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he was feated among fome company, who were eating, and one of them sung a fong." See the character of Adam, in As you like it, Act II. fc. ult.

"Verses by Ben Jonfon and Shakspeare, occafioned by the motto to the Globe Theatre - Totus mundus agit hiftrionem.

Jonfon.

• If, but fiage aflors, all the world displays,
• Where shall we find spectators of their plays?

Shakspeare.

• Little, or much, of what we fee, we do;
• We are all both actors and spectators too.

Poetical Characteristicks 8vo. MS. Vol. I. fome time in the Harleian Library; which volume was returned to its owner."

"Old Mr. Boman the player reported from Sir William Bishop, that some part of Sir John Falstaff's character was drawn from a townfman of Stratford, who either faithlessly broke a contract; or spitefully refused to part with some land for a valuable confideration, adjoining to Shakspeare's, in or near that town."

To these anecdotes I can only add the following.

At the conclusion of the advertisement prefixed to Lintot's edition of Shakspeare's Poems, it is faid, That most learned prince and great patron of learning, King James the First, was pleased with

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his own hand to write an amicable letter to Mr. Shakspeare; which letter, though now loft, remained long in the hands of Sir William D'Avenant, as a credible person now living can testify."

Mr. Oldys, in a MS. note to his copy of Fuller's Worthies, obferves, that "the story came from the Duke of Buckingham, who had it from Sir William D'Avenant."

It appears from Rofcius Anglicanus, (commonly called Downes the prompter's book,) 1708, that Shakspeare took the pains to instruct Joseph Taylor in the character of Hamlet, and John Lowine in that of King Henry VIII. STEEVENS.

The late Mr. Thomas Ofborne, bookfeller, (whose exploits are celebrated by the author of the Dunciad) being ignorant in what form or language our Paradife Loft was written, employed one of his garretteers to render it from a French translation into English prose. Lest, hereafter, the compositions of Shakspeare should be brought back into their native tongue from the version of Monfieur le Comte de Catuelan, le Tourneur, &c. it may be necessary to observe, that all the following particulars, extracted from the preface of these gentlemen, are as little founded in truth as their defcrip

6 which letter, though now loft, remained long in the hands of Sir William D'Avenant,] Dr. Farmer with great probability supposes that this letter was written by King James in return for the compliment paid to him in Macbeth. relater of this anecdote was Sheffield Duke of Buckingham.

The

MALONE.

tion of the ridiculous Jubilee at Stratford, which they have been taught to represent as an affair of general approbation and national concern.

They say, that Shakspeare came to London without a plan, and finding himself at the door of a theatre, instinctively stopped there, and offered himself to be a holder of horses: - that he was remarkable for his excellent performance of the Ghost in Hamlet: - that he borrowed nothing from preceding writers: that all on a sudden he left the stage, and returned without eclat into his native country: that his monument at Stratford is of copper: that the courtiers of James. I. paid several compliments to him which are still preserved : that he relieved a widow, who, together with her numerous family, was involved in a ruinous lawfuit: that his editors have restored many passages in his plays, by the assistance of the manufcripts he left behind him, &c. &c.

Let me not however forget the justice due to these ingenious Frenchmen, whose skill and fidelity in the execution of their very difficult undertaking, is only exceeded by fuch a display of candour as would ferve to cover the imperfections of much lefs elegant and judicious writers. STEEVENS.

BAPTISMS, MARRIAGES, and BURIALS, of the Shakspeare family; transcribed from the Registerbooks of the Parish of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire."

JONE, daughter of John Shakspere, was bap

tized Sept. 15, 1558.

Margaret, daughter of John Shakspere, was buried April 30, 1563.

WILLIAM, fon of John Shakspere, was baptized April 26, 1564.9

Johanna, daughter of Richard Hathaway, otherwife Gardiner, of Shottery, was baptized May, 9, 1566.

Gilbert, fon of John Shakspere, was baptized Oct. 13, 1566.

7 An inaccurate and very imperfect lift of the baptifms, &c. of Shakspeare's family was tranfmitted by Mr. Weft about eighteen years ago to Mr. Steevens. The lift now printed I have extracted with great care from the Registers of Stratford; and I trust, it will be found correct. MALONE.

* This lady Mr. West supposed to have married the ancef= tor of the Harts of Stratford; but he was certainly mistaken. She died probably in her infancy. The wife of Mr. Hart was undoubtedly the second Jone, mentioned below. Her fon Michael was born in the latter end of the year 1608, at which time she was above thirty-nine years old. The elder Jone would then have been near fifty. MALONE.

9 He was born three days before, April 23, 1564.

2

MALONE.

This Richard Hathaway of Shottery was probably the father of Anne Hathaway, our poet's wife. There is no entry of her baptifm, the Register not commencing till 1558, two years after she was born. Thomas, the son of this Richard Hathaway, was baptized at Stratford, April 12, 1569; John, another fon, Feb. 3, 1574; and William, another fon, Nov. 30, 1578. MALONE.

Jone, daughter of John Shakspere, was baptized

April 15, 1569.

Anne, daughter of Mr. John Shakspere, was baptized Sept. 28, 1571.

Richard, fon of Mr. John Shakspere, was baptized March 11, 1573. [1573-4.]

Anne, daughter of Mr. John Shakspere, was buried April 4, 1579.

Edmund, fon of Mr. John Shakspere, was baptized May 3, 1580.

Susanna, daughter of WILLIAM SHAKSPERE, was baptized May 26, 1583.

Elizabeth, daughter of Anthony Shakspere, of Hampton, was baptized Feb. 10, 1583. [1583-4.]

3 It was common in the age of Queen Elizabeth to give the fame christian name to two children fuccessively. (Thus, Mr. Sadler who was godfather to Shakspeare's fon, had two fons, who were baptized by the name of John. See note 5.) This was undoubtedly done in the present instance. The former Jone having probably died, (though I can find no. entry of her burial in the Register, nor indeed of many of the other children of John Shakspeare) the name of Jone, a very favourite one in those days, was transferred to another new-born child. This latter Jone married Mr. William Hart, a hatter in Stratford, fome time, as I conjecture, in the year 1599, when she was thirty years old; for her eldest son William was baptized there, August 28, 1600. There is no entry of her marriage in the Regifter. MALONE.

+ There was alfo a Mr. Henry Shakspeare fettled at Hampton-Lucy, as appears from the Register of that parish: 1582-Lettice, daughter of Henry Shakspeare, was baptized. 1585-James, fon of Henry Shakspeare, was baptized. 1589-James, fon of Henry Shakspeare, was buried. There was a Thomas Shakspeare fettled at Warwick; for in the Rolls Chapel I found the inrolment of a deed made in the 44th year of Queen Elizabeth, conveying " to Thomas Shakspeare of Warwick, yeoman, Sachbroke, alias Bishop Sachbroke, in Com. Warw." MALONE.

VOL. I.

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