those two Princes to the crown of England. Whatever the particular times of his writing were, the people of his age, who began to grow wonderfully fond of diverfions of this kind, could not but be highly pleas'd to fee a Genius arife amongst 'em of fo pleafurable, fo rich a vein, and fo plentifully capable of furnishing their favourite entertainments. Befides the advantages of his wit, he was in himself a good-natur'd man, of great fweetnefs in his manners, and a most agreeable companion; fo that it is no wonder if with fo many good qualities he made himself acquainted with the best converfations of thofe times. Queen Elizabeth had feveral of his Plays acted before her, and without doubt gave him many gracious marks of her favour it is that maiden Princefs plainly, whom he intends by -A fair Veftal, Throned by the West. Midfummer-Night's Dream. And that whole paffage is a compliment very properly brought in, and very handsomely apply'd to her. She was fo well pleas'd with that admirable character of Falstaff, in the two parts of Henry the fourth, that she commanded him to continue it for one Play more, and to fhow him in love. This is faid to be the occafion of his writing The Merry Wives of Win for. How well the was obey'd, the play itself is an admirable proof. Upon this occafion it may not be improper to obferve, that this part of Falstaff is faid to have been written originally under the name of Oldcaftle; fome of that family being then remaining, the Queen was pleas'd to command him to alter it; upon which he made ufe of Falstaff. The prefent offence was indeed avoided; but I don't know whether the Author may not have been fomewhat to blame in his 2 See the Epilogue to Henry IVth, 2 fecond fecond choice, fince it is certain that Sir John Falstaff, who was a Knight of the garter, and a Lieutenantgeneral, was a name of diftinguifh'd merit in the wars in France in Henry the fifth's and Henry the fixth's times. What grace foever the Queen confer'd upon him, it was not to her only he ow'd the fortune which the reputation of his wit made. He had the honour to meet with many great and uncommon marks of favour an friendship from the Earl of Southampton, famous in the hiftories of that time for his friendship to the unfortunate Earl of Effex. It was to that noble Lord that he dedicated his Poem of Venus and Adonis. There is one inflance fo fingular in the magnificence of this Patron of Shakespear's, that if I had not been affur'd that the flory was hand d down by Sir William D'Avenant, who was probably very well acquainted with his affairs, I fhould not have ventur'd to have inferted, that my Lord Southampton at one time gave him a thouland pounds, to enable him to go through with a purchase which he heard he had a mind to. A bounty very great, and very rare at any time, and almoft equal to that profufe generofity the prefent age has fhewn to French Dancers and Italian Singers. What pa ticular habitude or friendfhips he contracted with private men, I have not been able to learn, more than that every one who had a true taste of merit, and could diftinguifh men, had generally a juft value and esteem for him. His exceeding candor and good-nature muft certainly have inclin'd all the gentler part of the world to love him, as the power of his wit oblig'd the men of the moft delicate knowledge and polite learning to admire him. His acquaintance with Ben Johnson began with a remarkable piece of humanity and good-nature; Mr. Johnson, who was at that time altogether unknown to the world, had offer'd one of his Plays to the Players, in order to have it acted; and the perfons into whofe hands it was put, after having turn'd it carelefly and 4 fuper Luperciliously over, were juft upon returning it to him with an ill-natur'd answer, that it could be of no fervice to their Company; when Shakespear luckily cast his eye upon it, and found fomething fo well in it as to engage him first to read it through, and afterwards to recommend Mr. Johnson and his writings to the publick. Johnson was certainly a very goud fcholar, and in that had the advantage of Shakespear; tho' at the fame time I believe it must be allow'd, that what Nature gave the latter, was more than a balance for what Books had given the former; and the judgment of a great man upon this occafion was, I think, very juft and proper. In a converfation between Sir John Suckling, Sir William D'Avenant, Endymion Porter, Mr. Hales of Eaten, and Ben Johnson; Sir John Suckling, who was a profefs'd admirer of Shakespear, had undertaken his defence against Ben Johnson with fome warmth; Mr. Hales, who had fat till for fome time, told 'em, That if Mr. Shakespear had not read the Ancients, be bad likewise not stolen any thing from 'em ; and that if he would produce any one Topick finely treated by any of them, he would undertake to fhew fomething upon the fame fubject at least as well written by Shakefpear. His The latter part of his life was fpent, as all men of good fenfe will with theirs may be, in eafe, retirement, and the converfation of his friends. He had the good fortune to gather an estate equal to his occafion, and, in that, to his wifh; and is faid to have spent fame years before his death at his native Stratford. pleasurable wit, and good-nature, engag'd him in the acquaintance, and entitled him to the friendship of the gentlemen of the neighbourhood. Amongst them, it is a story almoft ftill remember'd in that country, that he had a particular intimacy with Mr. Combe, an old gentleman noted thereabouts for his wealth and ufury: It happen'd that in a pleasant converfation among t their common friends, Mr. Combe told Shakespear in a laughing i 4 laughing manner, that he fancy'd he intended to write. his Epitaph, if he happen'd to out-live him; and fince he could not know what might be faid of him when he was dead, he defir'd it might be done immediately: Upon which Shakespear gave him these four verfes. Ten in the hundred lies bere ingrav'd, 'Tis a hundred to ten bis foul is not fav'd: If any man afk, Who lyes in this tomb? Ob! ob! quoth the devil, 'tis my John-a-Combe. But the sharpness of the Satire is faid to have ftung the man fo feverely, that he never forgave it. He dy'd in the 5 3d year of his age, and was bury'd on the north fide of the chancel, in the great Church at Stratford, where a monument, as engrav'd in the plate, is plac'd in the wall. On his Grave- ftone underneath is, Good friend, for Jesus' fake for bear He had three daughters, of which two liv'd to be marry'd; Judith, the elder, to one Mr. Thomas Quiney, by whom he had three Sons, who all died without children; and Sufannah, who was his favourite, to Dr. John Hall, a phyfician of good reputation in that country. She left one child only, a daughter, who was marry'd firft to Thomas Nafh, Efq; and afterwards to Sir John Bernard of Abbington, but dy'd likewife without iffue. This is what I could learn of any note, either relating to himself or family: The character of the man is belt feen in his writings. But fince Ben Jobrfon has made a fort of an effay towards it in his Difcoveries, I will give it in his words. " I re "I remember the Players have often mention'd it "as an honour to Shakespear, that in writing (what"foever he penn'd) he never blotted out a line. My "anfwer hath been, Would be bad blotted a thousand! "which they thought a malevolent fpeech. I had έσ not told posterity this, but for their ignorance, who "chofe that circumftance to recommend their friend "by, wherein he moft faulted: and to juftifie mine "own candour, for I lov'd the man, and do honour "his memory, on this fide idolatry, as much as any. "He was, indeed, honeft, and of an open and free "nature, had an excellent fancy, brave notions, and "gentle expreffions; wherein he flow'd with that facility, that fometimes it was neceffary he should be 66. ftopp'd: Sfflaminandus erat, as Augustus said of "Haterius. His wit was in his own power, would "the rule of it had been so too. Many times he fell "into thofe things which could not escape laughter; when he faid in the perfon of Cafar, one fpeaking "to him, "Cæfar thou doft me wrong. "He reply'd: "Cæfar did never wrong, but with just caufe. "and fuch like, which were ridiculous. But he re"deem'd his vices with his virtues: There was ever "more in him to be prais'd than to be pardon'd." As for the paffage which he mentions out of ShakeSpear, there is fomewhat like it in Julius Cæfar, but without the abfurdity; nor did I ever meet with it in any edition that I have feen, as quoted by Mr. Johnfon. Befides his plays in this edition, there are two or three afcribed to him by Mr. Langbain, which I have never feen, and know nothing of. He writ likewife Venus and Adonis, and Tarquin and Lucrece, in flanza's, which have been printed in a late collection of Poems. As to the character given of him by Ben Johnson, there is |