ΑΝ

ESSAY

ON THE

LEARNING OF SHAKESPEARE:

ADDRESSED TO

JOSEPH CRADOCK, Efq;

SHAKESPEARE, fays a Brother of the Craft, a

is a vast garden of criticism:" and certainly no one can be favoured with more weeders gratis.

But how often, my dear Sir, are weeds and flowers torn up indifcriminately?- the ravaged fpot is re-planted in a moment, and a profusion of critical thorns thrown over it for fecurity.

"A prudent man therefore would not venture his fingers amongst them."

a Mr. Seward in his Preface to Beaumont and Fletcher, to Vol. 8vo. 1750.

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Be

Be however in little pain for your friend, who regards himself sufficiently to be cautious :-yet he afferts with confidence, that no improvement can be expected, whilft the natural foil is mistaken for a hot-bed, and the Natives of the banks of Avon are fcientifically choked with the culture of exoticks.

Thus much for metaphor; it is contrary to the Statute to fly out fo early: but who can tell, whether it may not be demonstrated by fome critick or other, that a deviation from rule is peculiarly happy in an Effay of Shakespeare!

You have long known my opinion concerning the literary acquifitions of our immortal Dramatist; and remember how I congratulated myself on my coincidence with the laft and beft of his Editors. I told you however, that his Small Latin and lefs Greek b would still be litigated, and you fee very affuredly that I was not mistaken. The trumpet hath been founded against "the darling project of reprefenting Shakespeare as one of the illiterate vulgar;" and indeed to fo good purpose, that I would by all means recommend the performer to the army of

b This paffage of Ben. Fonfon, fo often quoted, is giv en us in the admirable preface to the late Edition, with a various reading, "fmall Latin and no Greek," which hath been held up to the Publick for a modern fophistication yet whether an error or not, it was adopted above a Century ago by W. Towers in a Panegyrick on Cartwright. His Eulogy, with more than fifty others, on this now forgotten Poet, was prefixed to the Edit. 1651.

the

The

the braying Faction, recorded by Cervantes. testimony of his contemporaries is again disputed; conftant tradition is oppofed by flimfy arguments; and nothing is heard, but confufion and nonsense, One could fcarcely imagine this a topick very likely to inflame the paffions: it is afferted by Dryden, that those who accufe him to have wanted learning, give him the greatest commendation ;" yet an attack upon an article of faith hath been ufually received with more temper and complacence, than the unfortunate opinion, which I am about to defend.

But let us previously lament with every lover of Shakespeare, that the Queftion was not fully difcuffed by Mr. Johnson himself: what he fees intuitively, others must arrive at by a series of proofs; and I have not time to teach with precision: be contented therefore with a few curfory obfervations, as they may happen to arise from the Chaos of Papers, you have fo often laughed at, "a ftock fufficient to fet up an Editor in form." I am convinced of the ftrength of my cause, and fuperior to any little advantage from sophistical arrangements.

General pofitions without proofs will probably have no great weight on either fide, yet it may not feem fair to fupprefs them: take them therefore as their authors occur to me, and we will afterward proceed to particulars.

The teftimony of Ben. ftands foremoft; and

fome have held it fufficient to decide the controverfy in the warmest Panegyrick, that ever was written, he apologizes for what he supposed the only defect in his beloved friend,

Soul of the age!

Th' applaufe! delight! the wonder of our stage!whose memory he honoured almost to idolatry :" and conscious of the worth of ancient literature, like any other man on the fame occafion, he rather carries his acquirements above, than below the truth.

Jealoufy cries Mr. Upton; People will allow others any qualities, but those upon which they highly value themselves." Yes, where there is a competition, and the competitor formidable: but, I think, this Critick himself hath scarcely fet in oppofition the learning of Shakespeare and Jonson. When a fuperiority is universally granted, it by no means appears a man's literary intereft to deprefs the reputation of his Antagonist.

In truth the received opinion of the pride and malignity of fenfon, at least in the earlier part of life, is abfolutely groundless: at this time scarce a play or a poem appeared without Ben's encomium, from the original Shakespeare to the tranflator of Du Bartas.

But Jonson is by no means our only authority, Though thou hadst Small Latin, &c."

Drayton

Drayton the countryman and acquaintance of ShakeSpeare, determines his excellence to the naturall Brained only. Digges, a wit of the town before our Poet left the stage, is very strong to the purpose,

"Nature only helpt him, for looke thorow

This whole book, thou shalt find he doth not borow One phrafe from Greekes, not Latines imitate, Nor once from vulgar Languages tranflate." e Suckling oppofes his cafier train to the sweat of learned fonfon. Denham affures us, that all he had was from old Mother-wit. His native wood-notes wild, every one remembers to be celebrated by Milton. Dryden obferves prettily enough, that he wanted not the spectacles of books to read Nature," came out of her hand, as fome one elfe expreffes it, like Pallas out of Jove's head, at full growth and

mature.

He

The ever memorable Hales of Eton, (who, notwithstanding his Epithet, is, I fear, almost forgotten,) had too great a knowledge both of Shakespeare and the

In his Elegie on Poets and Poefie. p. 206. Fol. 1627.

From his Poem "upon Mafter William Shakespeare," intended to have been prefixed, with the other of his compofition, to the Folio of 1623; and afterward printed in feveral miscellaneous Collections: particularly the fpurious Edition of Shakespeare's Poems, 1640. Some account of him may be met with in Wood's Athena.

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Ancients