roaring tides. And coops from other lands her iflanders; Even 'till that England hedg'd in with the main. That water-walled bulwark, ftill fecure And confident from foreign purpofes ; Even 'till that utmoft corner of the weft, Salute thee for her king :* 'till then, fair boy, Willi not think of home, but follow arms. Conji. O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks !— From the eighth line might be drawn this fcene ; which lies before the walls of Angiers. Lewis the young Dauphin, might be taking Ar- thur kindly by the hand, which will admit of the attitude of Lewis being drawn with much grace. The Arch-duke of Aujlria, and King Philip, may be gazing on Arthur., with generous attachment, and with nearly as * Shakefpearc omits no opportunity of ctlebrating his country. He has given farther inftances of his attachment to this pale and •white-fac' d Jhore, in many other parts of this play, and particularly, in his generous prophecy at its conclulion. In his Richard II. Henry V. and in Cymbeline, he cannot forget to fpeak of England. How well might Shakefpeare have incfulged the hope of Petrarch— vihen time ('fays Petrarch) •which nothing can rcjift, Jhall have mouldered aivay my tO"'b : the air of this helovcd country, Jhall gently agitate the ajlus it cnclofed. Dennis, in his prologua to Julius Catfar, makes the ghoft of Shakefpeare (who rifes to the harmony of trumpets and flutes) fpeak thcfe lines : Oh, may my fcenes he Jllll your chief delight t So may you long he fortunate injight ! So may your glory. Hie my genius/bar. And tovier to heights ye never kneiv before^ Milton does not forget his country ; in his Maflc of Comus, he calls it • an IJIe, The greateji and the heji of all the main. C 6 ) as much afFe£tIon as his mother Conjiance. At a fmall diftance miglit be introduced their troops (but not fuch ragamuffins as are generally painted) with the flag, or colours of France — the introdu61:ion of thefe colours, generally adds a fpirited effedl. The Arch-duke fhould wear the fame bold covering which was worn by Richard Cceur de Lion\ and which may be feen in Vertue's portrait of this Richard. Page 49, A61 3, Scene r. The fcene almoft immediately preceding this zdi, gives an awful pre- lude to the appearance of Conjiance — for on King P/6////>'j enquiring where Ihe was, he is informed She is fad and paffionate at his Highnefs' tent. And in this prefent fcene, fhe appears with all the wildnefs of afRi6led agitation. It may not be amifs (before we confider the prefent fcene) to quote fome paflTages from all thofe writers who have recorded the excellence of particular adrefles, in this arduous and daring part of Conjiance. But it muft be remembered, that there have been many other aftreffes, who have eminently diflinguiflied themfelves in this part ; and yet whofe merits (in this charader of Conjiance) have not been much recorded iu print. ( Mrs. Cl BB ER. ) ** This lady, though by much the youngeft aftrefs (I mean in point of experi- ence) on the ftage, has almoft all her time reigned unrivalled in the hearts of the people. There is a delicacy in her deportment, and a fenfible innocence in her countenance, that never tails to prejudice the fpccflator in her favour, even before Hie ( 7 ; fhe fpeaks. Nor does Mrs, Cibber's fubfequent behaviour erafe thefe firft impreiTions : her expreffions of the paflion of grief, furpafs every thing of the fort that I have feen. There is a melancholy plaintivenefs in her voice, and fuch a dejedtion of countenance, (without diftortion) that I defy any man, who has the leafl: drop of the milk of human nature about him, to fit out the diftreffes of Monimia and Belvidera, when reprefented by this lady, without giving the mod tender and afFefling teftimonies of his humanity. Nor has Mrs. Cibber lefs force (when Ihe pleafes to exert it) in the different modes of rage. There is a wildnefs in her afpeft, and a rapidity in her utterance, that are admirably fuited to the charad:ers of Conjlance in King John, and Alicia in Jane Shore." The Roman and Efiglijh Comedy, confidered ; hy S. Foote, Efq. 8vo. 1747. " Whoever obferves Mrs. Cibber, in her repeated playing of Indiana, will find con- tinually fomething new in her manner, her gefture, and deportment. All her atti- tudes in his diftrefs, fpeak the fame emotions of defpair ; but the whole frame is as capable of variety in exprefTion, as the voice. This is not the only proof we have of that adlrefs's really polTefling that enthufiafm of the theatre, on which all great afting depends; and of her perfeftly lofing herfelf in the charader; of her being not Mrs. Cibber, but very Indiana ; very Lady Macbeth ,- and very very Conftance. Her variety is no where feen fo much, as in this laft named charadler : It has been indeed fo great, that many have queftioned whether fhe now played it fo well as fome years lince ; but they anfwer themfelves by the very conduft of the queftion. While one infifts fhe is not equal to her former felf, and another that flie is greater than ever ; enquire more ftrifbly, and you find they faw her on different nights. The queflion is not, whether Mrs. Cibber afted Conjlance better fome years ago or now, but whether flie a£led it bet- ter on Tmfday or on Thurfday; and the whole refult is, that Mrs. Cibber has great va- riety. Thefpirit and gefhire of one night might not pleafe fome; thofe of another night, others; according to their different judgments. Mrs. Cibber is equal and alike worthy their applaufe in all." Preface to Riccoboni's History of the Stage. " Mrs. Cibber, in the whole fcope of her great excellence, never flieMed her great tragic feelings and exprefiion to more advantage than in Conjlance; there was a natural tendency to melancholy in her features, which heightened in aftion, and became fo true an index of a woe-fraught mind, that with the afliftance of her nightingale voice, fhe became irrefiftible ; and almofl obliged us to forget every other charader 4 ( 8 ) in raptured contemplation of her merit. Mrs. 21ifes and Mrs, Barry have both pow- erful capabilities for the part, but can never juftly hope to equal their great predeccf- for Mrs, Cibber, who muft be always remembered with pleafure and regret by all per- fons of tafte, 'who had the happinefs to flicd the facrifice of tears at the Ihrine of her melting powers." Dramatic Ci;nsor, Vol. 2, 1770. " For the laft' twenty years, fhe remained in the quiet pofTefTion of all the capital charafters, and in the hearts of the enamoured public. Her voice was mufically plaintive — in parts of foftnefs and diftrefs, flie appeared tmly amiable — without be- ing remarkable for beauty, genlHity, or elegance of drefs. Of ail the variety and extent of the tragic pafTions, I know of none equal to that of Conftance in King John ; Mrs. Cibber furpafled all that have followed her in that charafter. — When flie entered with difhevellcd hair, and wildnefs in her eyes ! having loft her fon — her pretty Arthur — the Cardinal, and others attempting to comfort her — Ibe funk on the ground — and looking round with a dignified wildnefs and horror, faid, Here I and forrow fit !- Here is my throne ! — bid Kings come bow to it! — Nothing that ever was exhibited, could exceed this pidure of diftrefs ! and nothing that ever came from the niouth of mortal, was ever fpoken with more dignified pro- priety. The late Mrs. IFoffington, who was excellent in many parts of this charadter, could never fucceed in this particular paffage. Mrs. Cibber never executed it without a burft of applaufe from the whole audience. 1 have endeavoured to give a very faint idea of Mrs. Cibber's excellence in Confiance ! But who can be capable of con- veying to thofe who have not had the delightful fatisfadlion of feeing her, the peculiar looks of diftrefs ! and the powers of her adion, when flie was fully animated with her charafiier ! — Victor, vol. 3, p. 80, 1771. *' Shakelpeare's King John vsras played with great fuccefs at Drury-lane. The King was perfonated by Mr. Garrick with very great fkill, and unufual energy of aftion ; but it muft be confefled that Mrs. Cibber, by an uncommon pathetic ardor in fpeaking, and a furprifing dignity of aflion and deportment, threw every aftor in the play at a great diftance. This had a greater effeft, from her never having before I attempted ( 9 ) attempted charafters where power of voice and aflion were Co greatly reqiiifite to ex- prefs the pafiions of rage, angiiiflij and defpair." LiFJi OF Gar RICK ey Davies, vol. i, p. 29?. " Lady Conjtance^s pafllonate effufion of rage, grief, and indignation, from whicR fcarce a hne or thought can be expunged, ro his eternal difgrace, Colley Cibber has either entirely fuppreffed, or wretchedly fpoiled, by vile and degrading interpola- tions : nay, the w hole fcene is fo deformed and mutilated, that little of the creative power of Shakefpeare is to be feen in it. To utter, with the utmoft harmony and propriety, all the fucceeding changes of grief, anger, refentment, rage, defpondency, reviving courage,' and animated defi- ance, incidental to Lady Conjlance, and to accompany them with correfpondent pro- priety and vehemence of adlion, was a haijpinefs only known to Mrs. Gibber. Mrs. Hallam wanted not fpirit nor pathos in this part ; nor would Mrs. Fritchard have fallen fo below herfelf, if Colley Cibber had not milled her. To fpealc the truth, Mrs. Gibber has had nofuccefTor in this part but Mrs. l^ates, who yet, it muft be confefTed, notwithftanding her great andjuftly applauded fKill, is inferior. When Mrs. Gbbex threw herfelf on the ground, in pronouncing -Here I and forrows fit : Here is my throne — bid Kings come bow to it. her voice, look, and perfon, in every limb, feemed to be animated with the true fpi- rit which the author had infufed into her chara6ter." Dramatic ]Miscellanies ey D.wies, vol. 1, p. 34. " I have already taken notice of Mrs. Gibber's unconnmon excellence in Conjlance. It was indeed her mofl perfed charafler. When going off the ftage, in this fcene, fhe uttered the words, O Lord ! my boy ! with fuch an emphatical fcream of agony, as Mill never be forgotten by thofe who heard her,'^ Dramatic Miscellanies by Davies, vol, i. p. e,:,, C The ( lo ) The foregoing extra£ls are all that I have been able to difcover, refpeft- ing the perfonathig of Conjlance by Mrs. Cibber.* And I will now fub- join the very few memorials that I have been able to difcover of other adlrefles having performed Conjlance. — " Mrs. Hallam was an adlrefs of fuch uncommon merit, that {he deferves to be particularly remembered. Her performance of Lady Conjlance, was natural and im- paffioned ; though fhe was not fo pathetic in utterance, Ipirited in adhion, or digni- tied in deportment, as Mrs. Cibber in the fame part. Dramatic Miscellanies ey Davies, vol. i, p. 7, " The * The reader may not be dlfpleafec!, in perufing fome other teftlmonies, to the general merit of ilrs. Cibber. " from her eye each heartfelt paffion breaks, And more than mufic warbles when flie fpeaks :" Hoole's Monody on Woffingtom, " Form'J for the tragic fcene, to grace the ftage, With rival excellence of Love and Rage, MiArcfs of each foft art, with matchlefs Ikill To turn and wind the pallioiis as fhe will ; To melt the heart with lympathttic woe, Awake the figh, and teach the tear to flow ; ' To put on Freniy's wild diftraded glare, ' , And freeze the foul with horror and defpair ; Withjuft defcrt enroll'd in endlefs fame, Conlcious of worth fuperior, Cibber came." Churchill. " Her perfon was perfeftly elegant ; for although ilie fomewhat declined beyond the bloom of youth, and even wanted that embon point which fometimes is affillant in concealing the imprelTion made by the hand of time, yet there was fo complete a fymmetry and proportion in the different parts which confti- tuted this lady's form, that it was impoffible to view her figure and not think her young, or look in her face and not confider her handfonie. Her voice was beyond conception plaintive and mufical, yet far from deficirnt in powers for the cxpreffion of refentmentor difdain ; and fo much equal command of feature did nie poffefs, for the repiefentation of pity or rage, of complaifancc or difdain, that it would be dif- ficult to fay, whether ftie aiieaed the hearts of an audience moft, when playing the gentle, the delicate Ctlia, ( " ) '* The old man (Cibber) was continually advifing Mrs. Piitchas-d^ who* astSed Lady ConJiancCy to tow her words; bu: flie, by obeying her own feelings^ and lulening; o her own judgment, gained approbation and applaufe ; which was not the c^ C % WttJl Cella, or the haughty, the refenting //irOTirac ; in the innocent, love fick J'»^<'/, or in the forfaketi, the enr.iged Al'.cia. In a word, through every cad of tragedy (lie was excelleot, and, could we forget the excellence of Mrs. PntcharJ, we Qiouid be apt to fay, iuuiiitable." Baker's Biog. Dkam, vol. t. " To what I have already faidof Mrs. Ciiher's inimitable po\rer of acting, I have littl- more to add. Her great excell>;nce conlilled in that fimplicity which needed no ornament ; that fenfibility which defpifed all art ; there was in her pcrfon little or no elegance: in her countenance a fm.dl (hare of beauty ; but nature had given her fuch fymmetry of form and fine expreilion of feature, that (lie pre- ferred all the appearance of youth long after (he had reached to middle life. The harmony of her voice was as powerful as the animation of her look. In grief and tendernefs her eyes looked as if they fvvam in tears : in rage and defpair they feemed to dart flaflles of fire. In fpiteof the unimportance of her figure, (lie maintained a dignity in her aflion, and a grace in her ftep.— — — When (he fung in the oratorio of the McfTiah a,t Dublin, a certain bifliop was fo afre(fbcd with the extreme fenllbillty of her manner, that he could not refrain from laying, Woman ! thy Jim he forgiven thee ■'" Life ok Gakricki by Davies, vol, j, p. 109. But of all the encomiums on the matchlefs Cibber, none equals the Poem to her memory, which Mr. Keate gave the public in the year 1 766. Its length alone prevents me giving it at large (in a note already too much lengthened) — and to give my readers feparated parts, would be deftroying tha harmony of a compolition, diftated by a moft feeling heart, and elevated fancy. I mull:, hovt^ver, quote fomefewof the lines which the TRAGIC MUSE addrelTes to the Qiade of Cibber ; Cloi* J are thofe eyes tfyhich knew each vary^J arty And all my meaning luithfuch force infpired ; Call' J tears of pity from the melting heart. Froze txiith -ivild horror, or ivith ripture Jir^d ! By Death'' s cold hand thofe features novj are hound, Ihat once could ev'iy change of Pajftan -Mcar .' Mute is that voice, 'uihofe more than magic found Stole likefoft mufic on the ravijh'd ear ! And fix' d thofe limhs in fi neral iveeds array' J^ Us'd to the Jiudied elegance of drefs. That every graceful attitude dlffilay'd. Great as thcf: circling, fculptur'd forms exprefs A— ( ^2 ) with his fon Theophilus, who adted the Daupbh?, and Mrs. Bellamy, who aded Lady Blanch : They, by obeying their diredlor's precepts, were moft feverely ex- ploded." Dramatic Miscellanies, ey DAVits, vol. i, p. 141. We may fuppofe Mrs. Betterton to havd flione in Conftance, from what CoIIey Gibber fays of her : — " Time could not mipair her fkill, though he had brought her perfon to decay. She was, to thelafl, the admiration of all the true judges of nature, and lovers of Shakefpeare, in whofe plays flie chiefly excelled, and without a rival."* CiBBEa's Apology. And the fame conjecture may be formed of a Mrs. Barry — of whom Gibber thus fpeaks : — " Mrs. Barry, in charaflers of greatnefs, had a prefence of elevated dignity ; her mien and motion fupcrb, and gracefully majeftick ; her voice full, clear, and ftrong, fo that no violence of palHon could be too much for her : and when dif- trefs, or tendernefs poiTefled her, flie fubfided into the moft aflecling melody, and foftnefs. In the art of exciting pity, fhe had a power beyond all the actrelTes I have yet feen, or what your imagination can conceive."t Cieber's Apology. Though the powers of Mrs. Pritchard, Mrs. Taies, and Mrs. Crawford in the part of Confiance, have not been.much noticed in j)ri/it; yet theatres have given thera loud and generous applaufe : — " I have faid more than once, what magnificent horror fhe infufes into pafTages like this, (fpeaking of Mrs. Crawford, in Belvidera) — her Alicia, in Jane Shore; her Conjfuf/ce, \n King John; and Califta, in the Fair Penitent ; are ftriking inftances of that frantic declamation that does not break upon the ear difcordantly, but leaves her hearers wrapt with aftonifliment at her boundlefs powers !" Review of Mrs. Crawfosd and Mrs. Siddons, in Belvidera. * There is an original portrait of Mrs. Betterton, at Dulvv"ch College— flie appears (fays my inform- ant) to have been a moft beautiful woman, with expreffive eyes, and features ftionLjly marked. t The only portrait of jNIrs. Barry, that I have heard of, is at Hampton Court, by Kneller. See the Aedes. Walpo. p. 45. Ill ( 13 ) In the Scene that we are now gohig to confider; and which paints fo well the paffion and tendernefs of Conflance — there are no lefs than ten fituations which demand the exertion of a fuperior pencil — for in each oi them, C(5;|2/?^«c^ might appear with the moft fpirited advantage. I will tranfcribe the whole of this fcene — and the paflages in Italics? are, per- haps, the points moft likely to ftrike an artift. If one Print only is to be engraved for this fcene ; how are we to detennine from which paf- fage it (hould be taken ? — Were many dcfigns fketched ; tliat defign no doubt would be chofen, which fhould appear, on nice. infpe£tion, to be faultlefs. — A£l 3, Scene i. Enter Constance, Arthur, and Salisbury. Ci,n/i. Gone to be marry'' d ! gone to Avear a peace ! Falfe blood to faife blood join'd ! Gone to be friends ! Shall Lewis have Blanch ? and Bknch thofe provinces 1 1 is not fo ; thou haft mif-fpoke, mif- heard ; Be well advis'd, tell o'er thy tale again : It cannot be ; thou doll but fay, 'tis fo ; I truft, I may not truft thee : for thy word Is but the vain breath of a common man : Believe me, I do not believe thee, man ; I have a king's oath to tlie contrary. Thou Ihalt be punilh'd for thus frighting me, For I am fick, and capable of fears ; Opprefs'd with wrongs, and therefore full of fears ; A widow, hufbandlcfs, fubj eft to fears; A woman, n.itur^lly horn to fears : And though ihcu now ccnfefs, thou didft but jeft. With my vcxt fplrits I cannot make a tr-itce. But they wiil quake and tremble all this day. What doH Uiou mean by fliaking of ihy head ? ffhy ( ^4 ) Jf'hy dojl than lookfafadly on my fm f W hat means that hand upon that breaft of thine? "Why-liolds thine eye that lamentable rheum. Like a proud river peering o'er his bounds ? Be rhefe lad iigns confirmers of thy words } Tlicn fpcak again; not all thy former tale. But this one word, whether thy tale be true. Sah As true as I believe you think them falfe. That give you caufe to prove my faying true. % Cotijl. Oh, if thou teach me to believe this forrow. Teach thou this forrow how to make me die; And let belief and life encounter fo. As doth the fury of two defperate men, Which in the very meeting fall and die. — Lewis marry Blanch ! Oh, boy, then where art than ? France friend with England ! what becomes of me ' ; Fellow be gone ; / cannot brook thy fight ; ^ This news hath made thee a moft ugly man. ^ 5^/. What other harm have I, good lady, done, < But fpoke the harm that is by others done ? i Conji. Which harm within itfelf fo heinous is, As it makes harmful all that fpeak of it. "* \ Arth. I do befeech you, madam, be content. ConJl. If thou, that bidjl me be content, vjert grim, Ugly, and fland'rous to thy mother's womb, Full of unpleafing blots, and fightlefs ftains. Lame, foolifh, crooked, fwart prodigious, Patch'd with foul moles, and eye-offending marks, I would not care, I then would be content; For then I fhould not love thee ; no, nor thou Become thy great birth, nor deferve a crown. But thou art fair ; and at thy birth, dear boy ! l^ature and fortune join d to make thee great : Of nature s gf IS thou mayjl with lillies hoafi. And with the half-blown rofe : but fortune, oh ! She ( 15 ) She is corrupted, chang'd, and won from thee ; She adulterates hourly with thine uncle John ; And with her golden hand hath pluck'd on France To tread down fair refpeft of fovereignty, And made his Majefty the bawd to theirs. France is a bawd to fortune, and king John ; That ftrumpet fortune, that ufurpi/ig John :— Tell me, thou fellow, is not France forfworn ? Envenom him with words; orget thee gone. And leave thofe woes alone, which I alone Am bound to under-bear. Sal. Pardon me, madam, 1 may not go without you to the king's. Conji. Thou may'ft, thou (halt, / will net go with thee: I will injlrufi my fort o-us to be proud ; For grief is proud, and makes his owner ftout. To me, and to the ftate of my great grief. Let kings aflemble ; for mv grief's fo great, That no fupporter but the hu^e firm earth Can hold it up : here I and forrows fit ; Here is my throne, bid kings come bow to it. [Throivs herjelf on the ground.'] To paint the wild, impaffioned grief and defpair,* of Conf.ance, and to join with thefe paffious, her fond attachment to Arthur , muft be the painter's objeft in this Icene. And indeed each of the above paflages af- fords fo much fcope for the exhibiting a mafterly difplay of character: that to recommend attitudes, or to. attempt to difplay the varying paf- * Though the grief of Co^rt^iTf, at the conclufion of this pref-nt fcene, borders on BeCpair — yet it will be more proper to introduce iTronger marks of that paffion in her countenance, after the battle — as her fon is then taken prifoner, and flie has then, many renfjns to fear, (he rauft never fee him more. In the Exhibition of 1779, was ahead oi Defpair, by the late Mortimer. fions ( i6 ) ^ fions and fudden tranfitlons of Conftance, would be too alTumlng for the writer of this pro fpeSIus, and would be an infult to each artifl:. That man would pahit ha^pleft, and his conceptions would be moft fine and elevated, who had witneffed the magic powers of Gibber— for j((7j^ gave, every paffage from her heart. Some might chufe to paint from that line, where {he alarms the good Salijbury^ with her rapid utterance of Fellow be gone ; I cannot hrook thyjight ! Or, when fhe herfelf is alarmed, at his looking fo fadly on her fon. — While others might prefer, her clafping the beauteous Arthur by the hand, with all the agitation of her fpirits momentarily fubfiding and giving way to the tranfport with which fhe fpeaks this fond eulogium : But thou art fair ; and at thy birth, dear boy ! l^ature and fortune joiiid to make thee great : Of Nature's gifts thou niayfl with lillies boafiy And with the half blown r ofc. — I was going to fay, that I fcarce thought a finer fcene could be pro- duced, than from this laft paflage^but when I confider the look which Mrs. Gibber muft have given, when fhe threw herfelf on the ground — and when I refleft on the tremulous voice, and tender entreating man- ner, with which (he muft have fpoken the lines of: TVithmy ve»t fpirits I cannot make a truce, But they will quake and tremble all this day. — I As K ^7 > As well as/jer attitude, her voice, and her look, when fhe mournfully exclaimed to Salijhury : Why does thou look fo fadly on my fon ! I own it is not in my power, determlnately to fix on any one paflage.* Page 71. -If the midnight bell Did, with his iron tongue and brazen mouth, Sound one unto the drowfy race of night ; If this fame were a church-yard where we Hand, And thou pofTeffed with a thoufand wrongs — When John wifhes to dlfclofe to Hubert, his bloody purpofe — he works on him by guilty paufes, and by looks, more than by fpeech — and if looks fuch as Garrick threw at Hubert could be now retained, we might * What fcenes would Shakefpeare have written, had he beheld Mrs. Gibber ! — In his days, it is well known, that no women aded on the Stage — female characters were reprefented by men. If Can/lance Ihould be drawn from the firft words in italics, in the above fcene (which fhe fpeaks oa her entrance) — then fee fomewhat of that expreflion which is given to the Tragic Mule, in Pine's print of Mr. Garrick, fpeaking the Ode. If flie (hould be drawn from the line of: I ivill irifiru^ my /arrows t» he /r««//.— her countenance flioulJ then be marked with a dignity of/upprejld anguijh. D accom- ( i8 ) accompany the page of his own Shakefpeare, with the mofl: bold and expredive painting. + John's turbulent and gloomy mind, may be equally well pourtrayed from the following lines, as from thofe above — — Do/} thou under/land me ? Thou art his keeper. Hub. And I'll keep him fo. That he Ihall not offend your Majefly. John Death. Hub. My Lord? " This is one of the fcenes (fays Mr. Stevens) to which may be pro- mifed a lafling commendation. Art could add little to its perfe>5lion ; and time itfelf can take nothing from its beauties." f We hare to regret, that the powers of Garrick's ailing in this fcene, are not as faithfully conveyed to us, as Mr; Dance's pencil has preferred him, in another Lharafter : Not Garrick\felf, to Shakefpeare'' i fplrlt true, Difplay'd that fpirit cUarer to ourvie'W, Than Dance exprejfes, in it^jJierceJIJIame, The p nt'i ^^eniui In the aHor^ i ft anie. From Garr'cFs features ivtth d'firaH'ton fraught. He cep'es every trace of Iruuhled thought ; And piiiHti, ivhile back the 'Ma-ves of battle roUf Thtjiarm of fanguinary Richard's _/»«/. Hayley's Epistle to Romney, A few words in an Elogefur le KaU, may be applicable to Garrick's expreffion ia this fcene— Ufeufambre et terrible defcs regards. See the drefs of John, in a richly engraved mctzotinto from this play, by Val. Green, from after a painting by J. Mortimer. 1 have ( 19 ) I have made it a point never to omit recommending to my reader's in- fpeftion, any print taken from Shakefpeare, that pofleffed even the fmal- leil: degree of merit — and I am unwilling, therefore, to overlook an idea that is given of 'Eleanor and Arthur^ in the print prefixed to Lowndes's edition of this play, and which print is taken from the prefent fcene — and though the figure of Eleanor is by no means charaiteriftic of the Queen-mother: yet ftill the idea that is there given, is worth improving on. 1 wifh I could recommend the figures of the /iC/wg- and Hubert in this print. Page jy Conjiance might have been well painted from page ^^^ when (he vents her execration. — Arm, arm, you heavens, againft thefe perjured kings ! A widow cries ; be hufband to me, heavens ! Let not the hours of this ungodly day Wear out the day in peace ; but ere fun-fet. Set armed difcord 'twixt thefe perjured kings ! Hear me, oh, hear me ! Aujl. Lady Conftance, peace. Conji. War ! war ? no peace ' peace Is to me a war. O Lymoges ' O Auftria ! thou doft fhamc That bloody fpoil : Thou flave, thou wretch, thou coward.— Thou cold blooded flave, Has thou not fpoke like thunder on my fide ? D 2 Been ( *o ) Been fworn my foldier, bidding me depend Upon thy Q.zrs, thy {ortane, and /^^ ftrength? And does thou now fall over to my foes ? Thou wear a lion's hide ! doff it for fliame, And hang a calfs-lkin on thofe recreant limbs ! — * And there are doubtlefs many of the above lines, in favor of which much may be faid ; and from which, might be drawn Pl£lures of great expreflion — but I am tempted to overlook them, in order to proceed to a fcene of more importance : — Enter Constance. X. Phil. Look, who comes here ! a grave unto a foul; Holding the eternal fpirit, againft her will. In the vile prifon of afflifted breath : — 1 pr'ythce, lady, go away with me. Conji, Lo, now! now fee the iflue of your peace ? K. Phil. Patience, good lady ! comfort, gentle Conftancc ! ConJi. No, I defy all counfel, ail redrefs, But that which ends all counfel, true redrefs. Death, death ! — Oh amiable lovely death! T hou odoriferous flench ' found rottennefs \ ^rife forth ft om the couch of lajl'ing nighty 7 hou hate and terror tn pojhrity, And I ZL'lll kfs thy deteftable bones , And put my c\e-bails in thy vanity brows ; And. ring thefe fingers with thy houfehold worms; And (lop this gafp of breath with fulfome dud. And be a carrion monfter like thyfelf : * Each line, in this indignant charge, mull penetrate the very heart of y/ay?r/.i : when reproached with the look, the voice, and attitudes of an adlrefs like SiJilons. — How intertlling is jiujlria, in a former fcene, where he fpread* his coloun, in the behalf of Aithur! Comtf r 21 ) Come^ grin an me; and I will think thou fmtVJt, And bufs thee as thy wife ! Miferys love. Oh, come to me. K. Phil. Oh, fuh afflialon, peace. Conjl. No, no, I will not, having breath to cry : Oh, that mv tongue were in the thunder's mouth! Tbi'ii -vith a palLon would I Ihake the world ; And roul'e from fleep that fell anatomy. Which cannot hear a lady's feeble voice, Which fcjrns a modern invocation. Tand. Lady, you uHcr mudnefs, and not forrow, ConJl. Thou art unholy to belle me fo ; I am not mad , thh hair I tear is mine; My name is Condancc ; I was Geffrey's wife ; Young Arthur is my fon, and he is loft : I am not mad ; — / would to heaven I zvere ! For then, "'tis like I Ihojald forget myfelf : Oh, if I could, what grief Jhould I forget 1 Preach I'ome philoCophy to make me mad. And ihoujhail be canonlzd, cardinal ; For, being not mad, h:\t fenfible of grief, My reafonable part produces reafon How I may be delivered of thefe woes, And teaches me to kill or hang mvfelf: If I were mad, 1 fhould forget my fon ; Or madly think, a babe of dcuts w. re he: 1 am not mad ; too well, too well I /eel The difft I er. I plague of each calamity. K. Phil. Bind up thole trelTes : Ob, what love T note In the f:'ir niuUitade of thoie ber hairs ! Where but by chance a lilver drop hath fallen, Even to that drop ten thouia-'d wiry friends Do glew themfelvcs in foci:.bie grief; Like trui, infepar^ble faithful loves. Sticking together ni calamity. ConJ. ( Z2 ) Conji. To England if you will. K. Phil. Bind up your hairs. Conjl. Yes, that I will ! And wherefore will I doit I tore them from their bonds ; and cry'd aloud, Oh that thefe hands could fo redeem my fon. As they have given thefe hairs their liberty ! But now I envy at their liberty, And will again commit them to their bonds, Becaufe my poor child is a prifoner. — -~ And, father cardinal, I have heard you fay, That we fliall fee and know our friends in heaven ; If that be true, I Jhall fee my boy again ; For, fince the birth of Cain, the firft male-child. To him, that did but yefterday fufpire. There was notfuch a gracions creature born. But now will canker forrow eat my bud, And chafe the native beauty from his cheek, And he will look as hollow as a ghoft ; As dim and meagre as an ague's fit ; And fo he'll die ; and, rifing fo again. When I Jhall meet him in the court of heaven^ I Jhall not know him : : therefore never, never Muji I behold my pretty Arthur more. Pand. You hold too heinous a refpefl; of grief. Confi. He talks to me, that never had a fon. K, Phil. You are as fond of grief, as of your child. ConJI. Grief fills the room up of my abfent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me ; Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words. Remembers me of all his gracious parts, Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form ; Then, have I reafon to be fond of grief? Fare you well : had you fuch a lofs as I, I could C 23 ) / could give better comfort then you do.~- 1 will not keep this form upon my head, [ Tearing off her head-dreji\ Wlien there is fuch dlforder in my wit. O Lord I my boy, tny Arthur, my fair fon ! My life, my joy, my food, my all the world! My widow-comfort, and my forrow's cure ! \_Exit.'\ I have marked in Italics thofe lines which ftruck me as being the heft adapted for the furnifhing expreffive Paintings — and if we rejedl the paint- ing Conjlance and the other chara£lers, at the moment of her Ipeaking the apodrophe to death — or from her affedling requeil of Arfcrys love. Oh, come to met accompanied with the tender foothing of King Philip — or if we rejeft the painting her from thofe lines where fhe fears ntver to behold her Ar- thur more — or from her contemptuous look at the proud Pandolph — yet, we ought by no means to pafs over that paflage, wlii^h Mrs. Gibber ut- tered with a fcreamof agony, and with a wildnefs, the remembrance of which is not yet erafed from the minds of her furvlvlng admirers — indeed the plainrlvenefs of Gibber's voice — thegrief painted in her countenance — and the truly tender tone with which (he gave the former pallages of this fcene, never failed to draw as abundant tears from the i.oufe, as her en- thufiafllc utterance of this following paflage chilled every auditor : — / ivill not keep this foi m upon my head, JVhcn ihire is /i<eh dijoidei in my ivit.* Lord I my boy, my Ai ihur, tnyja.ir fon t \ * In Bell's firft edition of this play, is a beautiful print of Lady Cnnjlance, taken from thefe nvo firft lines ; and though it poffelles the moft l\» ect gra.e ; vet I forbear t6 lecoinmend its infenion in any future pr jefted edition, from it'a being wanting in that txprcffion of luiU Jefpair, which it fo ef- fentially required in thefe lines. f See Davies's account of Gibber's fpeaking this line, in a former page of this profpcHui. The ( H ) The deep lamentation of Conjlance^ reminds one of the tender luies In Henry VI. Afv heart, fwcet hoy, /hall be thy fcpulchrc. For from mine heart thine ima^c ne'er JJ)all go. Afyjighhig hreaftj?}all be thy funeral bell ; jindfo obfequious will thy father be,* Sad for the kfs of thee, having no more, Ai Priam was for all his valiant fans. Pap-e 80. The deep policy of Pandolph, ismofl: mafterly drawn In this page — he has meditated the invafion of England ; and he now works up to his pur- pofe the Dauphin Lezvis, with language the moft fpirited and forcible. This ho/y Cardinal, feemsone of thofe fpirits, who would fet even the afpiring Cataline tofchool. — and he enforces his arguments by prophetic, and by moft ardent expe«5i:- ation of fuccefs. There are many parts of his fpeech, from whence the flrong lines of his charafter might be caught — and perhaps the follow- ing paffages would not be inadequate ones : Page 80. Pand. A fcepter, fnatcli'd with an unruly hand, Muft be as boifleroufly maintained, as gain'd. Page 80. Pand. the times confpire with you ! Dr. Johnfon obferves, that this word olfcqulou!, means, careful of obfequies or of funeral rites. Page C 25 ) Page 81. Pand. O, Sir! Or, at thefe fpirit-ftirrlng lines of: Page 81. Band. Methinks, I fee this hurly all on foot ! And, O, what better matter breeds for you. Than I have named ! Page 81. Pand. For England go !— The fingular drefs of Pandolph, will not be unpleaflng. But it is un- pleafing thus to give my reader fcraps of fcenes^ I truft, however, that the Shakefpearean reader, will accompany me with the lafl: edition of Johnfon and Steevens. Page 82. * NartBampton. A Room inthe Cajik. Enter Hue^kt and Executioners, Hub^ Heat me thofe irons hot; and, look thou fland Within the arras : when I ftrike my foot Upon the bofom of the ground, rulh forth ; And bind the boy, which you fhall find with me, Faft to the chair : be heedful: hence, and watch. Exec, I hope, your warrant will bear out the deed. Hub, Uncleanly fcruples ! Fear not you : look to't.— f [Exeunt Executioners. Young lad, come forth , I have to fay with you. * The young Prince might be well drawn in page 70, »t the line of — O, this will male wy motber- dicuiiib grief-^hw. 1 have pafled over that tender line, in order to haflen to this prefcnt fcene. E E»ter ( ^6 ) Enttr Arthur. jirth. Good morrow, Hubert. Hub. Good morrow, little prince. Jrth. As little prince (having fo great a title To be more prince) as may be. — You are fad- Hub. Indeed, I have been merrier. jirth. Mercy on me ! Methinks, no body fhould be fad, but I : Yet, I remember, when I was in France, Young gentlemen would be as fad as night. Only for wantonnefs, By my chriftendom. So I were out of prifon, and kept fheep, I fhould be as merry as the day is long; And fo T would be here, but that I doubt My uncle praftifes more harm to me : He is afraid of me, and I of him : Is it my fault that I was Geffrey s fori ? No, indeed, is't not; And I would to heaven, I were your fon, fo you would love me, Hubert. Huh. If 1 talk to him, with his innocent prate He will awake my mercy, which lies dead : Therefore I will be fudden, and difpatch. {^Afde. Arth. Are you fick, Hubert ? you look pale to day r In footh, I would you were a little fick ; That I might fit all night, and watch witli you : I warrant, I love you more than you do me. Huh. His words do take poffeflion of my bofom. — * Read here, young Arthur — [_Sheu)inga Paper, How * What an .ittltude and expreffion might be given to Arthur, when he reads this warrant ! and what conflifting paffions might be painted in the countenance of Huhrf\ — I could mention one or two ideas, vrhich I have met with ia the prdduftioa of artifts : fonsewhat fimular and correfpondent to what I now allude ( 27 ; How now, foolifli rheum ! [_JJidt. Turning difpiteous torture out of door? I muftbe brief; left refolution drop Out at my eyes, in tender womanifli tears.— Can you not read it? is it not fair writ? ^rth. Too fairly, Hubert, for fo foul efFeft : Muft you with hot irons burn out both mine eyes ? Hub, Young boy, I muft. j^rth. And will you f Huh. And I will. Arth. Have you the heart ? when your head did but ake, I knit my handkerchief about your brows (The beft I had, a princefs wrought it me). And I did never alk It you again : And with my hand at midnight held your head ; And, like the watchful nrlnutes to the hour, Still and anon cheer'd up the heavy time ; Saying, What lack you? and. Where lies your grief ? Or, What good love may I perform for you? Many a poor matC i fon would have lainjl'ill. And ne'er havefpoke a loving word to you; But you at your lick fervice had a prince. allude to — but the advice of Guide, deters me — " What model (faid a Bolognefc nobleman to Guido) *' fupplies you with the divine and graceful air of your female heads ? I'll ftiew you, replied the ar- " tift, and calling his colour grinder, a great lubberly brawny fellow, with a brutal countenance, he " bad hhn fit down, turn his head, and look up to the Iky; and then, taking his chalk, drew a Mag- *'■ dalen : and when the nobleman faw, with aftonifliment, an angelic figure arifing from the attitude, " lights and fliadows of the colour-grinder, Guido addrefled him in the following words : My dear " Count, there is no enchantment here ; but tell your painter, that the beautiful and pure idea muft " be in the mind, and then it is no matter what the model be." I cannot however prevent, requefting my reader to look at the more than human expreffion of the Infant, in a print from after Lc Noir, en- graved by John Clarke, pupil to Mr. Battolozzi, from a pi<flure in the collefloncf Mr. Duane. The Vignette in Bell's laft edition of this play, (and which is taken from this prefent fcene; is not I think fo happily conceived, as it might have bc«n. E 2 Nav ( 28 ) Nay, you may think, my love was crafty love, And call it, cunning: Do, an if you will; If heaven be pleas'd that you muft ufe me ill, Why, then you muft. — Will you put out mine eyes ? Thefe eyes, that never did, nor never fhall, So much as fiown on you ? Hub. I have fworn to do it ; And with hot irons muft I burn theni ou. jirth. If an angel fhould have come to me. And told me, Hubert fhould put out mine eyes, I would not have believ'd him ; no tongue, but Hubert's. [HuBERT_/?a»i^5, and the Men enter. Hub, Come forth ; do as I bid you do, Arth. O, fave me, Hubert, fave me ! my eyes are out, Even with the fierce looks of thefe bloody men. Hub. Give me the iron, I fay, and bind him here. Arth. Alas, what need you be fo boifterous rough ? I will notftruggle, I willftand ftone-ftill. For Heaven's fake, Hubert; let me not be bound ! Nay, hear me, Hubert! drive thefe men away. And I will fit as quiet as a lamb ; I will not ftir, nor wince, nor fpeak a word. Nor look upon the iron angrily : Thruft but thefe men away, and I'll forgive you. Whatever torment you do put me to. Hub, Go, ftand within ; let me alone with him. Exec. I am beft pleas'd to be from fuch a deed. {^Exeunt. Arth. Alas, I then have chid away my friend ; He hath a ftern look, but a gentle heart : — Let him come back, that his compaffioii may Give life to your's. Huh. ( 29 ) Hub. Come, boy, prepare yourfclf. ylrth. Is there no remedy ? Hub. None, but to lofe your eyes. jlrth. O heaven ! that there were but a moth in yours, A grain, a duft, a gnat, a wand'ring hair, Any annoyance in that precious fenfe ! Then, feeling what fmall things are boifterous there, Your vile intent muft; needs feem horrible. Hub. Is this yourpromifer go to, hold your tongue. ^rth. Hubert, the utterance of a brace of tongues Muft needs want pleading for a pair of eyes : Let me not hold my tongue ; let me not, Hubert ! Or, Hubert if you will, cut out my tongue, So I may keep mine eyes ; O, fpare mine eyes ; Though to no ufc, but ftill to look on you ! Lo, by my troth, the inftrument is cold, And would not harm me. Hub. I can heat it, boy. jirth. No, in good footh ; the fire is dead with grief, , Being create for comfort, to be us'd In undeferved extremes : See elfe yourfelf ; There is no malice in this burning coalj The breath of heaven hath blown his fpirit out, A And ftrew'd repentant alhes on his head. Hub. But with my breath I can revive it, boy. ^rih. And if you do, you will but make it blu(h. And glow with Ihame of your proceedings, Hubert; Nay, it, perchance, will fparkle in your eyes ; And like a dog, that is compelled to fight, Snatch at his mafter that doth tarre him" on. All things, that you Ihould ufe to do me wrong. Deny their office ; only you do lack That mercy, which fierce fire, and iron, extends. Creatures of note for mercy-lacking ufes. I Hui. I ( 30 ) Hub. Well, fee to live ; I will not touch thine eye For all the treafure that thine uncle owes : Yet am I fworn, and I did purpofe, boy, With this fame very iron to burn them out. ^nh. O, now you look like Hubert ! all this while You were difguifed. Hub. Peace : no more. Adieu ; Your uncle muft not know but you are dead. I'll fill thefe dogged fpies with falfe reports. j^nd, pretty child, JJecp doubtlefs, and fecure, that Hubert, for the wealth of all the world. Will not offend thee. Arth. O heaven ! — I thank you, Hubert. Huh. Silence ; no more : Go clofely in with me; Much danger do I undergo for thee.* [Exeunt. The above is one of thofe fcenes, that want " no khid entreaty to attend to them" — and the tears that flow from an artifl on the perufal, will beft guide his pencil in painting the tender and eloquent pleading of Arthur: in a ftyle, if poffible, equal to that pathetic which Shakefpeare has exhibited. How would Albano, or Titian, have painted ^r//6«r — and how might Sir Joftiua Reynolds paint him ! — the portrait of Edwin, from Beattie's Minflrell, and the entreating look and attitude of one of the children in Ugolino, will convince us what fine expreflion he would give to Arthur — and the very foul of the dark but relenting Hfibert, would be conveyed to us, through his pencil. * The paffions of the audience, durhig this terrible fcene, are fufpended between hope and fear, between appreheniion of the prince's death and expeilation of Hubert's rcmorfe. It is with pleafure I have obferved a thoufand melting eyes refurae their luftre, when Hubert quits the bloody purpofe, and embraces the child. Dramatic Miscellanies by Davies, vol, i, p. 65. ' The ( 31 ) The expreffion in the face of jirthur, ihould be what we have reafon to fuppofe the meek difpofition of Raffaelle gave him, at his age of ten or twelve years old. He fhould be what Shakefpeare's Fidele was : a moji rare boy of melancholy.^ But to enable ourfelves fllll better to pencil the innocent youth of j^r- ihur (as well as the other fcenes of our great dramatift) — we fliould ob- ferve the advice laid down in " a Difcourfe delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, on the diftribution of the prizes, December roth, 1784" — for we are there told, that the habit of contemplating and brooding over the ideas of great geniiifes, till you find yourfef warmed by the contact, is the true method of forming an art ijl- like mind; it is impofjible in the prefence ofthofe great men, to think, or invent in a mean manner : a fate of mind is acquired that is difpofed to receive thofe ideas only which reli/l) of grandeur andfhnpUcity^ Page 91. A groupe of mofl: expreffive figures might be taken from this page, at the moment of Hubert'' s informing the King, that Arthur is difpatched. For Pembroke and Salifury, fufpefting from the clofe afpe£t of Hubert^ fome vile errand : fix their eye ftrongly on them both — and Salijhury ob- ferves that The colour of the King doth come and go Between his purpofe and his confcience. Like Heralds 'twixt two dreadful battles fent. * See the young Prince, in Cypriani's print of the Queen of Edward IV, — the Vignette to the Le- gendary Tale of Richard III. — Venue's print of the tender youth of Edward VI.— Mr. Gainsbo- rough's print of a Shepherd — and fee the drawing By Shelley, in vol. i . of '»■ The Artlll's Re^ofitory," lately printed for Wilhams, No. 43, Holborn, I do not exhibit this laft, as conveying the idea of Arthur : yet ftlU it has too much merit to be overlooked, a Or, ( 3^ ) Or, what looks would this fubfequeiit pafTage require from John — and what ftrongly expreffive ones fhould be given to Lord Pembroke and SaUJhury, when "John (knowing they fufpeifl him of the murder) thus addreffes them : Why do vou bend fuch folemn brows on me f Think you, I bear the Iheers of deftiny ? Have I commandment on the pulfe of life ?— The countenance of Hubert^ will fhew the mood of a much troubled Ireaji. Lord Salijbury was one of thofe, who went to feek the grave of Arthur. Page c): King John's fituation is now become exceedingly embarraffed. He fears the revolt of Pembroke and Salijbury — and ftill further to encreafe his perturbation, a meffenger arrives, with tidings of an immenfe army having landetl to attack him — On news fo alarming and unexpeded : he rapidly cries out — K. John, O, where hath our intelligence been drunk ? Where hath it flept ? Where is my mother's care ? That fuch an army could be drawn in France, And Ihe not hear of it ? Mcf, My liege, her ear Is ftopt with dull : the firft of April, dy'd Your noble mother : And, as I hear, my lord. ( 33 ) 7^<r lady Confianct in a frenzy dyd * Three days before : but this from rumour's tongue I idly heard; if true, or falfe, I know not. ^ "John, Withhold tliy fpeed, dreadful occafion ! O make a league with me, 'till I have pleas'd My difcontented peers ! — What ! mother dead ? How wildly then walks my eftate in France ? — Under whofe condudl came thofe powers of France, That tliou for truth giv'fl out, are landed here ? Mef. Under the Dauphin. Enter Faulconbridge a«^ Peter, of Pomfret. K. John. Thou haft made mc giddy With thefe ill tidings. — Now, what favs tlic world Tjo your proceedings? do not feek to (luff My head with more ill news, for it is full. Fatil. But if you be afeard to hear the worft. Then let the worft, unheard, fall on your head» * The Dtath efLady Conji-anct, inigkt produce as fine a plclure as the Death ef Ch»patra ; and de- ferves to be as much immortalized by the ideal conceptions of great painters. She might be drawn at the moment of her grieved fplrit departing " from the prifon of afflided breath" — and it would require no common pencil to delineate (fuitable to the wild fancy of Shakefpeare) the agonized frenzy of her lail fcene (not overftepping however the propriety of nature) — and to imprint at the fame time on her countenance, the foftened marks of a fublime grief. With what fpirited ardour might ^ohn he drawn, when blaming, to the melTenger, the delay of hit intelligence — Shakefpeare has infufcd in this rapid utterance (as well es in a fubfequent one which he addreffes to i<'<t/fan^r/<^f ) the fpirit of his own iJ/V/'ar^/ — And how finely might be painted his ftart and look, when he is told of his mother^s death — Nor would lefs exertion of the pencil be require!, Vi paint his attitude, and dark uplifted afpeft, at the invocation of Withhold thy f peed f dreadful occafcnJ But the paflages in our author, which are calculated to exercife the powers of an artlft, are of fuch extenfive and almoll unlimited variety, that we are compelled to rclinquifli and pafs over numbcrlefs fcenesand paffages, which might othcrwife have embelliQied an edition, with the aobleft engravings. F K. Johu. ( 3+ ) K. John. Bear with me, coufin ; for I was amaz'd Under the tide : but now I breathe again Aloft the flood ; and can give audience To any tongue, fpeak it of what it will. Faul. How I have fped among the clergymen, The fums I have collefted fliall exprefs. But, as I travelled hither through the land, I find the people ftrangely fantasy'd ; Poffefled with rumours, full of idle dreams ; Not knowing what they fear, but full of fear ; And here's a prophet, that I brought with me From forth the flreets of Pomfret, whom 1 found With many hundreds treading on his heels ; To whom he fung, in rude harfli founding rhymes. That, ere the next afcenfion day at noon. Your highnefs fliould deliver up your crown. K. John. Thou idle dreamer, wherefore did'ft thou fay fo ' Peter. Fore-knowing that the truth will fall out fo. K. John. Hubert, away with him ; imprifon him ; And on that day at noon, whereon, he fays, I Ihall yield up my crown, let him be hang'd : Deliver him to fafcty, and return, For I muft ufe thee. — O my gentle coufin, [Exit Hubert with Petee.^ Hear'ft thou the news abroad, who are arriv'd? Faul. The French, my lord ; men's mouths are full of It : Befides, I met lord Bigot, and lord Sallfbury (With eyes as red as new-enkindled fire), And others more, going to feek the grave Of Arthur, who, they fay, is kill'd to-night On your fuggeftion. K. John, Gentle kinfman, go. And thruft ihyfelf into their companies : I have a way to win their loves again; Bring them before me, Faul, ( 25 ) Faul. I will feek them out, K, John, Nay, but make hafte ; the better foot before.— O, let me have no fubjeft enemies, When adverfe foreigners affright my towns With dreadful pomp of ftout invafion ! Be Mercury, fet feathers to thy heels ; And fly, like thought, from them to me again. Paul. The fpirit of the time fhall teach me fpced. \_Exit. K. John. Spoke like a fprightful noble gentleman. Go after him ; for he, perhaps, fliall need Some meflenger betwixt me and the peers ; And be thou he. Mef. With all my heart, my liege. \Exit. K. John. My mother dead ! Re-enter Huhert. Hub. My Lord, they fay five moons were feen to-night : Four fixed ; and the fifth did whirl about The other four in wond'rous motion. K. John, Five moons ! t Hub. Old men, and beldams, in the ftreets Do prophecy upon it dangeroufly : •j- Shakefpeare well knew the fuperftition of the times he is now defcriblng : and has therefore added frelli terror to the imaguiation of John, by alarming hhn with this portentous omen. He has no doubt taken the idea, from this pafHige of his old friend honcft Hollnflied : — KhawH tTic moneft) of DcceinScr, tTictt lactc feme in t^e ptobincc of £otl;e f^bc mooncs, ohc in rtc wRe, tTjc tcoutie in t'oc VocSc, tTjt tijprBf in tk timtljc, tf)c &iwl)e in tit fmtt^e, auD tijc fifrfjf as it lucre fct in t(K miDacs of tiie otfict, iaijiuj iii.m? ffarreg aboute it, ana tonit toe or Hfc t?ints in coii!iJarsinn;t|)eotT)cr, asitlumtljcrparcofonriout, auDiIjottlj aftcrijaniaca alB.ij. No pen ever touched on the tnarvellou5, or on portentous imagery, with the magic of Shakefpeare. In his Richard II. we have an admirable inftance of the awful colouring his genius gave to thefc fubjefts. F 2 Young ( 36 ) Young Arthur's death is common in their mouths t And when they talk, of him, they fhake their heads. And whifper one another in the ear; And he, that fpeaks, doth gripe the hearer's wrift j Whilft he, that hears, makes fearful aftion With wrinkled brows, with nods, with rolling eyes, Ifaw ajmhhjland 'with his hammer, thus, ^he wh'iljl his iron did on the anvil coot, TVith open mouth fwallovcing a tailar'^s news,*' Who, with his fhears and meafure in his hand. Standing on flippers (which his nimble hade, Had falfely thruft upon contrary feet) Told of a many thoufand warlike French, That were embattled and rank'd in Kent .•■ Another lean unwafh'd artificer Cuts off his tale, and talks of Arthur's death. K, John. Why feck'ft thou to poflefs me with thefe fears ?t Why urges thou fo oft young Arthur's death ? Thy hand hath murder'd him : I had a mighty caufe To wiih, him dead,, but thou had'ft none to kill him. Hub. • Tliere are two prints already publiflied from thefe lines^one of them is painted by Donaldfon, and engraved by Finlayfoii — and the other is painted by Penny. Not having either of the prints be- fore me, prevents me faying how far either of them might be fafely recommended to accompany the page of Shakcfpeare. I but faintly recoUeft cither of them ; but one of them, I know is much fu- perior to the other. When one of thefe is felefted as preferable to the other : there might then be in- troduced fuch alterations as would render it faultlcfs"— and in that ftate it might be engraved to accom- pany an edition. A £iK caricature might be fketched from thefe lines : Old mtn, ar.d heldami it the Jireeii D» prophecy upon it dangeroujly, ■f What ftrong colourings of the human pafflons, are given in the remaining part of this fc«ne !>— • the merit of which is fo great, that it fliould be accompanied by none but the moft mafterly defigns. Had Salvator Rofa read Shakefpeare, he probably would have painted from Macbeth — but his mind might have been abforbed in the dark fpirit of this fcene. Among other reafons which lead me to con- jedure, that Salvator would have chofca Macbeth, I give the following account of a picture by him— '- V A ( Z1 ) Huh. Had none, my Lord ? why, did not you provoke me ? K. 'John. It Is the curfe of kings, to be attended By flavcs, that take. their humours for a warrant To break within the bloody houfe of hfe : And, on the winking of authority, " A moft capital picture by Salvator (fays Pllkington) is at Verfailles, of which the fubjed is Saul •• and the Witch of Endor ; and that fingle performance, difplays the merit of the painter in the ftrono-eft "point of light. The attitude of Saul is majeftick, while the exprcffion in his countenance is a judi- " cious mixture of anxiety of heart, andeagernefs for information. It is alfo obferved by good judges " that there is a dignity in the charafter of the witch, but it is a kind' of dignity, very different from *' that of the monarch ; it is enthufulra." Thofe who have witnefTcd the intelligence of Garrick's eye, and the fupreme power which he poflTef- fedover every feature and every pallion of the human bread, are beft enabled to determine, which of the above lines would furnifli the beft fubjeft for an artift. We have now indeed at this day, much reafoa to feel the force of Gibber's exclamation, that the anunateJ graces of the player can live no longer than the injlant Irtath and motion that pre funis them ; or at bejl can hut faintly glimmer through the memory^ ' er impcrfell aitcfation of afe-vsfurviving fpeHators. At the reprefentation of this trao-edy on the ftage, we now look in vain for him who (hould be there — and whom we could have wilhed to hare de- tained a little longer — for the turbulent and gloomy paffions of John, muft not now be espedled to receive the charadler which Garrick gave them. Each fucceeding day, now leffens the remembrance of talents — to the pofleflbr of which, might juftly have been applied the compliment given to La Rive: Melpominc a tes mains, conjia sis poignardst Davies, thus fpeaks of the adors of fohn, ia the prefent fcene .— " Delane and Moflbp wanted neither fire nor force to exprefs anger, rage, and refentmcnt, with ** truth and vigour. Sheridanand Quin, endowed with lefs power, were obliged to fupply that requilitc "by art. Here Garritk reigned triumphant : he was greatly fuperior to them all. His aclion wag " more animated j and his quick tranfitious from one paffion to another, gave an excellent portrait of *' the turbulent and dirtrafted mind of John. When Hubert fliewed him his warrant for the death *' of Arthur, faying to him, at the fame time. Here is your hanti andfeal for tvhat 1 diJy " Garrick fnatchcd the warrant from his hand, and grafping it hard, in an agony of defpalr and horror* *' he threw his eyes to heaven, as if fclf convi(5led of murder, and (landing before the great Judge of ?' the quick and the dead, to anfwer for the infringement of the Divine command." To ( 38 ) To underftand a law ; to know the meaning Of dangerous majefty, when, perchance, it frowns More upon humour than advis'd refpeft. Huh. Here is your hand and feal for what I did. K, yohn. Oh, when the loft account ^twlxt heaven and earth Is to be made, thenjhall this hand and feal Wilncfi agatnji us to damnation / J How oft the fight of means to do ill deeds. Makes deeds ill done. Had'fl not thou been by, A fellow by the hand of nature mark'd, Quoted, and fign'd to do a deed of fhame, This murder had not come into my mind : But, taking note of thy abhorred afpeft. Finding thee fit for bloody villany. Apt, liable to beemploy'd in danger, I faintly broke with thee of Arthur's death; And thou, to be endeared to a king, Madft it no confcience to deftroy a prince. Hub. My lord K. John. Hadft thou butfliookthy head, or made a paufc. When I fpake darkly what I purpofed ; Or turn'd an eye of doubt upon my face; Or bid me tell my tale in exprefs words ; Deep fhame had flruck me dumb, made me break off. And thofe thy fears might have wrought fears in me : But thou didfl underftand me by my figns, And didft in figns again parley with fin ; Yea, without ftop, didft let thy heart confent. And, confequently, thy rude hand to aft The deed, which both our tongues held vile to name.— J Pee tVie look of jfol»i in a mctzotinto enj^raved by Val. Green, from after J. Mortimer, of Powell and Bciiflcy, in the charafters of Jo/'/t and Hi/hert. The landfcape, and engraving of this print are very rich, — but Huhtrt is not fo well drawn. This print was taken from page 117. It would be injiiftice to Mr. Benfley not to declare, that his reprefcnta^o« of Hubert, h?s erer been jnoft faithful and fpirited. I Out ( 39 ) Out of my fight, and never fee me more ! My nobles leave me ; and my ftate is brav'd, Even at my gates, with ranks of foreign powers : Nay, in the body of this flelhly land, This kingdom, this confine of blood and breath, Hoftility and civil tumult reigns Between my confcience, and my coufin's death. Huh. Arm you againft your other enemies, I'll make a peace between your foul and you. Young Arthur is alive : This hand of mine Is yet a maiden and an innocent hand. Not painted with thecrimfon fpots of blood. Within this bofom never entered yet The dreadful motion of a murd'rous thought,. And you have flander'd nature in my form ; Which, howfoever rude exteriorly, Is yet the cover of a fairer mind Than to be butcher of an innocent child. K. yohn. Doth Arthur live? O haftethee to the peerSy Throw this report on their incenfed rage. And make them tame to their obedience ! Forgive the comment that my paffion made Upon thy feature; for my rage was blind,. And foul imaginary eyes of blood Prefented thee more hideous than thou art^ Oh, anfwer not ; but to my clofet bring The angry lords, with all expedient hafle : I conj ure thee but flowly ; run more faft,. \_Exeunt: Pnge ( 40 ) aee 10 2. When the lords have refolved not to ftaui their pure honours, by Johihig in the approaclung battle with the guilty king — whofe foot leaves the print oj blood where- e'' er it walks — they are fuddenly ftruck with the dead body of ^r//j«r, beautifully cloathed in a y7;;'6-/5oy'jy^;;z3/^«Ci?, the better to favour his efcape from the caftle, in defcending from the walls ■of which he loft his life — And this prefent fcene might be taken either from tlie appearance of Arthur^ when fupplicating the ground to hurt him not: afliltcd with the fccnery of the embattled walls, and gothic appendages of Northampton caftle : — Or from the attitudes and corref- ponding looks oi Bigot, Pembroke,X and the honeft and indignant Falcon- bridge, when Sali/burj/ (fuppofing yf/vZ'wr to hav^ been murdered) pointing to his breathlefs corps, fays: ' could thought, iv'tthout this objeSJj Form fuch another ? This is the very top, I'he height, the creft, or crefl unto thecreft. Of murder's arms : this is the bloodiefl fhame. The wildeft favag'ry, the vileft ftroke. That ever vvall-cyed wrath, or flaring rage, Prelented to the tears of foft remorfe. The fcene goes on:: Falc. It is a damned and a bloody work ; The gracelefs aftion of a heavy hand. — ■Sal. It is the fliamcful work of Hubert's hand ; The praftice, and the purpofe of the king : — From ; For the countenance of Pmiroke, fee the fame Print that I have mciuioned for JBaltiazar's, in Romeo and Juhet \. 41 ) From whofe obedience I forbid my foul, Kneeling before this ruin of fix eel life. And breathing to this brcaihlcfs excellence The incenfe of a vow, a holy voiu ; Never to tafte the pkafures of tliis world, Never to be infedled with delight. Nor converfant with eafe and idlenefs, 'Till I have fet a glory to this hand, By giving it the worfhip of revenge. — § Or, we may felecl another point in this fcene to draw from ; and where the ftern refentment which F^/co«(^;7^^^ fhews, at the luitimely end of Arthur^ will give an opportunity for his foldier-llke figure appearing to that advantage, which hib behaviour in this fcene fo much merits — for, when the Lords are gone — Falconhridge (who ftrongly fufpeds him) thus accofts Hubert : — Falc. knew you of this fair work ? [pointing to the body. Beyond the infinite and boundlefs reach Of mercy, if thou didft this deed of death, Art thou damn'd, Hubert. Hub. Do but hear me, fir. Falc. Ha ! I'll tell thee what ; There is not yet fo ugly a fiend of hell As thou fhalt be, if thou didft kill this child. § The dead body of Arthur, will lead tlic mind to refleft on the fad end of a princely boy, who promiled much — and to refleft on the prophecy of the Queen-Mother to John^ •—— you green loy fjoll have no fun to ripe., The bloom that promifeth a mighty fruit. • Perhaps thefe twolmes which I have omitted were foiftcd in by the players. G ■fl'w^' ( 4* ) Huh. Upon my foul,— • Falc. If thou didft but confcnt To this nioft cruel aft, do but defpau", And, if thou vvant'ft a cord, the fmalleft thread That ever fpiJer twifted from her womb Will ferve to ftrangle thee ; a rufh will be a beam To hang thee on : or, would'ft thou drown thyfelf. Put but a little water in a fpoon, And it (liall be as all the ocean. Enough to ftifle fuch a villain up.^ I do fufpeft thee very grievoufly. Hub. If I in aft, confent, or fin of thought, Be guilty of the ftealing that fweet breath Which was embounded in this beauteous clay. Let hell want pains enough to torture me ! — Falconbr'idge concludes this fcene, with a ftrong imaged pi£lure of the difcontents and confufion of the times ; and obferves, that — — happy he, whofe cloak and cinfture can Hold out this tempeft. 'age 1 08. In a former page, it is obferved by the Queen-Mother, that Falcon^ bridge poflefTes the very fpirit of Plantaganet ; and his intrepid mind ac- companies him through every fcene. . A fine fubje£t is now offered to the artifls from this page, of the drooping and daunted fpirit of yohn, when he has been told by Falconbr'idge of Arthur s death — for when that intelligence is given him, the remembrance of his cruelty to the Prince, (and the confequent revolt of the nobles) prevents him from ever more I recovering ( 43 ) reccvering his alacrity ; and he requires the intrepid roufings of the Bajlardy to make him aflume a daunt lefsfpirit, at a time when — — wild amazement hurries up and down. The little number of his doubtful friends. Shakefpeare has given to Falconbridge, that buftllng and afpiring fpirit which he delighted to exhibit. Borgognone is acknowledged the prince of battle painters, from the inimitable fire and elevation of thought which diftinguifh his compofitions — In the battles of Borgognone (fays the Count Algarotti) we are really apt to fancy that the trumpet founds — Well, therefore, may our Shakefpeare be termed the Borgognone of the drama — for none like him could paint the proud conlroul of fierce and bloody war. And in the following lines, the undaunted Falconbridge en- deavours to animate John^ with his own fire : Wherefore do you droop ? why look you fad ? Be great in aft as you have been in thought. Let not the world fee fear and fad diftruft, Govern the motion of a kingly eye ; Be ftirring as the time ; be fire with fire ! — * G 2 Pago * Mortimer, in his print of King John ratifying Magna Charta, has given us the dnfs of John. and Falconbridge. The very numerous fubjefts which this play offers for the engraver, obliges rae to rejeft the follow ing paflagcs.— Page III. Le^juis, Oh, what a noble combat haft thou fought. Between compulfion and a brave refpeft I. Page 1 1 6. Falc. Do but ftart An echo with the clamour of thy drum. And even at hand a drum is ready brac'd. That fliall reverberate all as loud as thme ; ( 44. ) Page 125. We now bring John to his laft fcene at Swinftead Abbey — and the Poet's art makes one feel fome commiferation for him, notwithftanding the pollution of his crimes. This fcene might be drawn either from this point: Henry. How fares your Majefty ? K.John. Poifon'd,— z7/-/«r^;— dead, forfook, cafl ofF.— Or Sound but another, and another fliall, As loud as thine, rattle the welkin's ear. And mock the decp-mouth'd thunder : for at hand (Net trading to this halting legate here. Whom he hath ufed rather for '"port than need), Is warlike John ; and in his forehead /its A harc-ribU' d death, whole office is this day To feaft upon whole thoufands of the French. Mortimer would have ftetched from the lines in italics. He has exhibited a fomewhat fimilar idea in kis portrait of Richard II. Mr. Hayley has well defcribed this painter : The rapid Mortimer of fpirit ivild : Imagination s dear and darling child.— Page 117. John. This fever, which hath troubled me fo long. Lies heavy on me ; Oh, my heart isficl ! In this laft fliort dialogue, " Garrick's look, walk, and fpeech (fays Davies) confcfled the man broken with iticeffant anxiety, and difeafed both in body and mind. Defpair and death feem to hover round him." And ^ 45 ) Or, from the following paflage : when he tenderly looks at Falcon^ hridse : '"a'- K, 'John, Oh coujin, thou art come tofct mine eye : The tackle of my heart is crack'd and burnt ; And all the flirowds, wherewith my life fliould fail, Are turned to one thread, one little hair: Jl4y heart hath but one poor Jlr'tng tojlay it iy. Which holds but 'till thy news be uttered ; And then all this thou feeft, is but a clod, And module of confounded royalty,* Or, And the laft fpeech of the Count de Melun (wounded and led In by foldiers) when revealing the trea« ehery ot Le-wis, offers a pifturefque fubjciSl:— Commend nie to one Hubert, with your king, The love of him, and this refpedl befides, (For that my grandfire was an Englifliman) Awakes my confcience toconfefs all this. In lieu whereof, I pray you, bear me hence * From forth the noife and rumour of the field j Where I may tliink the remnant of my thoughts In peace; and part thii body and my foul With contemplation and devout dcfires. 'From the firft of thefe lines, is taken the print in Hanmer — but how flrangely has Hayman conceived the charaiTfer of John! In recompenfe for having given him a mean exprcffion, he has been willing to give him a 'wig — which however in this his illnefs, he has kindly taken off, and fupplanted it by a modern velvet cap, yol>/i more refcnibles a mercer or a lineu-drapjr expiring, than the King of England, See however the abbey, the orchard, and the drefs of the Bajlard, in this print. It is firange that Sir Thomas Hanmer fliould adiiiit into his edition, fome of thofe plates which Hayman t'urniflicJ him with — they are many of them an aftual dlfgrace to the fi.enes they were meant to cmbellifh — a mean conception pervades mofl of them, Hayman gave defigns for all the plays in Hanmer's edition, excepting thole contained in the 4th volume, which were defigned by Gravelot— and one need only refer to this 4th volume, to be convinced, how much more enabhd Gravelot was to defign from Shakefpeare, than Hayman. The unerring marks by which the pidures of Hayman are foon difiinguiflred, followed him in the deligns he gave for the five plays of our author, collated by Jennens. 2 ( 46 ) Or the fcene might be taken from the hnes, which the faithful and t)rave Falconhrldge addrefles to his dead mafler : Fak. Art thou gone fo? I do but ftay behind, To do the office for thee of revenge ; And then my foul (hall wait on thee to heaven. As it on earth hath been thy fervant ftill. And in order to do that full juftice to this fcene which it fo richly me- rits ; we fhould endeavour to copy the pl£lure here given. — " I (hould not forget (fays Davies) to fpeak of Mr. Garrick's excellence in the dying fcene of John. The agonies of a man expiring in a delirium were delinea- ted with fuch wonderful expreflion in his countenance, that he imprefled imcommon fenfations, mixed with terror, on the admiring fpe6tators, who could not refufe the loudefl tribute of applaufe to his inimitable action. Every word of the melancholy news, uttered by Falconbridge, ieemed to touch the tender firings of life, 'till they were quite broken, and he expired before the unwelcome tale was finilhed."§ Tail- §In a Morning Herald for November, 1785, is the following account of the performance of this tragedy at Drury Lane.— The Conjlancc of Mn.Siildnts was all the mod enthufiaftic admirers of Shakcfpeare could ever coi\- ceive. Next to her, flione the BaJarJ, as perfonated by Smith, who was not only lively and anima- ted, but at once gave a true pidure of a brave and fteady adherent. — Kemllc fcarcely ever appeared to mr; advantage than in John ; his fcene with Hubert was excellent, and his dying one merits com- mendation. — Benjlcy's Hubert was chafte and aftefting ; and the amiable fmiplicity of the fupplicating Arthur was delightfully hit off by Mifs Field, who drew tears from alraoft every eye in the Houfe. And a Morning Poft, for the fame month, thus fpeeks of the fame performance. — After an interval of two years, the tragfdy of Kin^ ^ohn was performed at this theatre, in which Mrs. Sidiions reprefented the charafter of Cenjlance. Though the part is much lliorter than her ad- mirers would wifli, yet it affords an opportunity of calling forth thofe powers which file fo eminently pofleffes. Her anguifti at the lofs of her fon, was exprefled in a ftyle which has feldom been equalled, sindj ( 47 ) Tail-Piece. As Gravelot's defign for Theobald's eaition of this play, pofleffes much merit; it flioald, I thuik, be prcferved in refpe£l to the memory of a man, wh.-fe defigns for Shakefpeare's plays, have furpafled raoft others. I wifh, therefore, to recommend a fac-fimile of tnls print, for this de- partment. The attitudes and dreffes of Hubert and Arthur, are well pencilled, and indeed the chief objeaionable part of tb.is print, is per- haps the chair — which is wanting in that antiquenefs which ufually at- tends thofe in fuUen prifons, and which would be more correfpondent to the chairs of that day. I wifh the early impreffion.s only of this print to be looked at; as they have not that very coarfe efFecl which accom- panies the imprelfions for the later editions— and this is not to be won- dered at, when Mr. Steevens informs us, that no lefs than 1 1,360 copies of Theobald's edition, were printed prior to the year 1778— though in- deed the cuts of Gravelot have been prefixed only to the i2mo. edition. If the above fhould not be approved of, we might then fjpply it's place, by a defign from fome one of thofe paffiiges which are mentioned and, we believe never furpaffed. Mr. Kemlle, m Ki»g John, was frequently applauded, and, we think with fufficientjulUce. He fupportcd the charafter with dignity and propri'-ty, and in fome parts mewed amafterlv conception of 'he author. The unfolding of his purpofe to have Prince A r- tbur murdered, was conduftcd with great judgment, and much approved by the audience. Mr. Smith 5n the Baftardv/i^ excellent. We lliould do injuQicc t:, Alifs FieU, if we did not acknowledge that flie rcprefented Prince Arthur with much propriety. In the fcene with Hubert, where Hie petitions for her life flie did ample juftice to the perfuaHve language or the immortal Shakefpcare. Mr. Bcff.^y did fufficient juftice to Hdert ; and Mr, Jici:» a<fted A7«^ Philip with dignity and attention ition. ill r 48 ) in the foregoing notes. If the tlefigu (hould be fketched from the groupe of firures under the walls of Northampton Caftle (one of the prints recommended for page 102) — then endeavour to fliade the landfcape with that folemn hue, which is given in the tinted drav/ing of Penrith Caf- tk', illumined by the departing ray of the fun') in Mr. Gilpin's Obfervations on the Lakes. Or fome might prefer the fame glow of evening which fo fweetly ornaments page 123, of the firft volume of this truly elegant work. Or, (in lieu of the above) would it not be pleafing to the furviving fpe£lators of Mrs. Cibber, to view her portrait annexed to a magnificent edition of that poet, to whofe fcenes her talents rendered fo much juf- tice — to view the refembling portrait of her, who reign'd triumphant over all in Conflatice. And pollerity will no doubt wifh to view the exacSt features of that woman, who was the darling of the theatre : whofe voice was beyond conception plaintive and mufical — and whofe eyes in grief and tendtrnefs looked as if they fw am in tears, and which in rage and def- T^TCnfeemed to dart flapes of fire. The moft pleafuig portrait I have feen of Mrs. Cibber, is that engraved by J. Marchand, from after T. Hudfon, publifhed in 1749.* * A lift of fuch Paintings as have been taken from this play ; and from which, no Engravings have as yet been made. 1. Hubert yielding to the entreaties of Arthur, by Fufeli ; being No. 86, of the Exhibition in 1775. I have not feen this. 2. A fcene in "^hakefpeare's King John, a£i: 5, fcene the laft, by Ryley ; being No. 644, of the Exhibition of this prcfent year. I have not feen this. A Lift of fuch Frbiti as have been publiflied from this play. Thofe I have not feen, are printed in Italics. 1. Bell's two editions. 2. Hanmer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rowe. 5. Lowndes. 6. A cut ( 49 ) 6. A cut by Fourdrinier, in an edition in 8 vols. 8vo. printed for Tonfon, 1735. 7. Poivel and Benfley, in the charaders of John and Hubert ; engraved by Val. Green, from after J. Mortimer. 8. Pope. 9. Taylor. 10. General Magazine. 11. A print engraved ly Finhyfon^ from after BonaUfon, from the words: " I faiv aSmitbJiani liiith bis hammer thus." |2. A print from the fume -words, painted hy Penny. H KING KING HENRY V. a Mufe of fire that would afcend The brighteft heaven of invention ! ■"D The tragedians who took their fubjecls from Homer, had all the advantage a pain- ter could have, who was to draw a picture from a ftatue of Phydias or Praxiteles. Poor Shakefpeare from the wooden images in our mean chronicles, was obliged ro form his portraits 1 — Mrs. Mon t a g u. The pencil of the divine poet has thrown a light on their charadlers, far fuperior to the compofition of the mofl elaborate narratives. What the hiftorian coldly re- lates, Shakefpeare by the glow of genius, animates and realizes. Preface to the Dramatic Miscellanies of Davies^. Vignette. A fketch might be taken for this department, from pag;e 141. — The groupe would te dreadful — but" no ways unfoited to the battle of Agincourt. This fubjeifl would have been feized by Salvator Rofa. - And the ivild rage oi the wounded Heeds, yerking at their dead mafters, would have equally well fuited the fpirit of Reubens. See more of this royal fdhivjhip of death, in page 14.S. If this dcfign was well Iketched, it would be a future fludy for dying attitudes. Round this- propofed Vignette, might be thrown Ibme trophies of war, fomewhat fimilar to thofe very rich ones, in M. de Loutherbourg's plate to Bell's laft edition of this play. See alfothe trophies round thofe of the laft edit-on of Coriolaaus, and the third part of Henry 6th. And fee the ornament by Ramberg, to the fame edition of Julius Cafar. H 2 ( 53 ) Head-Piece. An entire and exa£t fac-fimile (equally well engraved) of M. de Loutherbourg's Vignette to Bell's laft edition of this play. Were the Bo)' Ibmewhat altered : it would be a perfedt defign. And in order to admit of this alteration, the circle may be a little enlarged. After viewing this defign, we cannot much commend the fame figures in Bell's firft edition — though two of them are not ill drawn — and the drefsof Pi/fol is not amifs — yet the foul of this laft fantaftic charader, is but faintly given. Were the other fcenes from, our great author, to be drawn with the fame mafterly fidelity, as thi> of M. de Loutherbourg's : an edition might be projedled, which would demand, and receive the approbation, of the moft critical amateurs of Europe. Mr. Boydell's expe<fled edition, from the names of many of the artifts, bids fair to ftaud the tell of fe- vered opinion o Scene- C 54 ) Scene Prints. *'^' '^ntSr Chorus.* Chor. Now all the youth of England are on fire. And filken dalliance in the wardrobe lies ; Now thrive the armourers, and honour's thought Reigns folely in the breaft of every man : They fell the paflure now to buy the horfe ; Following the mirror of all chriftian kings, "With winged heels, as Englifh Mercuries. For now fits Expeftation in the air ; And hides a fword from hilts unto the point. With crowns imperial, crowns and coronets, Promis'd to Harry and his followers. The French, advis'd by good intelligence Of this moft dreadful preparation, Shake in their fear ; and with pale policy Seek to divert the Englifli purpofes. O England ! — model to thy inward greatnefs, Like little body with a mighty heart, — What might'fl: thou do, that honour would thee do, Were all thy children kind and natural ! An * Much pifturefque imagery and defcription, is difperfed (in fine language) through the other chorufes (and no wonder, when they were the produftion of a mufe of fire) — but the imagery is of that kind that cannot well prefent fubjefts to an artift. As Shakefpeare, in this hlftorical play, is fo panial to the admlffion of the chorus : what fublime ones would he have compofed for the tragic drama of Macbeth, had he there thought their introduction effential. Mr. Mafon, in his letter prefixed to ElfriJa, has thefe words : *' But, whatever thefe play-makers may have gained by rejefting the chorus, the true poet has loft confiderably by it. For he has loft a graceful and natural refource to the embellifliments of piflurefque 2 defcription. ( 55 ) An ideal fancy llcetch of Expectation in the air — might be taken from the above lines, in order to accompany this page — and it fliould be en- graved in as rich metzotinto, as the Angel contemplating the myjlerv of the crofs, from the painted window of the chapel of New College, Oxford. And were this prefented imagery, drawn from the fublimed idea of grace which would attend the pencil of Sir Jofhua Reynolds : Shake- fpeare's page would then charm a future age, with a conception of fancy equal to his own. The fword might not be at all vifible ; or at beft, but dimly feen through the envelopement of curling clouds. There is fomewhere in Italy, a painting of an angel, lijlenmg to the found of the lafl trump. Page defcription, fublime allegoiy, and whatever elfe comes under the denomination of pure poetry. Shake- fpeare indeed, had the power of introducing this naturally, and, what is more ftrange, of joining it with pure pajjion. But I make no doubt, if we had a tragedy of his fbnrred on the Greek model, we fliould find in it more frequent, if not nobler inftances of his high poetical capacity, than in any fingle compofition he has left us. I think you have a proof of this, in thofe parts of his hiftorical plays, which are called chorufes, and written in the common dialogue metre. And your imagination will eafily con- ceive, how fine an ode, the defcription of the night preceding the battle of Agincourt would have made in his hands ; and what additional grace it would receive from that form of compofition." Garrick delivered on the ftage, the chorufes in Henry ^th with mafterly elocution ; and Henderfon's fpeaking them, is thus recorded : — " He thought highly, and not unjuftly of his own merit, in fpeaking the chorufes to Henry the Fifth, which being rather an unpopular play, he did not, I believe, appear in after January 1779, when I faw him. His figure acquired grace from the Vandyke habit. His recitation led me to regret it was not repeated. He was accurate, animated, energetic." Letters and Poems of Henderson, p. 253. Wh» ( 56 ) Page 40. ^Ick. As ever you came of women, come in quickly to Sir John : Ah, poor heart ! he is fo fhak'd of a burning quotidian tertian, that it is moft lamentable to behold. Sweet men, come to him. Uym, The King hath run bad humours on the knight, that's the even of it. Plji. Nym, thou haft fpoke the right ; his heart is frafted, and corroborate. JVyai. The king is a good king : but it muft be as it may ; he pafles fome humours, and careers. Who but feels for Shakefpeare, when his indignant fplrit breaks out, in the conclufion of the third choius. Andfo our fccne iniijl to the battle Jly^ Where, O for pity! ivejljall much tiifgrace With four or five moft vile and ragged foih. Right ill difpos'il, in brawl ridiculous^-— The name of Agincourt.— Shakefpeare's imagination had been heated with Holingfhed's defcription of the battle. — What fcenes had been written, had he beheld the audiences, and the theatres of to-day — and yet in fpite of ihofc difadvantages, he has produced Iccnes which have not yet been equalled ; and we may confidently and proudly prophcfy, they will never be I'urpaiTed. In his prologue, he tells us, that Harry ftiould have rlfen like himfclf, had there been alefs unworthy fcaffohl., to have exhibited him on, and better audiences to have beheld the f<vjcUing fcenes. Let us then forgive him in the firil chorus, his fond habit of playing upon words — a luxury which he could not rcfift even in his moft grand una elevated fcenes — a pun was to poor Shakefpeare, irrefiftible — it was indeed (to uie Dr. Johnfon's expreflion) the fatal Cleopatra for wbicb he loji the vierld, and was content to lefe it, Thefe ( 57 "> Thefe aflbciates of Faljlaff, might have been drawn from the above paflage, if a fuperior fcene for painting their refpe£l to their old mafter, had not prefented itfelf in page 52. Their charadlers may therefore be flcetched for this prefent pnge, either from that paffage where Nym tells Pyiol, he will .cut his throat' — from that paffage where ^ickly very oddly expreffes her apprehenfion of Faljlaff"'s diffolution — from that line where Bardolph endeavours to make them friends — or where Nym demands the eight (hillings — or from the following lines. — PIJ}. Give me thy hand, Nym. I Jlmll have my noble ? F'ljl, In cajh mojl jujlly paid. Mother Richly, is one of xhztJJ? allow company, to which his Grace of Canterbury alludes, in the firft fcene of this play, when he defcants on the perfedions of Henry. Had Hogarth been living, he might probably have flcetched many a fcene of thefe eccentric perfonages, with the fame happy truth that runs throughthe whole, and through the moftm i nute part of I'rim read- ing thefermon. In this print, Hogarth has given an inftance, of his be- ing able to draw from the ideas of another, as inimitably as he could defign from his own.* i Page * The only fcenes Hogarth ever drew from Shukefpeare, are the followhig ones -.r-The Examination of the recruits before Shallow and Silence, purchafed by Mr. Garrick, at Lord Effex's fale, for 50 gui- neas. — A iketch in chalk, on blue paper, of Falftaff and his companions, now (as Mr. Nichols in- forms us) in the poffcffion of Mr. S. Ireland— and, Mr. Garrick in Richard, for which the late Mr- Duncombe paid 200I. Had Hogarth either painted, fketched, publidied, or given away, any other produSions of his pencil, of any kind, they would have been difcovered by the attentions and enquiries of Mr. Walpole and Mr. Nichels. The abovementioned two firfl: fubjeifts, are taken from Henry 4th— and the ( 58 ) Page 46. In the Chorus preceding this page, Shakefpeare glances at the treafon of Scroop— yih.o, with the Earl of Cambridge, and Sir 'Thomas Gray, had formed a plot to aflaffinate King Henry, before his embarkation for Southampton. This prefent fcene is entirely devoted to that hiftorical tranfadtion-t And on the perufal of this fcene (in which the native mightinefs of Henry's mind is finely painted) many lines will ftrike the ar- tift as being fuited to our prefent purpofe — particularly the attitudes of furprize of the traitors, when reading the unexpe(£led warrants for their execution — when mention is made of the fweetnefs of affiance — or, when Henry, with all the dignity (yet with all the mild grace) of offended majefty, thus fays : — — — — ^ Go therefore hence. Foor miferable wretches to your death : — tLe only charai^ers in the prefent play of Henry 5th. which are likely to be therein drawn, are Bjr- dolph, the Page, f^iickly, and Pifid. Nyni only appears in Henry ;th. It muft be pleafing to fee Hogarth's idea of any of thefe charafters. On recoUeftion, however, Hogarth has drawn Faljlaff and Pijlol, in his Seutlrwark Fair, but he has copied their figures from the ftage, and has not given his own original idea of them. -}• On perufal of the Chorus preceeding this fcene, each reader will apply to our poet, the words he gives to the Duke, in Twelfth Night. 7hoa dojl /peak majlerly ! but ( 59 ) but the artlft's mind will incline him to feledt, and to prefer painting thofe emotions of the foul, which each confpirator mufl; feel, when the Kmg addrefles this terrible appeal :^- But IVhatJhall I fay to thee. Lord Scroop ! A pidlure taken from this point of the fcene, will require an artift capable of very great and various expreffion — for he muft paint the dig- nity of Henrys mind, accompanied with every grace of attitude and princely deportment — muft paint the treacherous fpirit of Scroop — and muft give to Cambridge, and to Gray, the livid marks of detedled guilt. Henry s character, as drawn by the Archbifhop oi Canterbury, is very noble ; and an artift ftiould imprint on his features, the marks of thofe high qualities that Canterbury afcribes to him. There is fomething in- terefting in the portrait of i!/if;7ry, at Kenfington palace, which Vertue engraved. X BuSbn, in his Hijlolre natureUe Je rhomme, thus eloquently fpeaks of the human face : " Lorfque I'ame eft tranquille, toutes les parties du vifage font dans un etat de repos, leur proportion, leur union, leur enfemble marquent encore affez la douce harinonie de penfces, et repondent au calme de I'interieur ; mais lorfque I'ame eft agitee, la face humaine devient un tableau vivant, ou Ips pallions font rendues avec autant de delicateffe que d'energie, oil chaquc mouvement de I'amc eft cxprime par un trait, chaque aftionparun caraftere, dont rimprelllon vive et prompte devance la volonte, nous decele et rend au dehors par des fignes pathetiques les images de nos fecrettes agitations. " C'eft fur-tout dans les yeux qu'elles fe peignent et qu'on peut les reconnoitre ; I'oeil appartient a I'ame plus qu'aucune autre organc, il femble y toucher et participer a tous fes mouvemens, il en ex- prime les paffions les plus vives et les emotions les plus tumultueufcs, comme les mouvemens les plus doux et les fentimens les plus delicats ; il les rend dans toute leur force, dans toute leur puretil- tels qu'ils viennent de naitre, il lestransmet par des traits rapides qui portent dans une autre ame le feu, I'adtion, I'image de ce'.le dont ils partent, I'oeil re9oit et reflechit en mcme temps la lumiere de la penfee et la chaleur du fentiment, c'cft le fens de I'efprit & la languc de I'intclligence." I 2 Some ( 6o ) Some few years ago, Pine painted this fubject, of Henry dlfcovering the treafon of Scroop. The picture was the fize of thofe others which he took from Shakefpeare, and which he pubhckly exhibited at Spring- Gardens, in 1782 — but this picture of Henry was not then exhibited; it was painted fince that year. Pine, I believe, is now in America ; and where the picture is, I know not. As far as my recollection will ex- tend, it poflefled a merit, fufficient to entitle it to accompany (with a few alterations) the moft fplendid edition. Page 52. When news Is brought oiFalJlaff's death to his old companions : a re- gret at parting with him diffufes itfelf through each breaft — Bardolph can no more be Myth — Nym cannot rouze his vaunting vein — the lively and jocofe Boy, for fome fhort time retards his mirthful repartee-— and even antieut Pljlol's heart doth yearn : — Bard. Would I were with him, wherefome'er lie is, either in heaven, or in hell ! ^ick. Nay, fure, he's not in hell ; he's in Arthur's bofom, if ever man went to Arthur's bofom. 'A made a finer end, and went away, an. it had been any chriftom child ; a' parted even juft between twelve and one, e'en at turning 'o the tide: for after 1 faw him- fumble with the Iheets, and play with flowers, and fmilc upon his fingers' ends, I knew there was but one way ; for his nofe was as Hiarp as a pen, and 'a babbled of green fields. How now. Sir John ? qoth 1 : what, man ! be of good cheer. So 'a cried out — God, God, God ! three or four times : now I, to comfort him, bid him a' fliould not think of God ; I hop'd, there was no need to : " trouble hinifelf with any fuch thoughts yet : So 'a bade me lay More ( 6I ) more clothes on his feet : I put my hand into the bed, and felt them, and they were as cold as any Hone ; then I felt to his knees, and fo upward, and upward, and all was cold as any flone. Nym. They fay he cried out of fack, ^uck. Ay, that 'a did. Bard. And of women. ^ilck. Nay, that 'a did not. Boy. Yes, that 'a did ; and faid, they were devils incarnate. ^ick. 'A could never abide carnation ; 'twas a colour he never lik'd. Boy. 'A faid once, the devil would have him about women. ^ick. 'A did in fome fort, indeed, handle women ; but then he was rlieumatic ; and talk'd. of the whore of Babylon. Boy. Do you not remember, ^ a faw a flea Ji'ick upon BardolpW s nofe; and ^ a faid, it was a black foul burning in hell-fire ? Bard. Well, the fuel is gone, that maintain d that fire ! This tender farewell to Faljlaff's memory, gives me no bad idea of the humane and generous difpofition of Shakefpeare — and the fcene might be drawn, either from the fympathetic look of commiferation which they all give, when Slu'icMy thus concludes her inimitable account of his diffolution : and all was cold as any ftone ! Oi-, from the above paffage in italics — where a flafh o^ Faljiaf' s mtrri- ment is remembered by the pleafant jBoy ; with BardolpFs good-natured anfwer and affedionate apoftrophe to his mafter's memory : Well, the fuel is gone, that maintain' d that fire /— » If ( 62 ) If the King had heard mnie hoftefs Quickly, pay her laft refpects to Falftaff^ his generous heart would have yearn'd : from a recolle6llon of his having been too fevere on old acquaintance yack — whofe mirth had be- guiled many an hour, and whofe humourous conceiles had afforded him much ploafantry. — We have the teftimony of Nym (as well as PiftrA,^ that the K'mg had run had humours on the Knight — and, indeed, when dame S>u'ichly is told by the Boy, that Sir John is very fick, and would to bed — flic replies : " ]iy my troth, he'll yield the crow a pudding oue of thefe days : the king hath kiWd his hearth The painter who drew the fine chara6lerlftic vignette, to Bell's laft edition of Love's Labour Loft, would foon give a perfedl figure of the fpriglitlv Boy — of whom more may be feen in the fe'cond part of Henry 4th. for he was there (as he is in this play) the page of Faljfaff. There are only two other figures of this 557, ever publiihed ; viz. one in Bell's firft edition of Henry 5th. which poli'effes fome merit, but which does not, however, convey a perfect idea of him ; and tlie other is in Han- mer's fecond part of Henry 4th, but this is a very poor figure. Mortimer has thrown much good nature on the countenance of Bar- dolph, whofe head he has etched from a fcene in Henry 4th. — indeed, there is fo much good humoured pleafantry in his phiz, that one is forry he fhould be hanged, even though for robbing a church : which it fecms he did, in his expedition with the army into France — for thus Fluellin informs the King : — K. Henry. PP'h'at men have you hji, Fluellin ? Flu. The perdition of ih" adverfary hath been very great, very reafonahle great : marry, for my part, I think the duke hath lofl never a man, hut one that is like to be executed for robbing a church,, one Bardolph, if your majcfy know the man : his face is all bubukles, and -whelks, and knobs, and flumes of fire; and his lips plows at his noje, and it is like a coal of fire, fomelimes plue, andfometimes red; but his nofe is executed, and his fire" s out. K, Henry. ( 63 ) K. Henry.. We would have all fuch offenders fo ait off:— and 'xe give exprefi charge, that in our marches through the country, there be nothing compelled from the villages, nothing taken but paid for ,• 7ione of the Ficnch upbraided, or abujcd in difdainful language : for when lenity and a uelty play for a kingdom, the gsntlefl gamefler is the foonefi winner. And, indeed, we are further informed of other mifdemeanors : Boy. Bardolph ypfl/i? a lute-cafe; bore it twelve leagues, and fold it for three halfpence. Nym, and Bardolph, are fworn brothers in filching ; and in Calais they fiole afire-Jhavel. — Had Mortimer lived, whatfcenes would he have painted from Shake- fpeare!— The expefted edition of Mr. Boy dell, would have received an additional luftre, if it could have incorporated with it's other artifls, the name of Mortimer.* The face of Bardolph, in the two parts of Henry 4th. was a continual incitement to poor Faldaff's merriment.]; The only figures of Bardolph yet publiflied (except that by Mortimer) are, one in the edition of the firft part of Henry 4th, by Lowndes, which is tolerably well iketched— a poor figure in Theobald's firft part of Henry 4th.— another poor one in Hanmer's firft part of Henry 4th. and one in his fecond part of Henry 4th.— and which (the' worth the reader's looking at), but no means conveys the idea of this charafter. * Among many real defiJerata, I will mention only two,— ^ Life of Mortimer, ly Mr. Walpole.-^ and a Travjlation of Fafari, by Mr. Hayley. X Had Bardolph been .the only charafter in this fcene, fome would have preferred a coloured draw- ing, 01 etching: to have better exhibited his face. Indeed a coloured drawing, or etching, would more charaacriftically give the fingular dreffes of all the charaders. V 64 ; In one of Hayman's plates from his paintings at Vauxhall, are figures of Bardolph, and of ^ickly ; but they are both too paltry to merit any notice. The only prints of Pijlol, are one in Bell's firft edition of Henry V. which we fhould have liked better, if it had not been for the mafterly figure of this charadler, lately given us by M. de Loutherbourg, in Bell's laft edition of Henry V. — and another figure of Pijlol, is that unmeaning and infipid one, prefixed to Theophilus Gibber's Diflerta- tions ; and in which, the boots, the belt, and the fword, are the only things above contempt- Gibber's performance, however, of the cha- rafVer, was, I believe excellent. There is a fourth print of Pijlol, in Hogarth's Southxvark Fair — and a fifth, which I have not fcen.* Of corporal Nym (this other fantaftic offspring of the poet) no feetch ever been taken, at leafl not publifhed.;}; Of mine hoftefs ^ickly, no good one. — Thofe in Hanmer's, and In Rowe's Henry IV. are miferable ones, — thaL in Taylor's publication of the Merry Wives of WIndfor, Is not much better — nor does that in the edition of Theobald's Henry IV. convey a good charadlerlftic idea of Richly. Mrs. Pitt (both in drefs and afting) exhibits on the flagc, a perfedt idea of her. * " John Laguerre engraved a print of Falftaff, Piftol, and Doll Tearfheet, with other theatric " charafters, alluding to a quarrel between the players and patentees." Venue's catalogue of Engravers. X The Boy thus fpeaks of him : — For Nym — he hath heard, that men offevi tuerAs are the bcfi men ; and therefore he /corns to fay his prayers, Icjl 'a fhould be thought a coxvard : but his fevj had ivords are tnatch^d <.\<itb as fe-jj good deeds ; for 'a never broke any maiis head but his o-wn : and that was againjl a pojlf when he was drunk. Page ( 6s ) Page 1 1 6. When Henry has finifhed his mafterly follloquy on the hardships at- tendhig royalty (replete with the moft ftriking refledions, and which Shakelpeare put into the mouth of Henry merely to enhance the value of his favourite character) — Sir Thomas Erp'mgham informs him that all is ready for the battle — on the delivery of that intelUgence the Knight de- parts — and Henry being left alone, (and on the moment of advancing to the battle), thus breaks out. O God of battles .' fteel my foldier's hearts ! PolTefs them not with fear ; take from them now The feiife of reckoning, if the oppofed numbers Pluck their hearts from them ! The portrait of Henry (in rich metzotinto), drawn from the above words in italics, might accompany this page. And though in this pre- fent fcene he fhould be cloathed in armour, yet perhaps a fancy drefs might render his perfon more pleafmgly commanding.* His fuit of ar- mour however might be made to produce a ftriking effefb, by the wa- ving plume of white feathers in his beaver, and by the addition of fome few ornaments, which no doubt diftinguifhed the royal foldier.t K But * In (Irivflnefs I believe, he Ihould (1111 wear the cloak of Sir Thomas Erpingham. X The Hiftor)- of England, thus defcribes the king's appearance, on the morning of the battle.— " He firft paid his devotions to heaven, and then dreffcd himfelf in all the magnificence of a royal warrior, — when, ordering his men to be drawn out, he appeared at the head of the firft line, on a ftately wliiic ( 66 ) But the mind, the foul of Henry, is what the painter will delight in — and he will endeavour to ftrike out features expreffive of the amiable and noble picture which Shakefpeare has drawn of the fifth Harry. In the prologue, and in the chorufes, and indeed in ahnofl: every fcene, may be traced the warm idea which Shakefpeare conceived of Henry.. His predilection for him, commenced at mine hoftefs ^Ickly's, in Eaft- cheap — followed and prote«£led him through various fccnes of danger, and mad-cap revelry — and clofed with his funeral obfequies in the firfl: fcene of Henry VI. The painter fhould exhibit the native fire of that Harry, who in the field at Shrewfbury, beat down the never-dauated Piercy to the ground — and who, —— with his heaver on. Rofe from the ground like feather d Mercury j ^nd vaulted with fuck eafe Into his feat jis If an angel dropt down from the clouds. To turn and wind a fiery Pcgafus, And Witch the world with noble horfemanfhlp. Had not the above feleCled words of O God of battles ! — offered a fine point for Henry''s portrait : fome might have given his portrait (muffled up), when mufing on the painful accompanyments on grandeur — or when delivering thefe lines, in his addrefs to Wejlmoreland : Jf^efew, we happy few, we band of brothers ; For he to-day thatfJieds his blood with me. white courfer, with four royal banners waving before him ; a number of led horfes with embroidered equipages behind, and furrounded by all the chief officers of his court and army." Holinlhed, thus mentions the foldiers waiting for the battle. — " ST^cg rcffrt ffunnfeftcs, toaptjnge for t?ie IJoiiDi; ilaSe ef tiie tertjbic ttumpetj 'tt'IJ f&e \m\t bettottne IX snu X of tlje clorte," K a Shall ( 6; ) Shall he my brother : — be he ne'er fb v'lkt Tfjis day Jhall gentle his condition,* 'ao;e iq^. Tliough M. de Loutherbourg has fo aamirably caught the charavSter of Pijlol from this prefent fcene, (recommended for the Head-piece) — yet the fcene offers too rich a morfel to be pafled over, without (ketch- ing from it another print. And it might be taken from the underwritten paffage in itahcs : Fiji. Tell him, my fury fhall abate, and I the crowns will take. Fr. Sold. Petit mounjter, que dit-il? Boy. Encore qu'il eft centre & ca-^ Or, from this paffage in the fame page : Fiji. Follow me cur. Boy. Suivez vous le grand capltaine. '' * In the laft edition of Johnfon and Stevens, are given the two following notes, on this line of ; ** This day ftiall gentle bis condition," This day fliall advance him to the rank of a gentleman, Johnfoni King Henry V. inhibited any perfon but fuch as had a right by inheritance, or grant> to affume coats of arms, except thofe who fought •with him at the battle of Jgincourt ; and, I think, thefc laft were allowed the chief feats of honour at all feafts and public meetings. Toilet, K 2 If ( 68 ) If another artlft attempts to furpafs the Pi/lol, and the SoWer oi M. de Loutherbourg, it will be a hazardous attempt. That gentleman how- ever, who has given us 'The return from the grand tour (fold by Campione of Oxford) w'ould well Iketch this fcene — and our fecond Hogarth would produce a mafterly fcene. Had not the engraving of M. de Loutherbourg's print been finely adapted for the expreffion of his figures, I fhould have hinted at this prefent fcene being engraved iimilar to the drawing of Guercino's C/w, in the fecond volume of the Colle£lion of Drawings publifhed by Rogers. Page 136. After the battle King Henry enters with his train ; and the Duke of Exeter^ thus movingly relates to him the end of Tork and Suffolk. Exe. The Duke of York commends him to your majefty. K. Henry. Lives he, good uncle ? thrice within this hour, I faw him down ; thrice up again, and fighting ; From helmet to the fpur all blood he was.. Exe, In which array (brave foldler), doth he lie. Larding the plain : and by his bloody fide (Yoke-fellow to his honour-owing wounds),. The noble Earl of Suffolk alfo lies. Suffolk firft dy'd : and York, all haggled over. Comes to him, where in gore he lay inlteep'd, And takes him by the beard ; kifles the gafhes. That bloodily did yawn upon his face ; And cries aloud — Tarry, dear coufin Suffdk ! My foul Jhall thine keep company to heaven: Tarry ( 69 ) Tarry, fweetfoul, for mine, then fly a-breaft ; As, in this gloritus and well-foughten field, IVe kept together in our chivalry ! Upon thefe words I came, and cheer'd him up : He fmil'd me in the face, caught me his hand. And, with a feeble gripe, fays — Dear my land. Commend my fervice to my fovereign. So did he turn, and over SufFolk's neck He threw his wounded arm, and kifs'd his lips ; And fo, efpous'd to death, with blood he feal'd A teftament of noble ending love. The pretty and fweet manner of it forc'd Thofe waters from me, which I would have ftopped ; But I had not fo much of man in me. But all my mother came into mine eyes, And gave me up to tears ! This fcene may be confined to the figures of Tork, and of the young Earl of Suffolky from the point of Tarry, dear coufin SufFoIk! My foul Jhall thine keep company to heaven: — Or it may admit the introdu(flion of the Duke of Exeter, and be painted from, this other paflage: — — ^— ^— — — Dear my lord. Commend my fervice to my fovereign. Though we cannot paint Tork, as covered with blood from helmet fo thefpur — yet we may imprint on his countenance, the dying marks of a brave and undaunted foldier. J X Virgil, when mourning over the body of Euryalus, thus clofes that tender epifode : Turn fuper exanimem fefe projecit amicum, Confoflus, placidaque ibi demum morte quievit. Had C -JO ) Had Gravelot been living, he would have given much grace to tlieir figures ; if we may judge from his print prefixed to Theobald's firfl: part of Henry VI. — from the figures oi Kent and Leaf, in the fame edition — and from his defigns prefixed to Hanmer*s edition of the third part of Henry VI. See a dying attitude by Bouchier, in the fecond volume of the Drawings, publifhed by Rogers. — fee the armour, the figure, and the landfcape, in M. de Loutherbourg's vignette to Bell's laft edition of the third part of Henrv VI. — and by no means omit feeing the reclined figure, in Gravelot's defign for the feventh book of the Henriade, in a late Englifli traiiflation of Voltaire's works. This fcene (as a contrafl to the other engravings) might be a flained drawing; — and the time of evening when ^'ori fell, might be tinted ivith the fame Iky that we fee in the plate, facing page 95 — ^^the plate ■facing page 123 — or the plate facing page 187, of the firft volume of Mr. Gilpin's Obfervations on the Lakes, l^'ork fell at the clofe of the bat- tle, which ended about four o'clock in the evening of the month of Ociober. The fpot of ground, fhould poflefs that retirement from the battle, which we fee in the abovementioned print of M. de Loutherbourg; and the reader will not be difpleafed at viewing the landfcape facing page 1 13 of the abovementioned volume of Mr. Gilpin. — and on viewing the ex- qulfite fcenes of nature, and the extreme neatnefs of the figures in that work, he will breathe a wi(h that the fame delicate pencil would orna- ment one page of Mr. Boydell's edition with the voluntary produftion of his genius — for the landfcape fcenery required for the iVmters 'Tale, and iox As youUke it, would receive from his hand, a degree of perfeftnefs, that few, very few artifts of the age, could attain to. Thofe will join with me in opinion, who will infpedt the almoft infurpaflable ueatnefs of the landfcape facing page 55, of the fecond volume. In ( 71 ) In the back-ground, might be given a diftant view of fome part of the fierce and bloody battle, fuch as a faint fight of the hurtling of the ar- rows, with their cuftomary dreadful effedls. The foremofl: horfe in the cut prefixed to Rowe's edition, offers an idea worth improving on. I can have no other motive for recommending fuch a cut to an artlfl:, than a wifh to remind him of every faint glimpfe, that may pofllbly tend even in the mofl: remote degree, to the more correft, and confequently more fplendid and honourable decoration of our great dramatick poet. This motive has made me frequently intreat an artlft's attention to deflgns, which have but a very poor claim to approbation. See Ukewife the up- lifting of the fword, and fee the flandard, in a drawing by Borgognone, in the firfl volume of Rogers. f Page 147. K.Henry, Give me thy glove foldier; look, here is the fellow of it. 'Twas me, indeed, thou promifed'ft to ftrike, and thou haft given me moft bitter terms. • Flu. An pleafe your Majefty, let his neck anfwer for it, if there is any martial law in the orld. K. Henry. How canft thou make me fatisfaftioh ? Will. All offences, my Lord, come from the heart; never came any from mine, that might offend your Majefty. K. Henry. It was ourfelf thou didft abufe. ■j- An equally fine Piflure might be taken from the attitudes and esprefTion of Henry and Exeter^ wlien the latter relates to him the manner of Tork's, death. 5 iruu ( 72 ) Will, Your Majefty came not like yourfelf ; you appeared to me, but as a common man ; witnefs the night, your garments, your low- linefs ; and what your highnefs fufFered under thatfliape, I befeech you, take it for your fault and not mine ; for had you been as 1 took you for, 1 made no ofltnce ; therefore I bcfcech your High- nefs, pardon nie. K. Henry. Here uncle Exeter, fill this glove with crowns, And give it to this fellow. Keep it, fellow : And Vi'car it for an hanour in thy cap. Till I do challenge it. Give him the crowns : And captain, you mull; needs be friends with him. Flu. By this day and this light, the fellow ha s mettle enough in his pellv ; hold, there is tv\clve-pencefor you ; and I pray you to fervc God, and keep you out of prawls and prabbles, and quarrels and diffentions, and, I warrant you, it is the petter for you. fVill. I will none of your money. Flu. It is with a goodwill; I can tell you, it will ferve you to mend your (l^oes ; come, wherefore fliould you be fo pafhful ; your flioes is not fo good ; 'tis a good filling, I warrant you, or I will change it. The Kings condefcenfion, in entering into the fcenes of eafy merry- ment with his foldiers, renders him very pleafing ; and he feems as fond of joking with honeft Fluellin, as FhieU'm is proud of him — all the "water in the IVye^ cannot wajlo your Majejlys JVelcb plood out of your pody., I can tell you that. — From the above firfl lines in itahcs, might be drawn this fcene ; and the look of faithful refpeft which the grateful heart of the foldier will give to Henry., will form an interefting addition to the graceful figure of Henry, the refpeftful one of Exeter, and to the pidlurefque (and per- haps OK/r/) figure of F/«^///>/. F/«^///Vj revenge or anger to JViUiams, is not of long continuance — he joys in feeing him receive the King's x:^- ward. Thofe whorecolledl the charadler of Kent, in King Lear, is per- I fonated ( 13 ) fbnated by the late Crarke, will have a perfect idea of the brave and honeft iVilliams. Gravelot has drawn (for Theobald's edition) the figures of the King, and JViUianis, for that fcene where they exchange •gloves — it is a pretty groupe, and the figure and drefs of the King is ra- ther graceful ; but they will neitlier of them ferve for the prefent fcene. I know of no fketch or figure o£ Fluellin. Hi's figure muft be enlivened with charadleriflick nature, by Bunbury, Loutherbourg, or Rowland- fan »* Page 153. o P^o/^ having been too frequent In his gleehing and galling at poor Flu^ eUin, on account of his having fpoken favourably of leeks: this brave yet cholerick Welchman now appears on the ftage with Goijuer, wearing that ornament in his hat, and fully determined to avenge himfeJf on Pyiol for his infults, by making him eat tlie leek — and indfeed' Fluellln does not now retain that favourable opinion which he once conceived of Piftol- — for in a former fcene, in the honefty and fimplicity of his heart, he took him (from his brags and boafls"), to be a fecond iNIark Antony. — there is an antient lieutenant then at the pridge, — I think^ in my. •eery conjciencCy he is as valiant a man as Alark Antony. — * FlueUin might have been well drawn from page 70 — or from page 14,, at thcfe words : Flu, St^nd away captain Gowcr ; I will give treafoa his paymcu in two plo'.vs, 1 warrant you. Pipi ( 74 ) Pijlol foon enters, fwelling like a turley-cocTi — and after a humorous dialogue, FlueU'in (after ftrlkinj him) thus accofts him : Flu. Tou caWd me ycjlerday, mounta'in-fqu'tre \ hut I •will male you to day afquhe of low digree. I pray you, fall to; if you can mock a leek, you can eat a leek. Go'M. Enough, captain, you have aftonifhed him. Flu. I fay, I will make him eatfome part of my leek, or I will peat his pate four days : — Pite, I pray you * it is goot lor your green wound, and your ploody coxcomb. If M. de Loutherbourgwas to paint from one of the above paflages in itahcs, he would not now give to P/^o/, the look which he has given him, in the former mentioned print for the Head-piece. Few artifts would chufe to give the publick their idea of P'lfiol, after viewing the figure which de M. de Loutherbourg has given us. This is the lafl time that the companions of F^^^entertain us. — and to this fcene. Dr. Johnfon has fubjoined the following note : — '■'■ The comic fcenes of 'The Hifiory of Henry the Fourth and Fifth are now at an end, and all the comic perfonages are now difmifled. FalftafF and Mrs. Quickly are dead ; Nym and Bardolph are hanged; Gads-hill was loft immediately after the robbery ; Poins and Peto have vaniflied fince, one knows not how ; and Piftol is now beaten into obfcurity. I believe every reader regrets their departure." f How would Edwm fpcak thefe four words j Tail- ( 75 ) Tail-Piece. The only Print that will be required of the fair and princely Katherine, may be taken from this part of the dialogue, in the laft fcene of this play: Kalh, Is it poffible dat I fhould love the enemy of France f K. Henry. No : it Is not poffible, that you fhould love the enemv of France, Kate: but, in loving me, you Ihould love the friend of France. — The pleafing print drawn by Burney for Bell's lafl: edition of this play (from the above lines), poffeffes fo much merit; that co better defigii of the princefs can be wifhed for — and were that print of Kathe- rine to be accompanied with the figure of Henrj (as he was gracefully perfonated by the late Spranger Barry) — it would form a very beautiful print for this fcene of Henrys courtfhip. We have only one other print of Katherine, in any of the editions ; and that is, in Bell's firft edition ; but this can by no means be compared with tl?e print of Burney. Had not his print poflefled the merit it does, I fhould have defired the reader to have infpeded the print of Mifs Yonge, in Bell's firfl edition oi Antony and Cleopatra ^ as conveying by no means an imperfedl idea of Katherine.. L 2 If ( 7^ ) If the above fele£l:ed paiTage fliould not be approved of; they might then be equally well (if not better drawn) from one of thefe following : — Page 163. K. Henry. It is as cafy for me, Kate, to con- quer the Kingdom, as to fpeali fo much more French.— page 164^ K. Henry. But, Kate, doft thou underftand thus much Enghfh ? Can'ft thou love me ? Kath. I cannot tell, K. Heury. Can any of your neighbours tell, Kate? I'll alk them. Come, I know thou lov'fl me : Page 165. K. Henry. which word thou flialt no fooner "blefs mine ear withal, but I will tell thee aloud — Eng- land is thine, Ireland is thine, and Henry Plantagenct is thine ; who, though I fpeak it before his face, if he be not fellow with the beft king, thou fhalt find the beft king of good fellows. Come, your anfwer in broken mufic, for thy voice is mulic, and thv Englifh broken ; therefore, queen of all, Katharine, break thy mind to me in broken Englifh, Wilt thou have me? Page 166. K. Henry. You have witchcraft in your lips, Kate : there is more eloquence in a fugar touch of them, than in the tongues of the French council; and they fhould fooner perfuade Harry of England, tlian a general peti- •tion of monarchs. — The union of Henry and Katherhie, ends with this wifh'd for prophecy: Fr. Khi^ Take her, fair fon ; and from her blood raife up Iffue to me ; that the contending kingdoms Of France and England, whofe very fhores look pale With envy of each other's happinefs, May ceafe their hatred ; and this dear conjunftion Plant neighbourhood and chriflian-like accord In their fweet bofoms, that never war advance / His bleeding fword 'twixt England and fair France.* * A Lift ( n ) * A lift of fuch Paintings aj have beea taken from this play ; and from which, no Engravings have «i yet been made. I. King Henry difcovering the treafon of Scroop. Painted by Pine. J. See a former note, where mention is made of fome paintings by Hogarth. A Lift of fuch PrinLs as have been publiflied from this play. Thofe I have not feen, are printed la Italics, 1. Bell's two editions. 2. Hanmer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rowe. _ 5. A cut by Fourdrlnicr, in an edition, in 8 vols. Svo. printed for Tonfon, 1735.— 6. A print of Theo. Gibber, in Piftol, prefixed to his Diflertations on the Theatre. 7. Pope. 8. Lovondes. 9. Taylor. 10. General Maga'z.ine. II. The Battle of Agincourt, engraved ly Ryland from after Mortimer* The original is in the pojfef- ^OH of Mrs. Mortimer, ROMEO AND JULIET. Scenes, from which a hermit may eftimate the tranfadlions of the world, and a confefibr predift the progrefs of the paflions- Dr. Johnson. Milton is not more the pride, than Shakefpeare the love of his country. When Milton appeared, the pride of Greece was humbled. It is therefore equally judicious ■ to diffufe a tendernefs and a grace through the praife of Shakefpeare : as to extoll in a ftrain more elevated and fonorous, the boundlefs foarings of Milton's epic ima- gination. Anon. When Ben Jonfon wrote, it was from his head — when Shakefpeare wrote, he fat down, and dipt his pen in his own heart. Mr. Gar RICK, Vignette. So infinite are the variety of Defigns that might be fketched for a Vignette to this tragedy ; and fo unlimitedly various and different are the ideas that would predomi- nate in the mind of each artift : that I fliall no longer detain my reader than briefly to point out, a very few of thofe fubjeds that would beft accord with the nature or ipirit of this drama. I. A genii tenderly furveying a medallion of Mrs. Cibber, and thus conveying to poflerity (in the page of Shakefpeare) the exa£t features of the darling aclrefs of his I Juliet. ( 8o ) Juliet. In the back-ground of which defign might be lightly (ketched the monaflery of friar Lawrence — the dagger which ended Juliet's woes (and with which Mrs. Cibber gave herfelf a (lab which fliuddered the whole audience) — and the fombre and pifturcfque fcenery of the moonlight and tomb — and round this might be twined thofe bridal flowers, which ferved for her bury'd corfe — interfperfed with funeral torches, and with the ufual decorative ornaments of mafques. Or there miglit be introduced more than one genii — and fomewhat fimilar to that fmall groupe in the theatre of Bath, where they are fupporting with the moll fond care the portrait of Shakefpeare. Might not the mournful cupid be introduced in this Vignette, which we fee in Cypriani's print of the Nymph of Immortality? And the happily conceived fio-ure o( Memory in the Hiflorical Rhapfody on Pope by Mr. Tyers, might fugged fome fimilar idea. t 2. Or, in lieu of the above, might be defigned 'Trophies of Love — and for which, fee that richly engraved one, at p. lo. of Idyllcs de Saint-CyTy ou I'hommage du cceur ; which are poems attributed to Monf. Dorat — they were printed at Amftcrdam and Paris, in 1771- The genius of Peters, might now fupply the loll pencil of Cypriani. 3. Some of the following lines would furnilh a Vignette : Fancy ! warm enthujiafic maid, O hear our prayer, hither come From thy lamented Shakefpeare' i tomb. On u-hich thou lov'ft toft at eve, Mupng o'er thy darling's grave. Jos. V/arton. Here Y ht^C^ fat, (her dewy finders cold. Decking with fiovj rets frefh the tinfultied fad,} ^hid batVd with tears thefadfepitlchral mould. Her fav rite's offspring s long and laf abode. Cooper's Poem of the Tomb of Shakespeare. 4. Of ( 8i ) 4. Or an artift might flrike out fome idea from the following invocation to the genius of Shakefpeare. It might be a female figure of celertial appearance pointing to his tomb : as if repeating the words of, there jleeps the Bard! — Indeed thefe lines (to the laft degree afl'efting) would give rife to various graceful ideas or creations of the fancy — and may no artift difgrace fuch lines by cold conception ; or attempt to defign from them, if his breaft has not been often m armed with the holy flame of Painting : — ■o But ah ! on Sorrow's cyprcfs bough. Can Beauty breathe her genial bloom P On Death's cold cheek will Pajfion glow f Or Muflc warble from the tomb ? There fleeps the Bard, whofe tuneful tongue Pour' d the full flream of mazy fong. Young Spring with lip of ruby, here Showers from her lap the blufhitig year ; While along the turfredindy Hhe loofe wing fwimming on the wind, The Loves with forward geflure bold. Sprinkle the fod with fpangUng gold ; And eft the blue-eyd Graces trim Dance lightly round on downy limb; Oft too, when Eve' demure and fill Chequers the green dale's purling rill. Sweet Fancy pours the plaintive ftrain ; Or wrapt infoothing dream. By Avon's ruffled fiream. Hears the low-murmuring gale that dies along the plain.* Ogilvie. M How * Shakefpcare's fpirit would have breathed the fame humble wifli as is expreflcd in the Minftrel of Bcattie : JLet vanity adorn the marble tomb With trophies, rhymes, and Jcutcheons of rtnovirif In the deep dungeon of fome gothic dome^ Where night and defalatien tvnfrovon* 2 Mine ( 8. ) How calculated is fome of the above imagery, to entrance the minds of Sir Jofhua Reynolds, or Mr. Gainlborough ! M'»e bt the Ireezy hill thatjhbts the doivn ; Where a green grajfy turf ii all I cravCy With here and there a violet beJlro'MU, Fafi hy a brook, or fountain^! murmuring ivave; ^nd many an evening fun Jhine fiveetly on my grave. And ihither let the village fjjain repair ; And, light of heart, the village maiden gay, T'o deck -with flovjen her half-difljtvtV d hairy And celebrate the merry morn of May. There let the fjepherd's pipe the live-long day Fill all the grove "with love's bexvitching ivoe ; And ivhen mild evening comes with mantle grey. Let not the blooming band make hafle to go ; A'i' ghofl norfpell my long and lafi abode Jlmll knov}* Head- ( 83 ) Head-Piece. Many have told 'JuTiet's tale: but none have told It like Shakefpeare.J Crowded theatres fit enraptured at the tendernefs of that Poet, who (as was faid of Beaumont) ————— made the theatre fo fovereign IV'uh his rarefcenes — • and they give unbounded applaufe at the wildnefs of his more terrifying conceptions. We may learn (fays Mr. Warton) from the fatires of Marfton, how popular a tale Juliet's was in thofe days — he is fpeaklng to a wit of the town: Lufcus, what's play d to-day ?— faith, ?i;u< Iknow Jfct thy lips abroach, from v^hence dothf.ow Nought but pure Juliet and Romeo. There are fcenes of terror and diftrefs in this play, which certainly require the exertions of a fuperior pencil — and an artift would have to record the merit of tragedians, whofe mafterly difplay of the paf- i Moiif. Mcrcicr, a very fsw years ago, fabricated a tragedy upon this ftory. He tranflated many paffiges from our Englifli poet ; and has introduced many hi ftorical fads; It is no'.v frequently per- form- d at Paris, with great fuccefs, under ths title of, " The Fall of Verona, or Romeo and Juliet." M 2 fions. I 84 ; fions, may not have been yet quite effiiced from recolleftion : but may even now glimmer through the memory of furviving friends. — He would have to paint the matchlefs fpirit of Mr. Garrick, the graceful foftnefs of Barry, and the tendernefs of the firfl of plaintive adtreffes, Mrs. Gib- ber. For this department of the Head-piece, might be drawn the very charaders of Nurfe and Peter (favourite perfonages with Shakefpeare) and the pencils of Bunbury, Zoffanli, Loutherbourg and Rowlandfon, feem fo perfe£lly capable of delineating their very oharaders, that one could wilh to fee the Head-piece taken from their ideas of them ; for they would then be exhibited with the true colouring of comic nature. They might be Iketched from one of the following paffages • — Page 74. Mer. Farewell., ancient lady ; farewell, lady, lady, lady. If they fhould be drawn from this pafTage, Mercutio mufl: be introdu- ced. And if they Ihould be drawn from the next page (page 75), it will be neceflary to introduce Romeo — unlefs indeed they fliould be taken from thefe lines : y^nd thou miijljland by too, andfuffer every knave to ufe me at his pkafure. And the anfwer which Peter makes to this laft paflage, will alfo fur« nlfh a good fituation to draw from. There are llkewlfe other good points — fuch as Page 79. Nurfe. ■ Peter ' Pet. Anon ? Nurfe ( 85 ) Nurfe. Peter, take my fan, and go before. Page 141. Pet. Pretty too ! — what fay you, James Soundpojl ? Muf. ^ Faith, I know not what to fay. Page 142. Muf. What a pefiilent knave h this fame f Or, Gregory and Sampforif might be (ketched from Page 9. Samp. Draw, if you be men. — Gregory, remember thyfwafhing blow. How cold appear thefe paffages, when quoted hi this feparated man- ner.* * No one perhaps will ever reprefent the prattling goffipries of the Nurfe, fo well as Mrs. Pitt,— and Peter's pleafant archnefs receives every juftice from Stevens. Indeed to paint thefe fcenes with the comic fpirit they require, we fliould fee them performed by thofe comedians. In Griffith's col- leftion of prologues, is a print of Weflon in Scrub ; and this figure will give one fome fmall idea of Peter. I know no good figure of the Nurfe in any print. The drefs in which Mrs. Pitt appears, is as charaifleriftically proper, as her whole performance. She exhibits therefore a perfeft pi£lure of what the Nurfe fliould be. In charadters of this kind, Mrs. Pitt has not her equal on any ftage. We learn from the quarto editions of fome of our author's plays (fays Mr. Malone, vol. i. page 52.) that the celebrated aftor, IFill. Kempe, was the original performer of Peter, Scene* k S6 ) Scene Prints. Of the chai'a6ler of A/^/r«/M, Mr. Upton thus fpeaks : — *' One would think it impofable that Falftaff iTiould talk otherwife, than Shake- fpeare has made him talk : and what not a little flicws the genius of our poet, he has kept up the fpirit of his humour through three *' plays, one of which lie wrote at the requefl: of Queen Elizabeth. *' For which reafon, if 'tis true what Dryden tells us, fpeaking of " Afeicutio's chara6ler in Romeo and Juliet, that Shakefpeare faid himfelf, '• he was forced to kill h'nn in the third a^l, to prevent being killed by him: it *' muft be his diffidence, and modefty that made him fay this ; for it *' never could be through barrennefs of invention, that Merciitioi ** fprightly wit was ended in the third a£t; but becaufe there was no ** need of him, or his wit any longer." And Dr. Johnfon, fpeaking of the above traditionary words of Dry- den, (after faying that " this is one of the few attempts of Shakefpeare to exhibit the converfation of gentlemen, to reprefent the airy fprightli- nefs of juvenile elegance") obferves : tt *' Mercutio's wit, gaietv, and courage, will always procure him friends that wifh him a longer life ; but his deatli is not precipitated : '* he has lived out the time allotted him in the conll:ru£lion of the play ; *' nor do I doubt the ability of Shakefpeare to have continued his exifl- *' ence, though fome of his fallies are perhaps out of the reach of Dry- *• den; whofc genius was not very fertile of merriment, nor duftile to *' humour, but acute, argumentative, comprehenfive, and fiiblime." I Of ( 87 ) Of all the comedians who have entertained us with Mercutio, none per- haps have equalled the late lively and graceful Harry Woodward,* And I fear there will now be no obtaining a refemblance of the peculiar ex- preffion which he gave to his recital of the feats of Mab — nor of the charm which he threw over that fcene, when the gallant fpirit of Mfr- cutio is about to afp'ire the clouds. X Living comedians have exhibited much merit in this part, and par- ticularly Mr. Lewis, whofe performance is always impatiently waited for— * We fliould indeed e\-cept Mr. Garrick, who, I find, has once or twice performed this character; as well as that of the county P<zriV in this play. The elegant lines addrefled to Mr. Garrick 0« /iie report of his leaving the Jlage, glance at his having performed Mercutie : One meaning glance of eyes, like thine, can fhew, What lab 'ring critics boaft in vain to know. — Once more let Cawdor gr.ifp his midnight fteel, And ^<?/j« his wifh, half utter, half conceal ; In death'' s fad hour hid gay Mercutlo fmile.— f There is a large print of Woodward fpeaking the lines on Mah, publiflied in 1 753, but it does not merit any notice. It exhibits none of the livelinefs of this bold and generous charaiftcr. And little can be faid in favour of the print in Bell's firft edition of this play. Oil Woodward's death the following lines were written : Virtue and Mirth on earth can never fix There goes the boat ! — with Woodward crofs the Styx. If he's as great a Marplot now he's dead. He'll puzzle each Infernal Judge's head : And fliould his J?o3.jflV/fucceed again, He'll chace the Shades around th' Eiyfian plain : Againft death's poifon'd dart there's nought fecure, "l Tho' not Well deep — nor ivide as a Church-doer^ Y Mercutio\ hit — and fpread upon the floor. J Take a frefh handkerchief — Thalia cry ! Tiiou'ft loil^the merrieft fellow that could die.. ( 88 ) for — his fpeaking the lines on Qneen Mab, and his fpirlt throughout every fcene is very interefting — every one feems forry that his wound {though not fo deep), (hould fo foon depiive us of his fprightly pleafantry. Perhaps the character of Mercutio, might be drawn to moft advantage, either as giving his whimfical, yet mafterly, defcription of the queen of dreams (and where his figure would require to be moft lively, fpirited, and graceful) — or, from one of the underwritten paffages in Italics : Rom. Courage, man ; the hurt cannot be much. Alcr. No, 'tis not fo deep as a well, nor fo wide as a church-door; but 'tis enough, 'twill ferve : alk for mo to-morrow, and you fhali find me a grave man. I am pepper'd, I warrant, for this world ; — A plague o' both your houfes ! — What ! a dog, a rat, a moufe, a cat, to fcratch a man to death ! a braggart, a rogue, a villain, that fights by the book of arithmetick ! — Why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm. Rom. I thought all for the heft. Mcr. Help me into feme houfe, Benvolio, Or I fhall faint. A plague o' both your houfes ! They have made worm's meat of me : I have it, and foundly too : — If he were drawn from the words of : hut fis enough — he might caft a tender look at Romeo : and yet accompanied with fomewhat of his ufual fprightly merriment. The attitude oi Benvolio, might be drawn very interefting — but to the figure oiMercullo, fhould be given the gen- teeleft grace, and the marks of a former airy fprighilinefs of juvenile ele- gance. Somewhat C 89 ) Somewhat of the fame very interefting attitudes will be required, if they lliould be drawn from i^o/wfo'j atFcclionately faying : I thought all for thebcji.* Page 48. Rom. If T prophane tjuith my unworthy hand Thh holjjinine, the gentle fine ti this — Thy lips, t-wo blujh'ing pilgrims, ready Jianl Tofmioth that rough touch with a gentle kifs. Jul. Good pilgrim you do wrong your hand too much, IVh'.ch mannerly devotion JhevJS in this ; For faints have hands that pilgrim's hands do touch, yind palm to palm is holy palmer^ s kifs. — I have fele£ted the above lines for the piirpofe of exhibiting that fplen- did fcenery, and pomp of revelry which fliould accompany the old accuf- tomedfeajl of Capulet, where are aflembled all the youth of quality, and all the admired beauties oifa'tr Verona. And as "Juliet will be more diftinftly drawn from the above felefted lines, I have preferred them to the follow- ing one in italics, (in this fame fcene), which would otherwife have given an opportunity for the attitude of the young and handfome Romeo to have been finely drawn : Rom. What lady's that which doth enrich the hand t Of yonder knight ? Serv. I know not fir. * Mercutlo might be well drawn from p. 74, if we chofe to introduce the other characters ; viz. Romeo, Benvolio, the Nurfc, and Peter. ■f Do:h enrich the hand (fays the Dramatic Cenfor,) is a beautiful idea, and a moft delicate compli- ment to Juliet's beauty. N Rom. ( 90 ) Rom. O, n>e cbth teach the torches to burn bright ! Her beauty hangs upon tlic cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an ^Ethiop's ear : Beauty too rich for ufe, for earth too dear. li Romeo and yuliei (hould be drawn from the above firfi: fele£led lines, his addrefs will be accompanied with all the tendernefs and delicacy of Jove ; and for the look which Jul/et gives him when he begins to addrefs to her thefe lines, by all means fee an engraving by Benedi6lus Farjat, in 1685, from after Lnd Geminiani, with thefe words at the bottom, Celeberrimam Divi Petri Coeleftini Papas V. &c. If an artifl: will in- fped this fame fcene drawn by Anthony Walker, in the fet of prints he publifhed from this play, he will think feme parts of the drefs or nut/k- ing iveeds of Romeo, worth attending to — and though the pilgrim's ftaff miglit admit of Improvement (it not being near fo light and pi£lurefqiie as that which Holman carries when performing this chara£ler) as well as the countenances oi Romeo and ytdiet (which are mofl vilely drawn) — yet there are fome few things in this print of Walker's, which will in feme degree afhfl: an artift in picturing the revels of this fcene : particu- larly the torches — the trumpet — the antique chair (though "JuUet I think fliould not be feated)— and fome of the malkers. Much fancy will be required in defigning the mafked dancers ; for in Italy, thefe entertainments were magnificent and fumptuous, and were accompanied by their own voluptuous and tender mufic. Equal fancy will be requir- ed in the embellifhment oi Capukt's hall — for which purpofe, fee " An *' exa6l draught of the famous Silver Ciftern now in the pofleffion of " the Emprefs of Ruflia, &c." Henricus Jernegan invenlt, Gravelot delineavit, G. Scotin fculpfit, and publifhed in 1735. Were this truly fine vafe reduced in fize, and placed on- a fland or table, it would much add to the fcenery of the hall ; for it is defigned with all the richnefs of a bacchanalian fancy. To the youthful figure of Romeo, fhould be given a perfon as handfome as his attitude ought to be graceful, and to thefe fhould be added a rich and pifturefque drefs. I Page ( 9t ) Page 54. Capulet's garden (where is held the firft courtrtiip of the lovers) will admit of much rural embellifliment, and will be aided by a moonlight fcenery,* In the print taken from this page in Walker's fet, is an urn, worth looking at — and the drefs of Romeo may be looked at — the balcony too, in this fame print might be improved — and the ftatue which is feeii through the trees, w^ll give one an idea of introducing other ornaments of that kind. For which purpofe, one or two might be felecled, from plates 27, 2>^, 37, 38, 60, 75, 76, 80, 113, 116, 123, or 125, of Rofli's Raccolta di Jlaiiie antkhe e moderne. There is a very neat fet of engravings by Falda, and Felice, called // Giardinl di Roma — and it may not be ufelefs to refer to them. By all means fee, the rural fcenery, and the well conceived llatue, in a fine French print, a copy of which may be feen in the Weftminfter Magazine for 06lober, 1778. It mufl be ob- ferved, however, that thefe ftatues will at bell: be dimly feen, and that through the pale glimmering of the moon. See alio the pidlurefque fcenery in Pine's print of Miranda, engraved by Caroline VVatfon. In this very celebrated fcene, where the courtfliip of the lovers is fo highly and naturally painted, and which exhibits fo fine a pi6lure of * At the late repvefentation of this tragcd}- at Covent Garden, " the principal char.iif^ers were new drefled in the hab'ts of the times, and the decorations were fplendid, and llriifVIv according to the cojliime. The refleftion of the moon upon the water in the garden fcene, wa; a mod beautiful rcprc- fentatlon of nature." I know of no print taken from this play, that exhibits an unexceptionable drcfs for Romeo; but one might partly be felefted from M. de Loutherbourg's vignette to J3ell, and from the fc>;ond plate in Walker's fet. N 2 tender r 92 ) tender and mutual affcftion, there are very many fituations where they might be drawn to great advantage — uideed the delicate fancy of Shakefpeare has introduced fo many of thefe fituations, that it is ahnoft abfurd to fele£l any — and yet perhaps, the following paffages which I have marked with italics, may not be deemed the mofl: improper points to paint from : Rom. See, hoiv Jhe leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand. That I might touch that cheek ! Jul. Ay me'.* Rom. She fpeaks .— 0, /peak again, bright angel ! for thou art As glorious to this night, being o'er my head, As is a winged meflenger of heaven Upon the white upturned wond'ring eyes Of mortals, that fall back, to gaze on him. When he beftrides the lazy-pacing clouds, And fails upon the bofom of the air. Jul. O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo ? Deny thy father, and refufethv name : Or, if thou wilt not, be butfworn my love, -♦ • And I'll no longer be a Capqlct. Jul. By whofe dire£lion found'il thou out this place ? * For this part, where Juliet is about to apoftrophize the name of Ro>:ieo, by all means fee the attitude of the head, and the countenance of Arria, in a metzotinto of Patus and Arria, engraved by Dunkartou, from after Mr. Weft. See alfo fome traits in the print of Fa th, engraved by Walker, from after Gardner. And the figure of Ferdinand in Pine's print of M'randa, may be looked at, par- ticularly the right hand, and the white feather. Barry fpoke the three foregoing lines, as indeed did Mr. Garrick, with an inconcei-able fvveet voice and addrefs— and they fpoke the line oi O, /peak again, bright angel! — with extacy. Rom» ( 93 ) Rom. By love, who firft did prompt me to inquire ; He lent me counfel, and I lent him eyes. I am no pilot; yet, uiert thou as far As that vajljhore luajh'd with the fartheji Jca, I would adventure for fuch merchandize. Jul. Thou know'ft the malk of night is on my face ; Elfe would a maiden blufh bepaint my cheek. For that which thou haji heard me fpeak to night. Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny What I have fpoke. O, gentle Romeo, If thou doft love, pronounce it faithfully : Or, if thou think.'ft I am too quickly won, I'll frown, and be perverfe, and fay thee nay. So thou wilt woo ; but elfe, not for the world. In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond ; And therefore thou may'ft think my haviour light: But truft me, gentleman, I'll prove more true. Than thofe that have more cunning to be ftrange. I fhould have been more flrange, I rauft confefs, But that thou over-heardft, ere I was aware, My true love's paffion : therefore pardon mc ; And not impute this yielding to light love, Which the dark night hath fo difcovcred. Rom. Lady, by yonder blejfed moon I vow. That tips with filver all thefe fruit-tree tops, — Jul. 0, /wear not by the moon, the inconjlant moon That monthly changes in her circled orb. Left that thy love prove likewife variable. Rom. What (hall I fwear by ? Jul. Do not fwear at all ; Or, if thou wilt, fwear by thy gracious felf, Which is the god of my idolatry, And I'll believe thee. Rom. If my heart's dear love— Jul, c»> ( 94 ) y«/. Well, do not fvvear ; although I joy in thee, I have no joy of this contraft to night : It is too ra(h, too unadvifed, too fudden : Too like the lighinhig, which doth ceafe to be. Ere one can fay — It lightens. Sweet, goodnight? This bud of love, by fummer's ripening breath, jMay prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. Good night, good night ! aifwect rcpoje and rejl Comt to thy heart, as that within my hreajl. Roni. O, wilt thou leave me fo unfatisfied ? Jul. What fatisfaftion can'ft thou have to night ? Rom. The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine. Ju/. I gave thee mine before thou didft requeft it ; And yet I would it were to give again. Rom. Would'ft thou withdraw it ? for what purpofe, love? Ju/. But to be frank, and give it thee again. And yet I wifli but for the thing 1 have : My bounty is as boundlefs as the fca, My love as deep ; the more I give to thee. The more I have, for both are infinite. 1 hear fome noife within ; Dear love, adieu ! \_Nurfc calls within. Anon, good nurfe! — Sweet Alontaguc he true. Stay but a little, I will come again. \_Exit, Rom. O bleffed night ! I am afeard. Being in night, all this is but a dream. Too flatter! ng-fweet to be fubftantial. Re-enter Juliet above. Jul. Three words, dear Romeo, and good night, indeed. If that thy bent of love be honovirabic, Thy purpofe marriage, fend me word to-niDrrow, By one that I'll procure to come to thee. Where, I I ( 95 ) Where, and what time, thou wilt perform the rite ; jind all my fortunes at thy foot Vll lay, yind follow thee my lord throughout the world. {fFith'in: Madam. I come, anon : — But if thou mean'ft not well, I do befeech thee, — IfVithin : Madam.] By and by, I come :— To ceafe thy fuit, and leave me to my grief: To-morrow will I fend. Rom. So thrive my foul, — Jul. A thoufand times good night ! [ Exit , Rom. A thoufand times the worfe, to want thy light — Love goes toward love, as fchool-boys from theirbooks ; But love from love, towards fchool with heavy looks.. Re-enter Juliet again, above. Jul. Hift ! Romeo, hift ! — 0, for a faulconer's vclce. To lure this tajfc I gentle back again ! Bondage Is hoarfe, and may not fpeak aloud; Elfe would I tear the cave where Echo lies. And make her airy tongue more hoarfe than mine TVlth repetition of my Romeo's name.* Rom. It is my foul, that calls upon my name : How filver-fweet found lovers' tongues by night, Like foftcCl mulic to attending ears ! Jul. Romeo ! Rom. My fweet ? *- The attitude of>/;V/, when fpcaking thefe lines, fliould fomewhat referable that of the principal figure on the left hand, of Corregio's firft ftudy in the colkaion of drawings by Rogers. The writer, is in pofleffion of a drawing by Carlo Maratti, which gives one a perR-a idea of the attitude, and of the grace and fweetnefs which iliould accompany Jul.ct, when fpeaking from the balcony, this firm, yet mild invocation. Jul. ( 96 ) 'Jul. At what o'clock, to-morrow Shall I fend to thee? Rom. By the hour of nine. "Jul. I will not fail ; 'tis twenty years 'till then. I have forgot why I did call thee back. Rom. Let me fland here 'till thou remember it, 7«/. I fliall forget, to have thee ftill {land there, Remem'bring how I love thy company. Rom. And I'll ftill ftay, to have thee dill forget, Forgetting any other home but this. 'Jul. 'Tis almofl morning, I would have thee gone : And yet no further than a wanton's bird ; \V ho lets it hop a little from her hand. Like a poor prifoner in his tvviftcd gvves. And with a (ilk thread plucks it back again, So loving-jealous of his liberty. Rom. I would, I were thv bird. Jul. Sweet, fo would I ; ' Yet I fhould kill thee with much cherifhing. Gcod night, good night ! parting ii fuch Jzvcet fonow. That I Jhall fay — goodnight, UiU it be morrow, [Exit Rom. Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy brcaft ? — Would I were fleep and peace, fo fweet to reft ! Hence will I to my ghoftly father's cell; His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell. [Exit. The whole of the above fcene is fo finely delineated by this fupreme mafter of the tender pafllons, that it is with great relu£tancel mark any or the foregoing pafl'ages with italics, for thofe artifts are bell: calculated to judge from whence they might heft: paint the fimplicity and love oi Jul'iet, and the graceful warmth of Romeo, who have beheld and recoUedt the contention I ( 9'^ ) contention of Ganick and Bellamy at Drury-Lane, with Barry and Gib- ber at Covent-Garden — or who have more lately beheld the refpeftable performance of Holman and Mifs Brunton. One of the niceft difcri- minations of theatrical merit was given by a Lady, in defcribitig the different ftyles of playing, exhibited by Garrick and Barry, in the cha- ra6ter of Romeo. — " In the garden or balcony fcene, where Romeo ex- claims, But [oft, whai light through yonder window breaks, (he thought Garrick delivered the fentiments in tones fo animated, and with fuch impaffioned feeling, that were flie really Juliet, {he would have ex- pe£ted, from the ardor of her lover, that he would have leapt into the window to her. But when Barry played it, his intonation was fo Iwcet, his feelings appeared fo tender, and his manner was fo foft, that in the fame fituation as Juliet, fhe would have leapt from the window to him."f O Page •f Of this contention for fupeiioiity, (for no cliaradter on the ftage was ever more warmly conteded) the mort judicious account I have fecn, is the following ; — " A charafter upon the ftage was never fupported with more luxuriant merit, than this byMeflrs. Garrick and Barr}-, or Barry and Garrick : for when thofe inimitable performers contcfled it fixteen or feventeen years fince, it was extremely difficult to fay who fliould ftand firll ; we fliall offer a compari- fon upon flrift impartiality, and leave decifion to the unprejudiced reader. " As to figure, though there is no neceflity for a lover being tall, yet we apprehend Mr. Barry had a peculiar advantage in this point ; his amorous harmony of features, melting eyes, and unequalled pliiintivenefs of voice, feemed to promife every thing we could wifli ; and yet the fupcrior grace of Mr. Garrlck's attitudes, the vivacity of his countenance, and the fire of his expreffion, (hewed there were many effential beauties in which his great competitor might be excelled : thofe fcenes, in which they moft evidently rofe above each other, are as follow : — Mr. Barry the garden fcene of the fecond aft — Mr. Garrick the friar fcene in the third — Mr. Barry the garden fcene in the fourth — Mr. Garrick in thefirft fcene, defcription of the apothecary, &c. fifth aft — Mr. Barry firft part of the tomb fcene, and Mr. Garrick from whence the poifon operates, to the end. Ha:^'ing fecn this play three times at each houfe, during the contention, and having held the critical fcale in as juft an eciuilibrium as pof- fible, by not only my own feelings, but thofe of the audience in general, I perceived that Mr. Garrick •commanded moft applaufe — Mr. Barry moft tears. Dcfirous of tracrng this difference to its fource, I 2 found t 98 ; Page 6^, Many fituations offer for drawing to advantage the good old Friar. He firft appears in page 62, before the gate of his monaftery ; where he interefts us, in his moral refleftions, on the contraft quality of herbs ; comparing them (in a philofophical foliloquy) to the virtue and vice of human breafts : — but I cannot refrain from wishing that his benign portrait may be taken from another part of this fcene, where, with pa- ternal tendernefs, yet with animated warmth, he thus addreffes Romeo : Holy faint Francis f what a change is, here ! Is Rofaline, whom thou didft love fo dear So foon forfaken ? young men's love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes. yefu Maria ! what a deal of brine Hath waJV d thy fallow cheeki for Rofaline f If found that as dry forrow drinks our blood, fo aftonifhment checks our tears ; that by a kind of eleftrical merit Mr. Garrick ftruck all hearts with a degree of inexpreffible feeling, and bore conception fo far beyond her ufual fphere, that fofter fenfations liy hid in wonder." Dram. Censor, vol. i. Another critic, gives this fliort deeifion : " At Covent Garden I faw Juliet and Romeo ; and at Drury Lane, Romto and Julitt." The late Dr. Dod, has given us the following note on this garden fcene. — *• The elegance and natural fimplicity of this fcene is enough to recommend it, and muft render it agreeable to every reader who bath any tafle for tendernefs, delicacy, and fmcere affeftion : but when we ( 99 ) If the portrait of the Frtar (for there is noabfolute need to introduce Romeo) were engraved in rich metzotinto, from the ideas of the Prefident of the Academy, how nobly would it ornament the poet's fcene ! — for it would then poflefs the natural and unaffedled air of the portraits of 'Titian, •where dignity feeming to be natural and inherent^ draws fpontaneous reverence.*' Sterne's Lorenzo gives one the idea of Shakefpeare's Father Lawrence — one of thoje heads which Guido has often painted — mild, pale, penetrating. — To this Monk fhould be given an eye, looking forward into futurity.^ O 2 The we have feen it fo juftly performed, and fo beautifully graced by fome of the befl and moft judicious aclors that ever appeared on any ftage, we fhall want no comment to enter into its particular excel- lencies, no chart to guide us to thofe beauties, which all muft have fenfibly felt, on heann!>- them to feelingly and pathetically exprell, in their own bolbms." The following anonymous criticifm, u by no means an injudicious one— for the author of it, after, mentioning with fome degree of indignant difgufi, the frequent attempts to perform the parts of Romeo and Juliet, thus obferves : " Thofe who remember Mr. Barry and Mrs. Gibber in thofe papts, and who could perceive and feel their diftinguifhed excellencies, will not wonder that fuch perfons as are now admitted to attempt them, do not fucceed. — Every coxcomb who thinks he has talents to pleafe the ladies, and every maiden who is fickening with languifliing defire, imagine themfelves qualified for the parts of Romeo and Juliet. They are drawn by Shakefpeare's warmeft and moft delicate pencil ; and the tender, ge- nerous enthufiafm which acluates them, is extremely different from the fentimental affedations of the prefent times." ■ * See a Difcourfe delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, in 1778. This metzotinto fliould be engraved by Jones, who engraved Mufcipula, § " At Aufch, among other portraits in the librarj', is a fine head of the Cardinal de Polignac. There is infinite genius marked in the countenance. A pale face; the contour, oval; an aquiline nofe, and an eye looking fonvard into futurity. Over his fcarlet robe hangs the crofs of the Holy Ghoft, on his breaft. He was one of the many fublime fpirits who will for ever immortalize the age of Louis the fourteenth." — Wraxall's Tour through France. What is fpoken by a Monk, in the Travels- of Reafon in Europe, will not be inapplicable to the cuiltlefs mind of Fathtr Lawrence :— " If ( lOO ) The other fcene where an artift might perhaps agani chufe to intro- duce the Friar, will be at page 123. For though he might well appear in page 82, when uttering his addrefs to heaven, as well as when he fees Juliet advancing to his cell, in page 83 ; and might be well drawn too, from that fcene where the banifhment of Romeo is difcuffed (parti- cularly when he takes his farewell of him) — yet I referve him for that fuperior and capital fcene at page 1 23, where he offers the defperate re- medy to Juliet. Pa ge 9 o. When news is brought to Romeo of Mercutio's death, and of his gal- lant fpirit having afpired the clouds : the dear memory of his friend rouzes his courage and refentment ; and on his viewing the furious j?j/- lalt, he thus fpiritedly denounces vengeance on him, for having flain Mercutio : Rom. Alive! in triumph f and Mercutio Jlaint Away to heaven, refpeiiive lenity. And " If perchance, the thought of living at a diftance from any town frightened me, I recollefled that I had a body to pay all, in cafe I (hould be murdered ; but that no one could lay hold of my foul ; and that gave me fpirlts. Sicknefs never durft attack me, for 1 was ever laborious and frugal, 1 do not think that the pleafures of kings, who are faid to be the greateft and happieft of men, are fo pure as mine. Mine I have gathered in my own foul : that is the field where I have fown all my fatisfaftiuns. Every other joy is a borrowed pleafure ; my happinefs is my own property." Walker, in two of his prints from this play, has miferably failed in his conception of the Friar—' whofe figure in Theobald, does not difpleafe, after viewing the very vile ones of Walker. No trage- dian will CTer render the part of the Friar more refpeftable than does that worthy charafter Mr. Hull, ( »oi ) An-d fire- e-Zd fury be my condufi now /— A B-Jj, Tybalt, take the villain back again That late thou gavjl me ; for MercutW s foul Is but a little way above our heads. Staying for thine to kerp him company ; Or thou, or I, or both, Jhall follow him. The attitudes of both Romeo and 'tyhalt (as well as that of the gene- rous and friendly BenvoUo) will be highly pifturefque; and will each of them demand elegant and graceful figures, animated with the moft bold and fpirited expreffion. Garrick's fire fhone confpicuous in this fcene — and the audience faw with tranfport the effeminate and drooping fpirit of Rotneo, now blazing into life, to avenge the death of (what they all regretted) the brave and fprightly Mercutio — Their foldier-like and graceful figures will indeed form a moft fpirited groupe ; and the fcene may exhibit Italian architedlure. Page loo* We are unwillingly obliged to omit many fituations, where Juliet might have been finely painted — Such as at her joyful tranfport at the end of a£l 2, fcene 5. Hie to high fortune f — honefi nurfe, farewell — and in this prefent animated and affecting fcene, which leads the mind willingly captive, and where the blundtrings of the old Nurfe^ are de- flgned by the poet, to agitate the tender and alarmed mind of Juliet^. with confliding paffions, there are many pafTages which would demand her being drawn with every grace of expreffive paflion — particularly at that ( I05 ) affeding line, where fhe believes her lovef dead, and In the affli6led agony of her woe-beaten heart, thus cries out : break, my heart \ — poor bankrupt, break at once f yet, we are forced to reUnquifh thefe fine lines : in order to haften to that paflage with which Ihe clofes the fcene, and which fo very tenderly paints her afFedlion : O find him ! give this ring to my true knight. And bid htm come to take his lajl farewell. Her pale cheek of forrow will yet be accompanied, with that extreme beauty, which Romeo fo well dcfcribes, when he firft beheld her at the mafque at Capulefs. « Page 112. Juliet's chamber, looking to the garden. A ladder of ropes Jet, This fcene is a continuation of that exchange of mutual endearment, which was fo finely piftured in page 54; but this prefent (hort fcene is rendered * The fcene altnoft immediatley preceeding this page, is that where the Friar announces to Romeo his doom of banifliment. It is a fcene which certainly offers many iituations to paint from— and particu- larly thefe following. — Page 1 01. Rom. Do not fay —banifliment. Page 101. I^m. Thou cnt'ftmy head off with a golden axe. And fmil'fl upon the ilroke that murders me. Page ( »o3 ) rendered fomewhat more iiitereftlng from the reflection of that repara- tion which muft foon enfue. I will extraft fome few lines from this fcene, for the purpofeof ornamenting it with fome defign — yet the tender and perfuafive eloquence of Juliet would doubtlefs furnifli more than one de- fign — and the preference might perhaps be given to this following line in italics : — Rom. Farewell, farewell ! one kifs, and I'll defcend. [^Romeo defcends. Jul. Art thou gone fo ? Love ! lord ! ah, hufband ! friend ! I muft hear from thee every day i'the hour, For Page 102. Fri. And turn'd that black word death, to banifliment.— « Page 102. Rom. they may feize On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand, , And Ileal immortal bleffings from her lips.— Page 103. Fri. I'll give thee armour to keep off that word ; Adverlity's fweet milk, philofophy To comfort thee, though thou art banilhed. Page ICO. R»m. Thou can'ft not fpeak of vhat thou doft not feel : Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love. An hour but married, Tybalt murdered, Doating like me, and like me, baniflied !— : Page 107. Fri. Give me thy hand ; 'tis late: farewell; goodnight. Rom. But that a joy pad joy calls out on me, It were a grief, fo biief to part with thee : Farewell. And yet, notwithftanding the merit of thefe pafTages Cpaffagcs where Garrick's native fire glowed through every line) they fliould give way to thofe other fcenes which intereft the pallions perhaps more than this prefent one. Much may be faid, no doubt, in favour of the above pafiagcs ; but the cha- rafters of this play, cannot be drawn for every fcene, uid the prefent fcene muft therefore relue'^antly give place to others. Mr. Holman has ever receive^i much applaufe, for preferving (what is not often- feen on the ilage^ " a temperance" in this fcene with the Friar* ( 104 ) For in a minute there are many days; O ! by this count I (hall be much in years. Ere 1 again behold my Romeo. Rom. Farewell! I will omit no opportunity That may convey my greetings, love, to thee, Jul. 0, thinFJ} thou, we Jhall ever meet again? f Rom. I doubt it not ; and all tlicfe woes (hall ferve For fweet difcourfes in our time to come. Jul. O God ! I have an ill-divining foul ; Methinks, I fee thee, now thou art fo low. As one dead in the bottom of a tomb ! — Had Shakefpeare feen his Juliet, as perfonated by Mrs. Cibber, and heard her fpeak the above line in italics : he would then have viewed (as it were) his own genius animating two beings at the fame inflant of time — for the afFedlion, the fear, and the tender reluftance at parting, exprefTed in Gibber's look, and the plaintive voice with which fhe ad- dreffed the above line to her lover, can no more be conceived by thofe who heard her not, than defcribed. If a picture (hould be taken from this line, the innocent afpect and beauty of Juliet will fufFer no dimi- nution, from the tears which that moving thought, that trembling ap- prehenfion, draws from her eyes. Her figure (hould concenter, all that can beexprefled of female forrow, and of female grace. And yet, if the above felected line fhould be chofen : one knows not how to reject her artlefs attempt to detain Romeo: Jul. Wilt thou be gone ? it is not yet near day : It was the nightingale, and not the lark That pierc'd tiie fearful hollow of thine ear ; f How natural was this thought, when her hufband was going to banifhmenc Nightly ( I05 ) Nightly fhefings on yon pomegranate tree : Believe n:ie, love, it waj the nightingale. The ladder of ropes will be feen affixed to the wuidow; which, as Romeo in a former fcene, joyfully fays : — — to the high top-gallant of my joy Mujl he my convoy, in the fecret night. * Pase 1 20 "^iiliet has now taken a mournful leave of her beloved Romeo, (and in- deed the laft fcene proved to be their laft interview) and the alarms of her mind become fo interefling as the plot thickens, that one is loath to refufe the tribute of an engraving to any of thofe pages, which fo maf- terly defcribe the paffions oi hex tempejl-tojfed body. Thiswifh, however, cannot be executed, from the extreme and almoft unlimited number of engravings which it would occafion. We muft therefore in prefent, or in future projedled editions, lament, that the applaufe due to various fcenes of this our rare tragedian, will remain unaffifled by the grateful praife of painting — for his having fulFered no emotion of the foul to efcape him, would render this plan too extended to be accomplifhed. How finely might Juliet be painted in the prefent fcene, at the mo- ment of the tyrannous Capulei's departure, when (with a countenance * Thofe who are inclined to think that feme o{ Juliet'' s flights in the hcglnning of fcene 2d. arc too extravagant, would do well to perufe the 5th letter in vol. 2d. of Letters on fcfcral SuhjcHs, by the Rev. M. Sheilock — they will there find, ho'.\} faithful to Nature and to Truth, is the painter who has given us her portrait. The reader will be much pleafed likewife, by jjerufiog the 4th letter in this fame volume P full ( io6 ) full of afRidlon, but full of fweetnefs) (he thus movingly appeals ta heaven : Jul. li there no phyjitt'ing in the clouds. That fees into the bottom of my grief? And when fhe immediately after, intercedes with lady Capulety as her lafl: refuge : O, fwcet my mother, caji me not atvay ! Delay this marriage for a month, a week ; Ur, if you do not, make the bridal bed In that dim monument where Tybalt lies. Or, when fiie foon after confirms us, iii the love fhe bears her hul- band : ful. O God ! — O nurfe ! how fhall this be prevented? My hufljand is on earth, my faith in heaven ! And again : Jul, What fay 'ft thou ! haft thou not a word of joy ? Some comfort y nurfe. — Yet, we muft fufter tlie above pafl'ages to pafs unnoticed, in order to paint her from the conclufion of this fcene, where, after her fufFerings have been infulted, fhe is deferted not only by Capulet and his lady, but even fails in her lafl attempt to gain fome poor comfort from the Nurfe — on whofe exit (being left alone, j flie thus divulges the refolution of a determined foul : — "Jul. Go, counfcllor ; STooK and my bofom henceforth fhall he twain.— Til ( 107 ) rUto the friar, to know his remedy ; If all clfefail, MYSELF HAVE POWER TQ DIE.* Thofe cannot paint Juliet from thefe lines, who do not contemplate the whole of her charafter and fituation. — And thofe muft not attempt to paint her, who cannot flamp her features with ftrong expreffion of charafter, and with the paflions correfpondent to the tumult of her fotih — for to JiiHet fhould now be given, as much meeknefs, yet as much afflidlion, and determined refolution, as the utmoft power of the art can convey. But how faint appears the language and the paflions of Shakefpeare's fcenes, when mutilated in the manner I am obliged to give them. * It was perhaps in one of thefc fcenej, that Mrs. Yates firft beheld Cibbcr. The following ac- count of this theatrical event, is taken from Ibme pleafing Memoirs of Mrs. Yates, in the Britifli Magazine for April, 1783: — " As her father was a man of plain and priinltivc manners, our celebrated attrcfs had never feen a play, till, at the age of fixteen, a lady took her to Romeo and Juliet ; when the impaffioned perform- ance of Mrs. Cibberopened a new day on her delighted im.agination. Fired by that enthufiaftic impulfe which fo often decides the fate of genius, abforbed in admiration of thofe allonilliing powers of which report had given her only a faint idea, (he inftantly recognized fomething congenial in her o\\n minJ : the fpark mounted into a blaze ; flie melted into tears, not only of fympathy, but of emulation ; and jull to herfelf, as well as to the confummate pattern of excellence before her, flie felt, amidft the con- fufion of ideas in which fue was enveloped, the celebrated fentiment of -Gorregio, on firft feeing the works of Raphael^ Ed io foil anche pi/tore ! From that moment, her palTion for the theatre became unconquerable; and a friend, who had intereft, having recommended her to Mr. Garrick, flic came out the following Lent in the characHier of Maicia, in Mr. Crifp's tragedy of Virginia, being introduced by a prologue, written and fpoken by Mr. Garrick for that purpofe ; when her youth, her uncommon beauty, and thofe rays of genius which broke through her untutored inexperience, like the flreams of light which precede the day, fccurcd her the favour of the public." P 2 P^ge ( io8 ) Pa 123. We are now coming to thofe bufy fcenes, which are equal to any praife, and where the poetry of Shakefpeare is infplration indeed.* — And we find Juliet'in theprefent fcene arrived at the cell of her ghoftly confeflbr, to feek from him (as from her only and laft refource) fome remedy — and to difclofe to him the refolution of a determined fpirit. She meets, on her coming to the cell, with Paris; and after fome fhort, XHiwifh'd for difcourfe with him, the fcene proceeds : Jul. Are you atUifure, holyfalhcrnow-; Orjhall I come to you at evening mafs ? Friar. A<fy leifure fervcs me, penjtve daughter now, — f My lord, we mujl inlreat the time alone. Par. Godjhteld, I Jhould dijiurb devotion!' "Juliet, on Thurfday early will I roufc you. ^Tillthen, adieu! and Iteep this holy kifs. — lExit Paris. Jul. * " The poetry of Shakefpeare (fays Pope) vtss mfplratlon indeed : he is not fo much an imitator, as an inftrument of nature ; and 'tis not fo juft to fay, that he fpeaks from her,, as that flie fpeaks through him." — On this phrafe, Martin Sherlock, gives this comment : " Pope (fays he) was the cleareft writer in England, and thefe words are fcarce intelligible. The reafon is plain ; he fpoke of what he felt, and he felt more than language could exprefs." The late Daniel Webb, obferves, that " Shakefpeare was only a temporary inftrument, to convey the di6tates of a fuperior agent." •f- This mild anfwer of the Frair, to the no lefs meek and gentle requert of Juliet, offers a fituation to paint them from (with the calm and religious fceiiery of the monaftic cell) which one would not wil- ( lop ) Jul. /hut the door ! and when thou haft done fo, Come, weep with me ; Pajl hope, pajl cure, pajl help f Friar. j4h, Juliet, I already know thy grief \ Itjlrains me pajl the compafs of my wits : I hear thou mujl, and nothing may prorogue it. On Thurfday next be marriedto this county. Jul. Tell me not friar that thou hearjl of this, % Unlefs thou tell me how J may prevent it : If, in thy wifdom, thou canfl give no help. Do thou but call my refolution wife, And with this knife F II help it prefently. God joined my heart and Romeo's, thou our hands \ And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo feaVd, Shall be the label to another deed. Or my true heart with treacherous revolt Turn to another, this Jhall flay them both ; Therefore, out of thy long experienced time,. willingly refign, were it not to make place for embelUniments, which will reqi'ire a more p owcrful and perhaps more interefting expreffion. If an artlft fliould have it in contemplation to paint from thi» paflage, he would do well to attain a fight of the print by Lud. Geminiani, referred to for page 48, in this profpeaus ; and it may be of fingular fervice to him, to view the rare perfe£lion in cxpreffive mild- nefs, which the painter has there exhibited — for, (as the Difcourfe delivered to the Students of the Royal Academy, in 1784, informs them 1 — thehahltofcontemplatlnsr and brooding over the ideas of great genii fes, till you find ycuftlf ■-..varmetl hy the contaLl, is the true method of forming an artifi's — like mind ; it is impojible, in the pre fence of thofe great men, to think, or invent in a mean manner ; a Jlate of mind is- acquired that is difpofed to receive thofe ideas only ivhich rcVJli of grandeur and fmplicity. To paint. the beauty and the grace of Juliet's, figure, and to exprcfs the forrows of her bofom, will require a pencil as much infpired bt the graces and tajle of Grecian artifs, and as capable of pronounciHg. the paf-~ /tans, as is the pencil of Lady Diana.Beauclerc. J See the marks of a determined firmnefs (not ill expicffed) in . the print of 2<»;a by Roberts, ia Bell's edition of that play. Givt ( no ) Give me fame prefcnt counfel; or, hehoU, % ^Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife Shall play the umpire, arbitrating that Which the commijjion of thy years and art Could to no ijfue of true honour bring. Be not fo long to fpeak ; I long to die. If what thou fpealifl fpeak not of remedy. Friar. Hold, daughter ; / dofpy a kind of hope, fVhich craves as defperate an execution As that is defperate which we would prevent. J/' § Sec the uplifting of the dagger — the fine attitude — and the foul fpeaking countenance, of the female figure by Gravelot, engraved by Heath, from A(5t 3, Sc. 4, of Merope — and v.hich will be eafily found in one, if not in more, of the editions of Voltaire's works. The reader will cafily difco- ver the edition — and he will b-; recompenfed with the fight of a defign of much merit. In this print he will fee a figure, which will partly give an idea of an attitude for the Friar. There is fomewhat plealing in the archite£ture of this print; and the two flatues (as tragic decorations) are well ima- gined. If yw/iV/ lliould be drawn, when threatening to end her diftreffes with the bloody knife — then fee the animated look which Carlo Maratti has given to St. Francis, in the firfl volume of the Collection of Drawings by Rogers. Afaultlefs figure of the Friar, might no doubt be feleftcd from the works of thofe great mafters who have excelled in their figures of Monks, and in their conceptions of meek de- votion, or penitential forrow — fome of the old mafters have given to their Monks or Saiflts, a- fervour, which mu ft have been drawn from almoft celeftial ideas. In order to have fhewn our refpcft to the memory of the Noblcft Tragedian, one could have wiflied it had been poffible, that the fplendid edition of Mr. Boydeli could have conveyed to pofterity, the figure of Shakefpeare's Monk drawn by the pencil of that painter, who, (from what Mr. Cumberland fays of him) feeras fo well calculated to have drawn the meek and ferve nt fpirit of Father Latvrence : — " yuan Ji. Juanes, a native of Valencia ; *' a mnn, whofe celebrity would rank with that of the firft artlfts of the age of Leo. X. if his works laid " in the track of travellers, or by happy emancipation could be fet at liberty, and made to circulate " through the cabinets of Europe. Juanes, (like Morales) felefted his fubjeds, without an inftance to " the contrary, from the moft facred palfagcs of revelation ; but his life, (unlike that oi Morales) was " in unifon with the purity and aufterity of his tafte ; prepared by confeffion and fafting, he firft ap. " preached the altar before he vifited the eafel ; painting withhim was an aft of piety and devotion. The " charaiSlers, which filled his canvafs, were of the holieft fort, and, as he gave them life, he gave them " adoration : as the exercife of his art was in him an ofticc of devotion, fo his moderation kept him from 3 " engaging ( III ) If, rather than to marry county Paris, Thou hajl thejlrcngth of will to fluy thyfelf; Then it is likely, thou wilt undertake A thing like death to chide away thisjhame. That cop'fl with death himfelf to fcape from it ; And, if thou dar''fl, F II give thee remedy. Jul. O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, From ojf the battlements of yonder tower \ Or walk in thievifh ways ; or bid me lurk TVhere ferpents are ; chain me with roaring hears ; Or hide me nightly in a charnel houfe, O''er-coverd quite with dead men's rattlijig bones. With reeky Jhanks, and yellow chaplefs fculls ; Or bid me go into a new-made grave. And hide me with a dead man in hisjhroud. Things that to hear them told, have made me tremble j And I will do it without fear or doubt. To live an unfiainedwife to my fweet love. Friar engaging In any private commiffions with a view to gain ; and I am inclined to doubt if any pii5lure of Juanes is at this hour in lay polTeffion. Certain it is, the piftures of Juancs are finiflied with aflonifliing truth, colouring, and beauty ; though they are laboured to a minutenefs, that lets not even a hair efcape : Hill their force is unimpaired, and the fublimity of defign fuffers no prejudice by the delicacy of its execution ; as every work is the work of the heart, nothing is neglefted or left ; every figure is laboured into life, and the labour is the labour of love, not the talkof the hireling. It is greatly to be lamented, that thefe precious remains are Ihut in the convents ot Valencia without any hope of delivery and that free difplay, of which the mortmain offuperllition fcems for ever to deprive them. By his piety, he merited a place in the calendar of Saints,— by his genius, a name amongft the firft clal's of his art." Anecdotes of Painters in Spain, vol. i. Carlo Maratti too, who, through the courfe of his long life, continually gave the w^orld fome of the fineft piiStures of aevotion, pajffj the lajl years of his life in prayer. — His early predilection for painting Saints, may be feen in his moil pleafing life, extrafled and tranllated from Bellori, by Rogers. Giovanni Angelico, the fubjeds of whofe pieces are always divine, could not refrain weeping when- ever he painted a Crucifix. ( "2 ) Friar. Hold then ; go home, be merry, give conjint To marry Paris : JVedncfday is to-morroui ; 'To-morrow night look that thou lie alone. Let not thy nurje lie with thee in thy chamber : Take thou this phial, being then in bed, And this dijiilled liquor drink thou off :* When, prefently, thro' all thy veins f} all run A cold ayid drowfy humour, which Jhall feize Each vital fpirit ; for no pulje Jhall keep His natural progrefs, but furceafe to beat : No warmth, no breail}, Jhall icjlify thou livjl ; The rofcs in thy lips and cheeks JJiall fade To paly ajhes ; thy eyes' windows fall, Like death, when hejhuts up the day of life; Each part, deprived offupple government. Shall Jliff andjiark, and cold appear like death : And in this borrow' d Tikenefs of Jhrunk death Thoujhalt remain full two and forty hours. And then awake as from a pleafant fleep. Now when the bridegroom in the morning comes ; To roufe thee from thy bed, there art thou dead'. , Then (as the manner of our country is) . In thy bejl robes uncover' d on the bier, . Thoujhalt be borne to that fame ancient vault, '^ Where all the kindred of the Capulet's lie. In the mean time, againfl thoujhalt awake. Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift ; And hither Jhall he. come ; and he and I Will watch thy waking, and that very night Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua, And this Jhall free the from this prefent Jhame ; If no unconfiant toy, nor womanijh fear , Abate thy valour in the ailing it. Jul. * _From thefc two lines, will be a pidure painted by Northcote, for the edition of Mr. BoydelL \ ( 1^3 ) Jul. Give mc, Ogive me/ tell me not of fear. Friar. Hold ; get you gone, bejlrong and prof per ous In this refolve: I'll fend a friar with fpeed To Alantiia, with my letters Jo thy lord. Jul. Love, give me frength ! and firength fhall help afford. Farewell, dear father ! In fcenes like the above, there can be no markhig in italics, in order to diftinguifli the beft points to draw from. It would be too imperti- nent and officious to didate to an artift, which paflage of the foregoing fcene would furnifh the moft expreflive picture — for, to ufe Mr. Pope's words, (on another occafion) — He bcf can paint them, who can feel them mojl. '■nar Some painters would prefer the cool and undaunted fpirit, with which fhe wifhes the Friar to call her refolution wife — the lovely ardour with which flie affures him, her true heart fhall ne'er be tainted with re- volt — the enthufiafm with which fhe brandifhes the bloody knife — the kind and fpirited interpofition of the Friar, when yuUet tells him, that fhe longs to die, if what he fpeaks, /peak not of remedy : with a voice dropping from the accents of defpair, to a more foft and mournful ca- dence, and a fuitable cxpreffion of countenance. — While other painters might find their minds led them, more congenially to exprefs the wild tranfport (foftened yet with every glow of fentiment) with which (he exclaims : O bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, From off the battlements of yonder tower ! Q^ or, ( 1^4 ) t)r, the tender cxprefling of her love, in the lz{[ Hne of this fame paf" fage — the delivering the phial to her — her fixed, attentive, firm and fleady look, when fhe is told No zvarmth, no hrcath, Jhall tejlify thou Uv'Jl; The rofcs in thy lips and cheeki Jhall fade To paly ajhci, — her eager clafping of the phial when fhe tells him not to fpeak of fear — or, from her taking her lafl farewell of the kind and holy Friar. In order that we may be more interefled in the misfortunes of 'Juliet , we fhould contemplate the whole of her charafter by perufmg fome of the precedi]ig fcenes : where we fhall find that the brutal infults of Ca- pulet and his lady (with her unconquerable attachment to her hufbaiid) have driven her to ei'poufe, Avithout fhrinking, the dangerous and ro- mantick device of the Friar. And, as her fpirit has been painfully grieved, we fliall find the foft tendernefs which accompanied her in the former fcenes of this play, will now fat times) give way to the more turbulent alarms of grief, and of defpair — and fhe will in fome of the future fcenes, be more the Queen of 'Terrors, than the Queen of Tears.* * The fcene at page 137, where Jiillei is f^ppofed to be dead, would have furninied a very fine picture of the Friar, when confoling her parents with arguments which are as irrefiftible, as they are fublimely beautiful : Jlncl ivtrp ye voiv, feeing Jhe is aihanc'd Above tijc clouds, as high as heaven ttfelf ! — were it not for the unax-oiJable iutroduftion of Capulet s.r\i his wife, who mull have appeared in fuch pifture. — And as their conduft in Ad. 3, So. 5 — in page 114, 116, 117, and 118, (as well as lady Capulet's unfeeling fentiment in page 1 13) cannot render them either refpeftable or interefting, where they do appear — this opportunity of fo well pourtraying the Fiiar is purpofely omitted. And yet one 'knows not how to relinquilh painting the figure of the cold Julie/, when Death lies on ler, like an untimely froft Upon the pLVceteJt Jower of all the field. Page ( ns ) Page 128. The prefent fcene is that of Juliet's chamber. And after ihe has dif- miffed the Nurfe, and bid good flight to lady Capulet^ (who had forted out thofe ornaments beft fuited to the morrow's nuptials) (he thus anti- cipates the horrors of the tomb : Jul. Farewell! — God knows, ivhcn we JImll meet agahi. I have a faint cold fear thrills through my veins., That almoji freezes up the heat of life : ril call them back again to comfort me ; Nurfe ! —What JhouldJIn do here ? My difmal fcene I needs mufl afl alone, — Come, phial. What if this mixture do not work at all? Shall I of force be married to the count ?-^ No, no; thisjhall forbid it: — lie thou there.— [Laying down a dagger. What if it be a poifon which the friar Subtly hath minifier^d to have me dead; Lefi in this marriage hefhould be difhonour'' d, Becaufe he married me before to Romeo ? I fear, it is: and yet, mcthinks, itjiiouldnot, For he hathfiill been tried a holy man : I will not entertain fo bad a thought. How if, when I am laid into the tomb, ■ I wake before the lime that Romeo Comes to redeem me P there's a fearful point ! Shall I not then beflifiedin the vault, "To whofe foul mouth no healthfome air breathes In, And there dieflrangled ere my Romeo comes ! Or, if I live, is it not very like, Q.2 7i* ( ^'6 ) The horrible conceit of death and night, Together with the terror of the place, — ^s in a vault, an ancient receptacle, JVherc, for thcfe many hundred years, the bones Of all my buried ancejlors arc packed ; Where bloody Tybalt, yet but green in earth. Lies fefTringin his fJiroud; where, as they fay. At fome hours in the night fpirits refort ; — * Alack, alack ! is it not like, that I, So early waking, — luhat with loathfotnefmclls -, Andfhrieks like mandiakes torn out of the earth. That living mortals, hearing them, run ma d 01 if I wake, Jhall I not be diflr aught. Environed with all thefe hideous fears P And madly play with my forefathers'' joints P And pluck the mangled Tybalt from hisfhroudP And, in this rage, with fome great kinfman^ s bone. As with a club, dafJ) out my defperate brains P 0, look ! methinks, I fee my coufns ghofl Seeking out Romeo, that didfpit his body Upon a rapier's point : — Slay, Tybalt, fay ! — Romeo, I come ! this do I drink to thee. [She throws herfelf on the bed. The images which are here prefented, and which imprint fuch terror on the imagination of 'Juliet, are painted with a frightful and tragic pen- cil. This fcene is perfe6lly fuited to the wildnefs of Shakefpeare's ge- * Euiipedes, to infpire his mind with folemii and terrible ideas, ufcd to compofe his pieces, in a gloomy and difmal cave, in the ifland of Salamis. And an ingenious gentleman conjeftures that this idea of the vault, was probably fuggefted by the poet's native place — " The charnel at Stratford upon Avon, (fays Mr. Murphy) is a very large one, and perhaps contains a greater number of bones than are to be found in any other repofitory of the fame kind in England." nlus, ( ^r; -) nius, and he cannot treat on thofe fubjeds without luxuriance. The tenihck Mufe feletledhim her chofen painter,* — and fcenes poflliring the eftabUrhed merit of the prefent one, make one indeed feel the force of this conjedure of an elegant writer : — "-The times in which Milton lived, " though * Many writers have teftified their admiration of the power which our great poet difcovered, in painting i^far. Mr. Gray, in his Ode on the progrels of Poetry, thus makes Nature addrefs Shakef- peare : This pencil take (fie fat J) ivhofe colours clear j Richly paint the vernal year : Thine too thefe golden keys,, immortal hoy ! This can unlock the gates of joy ; Of horror that, and thrilling fears. Or ope the f acred fource of fympaihetic tears, Dennis, in his letters, pays him this compliment : He had fo fine a talent for touching the paeons, and they are fo lively in him, andfo truely in nature, that they often touch us more ivithout their due preparations, than t'ofe of other tragick poets, ixiho have all the beauty of defgn, and all the advantage of incidents. His wafer pajjioti ivas Terror, -which he has often moved fo povjer fully andfo voonderfully, that vie may juflly conclude, that if he had had the advan- tage of art and learning, he ivould have furpaffd the very lef and frongcfl of the ancients. His paint- ings are often fo beautiful and fo lively, fo graceful and fo po-iuerful, cfptcially where he ufes them in order to move terror i that there is nothing perhaps more accomplijljed in our Englijh poetry, Collins, thus concludes his truly fine Ode to Fear : O thou, vihofcfpirit mofl poffefl. The facred feat of Shaliefpeare's Ireafi ! By all that from thy prophet broke. In thy divine emotion fpokc ! Hither ayain thy fury deal. Teach me but once like him to feel : His cyprefs ivreath my meed decree. And J, O Fear, will dtvell witi thee ! z The r nS ) << though in themfelves of an unfeemly afped, were favourable to hisge- *' nius ;— the retirement of his life was the fource of his immortality. — " Shakefpeare might have lived in an age when his celejiial fpirit would have * ' Jlumbered^ or wherein his name might have been forbidden to paj's on to the end " of timer* The natural terror which Cibber gave to this fcene (which fhe per- formed with all the enthufiafm of her foul) — her ftart, and wild dif- traifled afpeft at exclaiming : O, look ! methitiks I fee my coujins ghojl — accompanied with a fliriek, that really chill'd the blood, and made the audience fancy the bloody 'Tybalt and Xhtfpirits of the night were fleeting The Honourable Andrew Erfkine, in nn Ode to Fear, after pomting out Inftancej where Shakef- peare has excelled in defcribing this paffion, thus proceeds : Shakefpeare alone thy ghaftjy channs enjoy' cl. Thy favage haunts he traversed undlfmay' d. In bearing thy atxiak'ning tales employed, Ji'^here the ivood darkens to a deeper Jliade ; And, if I read the magic page aright. Loud thunders roW d around tV enchanted Jpot, Tf^hile Jire-ey''d demons grov^'Td the long lone nighty And every tree '■Mith fiajlying flame ^vas fmetc ; | And cries ■uncouth, and founds of luoe ivcre heard. And tall gigantic fijapes their horrid forms uprear'd. And Mr. Warton, in his beautiful Monody, written near Stratford upon Avon, thus concludes the lift of ideal fliapes, that peopled the meads of Stratford : Pale Terror leads the 'vifonary hand. And flernly Jhakes his fcepter, dropping hlood. * Royal Regifler, vol. 7. page iii. be- C 1^9 ) before lier— her fudden tranfition from perturbed horror, to the mourn- ful and entreathig tenderaefs with which fhe cried Stay, Tybalt, Jlay ! her momentary paufe of recolleflion, which recalled her fcattered fen- fes, and fixed her thoughts on him, for whofe fake fhe chearfully fwal- lowed the potion, and the affeftionately mournful voice with which fhe pronounced this laft line : Romeo T come! THIS DO I DRINK TO THEE. this fucce/Tion of tragick images was difplayed by Gibber, with a fplrit that fell little fliort of infpiration — and the pifture of frenzy which yZ*? exhibited (wrought up to a pitch fcarce conceivable) eftablifhed her in the hearts of the public as the darling and fupreme adlrefs of the Tra- gic Mufe. Her fine conceptions of the Poet, and her difplay of unat- tainable excellence in y«//V/, ftill lives in the memory of her fear-flruck but delighted auditors — many of whom, when indulging a recolleiflion cf the well remembered Gibber, willingly pay their tributary refpe£t to her, who was really Shakefpeare's own J^^/zV/ : O gentle Cibber I long thy lofs they'll mourn ; jind many a time, by Jlrong affeillon led. To thy fad tomb at Ji lent night return. And o'er thy dufi, ambrojial odour s Jhed I % X Mr. Garrick, in his prologue to the Clandeftine Marriage, which was ipoken foon after the deaths of Quin and Cibber, docs not forget his old aflbciates : Oh, let me drop one tributary tear, On poor Jack Falpifi grave, and JuVed bier; You, to their worth, mull teftimony give ; 'Tis in your breafts alone, their fame can live.-- 5 If ( 120 ) If yuliet fhould be drawn, when entreating the ghofl: of 'Tybalt to flay : would there be any hnpropriety in introducing the imaginary fleeting Ihade itfelf ? — This would admit of the introduftion of fcenery, that would ftartle and terrify the fenfes. The reader will be recompenfed for his trouble, if he will infpeft M. de Loutherbourg's vignette to Bell's lafl: edition of Hamlet. Should {he be drawn from the laft line in her foliloquy, it will re- quire an artift capable of very graceful, and of the mod fubllme ex- preflion, to flrlke out an attitude, and chara6ler, worthy of the idea of Shakefpeare. If I recommend the print of the Death of Portia, (with the name of Scalcken engraved under) to be looked at : it is not be- caufe the attitude, the figure, or even the countenance, will iliew what yuliet (hould be — yet ftill, it will not be amifs to view {o very interefting a figure as is this of Portia's. It is engraved in metzotinto by James Walker, § The Painter (Domenichino) who fo tenderly con- ceived Sopbonijha trying with grief, in the colleftlon at Chrlft Church, Ox- ford, would have wonderfully drawn from this lafl line of Juliet'' s folilo- quy.* Page § how faint by precept is exprefl: The living image in the •writer s breaft. Pope. * I have not met with any other accounts o{ CHier's performing y«/A';, thiin the following ones.— " Since thofe great ornaments of the ftage, Mrs. Porter and Mrs, Oldfield, were no more, the lovers of the drama were apprehenfive, that they fhould never fee their equals in tender or majeftic dif- trefs again ; but (ince Mrs, Gibber's appearance, thofe fears are removed, and all the excellencies of each are revived in her. The great fenfibility (lie has derived from nature, her excjuifite art and judgment. C 121 ; Page 143. Balthazar has a ftrong claim agaliifl: being omitted — and the prefent page will admit of his faithful attachment to his mafter, being almofl as well drawn, as from thofe lines where he takes his laft leave of him in the tomb-fcene. His honeft and animated fidelity (rendered more inter- efting by theforrow with which his meflage is related) — with the paf- R fions judgment, directs her to give to every paffion its full colouring and cxprellivenefs, even beyond our idea. Would ftie charm us into the moft affefting diftrefs, with the woes of a Juliet^ or Belvidera, then ' her looks Draw audience and attention Jlill ai night. Or fujiimeri noon-tide air — Milton. 'dll our heart? have catched the pleafing infcaion, and our eyes confefs it in tears. Were (he to confine herfelf barelv to fuch tender fcenes as thefe, we could not even then fuflficiently admire her ; but how are we furprifed at the wild exertion of her powers in the fuddcn tranfiiions file makes from love and grief to the extremities of rage and defpair ! and how different is her Juliet from her Jllicia ! and yet how juftly does (lie feel in both, without exceeding the bounds of nature, or in- fringing upon female delicacy in cither ? The muficnlly plaintive tone of her voice gives a furprizing foftnefs to her love charai?lers ; and her great (kill in the pallions never fails to direft her in the application of that, and her commanding fea- tures to be every way exprelTive of the poet's idea. A fliort (ketch of a few of her characters, may give us fome faint idea of her excellence. In her Juliet,, we ;ire charmed with all the innocence of youth and beauty, influenced by love. How fiinple, yet how tender and natural, is her converfation with Romeo in the garden fcenc ! Thou Inow^JI the majk of night Is on my face , &c. How ( 122 ) fions that at this moment dlftrefs and alarm the mnid of his mafter, might be well Iketched from fome of thefe lines : Baltli. - Her hodyjleeps in Capulet's monument^ And her immortal part with atigeh Uvts ; Ifaw How different is this fond, this joyous fcene, from that wherein (he heHtates to take the poifon, anticipiitiiig in imagination the terrors of the charnel-houfe, which yet her love overcomes — Romeo, I come— This Jo I Jii/ik to thee. The agonies of grief and defpair, mingled with love, which fhe (hews in the laft a£t, rife beyond defcription ; and flie only is Shakefpeare's "Juliet" Wilkes' View of the Stage, page fj%, " The competition between Mrs. Ciiier and Mrs. Bellamy, who had both great merit in this cha- raifler ; feemed nearly to admit the fame ftate of comparifon as we have adopted for the contending heroes ; one excelled in amorous rapture, the other called every power of dlrtrefs and defpair to her aid ; Mrs. £f//amy was an object of love, 3Mrs. tri^.r of admiration; '^In. Bellamy' i execution was more natural, Mrs. Cihberh more forcible." Dram. Censor, vol. i. " When Jul'et retires to her chamber with the fleeplng potion, it is natural that (lie fliould rife, by degrees, to a full fenfe of the poffible horror of the undertaking : the author intended this gradual and glorious rife of the pafTions, to the very height of temporary diftraiSion : he who has feen Mrs. C/^i^r, from the firft fupicion of the draught not working as intended, rile to the terror of her waking before the time, finding her encompafTed With recking Jianls, andycllovj chaplefijlculh, becoming diftrafled with the horror of the place, J? lucking the mangled Tybalt from hisfiroud, 'till at L-ngth (lie (liall, madly playing with her forefather's joints, With fome great kinfman's bone. As with a club, dajh out her defperate brains, has J. ( 123 ) I favj her laid low In her kindred's vault. And frefently took fojl to tell It you : O pardon me for bringing thefe ill news. Since you did leave it for my office, fir, Rom. Is it even fo? then I defy you, flar si — * Thou knovffl my lodging : get me ink and paper. And hire prfl-horfes ; / luill hence to-night, Balth. Pardon me, fr, I dare not leave you thus : lour looks are pale and wild, and do import Some mif adventure. Rom. Tujh, thou art deceived. — R 2 Or has feen all that is poffible to be conveyed this way, of terror ; and has had an example of that grada- tion by which fire and fpirit may be raifed, according to the circuniftances, from the moft flight ftep to the moft exalted height. All this is excellent, becaufe it is proper. The fpirit of this fcene is con- neftcd with the fenfibility, and rifes with it. There is not perhaps any thing on the Britifh ftage, fupc« rior to the excellence Mrs. Gibber difplays in this pafTage." The Actor, page 113. Davies in his Life of Garrick, vol. i. page 12J, gives a very (hort account ol Cihber (as well as of Bellamy) in the competition of the two houfes in 1749. — little more than faying, that " Romeo and Juliet had raifed their reputation (that of Barry and Mrs. Gibber) forfcenes of tender love and pathe- tic diftrefs, to a very high degree." In a note to King John, in a former page of this prefent work, will be found forae tcftiraonies to the general performance of Gibber. * Hill, in his Ad^or, (page 87) thus pleaCngly fpeaks of our poet : " There is not a fingle incident in tragedy, where an ailor is fuppofed to feel more than Romeo on the news of Juliet's death. Shakefpeare, who well knew all that is here written ; for it is but tranf- cribed upon the paper from the heart, has put but few words into his mouth on this occafion. It would have been a tine fubjeft for an exclamation to an Otway ; or Rowe would have made it intro- duce fome nightingale funile ; but this genius knew better what the heart would, and what it ought to feel ( 124 ) Or the emotions of Romeo's breaft (on finding his miftrefs Inclofed in the cold tomb) might be finely painted from this following line : Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee to-night. — There are few lines, that would more challenge the ntmoft effort of a painter, or an ador, than this laft line. But the pale wildnefs of Romeo's look, foftened with a grief equal to that which he feels, will {land a chance of being much difgraced, if attempted by many artlfts that could be named. It will require a fine pencil to render that juftice to the above line which it requires. feel. He has put into his mouth only five words ; and when we hear Barry pronounce on this oc- cafion : ■ then I defy you, Jlars /^ we are fatisfied more would have been impertinent, and jbelow the confummate degree of fuch a forrow. The fame prudent referve that the poet has ufed with refpeft to the words, the player obferves in the delivery. This was too great a grief for noify exclamation : we read in his gefture, eyes, countenance, and tone of voice, the moil perfeifl defpair, and fee him even braving heaven in the defiance ; yet it is not bellowed out like the curfe of a Sempronius, but flrength is given by the very refufmg loudnefs. Nor is this all ; his manner, as he gives utterance to it, is refolutc, but not infolent in the defiance, or broken by the forrow ; his foul was too great for fuch weaknefs ; for either of thefe were weaknefs^ Struck to death, he is above raving about it ; and he conveys all that terror to the audience which he feenu to refufe himfelf." Page ( 1^5 ) Paae: 145. fc> Shakefpeare has made all his readers, friends to the poor forlorn Apo- thecary, on whom the world had little fmileJ — for need and opprdfion were his chief companions, and (harp miferv had worn him to the bone. Shakefpeare's pi£turefque defcription is chiefly from his own luxuriant fancy; for he is a little indebted to Painter s tranjlation; to Bandello; or to the Tragicall Hyjlory oj Rotiieus and Juliet — their defcriptions being very brief, except indeed the lafl; — and that is by no means lo highly colour- ed as in Shakefpeare. The extreme poverty of the poor man, more than his will, urged him to bring forth the mortal poifon : Rom. Art thou fo bare and full of wretchednefs, And fear'ft to die? famine is in thy cheeks, Need and opprefiion ftarveth in thy eyes, Upon thy back hangs ragged mifery. The world is not thy friend, nor the world's law ; The world affords no law to make thee rich ; Then be not poor, but break it, and take this. Apoth. My poverty but not my will confents. Rom. I pay thy poverty and not thy will. jipoth. Put this in any liquid thing you will, And drink it off; and, if you had the ftrength Of twenty men it would difpatch you llraight. Rom. There is thy gold ; worfe poifon to men's fouls, ' r Doing more murders in this loathfome world, J Than tliefe poor compounds tliat thou may'ft not fell. * Ifeli ( 126 ) I fell ilyfe po'ifon, thou hafi fold me none. Farewell; buy food, and get thyleU" in flefh.— Come cordial, and not poifon ; go with me To Juliet's grave, for there mujl I life thee. The fecond line in italics, will admit of the Apothecary s look and ge- neral appearance being as chara£teriftically and as fully drawn, as from any of t'le foregoing lines — But I, ihould myfelf chufe to feledt the laft lines — for they will not only give an equal good opportunity for pidu- ring the appearance of the Apothecary — but they will allow line fcope to an artifl, for reprefenting the youthful and graceful -figure of Romeoy whofe uplifted eyes, befpeak the conflicting paHions that now diftrefs and agonize his mind when embracing the cordial, and haftening to y«- net's grave. That interefling look of deje£led poverty which Ihould be given to the Apothecary, will be now heightened by the commiferatiou which he feels at beholding his benefaClor grieved : and he will (on i^o- /Kfo'j going off the fcene) turn his grateful eyes towards him, and to the laji, bend their light on him. On account of its being holy-dny, the (hop is fhut — yet through the opened door, may be feen part of this thinly fcattered JIhw. If the reader will turn to page 83, of the firft part of this prefent work, he will find a fmall mention made of this Apothecary. X \ Thcie are only two prints of the Apothecary, yet publiflied — one by Walker, in his fet from this play — and the other is in Bell's firft edition. Nothing can be faid in favour of either. The procef- fion of the iioft in Walker's print (it being holy-day) is well adapted, and well drawn — but how could Walker fo mttam-'pliore the countenance of ^uotco ?— lie has made him appear placid, pleafeJ, and cheatful : infttad of his looks importing fomc niiladventure, and being, as the faithful i'«/^/6«xardefcribes them, pali and -ivUd. If the reader will infpcft No. 82 of the Guardian, he will find fomc mention made of an aftor, who much diiliiiguiihed himfelt in the part of the Apothecary. 2 Page ( »27 ) Page 152. Scene, a Church-yard-, in it, a noble Monument belonging to the Capulets. After Paris has received the flowers from his Page, and difmifled him the fcene proceeds : Par. Sweet flower, with flowers I ftrew thy bridal bed : [ Strewing Jlowtrt. Sweet tomb, that in thy circuit doft contain The perfeft model of eternity ; Fair Juliet, that with angels doft remain, Accept this lateft favour at my hands ; That living honour'd thee, and being dead. With funeral praifes do adorn thy tomb !* [ Tbt boy whijites. The ♦ The folio edition has thefe lines f Siveetjloiver, iMith floiMcn thy bridall bed I Jlrevj : O ivffe, thy canopy is diiji aniljlones. Which iviih/iveet vjater n'ghlly I -mill de'X't, Or wantittg that, ivith tears diftitl'd by moaes ; The ohftquics that I for thee ivill kcepe, Nightly fhall be, to Jtre'm thy grave, and iMeepe. Akenfide, in his Pleafures of Imagination, finely defcribes the endearirent which Nature fometimea annexes to fcenes of forrow ; JJi the faithful youth. Why the cold urn of her xvhum long ue Uv'd ! ( 128 ) The boy gives warning ; fomething doth approach. What curfed foot wanders this way to-night. To crofs my obfequies, and true love's rites? What, with a torch ! muffle me, night, awhile. Enter RoMEO, and Balthasar ixnth a Torch, &c. Rom. Give me that mattock, and the wrenching -iron. Hold, take this letter ; early in the morning See thou dehver it to my lord and father. Give me the light: upon thy life I charge thee, Whate'er thou hear'ft or feeft, ftand all aloof. And do not interrupt me in my courfe. Why I defcend into this bed of death Is, partly, to behold my lady's face : But, chiefly, to take thence from her dead finger A precious ring; a ring, that I muft ufe In dear employment: therefore hence, begone: — But if thou, jealous, doft return to pry On what I further (hall intend to do. By heaven, I will tear thee joint by joint. And ftrew this hungry church-yard with thy hmbs : The time and my intents are favage-wild ; More fierce, and more inexorable far. Than empty tygers, or the roaring fea. Ballh. So often fih his arms ; fo often Jtazvs His lonely footjleps at the flent hour. To pay the mournful tribute of his tears ? O ! he ivill tell thee, that the wealth of ivorUs Should ne^erfeiluce his hofom to forego Thatfacred hour, ivhcn fealing from tl-e noife Of care and envy., fiveet remembrance fooths With virtue's iindejf looks his aking breaf. And turns his tears to rapture, — ■ ( 129 ) Balth. I will begone, fir, and not trouble you. Rom. So fhalt thou fhew me friendfhip. — Take thou that : Live, and be profperous ; and farewell, good fellow. Balih, For all this fame, I'll hide me hereabout ; His looks I fear, and his intents I doubt. [Exit Balth AS AU. Rom. Thou deteftable maw, thou womb of death, Gorg'd with the deareft morfel of the earth, Thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open, {^Breaking up the Momoncnt^ And, in defpight, I'll cram thee with more food ! Par. This is that banifh'd haughty Montague, That murder'd my love's coufin ; — with which grief. It is fuppofed, the fair creature dy'd, — And here is come to do fome villainous Ihame To the dead bodies : I will apprehend him.— Stop thy unhallow'd toil, vile Montague ; Can vengeance be purfu'd further than death ? Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee : Obey, and go with me ; for thou muft die. Rom. I muft, indeed ; and therefore came I hither. — Good gentle youth, tempt not a defperate man. Fly hence and leave me ;— think upon thefe gone ; Let them affright thee.— I befeech thee, youth. Pull not another fin upon my head. By urging me to fury : — O, begone 1 By heaven, I love thee better than myfelf : For I come hither arm'd againft myfelf: Stay not, be gone ;— live, and hereafter fay — A madman's mercy bade thee run away. Par. I do defy thy conjuration, And apprehend thee for a felon here. Rom, Wilt thou provoke me ? then have at thee boy. [They fight, PARls/fl/Zr. S Peg' ( »3^ ^ Fage. O lord ! they fight : I will go call the watch. Par. O, I am flain !— If thou be merciful. Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet. \_Dtes^ torn , In faith, I will :— Let me perufe this face; — Mcrcutio's kinfman, noble county Paris ! — What faid my man, when my betofled foul Did not attend him as we rode ? I think, He told me, Paris ihould have married Juliet : Said he not fo ? or did 1 dream it fo ? Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet, To think it was fo ? — 0, give me thy hand. One writ with me in four misfortune^ s hook ! ril bury thee in a triumphant grave, — A grave ? O, no ; a lantern, flaughter'd youth, For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes This vault a feafting prefence full of light. Death, lie thou there, by a dead man interr'd. [ Laying Paris in the Monument. How oft when men are at the point of death Have they been merry ? which their keepers call A light'ning before death : O, how may I Call this a light'ning? O, my love ! my wife ! Death that hath fuck'd the honey of thy breath. Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty : Thou art not conquered ; beauty's enfign yet Is crimfon in thy lips, and in thy cheeks, And death's pale flag is not advanced there.— Tybalt, ly'ft thou there in thy bloody fheet ? O, what more favour can I do to thee, Than with that hand that cut thy youth in twain, To funder his that was thine enemy ? Forgive me, coufin ! — Ah, dear Juliet, Why art thou yet fo fair ? Shall I believe — I will believe (come lie thou in my arms) That unfubftantial death is amorous ; And that the lean abhorred monfter keeps Thee here in dark to be his paramour. For fear of that, I will ftill ftay with thee j X. And ( '3^ ) And nevet from this palace of dim night Depart again: here, here will I remain With worms that are thy chamber-maids ; O, here Will I fet up my everlafting reft ; And fhake theyoke of inaufpicious ftars From this world-wearied flefh. — Eyes, look your laft! Arms, take your laft embrace ! and lips, O you. The doors of breath, feal with a righteous kifs A datelefs bargain to engrofling death ! — Come, bitter conduft come, unfavoury guide ! Thou defperate pilot, now at once run on The dafliiiig rocks thy fea-fick weary bark ! Here's to thy health, where'er thou tumbleftin : Here's to my love ! — [Drinks] O, true apothecary. Thy drugs are quick. — Thus with a kifs I die. IDies. Thefe are paintings of the paffions, which not many writers were ac- quainted with ; — and as the above lines furnifli infinitely more fubjeiVs for engravings, than can poffibly be admitted into an edition ; it will be no eafy matter for an artifl when perufing the above fcene, to fele£t or to fix on one particular fubjeft to accompany this fcene — for if he wifhes to guard againft the too much crowding of an edition, and fhould therefore on that account, find himfelf obliged (unwillingly) to pafs over thofe tender lines which Paris offers at the fhrine of Juliet — or to rejeft painting the generous and fleady look which Balthazar gives his mafler, when the latter informs him why he defcends into the vault — and fhould determinately prefer the inimitable lines of O, give me thy hand. One writ vcith me in four miif or time's book ! I'll bury thcc in a triumphant grave, — yet each of the former pafTages that he thus reje*fls, will haunt his imagination : as poflefling too much beauty to deferve rejeftion — they will remind him each fucceeding day of the gem he has thrown afide-— S 2 and ( ^3^ ) and will come more precioufly apparelled " into the eye and profpec!! of his foul." If the above lines in italics fhould be feleited : he then leaves unpainted, the parting with Ballhazar-f — the fine llriking attitude and expreffion of Romeo, when he views Mercutws kinfinan — his many tender invocations to the departed fpirit of Juliet — his kindly affeftionate remembrance of 'Tybalt — or his taking his lad farewell of ^w/zV/, and im- printing on her pale cheek his laft kifs. The above feleded paflTage in italics, will furnifh a very fine point to paint from : for it will admit of moil: of the obje^ls in this fcene being introduced — fuch as the fculptured vault of the Capulets — the coftly tombs and funeral trophies of buried ancejlry, and other fepulchral or- naments of Juliet's laft abode* — the moon, which will be diftantly viewed § — the torch which burneth in the Capukfs monument^ and which will f I have never met with any other fketch or defign of Balthazar, than the following, painted by Ralph, viz. Romeo difmijfing his fcrvant Balthazar at Juliet^ s lomb. It was exhibited at Somerfet-houfe, in 1782. I have not fecn it. See the head entitled " Manhood," in the Artift's Repofitory and Drawing Magazine, printed for Williams, No. 43, Holborn. — The reader will there recognize features, which ought partly to accom- pany the figure of Balthazar. * The ornaments of churches in Italy, will furnifh numberlefs examples and ideas of the mod chafte and perfeft fculpture. See the figures of the children, and the fculpture of Juliet's vault, (for I am unwilling to omit the Icaft degree of merit) in the laft print of Walker's fet. See alfo the two figures on our poet's monument at Stratford, as they appear in Bell's laft edition. And fee fome parts of the landfcape (and the moon) in Wilfon's print. This prefent fcene in the play, is laid in a church- yard ; but all the painters (except Wilfon and the print in Hanmer) have laid their fcene in a church. The latter place would allow greater fcope for rich fculpture, unlefs it were attempted in a fimilar way (but more pidlurefque) to that in Wilfon's print. How fuperior is the fculpture in M. de Loutherbourg's vignette to Bell's edition of this play, to what appears in the other print to this fame edition — in this latter print, the tomb more refembles the mouth of an oven, than the coftly fepulchre of the Capulets. § So pale did fhine tie moon on Pyramus, Wljcn he hy night lay hath''d in maiden blood.^ Titus Andron. Ada, Sc.4. ( ^33 ) will add folemnity to the terrorf — the flowers which Pan's ftrewed — the tomb of Juliet opened, with her fair and beautiful body reclined, in rich array — (for as the manner of our country is. In thy beji robes uncovered on the bier. Thou fhalt be borne to that fame antient vault. Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie.) with the ring on her finger, which Romeo mentions to Balthazar, and whofe brilliancy (had the torch been wanting) would partly have illumi- ned the dark vault* — Julkfs beauty too, will not be rendered lefs enga- ging by the meeknefs of pale dejedion, and the quietnefs attending her prefent repofe, forjhe is not dead but Jleepeth — this alTemblage of obje£ls. \ Luigi da Porto's Tragicall Hyjlory of Romeus and Juliet, mentions Romeus charging his man. without delay, to Provyde both inftruments to open wide the toorabe. And lights to J!}ei\j him Juliet, And the fame Hyftory mentions a cuftom, that • whofoever dyes. Borne to their church with open face upon the beere he lyes,. Jtt 'Montcd v:eede attyrdc, not wrapt in winding iheet. * Upon his lloody finger he doth viear A precious ring, that lightens all the holey Which, like a taper in fame monument, Dothjhine upon the dead man's earthy cheeksy Andjhevos the ragged entrails of this pit. — Titus Andron, Adl 2, Sc. 4. added ( 15+ > added to the afFeding manner with which Romeo takes the dyhig Paris by the hand : g'lve me thy hand, One writ with me in four misfortune^ s book ! ril bury thee in a triumphant grave,— will altogether exhibit a fubject, fuited only to the exalted thought of Sir Jofhua Reynolds. § ; Page § TJjy hand enforces njohat thy precept taught^ ^nd gives nevj lejfons of exalted thought ; Ihy nervous pencil on the canvas thro'ws The tragic fiory offuhlimeft ivees,— The above few lines, are a very fmall part of the elegant tribute which Mr. Hayley pays to the merit of this great Painter, in an Epiftle to Mr. Romney. The fevere, but mirthful relation to the Poet of Tljehcs, (whofe laughable fallies have diffufed much good humour) has paid a generous compliment to Sir Jofluia. — After mentioning the ftory of Orpheus being torn in pieces, and of his head falling down the ftream to Lelbos : 2fo^v I've leen thinliiig, if our Reynold's head Should, on his palette, down the Thames drive foufe, " And, mindful of the lualls he once array' d. Bring-to, a lit, at Somerfet new Hoife ; What fcramblings there ivould be, ivhat luorlds of pains Among the artijls to pojjefs its brains. And like Neanthus, for great Orpheus' lyre Some for his palette ivould be raifng frays. In hopes, no doubt, the wood ivould each infpire To paint Hie him for^fame in better days ; As if a foldier ixho'd no legs to ufe. Should fight for his dead comrade's hoots andjl.'oes. Reynolds ! ^ How delicately tender it this line ! C m ) Page 158 Law. Go with me to the vault. Baltb. I dare not, Sir : My mailer knows not, but I am gone hence ; And fearfully did menace me with death. If I did flay to look on his intents. Law, Stay, then, I'll go alone. Fear comes upon me ; O, much I fear fome ill unlucky thing. Balth. As I did fleep under this yew-tree here, I dreamt my mailer and another fought, And that my mailer flew him. Law, Romeo? Reynolds! nuhen I refleH i\}hat fom of fame Have Jbar'd thy friendfiip, I itjithjighs regret That all have died a little in thy debt. And left a trump unknown tofwell thy name ; But, courage, friend; itohcn time's relentlefs tooth Hath nibbled mountains to the ground fmack-fmoith. And pick' d, as one ixiould pick afavory bone. Each monument of iron, and brafs, and Jlone ; When he, ixjith and Co. his guts hath f cower' d. And — — — and — — ^— viithout end devoured, Thy name Jhall live, and like heaven" s facred f re Succeeding Artifs kindle, and infpire. — This Theban Poet might have added : that the bones of Orpheus (after this fcrambllng) were ga- thered by the Mufes, and repofed in a fepulchre, not without tears ; and that his harp (for fo the ftory goes) was made the conftellation of Lyrat C 136 ) Law. Romeo? Alack, alack, what blood is this, which ftaiiis The ftony entrance of this fepulchre? — What mean thefe mafterlefs and gory fwords To lie difcolour'd by this place of peace ? Romeo ! O, pale ! — Who elfe? what, Paris too ? And fteep'd in blood ? — Ah, what an unkind hour Is guilty of this lamentable chance ! The lady Jiirs. Jul. [waking.] O, comfortable friar! where h my lord? I do remember well where I fliould be, And where I am : — Where is my Romeo f \lioife within. Law, I hear fome noife. — Lady, come from that nefl Of death, contagion, and unnatural fleep ; A greater Power than we can contradift Hath thwarted our intents ; come, come away : Thy hujband in thy bofom there lies dead; ^nd Paris too ; come, I'll difpofe of thee Among a fifterhood of holy nuns : Stay not to queftion, for the watch is coming ; Come, go, good Juliet, — {Noife again"] I dare flay no longer. [Exit, Jul. Go, get thee hence, for I will not away :— What's here ? a cup clos'd in my true love's hand? Poifon, I fee, hath been his timelefs end :^- O churl ! drink all ; and leave no friendly drop, To help me after ? — I will kifs thy lips ; Haply, fome poifon yet doth hang on them, To make me die with a rellorative. {KiJJes him. Thy lips are warm ! PP'atch. [within] Lead, boy : which way ? Jul. Yea, noife ? — then I'll be brief. — O happy dagger ! [Snatching RoMEo's Dagger. This is thy flieath ; [Jabs herfelf] there ruft, and let me die. What ( ^Zl ) What an attitude might be given to "Jiuiet at the moment of her Wa- king, (and before fhe fees the Friar) when her uplifted eye gradually furveys in awful aftonifhment the gloomy cavern ! — but perhaps this fcene of diftrefs will be better drawn from fome one of the lines in ital- ics : each of which will moft truly furnifh the fiue-ft points to paint from — as will certainly more of the above paflages than thofe pointed out in italics. I fear it is ftrangely prefumptuous thus to dictate to an artift, what paffages fhould alone receive his embellifhrnent : and prefumioi; confidence will ill become any one who ventures on the works of the unprefuming Shakefpeare — but as defcription and pointing out of this kind, is at the befl tedious on the perufal — fo it would be more tedious, were no lines thus recommended or marked out, as there would then bo required a more difFufe furvey of each fcene. The attitude, and expreffion of the Friar, would be very fine when he fees the lady waking— and the wildly pale, and earneft afFedion witii which fhe cries out, O, comfortable friar ! where is my lord ? — * / do remember wtll ivhere I fhould be, jlnd where I am : — Where is my Romeo P this, aided by the terror of the place — the dark tomb lightened by the blaze of the torch, which will fhew each feature of Juliet^ s face — her difhevelled hair — the breathlefs corpfe of her hufband, and the County Paris (who ftrewed his bridal bed with flowers) — thele, will altogether form a fcene capable of interefting the paflions in a very high degree. * Our very ingenious artlH, Mr. Wright, is to furnifli a picture from this line, for the edition of Mr. Boydell ; and conliderable expcdlations are julHy formed of it. The print in Theobald is likewife taken from this line ; and though there is nothing in it worthy obfervation, yet the attitude of Romeo may be looked at, and fo may the recumbent figure on the monument. His attitude might be fome. what fimilar to that which Monnet has given I'yramus, in the French quarto edition of Ovid. T Juliet ( '38 ; "Jul'iet has yet, however, not feen her dead Romeo — the fubfequent paf- fiiges therefore will each of them require her to be drawn with a greater wildnefs in her afpeft, and with the moft impaffioned and expreffive marks of grief. — Her ftart, when the Friar direds her eye to the breath- lefs corpfe : (Thy hujhand In thy bofom there lies dead ; And Paris too) Will demand a look : concentring every poflible expreffion of grief, amaze- ment, horror, and defpair. I was going to have pointed out in italics, other paflages in "Jul'iet's two laft fpeeches — but thefe two fpeeches of her's (if we except the firft line) do exhibit as many tender and moving points to paint from, as there are lines in thefe fpeeches t — and I fuddenly check my prefump- tionin having dared to reje£l and contemn even this firflline of Gfl, get thee hence— for I will not away ! — when it fo ftrongly paints her firm attachment to her dear lord — an at- tachment, which not the gloomy terrors of the tomb can daunt : and which no allurement of life can draw from the wi(h of uniting with him in the fhades of death.* I could have willingly feleded the lines of: churl ! drink all ; and leave no friendly drop To help me after P — and ■}■ In Dante (fays Mr. Sherlock) we (IwU find in three pages, four beautiful lines ; and in Shakef- peare we ihall find in four pages, fix lines that are not beautiful. * The aflies of Romeo, receive the fame regard which is expreffed in thefe tender lines of Smollct s Wilt thou Mcn'imia Jhed a pitying tear On that cold grave where all my forrews rcjl ? Wilt thou Jirtxv JlovJ'rs, applaud my love fine ere. And lid the ti.rf lie light upon my hreaji ? — C 139 ) and the fine point of: O happjf dagger'.— \t each of the other lines did not give an equal fcope to a painter's feeling. — Few hearts but what feel for Juliet; for in this fcene, Shakefpeare has unlock'd (with the golden key that nature gave him) the gates both of terror and of pitv.t An aclrefs, at the clofe of this tragedy, (hould difplay one of the ex- cellencies of Mrs. Siddons in Jane Shore — " for, (as an anonymous ' writer obferves) in her fcens with Gloucefter, in the fourth acl, there *. was a propriety in her dignity, her fenfibility, and her every word ' and aftlon, that at once charmed and aftoniHicd us. Even after death ' fhe preferved her excellence ; exhibiting, by the gracejulnefs of the atti- ' tilde in which pe fell, the mof beautiful and ft r iking corpfe that ever adorned " ajlager* T 2 Tail- i This happy conception is Mr. Gray's — and for which fee a note in a former fccne, ^here Juliet drinks the potion. * The only accounts I can find in any of the writers on the ftage, of other aiflrefles than Mrs' Cibber, who have perfonated Jnliet (at leaft worth preferving), are the few following. — " The tragedy of Romeo and JuHet was performed at Covent Garden on the loth inflant ; Romeo by " INIr. Barry, and Juliet by Mifs Rojfiter, being her firft appearance upon any flage. At her firft " entrance, the delicacy of her figure, and her graceful diftrefs, obtained for her the warmeft applaufe, " and as (he grew more animated in the progrefs, flie frequently furprized the houfe with the moft " alarming attitudes. The faultering of her refolution when going to drink the compofing draught, " was finely marked ; the fixture of her eyes, and feeblenefs of her whole perfon, when coming for- " ward from the tomb, and her manner of hold'mg her lover's dead body, and looking at the Friar, " when Are cries out, ' you fhall not tear him from me,' were all happily imagined, and to crown the " whole, her aiflion at ftabbing herfelf, was a very fine and afFefting circumflance." Gray's Inn. Jour, vol ii. page 6. " Mifs PritcharJ is rather low, but her figure is extremely elegant ; there is great foftnefs, good " fenfe and underftanding difplayed in her Juliet ; and I have feen her perform the dying fceneas well " as I ever defire to fee it. If her mother is fine in Lady Macbeth's fleep, fo is this young lady in " the tomb-fcene of iJoOT^'i;." WiLKs's View of the Stage, page 287. " Mrs. ( '4° ) Tail-Piece. I could wlfli to propofe for this department, a fac-fimile to M. de Lou- therbourg's Vignette Scene Print to Bell's laft edition of this play. It is taken from thatfcene, where Juliet (awakening from her trance) finds thzi polfoti hath been the timelefs end of Romeo. We *' Mrs. Pritchard's unblemifhed conJucft in private life juffly rendered her the great favourite of the *' people; few aftreflcs were ever fo fincerely beloved, and powerfully jSatronized as Mrs. Pritchard. " A remarkable inftance of publick regard was fhewn to this comedian when fhe firfl; brought her " daughter on the flagc. Mrs. Pritchard floopcd taplay Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, in order " to introduce Mils Pritchard, in her attempt to ad Jidiet ; the diiughter's timidity was contrafled by " the mother's apprehenfions, which were ftrongly painted in their looks, and thefe were incefTautly " interchanged by ftolen glances at each other. This, fceue of mutual fenfibility was fo affedling, that " many of the audience burft into involuntary tears." Life of G-arrick, vol. ii. page i8i. A grand-daughter of Colley Gibber, performed Juliet with much applaufe ; and. in the Gentleman's Magazine for Oftober, 1744, are fome verfes addrelTed to her. Juliet has likewife intcrefted many hearts from being perfonated by Mrs. IVo^ffingion, Mrs. Bellamy, Mrs. Barry, Mifs Tonge, and (though laft, yet not the leaft) from the artlefs limplicLty and plaintive tendernefs of Mrs. Stephen Kcmhk. Within thefe few-years, Mr. Hohtian and Mifs Brunton, have revived the publick fondncfs for this tragedy; and their merit drew to Covent Garden (where the play has been got up with uncommon fplendour) the moft crowded houfes. The papers, [the hlcf chronicle i of the timeO have been profufe in praifes — and in general, with fome degree of truth. Holman « ithout doubt, has no rival in Romeo. It was the firft charafter he performed ; and the publick on the firft night of his appearance, conceived the moft lively hopes of his genius and feeling— and the charadlers he has fince appeared in, have not inclined them to withdraw their approbation. It is fomewhat lingular, that Mifs Briniton'i age, on the firft night of her appearing in Juliet, was little more than the real age of Capulet's daughter — fcarcely turned of lixteen. Her performance of the garden-fcene, and of thofe other fcenes which fo 2 well ^■\ ( Ht ) We are told at the conclufion of this play, of a refolution of th« re- conciled parents to eternize their names: Cap. O brother Montague, give me thy hand : This is my daughter's jointure, for no more Can I demand. Mon. But I can give thee more r For I wUlraife herjlatiie injure gold ; Thar well paint sffsftion and tender grief, was animated with the fpirit of her poet's page ; but it is wonder- ful that (he could fo well exprefs, at fo early an age, the violent and powerful fcenes of defpalr and frenzy. The Morning Poll: for November 1 8, 1785, fpeaks thus of her : — " Her balcony-fccne was a fine plfture of fenfibility and innocence ; it was painted with rapture, " and in lively and lovely colours. The lail aft was a confiderable amendment of her firft perform- " ance ; her attention, anxiety, and tendernefs to Romeo in his dying moments, were pathetic and " interefting" in an uncommon degree. Her fuccecding frenzy was truly espreffive of her affe<fling' " fituation, and did not fail of bedewing the cheeks of her fair auditoi-s with fympathetic tears." And the fame paper for November 22, 1781;, ftill confirms her merit in ^i'/zV/.— " The play oi Romeo and JuUet feems to adorn the brow of Mifs Brunton with frefli laurels every " time fhe performs in the lovely character — flie was not inferior Isft night to her forjner reprefen- " tations in any of the fcenes, but fuperior in mofl.^The parting of the lovers, in the garden-fcene " of the fourth act was truly affectionate luid pathetic ; and the climax in the chamber-fcene was finely " wrought up to a pitch of phreazy and madnefs. " And in this rage with fome great kinfman's bone, " As with a club, dafli out my defperate brains," " fpoke forcibly to the feelings of her audience, and plainly evinced the excellency of her powers. " The whole fcene afte.r the death of Romca, was managed with peculiar fpirit and judgment, and " proved what has been often aflbrted, that her merits cannot be afcertained by a fingle performance ; " file varies her manner of performing particular paffages according to the impulfe of the moment ; for " what appears tame and indifferent at one time, does frequently in her nest performance kindle into- " warmth and excellence. " O thou curfed Friar ! patience ! " Talk'it thou of patience to a wretch like me !" " wai- ( H^- ) llmt, while Ferona by that name h known, 'Jhcrej})ail no figure at fuch rate he Jet, ^s that of true and faithful Juliet. Cnp. ^s richjhall Romeo by his lady lie ; Poor faerifiees of our enmity / The novel of Bandello makes no mention of this defigned ftatiie or maufoleum ; but the l^rcigicall Hyjlory of Roviein and Juliet, by Luigi da Porto, a gentlemen of Vicenza, firft printed in 1535, (and which very rc-^re ■" was Iieard, vas fc!t, aiu-l the manner was extolled ; particularly the laft three words, equal to any " fentcnce that e'.-cr was .pronounced on the ftage. Her dvlng-fcene was exceedingly improved ; her '' convulfcd llute, after takini»- off the poifon, and the tendernefs of her laft moments, were truly dif- " treirmg and compaffionate, nor did they fail of meeting with the heartiell applaufe."— In the tribute due to living genius, let us not forget deceafed favourites— But yejlirday, the ivord of Cafar might Haye flood againjl the ivorld : >ioii', iione fo poor To do hUii reverence. — Thofe who have witneffed the excellencies of Garrici and Bctrry in this tragedy, will fcarce believe it poflible that another after can ever arife, who will furpafs them — and jhey will with difficulty belieire, that another aftor can arife, to equal them. The Romeo of Po-ivell too, that feeling afior, glowed with all the fervour of Shakefpeare's fcenes. — On this tragedian's death, the following epitaph appeared in the publick papers, which is here given, from its not being fo generally known, as are thofe lines with which Mr. Colman has grac'd the memory of his friend : — Whoe'er thou, art that tread''Jl this awful dome. Oh, paji not heedlefs by thiifacrcd tomb ; Wit, art, and graec, the pleafure of the age. The pride atid farrow of the Britijljfage, (Read thi: — and reading drop the tender tear) ^11 lie interrd with gentle Powell here. That claffick and energetick pen which has twined round her Cooke's Morai, a never dying wreath, has been no lefs anxious to immortalize David Garrlck — for flie has preferved his memory in lines which breathe the true fpirit of poetry. — This note will not feem long or tedious, when concluded with lines fuch as thefe ; PRIZE i ^43 ) rare piece Mr. Malone has prefented to the publick in his Supplement) thus mentions it : yfnd left that length of time might from our mynjgs remove. The memory of Jo perfefi found andfo approved love. The bodies dead, removed from vault e luhere they did dye, Injtately tombe, on pillars great of marble, rayfe they hye» On every fyde above were fet, and eke beneath. Great fiore of cunning epitaphes, in honor of theyr death. And even to this day the tombe is to be fecne ; So that among the monumentes that in Verona been. There is no monumente more worthy of the fight. Then is the tombe of Juliet and Romeus her knight. If it were poffible to obtain a drawing of this tomb, it might with great propriety accompany the page of our great Poet, who has fo well recorded PRIZE MONODY on the DEATH of Mr. G A R R I C K, FOR THE VASE AT BATH EASTON, FEB. nth, 1779. B Y M I s s S E W A R D. D I M Piveeps tbefjovuer along the mifty vah; And Grief i loiv accents murmur in the gale. O'er the damp vafe Horatio fighing leans, And gazes ahfent on the faded fccnes ; And Sorroiv's gloom has veil'd each fprightly grace. That usd to revel in his Laura's face. When, nuith Ixveet fmiles, her garlands gay Jbe twin' d. And each light fpray ivith ■ of eat ribbons join'd, Dropt from her l^and the fcatt r' d myrtles lie ; And lo ! dark cyprefs meets the mournful eye ; Tor thee, oh Garrick ! fighs front Genius breathe. For thee, fad Beauty iveaves the funeral ivreath. Shakefpeare's great fpirit, in its cloudlefs blaze. Led him unequal' d thro' th' inventive maze ; 'Midf the deep pathos of his melting themes, Ihro' the light magic of his playful dreams. He caught the genuine humour glowing there, if it's vivid flajh, and Cunning' s/oler Iter ; The ( H4 ) recorded this flory of woe. The tomb was no doubt rich in decorative fplendour, from the lafl: promife of their parents. Some of the old, as well as the more modern accounts of Italy, may perhaps furnifh fome particulars on this head — and fome of the accounts of Verona, may contain the ^r^/3:/j^(jr5 of cunning epitaphesy in honor of they r death. And yet 'Ihe Jlrange dijirefi that fires the kindling Irain Offcclle madnefs on the ftarmy plain • Or ivhcn pale youth, in midnight Jl^ade, Purfiies the Jlccl-clad phantom thro' the glade ; Or, fiartingfrom the couch vjitb dire affright^ When the croi\in'd murderer glares upon the Jight In all the horrors ef the guilty foul. Dark as the night that ivraps the frozen pole: — Our fuhjeB pajjions oivn'd thefvjay complete. And haiCd their Garrsck as their Shakcfpcare great. That voice, ivhich pour'd its vtufic on our ear, iSiveet as the fongfler of the •vernal year, Thofe graceful gejiures — and that eye of fire. With rage thatjtam'd, or melted with dejire, Aivak'd the radiant joy in dimple fleck. Or made the chilly blood forfake the cheek- Where are they no'M ? — Dark in the narroixj cell Jnfenfate, — Jhrunk, — and fiill, — and cold they dwell ; A filence folemn and eternal keep. Where neither Liv ejlj all f mile— nor Anguifi iveep. Breathe, Genius, fill the tributary fgh. Still gufy, ye liquid pearls, from Beauty's eye ! With facken'd firings fufpend your harps, ye Nine, W7}ile round his urn yon cyprcjs ivreath ye twine ! Then give his merits to ysur loudef fame, Andvjrite in fuwbright lufre Garrick's name ! As I confine myfelf religioufly to the Text of Shakefpeare ; it will prevent me from recommending thofe truly fine points to draw from, which Mr. Garrick's judicious alteration of this laft fcene has offered : in making Juliet awake before Romeo's death — and this confiderarion will prevent me from offering any hints towards embellifhing an edition with a view of the pidlurefque and mournful pagean- try of Juliet's funeral : a pageant, which on the ftage has chill'd many bofoms— and which is decked with ( 145 ) yet Lady Millar (who fo lately vifited Italy) in her account of Verona, makes no mention of their tomb : and I think fhe would not have over- looked it, had it been then in exiftence. Had their tomb or ftatue been raifed /« pure gold: we (hould not have wondered had it been no longer in exiftence. There is no mention made of it by Madame de Bocage, in her Letters on England, Holland, and Italy — nor by Miflbn — Laflel Cochin — Keyfler — Addifon — Wright — SmoUet — Sharp — Brown, in his Travels through France and Italy — Drummond — Northall — Baretti — Moore — nor in the long but entertaining account of Verona, in the U Travels all the pomp of Romifh rites. The funeral obfequies of Juliet, fliould have the fame effed on the mind, as thofe had which were paid to the lately deceafed Sacchini— " I never in my life (Gys agen- *' tieman in a letter from Paris) v/as aftefted in fuch a manner, as at the performance of a funeral fer- " vice, or mafs for the dead, at which I was lately prefeiu — It was the requiem of the celebrated " Sacchini, performed in the Capuchin's church, rue St. Honore. The opening of the ceremony was *' inconceivably awful ! — The moment the priefts prefented themfelvcs to the altar, muffled drums, " kettle-drums, and other inftruments, emitted tones that affefted the heart with deep forrow, intcr- " mingled with terror. ' In this part, an Abbe of the cathedral was heard with peculiar . " delight, whofc melodious tones recalled to the rapt foul, Sacchini's magic powers."— y«//rt's pro- ceffion (in her hejl roles uncover'' d on the Iter) fliould exhibit that painting, which the real interment of Cil'ier gave rife to, in the poem of Mr. Keate : I turn, and while my eye the cloifter roves, The flaring taper pour upon my fight ; Solemn and flov/ the black proccilion moves, And darts a terror thro' the gloom of night. Sorrowing, I fee the holy rites begin ; Refign'd, the fad fepulchral ofhce hear : A thoufand foft ideas ftir within, And a(k once more, the tributary tear. From thelaft fcene of this tragedy, as altered by Mr. Garrick, have been taken the three following prints. I . The laft print of Walker's fet. I have before mentioned (in a note to the fccnes recommended for page 152) all that can be worth looking at in this print, for our prcfcut purpofe. 1. Mr. \ ( U6 ) Travels of Blainville.* But I have lately met with thefoUowhig traces of this tomb, in Captain Breval's Remarks on feveral parts of Europe, which work was firfl publilhed in the year 1726 : " As I was furveying (fays Captain Breval) the churches and other religious places in Verona, my guide, (or as the Italians call him my Cicerone) made me take no- tice of an old building which had been formerly a nunnery, but was converted into an houfe for orphans, about an hundred years fince. The fubftance of what I could gather from the long flory he told me con- cerning it, was this, that at the time when that alteration was making, in the pulling down of a wall, the workmen happened to break down an old tomb, in which there were found two coffins, which by the in- fcription 2. Mr. Garrick and Mifs Bellamy, in the charaders of Romeo and Juliet : Engraved by Ravenet, from after B. Wilfon. The original was painted for Mr. Hoare. In the engraving of this print, the countenance of Juliet, is by no means what it iLould be — it more refetnbles Juliet's mother than herfelf. The countenance of Mr. Garrick is finely expreffed, and his attitude is well drawn ; and the light froai the lamp, the landfcape, and nwon-light fcenery, are worth referring to. 3. Mr. Holman and Mifi Brunton, in the characters of Romeo and Juliet. Painted by Brown, and publiflied in 1787. A large metzotinto. The figure and countenance of Holman, exhibit a fine and interefting idea of the youthful Romeo. His countenance is more charafteriftically expreffed than is that of Juliet. * The following works are not unlikely to furnifh fome particulars. — TorelH Saraynac Veronenfis, de origine et amplltudine civitatis Verona. — Veron. i 54O — Defcrittione di tutta Italiii di Leandro Albcrti. — Bolog. 1550 — Riftretto de la Antichita de Verona, con novi oglonti da M. Zuane, pitore Veronenfe. — F'eren. 1560— Girdamo de la Corte's Hiftory of Verona — Compendio dell' Iftoriadi Ve- rona — Antiqiiitates Veronenfes di Orniprius Pamunies — La Nobilita di Verona di Gio. Francefco Tinto nella o.uale tutte le Aitioni, & Qualita di quella Citta fi defcrivono^ onde di tempo in tempo le e derivata chiarezza, con I'Hiftorie anneffe & dipendenti— ^Vcn. 1592. — Cluverii Italiae, — Sicilie, &c. ahtiquae defcriptio, 4 vol. cum Jig. 1619-^Dtir antica condizione di Verona, 1719 — Verona lUuftrata,— ^froa. 1732. — Voyage d' Italie, Dalmatie, &c. par Spon. & Wheeler, 2 tom. avec Jig, Anijl. 1679. — Montfaucon's Travels through Italy, in the years 1698 and 1699, ivhh cuts, iy2(^. — Condamine's Tour to Italy — Burnet's Travels through Italy, 1724. — Stevens's Travels through France, Italy, &c. — Ray's Travels through Germany, Italy, &c. — Thompfon's Travels through France, Italy, &c. ( H7 ) fcription yet legible upon the ftone, appeared to contain the bodies of a young couple that had come by their death in a very tragical manner, about three centuries before; ************ all the city flocked to fee what was left of two fuch extraordinary per- fons : Jince which time, what became either of thejlone-chejly or the q/hes that were in it, is what I never could learn.^'' A lift of fuch Paintings asjiave been taken from this play ; and from which, no Engravings have 23 yet been made. 1. Romeo dlfmilTing his fervant Balthazar at-Juliet's tomb. Painted by Ralph, No. 374 of the Exhibition at Somerfet-Houfe iu 1782. 2. Romeo and Juliet. Aft 5. Sc. i. Painted by Ralph, No. 151 of the Exhibition at Somerfet Houfe, in 1787. — I have not feen either of thefe paintings. A Lift of fuch Prints as have been publilhed from this play. Thofe I have not feen, are printed in Italics. 1. Bell's two editions. 2. Hanmer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rowe. 5. Lowndes. 6. A cut by Fourdrinier, in an edition, in 8 vols. 8vo. printed for Tonfon, 1735. — 7. In 1754, came out, " Five fccnes in Romeo and Juliet, price three fliillings." Thev are painted and engraved by Anthony Walker. 8. Romeo and Juliet. Engraved by Houfton, from after Wilfon. q. Juliet. Defigned by Harding. 10. Woodward in Mercutio. Publiflied by W. Herbert at the Globe on London Bridge, i7i;3. 11. Romeo. Painted and engraved by P. Dawe. 12. Juliet. Painted and engraved by P. Dawe. There is fome fmall merit in the look of Juliet. 13. Juliet. No painter or engraver mentioned, but faid to be publilhed by G. T. Stubbs, in 17S6. 14. " Romeo I come, this do I drink to thee." Painted by Singleton. 15. Romeo and Juliet. W.Hamilton, pinxlt. Bartolozzi, fculpfit. 1 6. General Magazine. 17. Pope. 18. Taylor. 19. Romeo and Juliet. Engraved l-y Sharp, from after B. If cf. 20. Romeo and Juliet. An oval, taken (I helicve) from the lajl garden-fcenc, ly B. Jfeft. U 2 GYMBELINE. Every man finds his mind more ftrongly feized by the Tragedies of Shakefpeare than of any other writer ; others pleafe us by particular fpeeches; but he always makes us anxious for the event, and has perhaps excelled all but Homer in fecurino- the firft purpofe of a writer, by exciting reftlefs and unquenchable curiofity, and compelling him that reads his work to read it through. Dr. Johnson. There was a time when the art of Jonfon was fet above the divine infpiration of Shakefpeare. The prefent age is well convinced of the miftake. And now the ge- nius of Shakefpeare is idolized in its turn. Happily for the public tafle, it can: fcarcly be too much fb. Bishop Hurd, Nature, her pencil to his hand commits. And then in all her forms to this great matter fits. Anon, on Shakespeare* O, more than all in powerful genius bleft, Come, take thine empire o'er my willing bread ! Collins, on Shakespearev. Vignette. Many fanciful defigns for a Vignette, may be fi<etchcd from this play of Cymbe- line : and they may partly have an allufion to the fcqueftered life of BdLiyius and of his princely forefters. The ufual fcenery of a foreft may therefore be introduced, 3 together ( I50 ) too-echer with fpears — horns — and a fmall dead fawn : and for which lafl idea, fee the third plate in Taylor's prints from this play ; as well as the plates of Holkham in Norfolk, Mellon ConjUble in Norfolk, and of Copped Hall in EJfex, in Watt's Views of the Seats of the Nobility and Gentry. The flowers too may be interwoven in this Vignette (coloured from Nature) which the young princes ftrewed over the fleeping Fidel^- ■ withfaireji flowers. fVhilji fiimmer lajis, and I live here, F'ldcle, ni fweeten thy fad grave • Thou Jhalt not lack The flower, that's like thy face, pale primrofe ; nor The a%ur''d hare-bell, like thy veins \ no, nor The leaf of eglantine \ whom not to flander, Oiitfwcctetid not thy breath : the ruddock would. With charitable bill (0 bill, forefhaming Thofe rich-left heirs, that let their fathers lie Without a monument ! ) bring thee all this ; Tea, and furrd mofs befldes, when flowers are none, To winter-ground thy corfe. Whatachafte and charadteriftic defign, might that gentleman flcetch, who has lately furveyed the fcenery of Wales, and \\ ho has more lately furveyed the pidurcfque beauties of the Mountains and Lakes of Cumberland and Weftmoreland. I muft entreat the reader to infped the plate which illuftrates that kind of fcenery which is prefentedby Ullefwaier, and which faces page 55, of the fecond volume of Mr. Gil- pin's work, and he \\ill then join me in opinion. This propofed fketch or drawing, may be engraved either fimilar to the above one in Mr. Gilpin's work — or it might be coloured fimilar to that paftoral portrait of Celia, which KaufFman's pencil has given us — It would then (from its contrafl: to the mode or ftyle of the other engravings) richly embellifh and fct off an engraved title- page — and the various hues of the flowers would be diflindtly vie\\ed. There might alfo be introduced in this Vignette, the letter v^hich ftruck Lnogen to the heart — the bloody cloth — and the ftandard of the Romans, w'xxh. the eagle (Jove's bird) perched thereon. Head- ( '5' ) Head-Piece, In the Head-Piece might be drawn fmall and very neat whole length portraits of Pojihutnom and Imogen^ from one of thefe lines in page 179* Poft. My queen ! my mijlrefs ! lady, weep no more ; left I give caufc To be fufpefted of more tendernefs Than doth become a man ! / w'tll remain The loyaVJl hufoand that did e'er plight troth — My refideqce in Rome, at one Philario'si— Some may prefer that point of this fame fcene where {he gives her diamond to Pojihumous — Or the anfwer which he makes to her, when flie has prefented it to him. And perhaps there is one other paflage in this fcene, which will ftrike an artift as being well calculated for the printing thefe two graceful charafters. Scene Prints. An artift will find himfelf obliged (in order to guard againft the too much crowding of an edition with engravings) to relinquifh painting the looks and attitudes of Pifanio and Imogen, in page 186, where Pifanio repeats ( ^52 ) repeats to her the laft words of her embarkuig hufband— as well as that •fine attitude and lovely expreffion with which Imogen repeats thefe words : Jtnd like the tyrannous breathing of the north, Shake i all our buds from growing : \vith the foftened look of earneft faithfulnefs which Pifam'o gives her — and he may likewife for the fame reafon rehnquiih (unwillingly) the figure antl expreffive attitude of J^chimo, when breaking out in page 202, with : Jach. ^11 of her, that is out of door mo ft rich ! If Jhe be furnijhed with a mind fo rare. She is alone the Arabian bird; and I Have lofl the wager — as well as that point of this fame fcene, where the yellow yacbimo at- tempts to ingratiate himfelf with Imogen, at this infinuating paffage : Jach. Had I this cheek To bathe my lips upon \ this hand, whofe touchy Whofe every touch, would force the feeler's foul To the oath of loyalty — in order to paint from that fpirited paffage, where fhe indignantly tells him : Imeg, K'fiVLy ! — I do condemn mine ears, that have So long attended thee. — If thou wert honourable. Thou would'fi have told this tale for virtue, not For fuch an end thou fceVfl — as bafe as flrange ! — Thou wrong'ft a gentleman, who is as far From thy report, as thou from honour ; and Sohcit'ft here a lady, that difdains Thee and the devil alike ! — The ( ^53 ) The virtuous indignation in her countenance, and the audacious vil- lainy in that of the detefted Jachlmo^ together with the rich ornaments of the apartment, will give full fcope to an artift's fancy, and to his power of expreffing the paffions. Page 217. Scene, a magnificent Bed Chamber, in one part of it a large Trunk. "When Imogen, in this fcene, has commended herfelf to the protedion of celeflial powers, befeeching them to guard her from fairies, and the tempters of the night, fhe then falls faft afleep — and from Jachimo's ad- drefs to her when fleeping, when he rifes from the trunk, many fine points might be feleded for a beautiful painting — and perhaps the lines of: Jach. OurTarquin thus Did foftly prefs the ruflies, ere he awaken'd The chaftity he wounded. — Cytherea, How bravely thou becorrCJl thy bed! — Or the line of : Jach. OJlcep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her! Or Jachimo's flart when the clock ftrlkes. One, two, three: — Time, time I are the points which beft demand the artlft's attention. Tiie attitude of Jachimo in each of the above paflhges will be very graceful— and the X richly ( ^54 ) richlv ornamented chamber of Imogen (with her fair and chafte body re- clined in fleep) will all tend to beautify and to enrich the fcene. The ornaments and decorations of her chamber are beft defcribed in a future fcene where 'Jachhno awakens the jealou fy cf Pnjlhiimous : for he there de- fcribes fome of them to be, — the Jlory of proud Cleopatra, worked in tapeflry and filver, a piece of wovkfo bravely done, Jo rich, that It did ftrive in -worhnanpip and value — and a bafs relief of Dian bathing, than which were never figures fo likely to report themjelves. Thefe ornaments will be diflin(fllj viewed, by means of the taper which is left burning.* Page y^^. In the fcene at this page, the treacherous Jachimo (the counterpart of liigo) urges the proofs of his intimacy with Imogen, to the too cre- dulous Pojlhumous, wuth fuch artful policy, and with fuch redoubled force, that Pojlhumous exhibits throughout this whole fcene, an alarming pidlure of contending pafiions — and though he is ftill unwilling to be- lieve the infidelity of Imogen — and wifhcs flill to feize every circum- flance * If an artlft wifhes to render his fcene, in every point charafteriftick, he lliould then ftrew the floar with rvlhei — for it feems this cuftom was prevalent in Shakefpeare's time, from the following note to this play: *' It was the cuflom in the time of our author to ftrew chambers with ruflies, as we now cover them " with carpets. This pradice is mentioned in Caiui de Ephemera Britannica." Johnson. " So, in Thomas Newton's Herhall to the Bible, 8vo. 1587, — Sedge and rujhes, with the which " many in this country do ufe ui fumnp.er time to ftrawe their parlours and churches, as well for cool- " nefs as for pleafant finelL" Steevens. ( ^55 ) fiance that can lead him to believe her not unfaithful — yet when Jachima ftartles him with the fight of the bracelet : Jach. Then, if you can, [pulling out the bracelet. Be pale; I beg but leave to air this jewel ; See ! And when he urges to him, a ftill ftronger proof of his having cor- rupted her honour, from having viewed on her left breajl A mole c'lniue-fpottcd, like the crimfon drops I'' the bottom of a cowjlip. — this accumulation of agonizing proofs overpower the confidence which he wifhed to retain of her, and his wildly alarmed looks betray the fuf- ferings of his grieved fpirit — Perhaps the bell painting might be caught from this fpirited paffage : PoJ}. There, take thy hire ; and all the fiends of hetl Divide thcmfelves between you ! Page 253. An Interelling half length portrait might be talcen of Pifam'o, from page 242, where he meditates on the command of his ma{ler to murder Imogen ; and no line would flronger paint his good mind, than when he thus exclaims : 0, my maflcr / X 2 Or C 156 ) Or when he immediately after cries out, with honefl indignation: O, damn' d paper ! BLick as the Ink that's on thee ! And this fame fcene might likewife lead an artifl to paint the tender and loving Imogen, when with fond impatience, flie cries out : 0, for a horfe with -jo'ings ! Hcar'ft thou, Pifanio ! He is at Millbrd-Haven. — Yet, the preference may by fome artifts be given to that fcene at page 253, which lies in a romantick wood near Milford-Haven, and which fcene will furnifii many fine fituations for interefting paintings — for, in- dependent of the rocky and woody fcenery, which the pencils of Mr. Gainfborough or Mr. Farrington might to perfe£lion give : the fcene would be animated with mofl expreffive charadler — and there are various pafliiges in this fcene at page 253, from which the remorfe which Pifanio feels, at executing the command oi Fofihumous, and the tender and heart- ftruck Imogen mav be fpiritedly painted — Perhaps the fineft point in the whole Icene to paint from, would be from one of the following paflages in italic?, which Imogen addreflcs to Pifanio, after flie has read her huf- band's letter, and fainted mPifamVs arms : Pi/. What (hall I need to draw my fword ? the paper Hath cut her throat already. No, 'tis flandcr ; Whofc edge is fliarper than the fword ; vvhofc tongue Out- venoms all the worms of Nile; whofe breath Rides on the porting winds, and doth belye All corners of the world ; kings, queens, and ftatcs, Maids, matrons, pay the fecrets of the grave This viperous fiander enters. — /Fbat cheer madam ? Imo£. Fcilfe to his led! What is it, to be falfe ? To lie in watch there, and to think on him ? To weep twixt clock and clock ? if fleep charge nature. To break it with a fearful dream of him, And cry myfelf awake ? that's falfe to his bed ? Is it ? Pif. Alas, good lady ! The extreme beauty of the above two fituations, force one to pafs over fome other fine paffages in this fame fcene.* Paae 268. Scene, a Forejl and Cave — Imogen in Boy^s Clothes. The fcenes in this dramatick romance, begin now to be touched with the magic of Shakefpeare's pen, and he has drawn the portrait of Imogen in very lovely colours. — Her beautiful and youthful figure (drefled like that fweetrofy lad Fidele) with the plaintive fweetnefs of her countenance, will claim a pencil of moft tender expreflion were fhe to be painted when thus apoftrophizing her abfent and revolted lord : My dear lord ! Thou art one o'the falfe ones : Now I think on thee, < My hunger's gone ; but even before, I was At point to fink for food. — * The Scene Print in Bell's laft edition of this play, is taken from this feene, and thou-h the figures arp-pplsafing, yet they by no means convey a perfect, or even chara<fterillic idea of ir. After ( ^58 ) After wandering In the pathlefs and romantick foreft, Imogen fearfully enters the cave — and as the hunters are approaching the cave on their re- turn from the chace, Bellarlus views his unexpected vifitor : Bdl. Stay; come not in: — [Looking in the cavt. But that it eats our viftuals, I fnould think Here were a fairy. Guid. What's the matter, fir ? Bell. By Jupiter, an angel! or, if not, An earthly paragon ! — Behold divinenefs No elder than a boy ! Emer Imogen. Imog. Good mqjtcrs, harm me not : Before I enter'd here, I call'd ; and thought To have begg'd, or bought, what I have took : Good troth, I have flolen nought ; nor would not, though 1 had found Gold llrew'd o'the floor — Here's money for my meat : I would have left It on the board, fofoon jis I had made my meal ; and parted With prayers for the provider. The remaining part of this fcene is fpent in the kind cheerings of old Bellarius to his woe-fick guefl:, and in proteftations of endearment and afFedlion, from the princely brothers — and as the night is now approach- ing, Bellarlus invites her to the refrefhments of his cave : Fair youth, come in: Difcourfe is heavy, falling ; when we have fupp'd, We'll mannerly demand thee of thy llory. As far as thou wilt fpeak it. C ^59 ) It will be difficult for an artift to fix his choice, from which line to paint this pleafing fcene. — But we muft all unite in declaring how fweet a pifture might be taken by fome of our English painters,, and particu- larly by, Mr. Gainfborough.* Page 286, As BellariuSf and his two princely boys are advancing towards their rock, on their return from the chace : jirviragus h^ikem to the cave with ftrong atFeflion, in order to v\{\X. poor fick Fuiele. — During his being in the cave, and as Bellarius and Guiderius are moving towards it, their fpirits are fud- denly charmed by ftrains oi Jolcmn mujick iffuing from the cave : Bel. My ingenious injirument ! Hark, Polydore, it founds ! But what occa/ion Hath Cadwall now to zive it motion ? Hark ! Guid. Is he at home ? Bel. He went hence even new. Guid. * From this beautiful fcene, the following Prints have been taken ; and I am forry the following is all that can be faid in favour of them : 1. Hayman's Print to Hanmer, where the only thing worth looking at, is the attitude of Bellarius, and little can be faid even in favour of that. 2. The Print to Bell's inferior edition on common printing paper. Contemptibly unchara£lcriftick. It is ftrange the artift who drew this print fiiould fo often fail in his defigns for this edition, when he has fo well drawn the figure of Lady Macbeth. 3. A print ( i6o ) Guid. PVhat does he mean ? Jtncc death of my dearejl mother f It did not [peak before. All folcmn things Should anfwer folemn accidents. Re-enter Arviragus, with Imogen as dead, bearing her in his arms. Bel, Look, here he comes, jind brings the dire occajion in his arms^ Of what we blame him for I Arv. The bird is dead, "That we have made fo much on. I had rather Have fkipp" d from Jix teen years of age to fixty. And turnd my leaping time into a crutch. Than have fecn this, Guid. Ofweetefi, fairefi lily! My brother wears thee not the one half fo well. As when thou grew'fl thyfelf. Bel. O, melancholy! Who ever yet could found thy bottom ? find The ooze, toJJiew ivhat coafl thy fiuggifh crare Might eafilieft harbour in ? — Thou blcffed thing ! Jove knows what man thou mighCft have made ; but I, Thou dydfi, a mojl rare boy, of melancholy! — How found you himP Arv; 3. A Print by Harding, engraved by Parker, publiflied in 1785. The mouth of the cave, and the landfcape, have much merit ; but nothing can be faid in favour of the other parts of this print. '4. The Print in Taylor's publication, contains a figure oi Imogen, which is very pleafing — and with fome few alterations, this figure of Imogen might be rendered worthy of accompanying the page of Shakefpeare. The introduftion of the dead fawn is a well conceived idea. 5. Cymbeline, Act 3, Sc. 4. Painted by Penny, and engraved by Walker. The artift has failed in his attempt to esprefs Shakefpeare's chaia(fters. I ( i6. ) Arv. Stark, as you fee; ThusfmUing, as fame fy had tickled Jlumlcr, Not as death's dart, being laugVd at : his right cheek Repojing on a cuJJoion, Guid. Where? Arv. 0' the floor ; His arms thus leagued: I thought, heflept; and put My clouted brogues from off my feet, whofe rudcnefs Jnfwer d my Jleps too loud. Guid. TTl}y, hebutflecps: If he begone, he" II make his grave a bed; With female fairies will his tomb be haunted^ And worms will not come to thee. Arv. With fair cji flowers. While fummer lafls, and I live here, Fidele, rilfweetcn thy fad grave : Thoujhalt not lack The flower, that's like thy face, pale primrofe ; nor Ihe azur'd hare-bell, like thy veins ; no, nor The leaf of eglantine, whom not toflander, Out-fweeten'd not thy breath: the ruddock would. With charitable bill (0 bill, fore-fhaming Thofe rich-left heirs, that let their fathers lie Without a monument l) bring thee all this ; Yea, andfurrdmofsbefides, when flowers are none. To winter-ground thy corfe.* Guid. Prythee have done; And do not play in wench-like words with that Y which * No Poet ever more delighted in the diArlbution of flowers than Shakefpeare Many .nftances oc cur in many of his plays, particularly in Lear, the Ten,peft. in Pericles Prince of Tyre and m the MidfumJ Night's Dream-but the ,noft charmmg inftances n.ay be felefted trom- Perd.as ^Hand in the Winter's Tale, and from the diftribution by Opbella. Perhaps the vernal flowers wbch M.Uoa ftrewed o'er Lycidas, might have been conceived from fome of the above pafliiges. ( 1^2 ) Un^ich h fo ferious. Let us bury him, jind not protraii with admiration, what Is noiv due'debt — ^/o the grave, Arv. Say, vjhcreJhaWs lay him P Guid. By good Euriphile, our mother, Arv. Be'tfo: And let us, Polydore, though now our voices Have got the mannijh crack, Jing him to ihegroundf. As once our mother ; ufe like note, and words f Save that Euriphile muji be Fideh. Guid. Cadwal, I cannot Jing : lUl weep and word it with thee : For notes of for row, out of tunc, are worfe Than priefls and fanes that lie, Arv. TVc' II [peak it then: Be]. Great griefs, I fee, medicine the lefs : for Clcten Is quite forgot. He was a queen's fon, boys; And, though he came cur enemy, remember. He was paid for that : Though mean and mighty, rotting Together, have one dufi ; yet reverence (That angel of the world), doth make diflinflion Of place ^twixt high and low. Our foe %vas princely; And though you look his life, as being our foe, Yet bury him as a prince, Guid. Pray you, fetch him hither. Therftes'' body is as good as Ajax, ff'hen neither are alive. Arv. If you' II go fetch him, ff ill fay our fang thewhilfl. — Brother begin. [Exit Bellarius. ^uid. l^ay, Cadwal, we mufl lay his head to the eajl ; My father hath a reafonfor't. Arv. ( i63 ) Arv. ^Ti strut, Guid. Come on then, and remove him. fi.Tv. So, — Begin, SONG. Guid. Fear no more the heat o' the fun. Nor the furious winter's rages ; ^hou thy worldly tafk hajl done. Home art gone, and to' en thy wages : Both golden lads and girls all mufl, jIs chimney-fweepers, come to duji. Arv. Fear no more the frown o'the great,*' Thou art pafi the tyrant' s flroke ; Care no more to chath, and eat ; To thee the reed is as the oak : Thefceptre, learning, phyfic, mufl All follow this, and come to dufi. Guid. Fear no more the lightning flafh, Arv. Nor the all-dreaded thunder -flone; Guid. Fear not flander^ cenfure rafh \ Arv. Thou haflfinifh'djoy and moan : Both. All lovers young, all lovers mufl Confign to thee, and come to dufl, ■r Guid. No exorcifer harm thee f Arv. Nor no witchcraft charm thee! Guid. Gho ft unlaid forbear thee! Arv. Nothing ill come near thee! Both, ^iict confummation have; ^ And renowned be thy grave ! Y 2 Ri-enter * " Tliis (favs Warburton) is the topic of confolation that nature diclates to all men on thefe occa- « fions. The fame farewell wc hare over the dead body in Lucian." ( 1^4 ) Re-enter Bellarius, with the Body «/" Cloten, Guid. fVe have done our ohfequ'ies. Come, lay him down% Eel. Here's a few flowers ; but about midnight , more : The herbs that have on them cold dew o' the night. Are Jlrewings fiitfl far graves. — Upon their faces :- Jfou were as flowers, now wither'd : even fo Thefe herVlets fhall, which we upon you flrow.^ Come on, away : apart upon our knees. The ground, that gave themfirfl, has them again . Their pleafure here is pafl, fo is their pain.* I From this fcene, which breathes fo much the fpirit and the fancy of Shakefpeare, there are fome inconceivably fine points to paint from : points * To this fcene Dr. Johnfon has fubjoined this note : " For the obfcquics of Fidele, a fong was *' written by my unhappy friend, Mr. William Collins, of Chichefter, a man of uncommon learning " and abilities. I fhall give it a place at the end of the play, in honor of his memory." For the fatif- faftion of my reader this fong or dirge is here given — and he will obferve how finely Collins has felt the magic of this fcene : A SONG, fung by Guiderius and Arvirargus, over Fidele, fuppofed to be dead. By Mr. William Collins. f To fair Fidele' s graJJi) tomh. Soft maids, and village hinds /hall bring Each opening fivect, of earlief bloom. And rifle all the breathing fpring. No ivailing ghojl Jl'all dare appear To vex nuith Jhrieks this quiet ^fove i But Jhephcrd lads ajjemble here. And melting virgins own their love. 3. N' ( 1^5 ) points that will demand the tendereft expreffion and the fvveeteft grace. And may this fcene receive the tributary praife of painting from no ar- tift, whofe pencil cannot ftrike out fome fparks of that grace - fo rarely given To mortal man, not taught by art, but heaven. Were the penfive fcenery, and the tender images here prefented, conveyed to us through the conceptions of Sir Jofhua, Mr. Galnfbo- borough, No •wither' d imtcb Jliall here befeen, Ho gohlins lead their nightly cmv : The female fays Jlmll haunt the green. And dreji thy grave "with pearly dew. Till red-breajl oft at evening hours Shall kindly lend his little aid. With hoary mof, and gather" d flor^ers. To deck the ground ■n.-hcre thou art laid. When howling ivinds, and hating rain, In teiupcj.sfiahe the fy Ivan celt ; Or midji the chace on C'v'ry plain. The tcn<Ur thought on thee Jhall dwell. 6. Each lonely fcenc Jhall thee refiore ; For thee the tear be duly fljed ; JBelov'd, 'tilltr couldcharm no more ; And mourn d, 'till pity's felf be dead. Dr. Johnfon, in his Life of Collins, fpeaks of him, as if one with whom he once delighted to converfe, (tndvjhom he yet remembered with tenderr.efs. The ( i66 ') rough, or Mr. Romney, we might then expe£l to view a faithful adher- ence to the fancy and ideas of Shakefpeare. An artift will find himfelf fllU more Interefted in painting the fweet fimplicity of the innocent and meek Fidele, and in his conception of the whole of this fcene may produce ftill more delicate and graceful touches (particularly in the figure and perfon of jdrviragus, " who loved Fidcle ;") were he to perufe the concluding part : where Fide!e (after awakening from her trance) wifhes to pay the laft rites of forrow on the corfe of him. whom fhe took to be her dead mailer, flain by mountaineers — for, on the entrance of Lucius and the Roman Captains, Ihe is thus queftioned : Luc. Toung one. Inform us of thy fortunes, for it feems They crave to be demanded : IVho is this. Thou makfi thy bloody pillow ? Or, who was he. That, olhcrivfe than noble nature did. Hath alter d that good piUure ? IVhaC s thy interejl In this fad -wreck ? How came it ? Who is it ? JVhat art thou? The preftnt Bifliop of "IVorccfter, in the following note on Horace, feems to glance at the paftoral fcenes of Cymbeline — " Palloral poetry hath ever found admirers, fincej it addrefTes itfelf to three *' leading principles in human nature— the love of eafe — the -We- of beauty — and the moral fenfe : the •' tranquillity, the innocence of .rural life. Taflb, by an effort of genius, which hath done him *' immortal honour, produced a new kind of paftoral, by engrafting it on the Drama — Shakefpeare " had indeed fet the example of fomething like Paftoral-Dramas, and in his AVinter's Tale, As you *' Like it, and fame of his other pieces, he enchanted every body with his natural fylvan manners, and •*' fylvan fcenes; Flet;her imitated the Italian : yet with an eye of reverence towards the Englifli poet. " In his ' Faithful Shepherdefs,' he furpaffes the former, in the variety of his paintings, and the beauty " of his fccncs, and only fill? fliort of the latter, in the truth of manners, and a certain original grace ^* of invention, w hich no imitation can reach. The fcene at length was clofcd with the Conius of Mil- •' ton, vvho in his rural paintings almoft equalled the fimplicity and natxire of Shakefpeare and Fiet- •" cher, and in the purity and fplendor of his expreffion outdid Tafib." ( 1^7 ) linog. / am nothing : or if not, Nothing to be, were betur. This (pointing to the body) was my majler — ji vsry valiant Briton, and a good, That here by. mountaineers lies Jlain : — Alas f There are no more fuch majler s : I may wandxr From eajl to Occident, cry out for fervicc. Try many, all good, firve truly, never Find fuch another majicr.* X«uc. J lack, good youth! Thou mov'Jl r.-! lefs with thy complaining, than Thy maJlcr in bleeding : Say his name, good friend, Im: - Richard du Champ. If I do lie, and do . '■■ harm by it, though the Gods hear, I hope [ Afidc. Thcj II pardon it. Say you, fir f Luc. Ihy name? Imog. Fidele, fir. ' Luc. Thou dojl approve thyfclf the leryfamc: Thy name -well fits thy faith , thy faith, thy name. Wilt take thy chance with me? I will not fay, Thoujhah be fo well mafierd; but be fure No lefs beloved. The Roman Emperor's letters. Sent by a conful to me, fhould not fooner Than thine own worth prefer thee : Go with me. Imog. Til follow, fir. But firfi,- and pkafe the Gods, Til hide my mafier f om the fiies, as deep As thefe poor pick axes can dig : and when fTith wild wood-leaves and weeds I havefirew'dbis grave. And on it /aid a century of prayers. Such as I can, twice o'er. Til weep andfigh; And, leaving fo his fa vice, follow you. So pleafe you entertain me. e- Luc. Aye, • The afpca of Imogen, at this paffage, might fomewhat refemble that of Vicla-/-,v;/:>;i at pif/. ( i68 ) Luc. /lye, good youth ; And rather father thee, than majler ihce.-^ My friends, The boy hath taught us manly duties : let us Find out the prettiej? daizy'd plot we can, And mhke him with our pikes and partizans A grave : Come arm him. — Boy, he is preferrd By thee to us ? and hejhall be intcrrd. As foidiers can. Be chearful ; wipe thine eyes : Some falls are means the happier to rife. [Exeunt. Page 303. When Po/Ihumous enters with the lloody handkerchief, ftained (as he be- lieves) with the blood of Imogen: he utters a foliloquy which makes him an obje£l of much concern, and which will demand his grief being paint- ed with mafterly execution. This foliloquy is too beautiful to be given the reader in detached parts — and it is therefore here tranfcribed at length. — Poflhumous. Yea bloody cloth, I'll keep thee; for I wifli'd Thou fliould'fl. be colour'd thus. You married ones. If each of you would take this courfe, how many Muft murder wives much better than themfelves For wrying but a little? — O, Pifanio ! Every good fervant does not all commands : No bond, but to do juft ones. — Gods ! if you Should have ta'en vengeance on my faults, I never Had iiv'd to put on this : fo had you faved The noble Imogen to repent; and ftruck Me, wretch, more worth your vengeance. But, alack, You fnatch fome hence for little faults ; that's love. To have them fall no more ; you fome permit To ( ^69 ) To fecoad ills with ills, each eider worfe; And make them dread it, to the doers' thrift. But Imogen is your own : Do your beft wills. And make me bleft to obey !— I am brought hither Among the Italian gentry, and to fight Againft my lady's kingdom : 'Tis enough That, Britain, I have kill'd thy miftrefs ; peace! ■I' II give no wound to thee. Therefore, good heavens. Hear patiently my purpofe : I'll difrobe me Of thefe Italian weeds, and fuit myfelf As does a Briton peafant : fo I'll fight Againft the part I come with ; fo I'll die For thee, O Imogen, even for whom my life Is, every breath, a death : and tlras, unknown, Pity'd nor hated, to the face of Peril Myfelf I'll dedicate. Let me make men know More valour in me than my habits fhow. Gods put the ftrength o' the Leonati in me ! To fhame the guife o' the world, I will begin The fafliion, lefs without, and more within. Exit, From fome of the above lines which fo well difclofe the fine qualities of his mind, a half length portrait of Pojlhumous may perhaps be taken. And were it poffible now to obtain the portrait of Mr. Garrick when fpeaking them : a more animated and interefting one could not be defired to accompany this fcene— for as the Dramatic Cenfor obferves of Mr. Garrick's general performance of this chara£ler: " the tendemefs of *' his love, the pathos of his grief, the fire of his rage, and the dif- " tradtion of his jealoufy, have never been furpaffed, and pofilbly in " Pofthumous, will never be equalled." The charafter of Pojlhumous is finely drawn in the firft fcene of this play. Page r 170 } Page 332. A piifturefque gronpe of moft impreffive figures might be drawn from two points in the lafl: fcene of this play — for the eclairciflement of the plot exhibits fo many fine attitudes of wondering expedlation, that a pidlure of fingular effeft and force might be taken, either from that part of the fcene where j^iJC/^/Vwo'j falfe fp'intsjtnk into deje^linrty and he faints — or, from the fubfequent rapid pafTage, where (all the other charafters be- ing on the tip-toe of expectation) Fojlhumous fprings forward to the dif- hearten'd and treacherous villain : Poft. Jy, fo thou doji, Italian fiend. What paflions! what attitudes to paint ! for in addition to the guilty terror of Jachimo, and of the foldier-like impaflioned figure of Pojihu- mous, the fcene will be compleated by figures no lefs interefting than thofe of the tremblingly attentive Imogen, and of Pifanio, Bellariiis., Ar- viragus, and Guiderius — and though the perfon of CymbeUne will demand little grace of pencil, yet to the other charadlers fhould be given the traits of thofe mental qualities, which have rendered them fo pleaf- ing through every fcene of this drama.* Tail- * From the above point in italics, a mctzotinto print of RcdJifli in Pofthumous, has been taken by Pine. Though the fingle figure of Po^Z-z/OTOw (diftinft from the reft of the ill-drawn groupe) has feme merit . yet it does not ftrlke me as being fufficiently perfeft to be admitted into any projefted edi- tion which fliould be attempted to be rendered as faultlefs as nice art, can, and ought to render one. Btfides (in this print of Pine's) all the other charaders are omitted, except thofe of Lucius and the other prifoners, which are moft vilely drawn. ( >7' ) Tail-Piece. There are two pages in this play, which would either of them fumifh moft beautiful defigns for this department of an edition. For when jlrviragus in page 288, is defcribing to Bellarlus the death of Fidek^ — he thus relates it : Bell. How found you him P Arv. Stark, as you fee ^ Thusfmilmg, as fame ^y had tickled flumber, J^ot as death's dart, being laughed at : his right check Repofing on a cujhion, •Guid. Where? Arv. O' the floor ; His arms thus leagued: I thought he flept \ and put My clouted brogues from off my feet, whofe rudenefs ^nfwer'd myfleps too loud. How very graceful would be the attitude, and how tender would be the look of Arviragus, when he views Fidek fleeping, and is fearful to dil- turb her (lumber. The wild fcenery of the cave too will not be un- pleafing. Another C ^72 ) Another paffage too in the laft fcene of this play, may give rife to fome pleafmg defign : where Imogen recognizes and embraces her bro- thers : Imog. O my gentle brothers , Have we thus met P never Jay hereafter. But Jam irueji Jpeaker : you caWd me brother, When I ivas but your Jtjler \ J you brothers. When you tverefo indeed. The delicacy of their afFe£lion, and their beautiful figures and dreffes, would form a chafte and fweet groupe. How charmingly would Kauff- man paint from either of the above pafTages : fhe who has fo paftorally drawn Celia and Rofo/i^, from Shakefpeare's j^s you Like it.* * A lift of fuch Paintings as have been taken from this play ; and from which, no Engravings have as yet been made, 1. A fcene in Cymbeline, by W. Martin. No. 414 of the Exhibition of i;S2. 2. Imogen, from Shakcfpeare, by W.Martin, No. 23 of the Exhibition of 1784. 3. Landfcape, with the Story of Imogen and Pifanio, taken from Cymbeline, A£l: 3, Scene 4, by W. Hodges, No. 138 of the Exhibition of 1 788. I have nor fcen cither of the above three paintings. A Lid of fuch Prints as h.ive been publiflied from this play. Thoie I have not fcen, are printed in Italics. 1. Bell's two editions, containing ^ve plates.. 2. Hanmer. 3. Theobald. 4. Rovve. 5. Lowndes. 6. A cut by du Guernier, in an edition, in S vols. Svo. printed for Tonfon, 1735.^- 7. Taylor's Piclurefque Beauties of Shakcfpeare. S. General Magazine. 9. " Mr. ( 5/3 ) g. '' Mr. Smith in the character of Jachimo." By W. Lawrcnfon. Price los. 6d. Mr. Smith's refpeftable performance, and his pre-eminence in this charaifler, deferved not fo poor and paultry a me* morial. lo: Morning', a Landfcape from Cymbeline. Engraved by C. Taylor. 1 1 Cymbeline, A. 3, Sc. 4, By Penny. Engraved by Walker. 12. Reddifh in Pofthumous. Painted by Pine, and engraved in metzotinto. No engraver's name, 13. A print by Harding, from the words of, Goodmafters harm me not. Engraved by Parker, 1785. 14. " Imogen's Chamber." Engraved by Bartolozzi, from after W. Martin, 1786. 15 A print of Fidek^s gravCf 'ujith part of the linei of Collins, engraved under, from after Harding, 1 6. Pope. FINIS, u University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 • Box 951388 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. ^ -x-PR Felton - 2881 Imperfect hints F3Ui towards a new edition of Shakespeare 2883 F3Ui D 000 758 858 5 ■ ; ; 1 . 1 ; t ,