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 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 ;
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
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 objecart 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^ charaSlers 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 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. 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 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'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— •
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 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
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 <.\ 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 Pe 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
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 affeioii', 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;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
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