rprize on be n's Inn Fields s only 351. 16.1 th of March. money 801 62 in; Titus, Mr. r. Walker: Lac Mr. Digges: nia, Mrs. Ster fit of Mr. Has tickets 171. PERICLES. , p. 175-185, edit. 1554. The Rev. Dr. Farmer has ssion a fragment of a MS. poem on the same subappears, from the hand-writing and the metre, to cient than Gower. The reader will find an extract e end of the play. There is also an ancient romance ect, called Kyng Appolyn of Thyre, translated from by Robert Copland, and printed by Wynkyn de 10. In 1576 William Howe had a licence for printing cellent, pleasant, and variable Historie of the strange of Prince Appolonius, Lucine his wife, and Tharsa yarose fro Is the four PERICLES, cient writ Deauthor o The author of Pericles having introduced Gower it is reasonable to suppose that he chiefly followed that poet. It is observable, that the hero of this wer's poem, as in the present play, called Prince of › Gesta Romanorum, and Copland's prose Romance, 1 King. Most of the incidents of the play are found Amant, and a few of Gower's expressions are occaowed. However, I think it is not unlikely, that there en (though I have not met with it) an early prose f this popular story, from the Gest. Roman. in which Appolonius was changed to Pericles; to which, author of this drama may have been indebted. In blished at London, by Valentine Sims, "The patful adventures, containing the most excellent, pleariable Historie of the strange Accidents that befell Appolonius, the lady Lucina his wife, and Tharsia r, wherein the uncertaintie of this world and the of man's life are lively described. Translated into T. Twine, Gent." I have never seen the book, but ut doubt a re-publication of that published by W. 6. as entered on the Stationers' books, May 2, 1608, Blount, one of the printers of the first folio edition re's plays; but it did not appear in print till the foland then it was published not by Blount, but by -n; who had probably anticipated the other, by gettranscript from a playhouse copy. There is, I be of our author's, perhaps I might say, in the Enge, so incorrect as this. The most corrupt of Shaker dramas, compared with Pericles, is purity itself. s seldom attended to; verse is frequently printed re several editions of the Gesta Romanorum before e. in whic "S "1 n the same ence for pri play are foc sions are occ kely, that ther May 2, 1608 lount, but by rum before PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE; and it is ment In a former edition of this play I said, on the a other person, that this pamphlet had appeared have since met with the piece itself, and find th was published in 1609. It might, however, have cation. 66 The prologue to an old comedy called The Pearl, 1614, likewise exhibits a proof of this pla success. The poet, speaking of his piece, says: - if it prove so happy as to please, "We 'll say, 'tis fortunate, like Pericles." By fortunate, I understand highly successful. hardly be supposed to have meant that Pericles \ ther from accident than merit; for that would h poor eulogy on his own performance. An obscure poet, however, in 1652, insinuates was ill received, or at least that it added nothing tion of its author: "But Shakspeare, the plebeian driller, w "Founder'd in his Pericles, and must not Verses by J. Tatham, prefixed to R Jovial Crew, or the Merry BegThe passages above quoted shew that little cred to the assertion contained in these lines; yet they an additional proof that Pericles, at no very dista Shakspeare's death, was considered as unquesti formance. In The Times displayed in Six Sestiads, 4to. 1 by S. Sheppard to Philip Earl of Pembroke, p. stanza 9, the author thus speaks of our poet an fore us: "See him, whose tragick scenes Euripid "Doth equal, and with Sophocles we ma VOL. XVII. L , play. Malone. Dry of Apollonius King of Tyre was supposed by Mark en he printed it in 1595, to have been translated reek a thousand years before. [Fabr. Bib. Gr. v. certainly bears strong marks of a Greek original, not, (that I know) now extant in that language. The oem, under the same title, in modern Greek, was re(if I may so speak) from the Latin-απο Λαλινικης εις χωσσαν. Du Fresne, Index Author, ad Gloss. Græc. ser printed it, he probably did not know that it had hed already (perhaps more than once) among the In an edition, which I have, printed at 521, it makes the 154th chapter. Towards the latter XIIth century, Godfrey of Viterbo, in his Pantheon or hronicle, inserted this romance as part of the history - Antiochus, about 200 years before Christ. It begins Reg. 14. C. xi.]: imorum. ia Seleuci regis stat clara decore, in the same metre, with one pentameter only to two y his own acknowledgement, took his story from elles of Tyrius Apollonius, The popt from the ve Both edit mas Twine ki imperfe In Twine' Tyrus." It published mers' Comp Imust stil Numerou been so inve kc. that wer with scrupu compels an reble the qu Insertion or not affect th obviate thos hitherto mo facilitated b remarks tha ever interest before him? by the prese Em be free e three French translations of this tale, viz.-" La "Ac production to this last novel, the translator says:main une histoire tirce du Grec, et icelle ancienne, i je l'ay recuellie d'un vieux livre écrit à la main" &c. ness or wan antiquity, Meaning, an cles, shou , c. L supposed by ve been trans Fabr. Bib. G a Greek ong hat language. T ern Greek, was in-απο Λαλιακέ , ad Gloss. Gr know that it bal once) among t have, printed Towards the inte n his Pantheon Dart of the hist Christ. It begi amore. Holet." meter only to tw his story from as) of Pericles er. Turwhitt. of Lawe's Pr ale, viz.-"La , bl. 1. no date: nius Prince de illes Corozet," f the Histoiret St, &c.) "Ac ens: ses mal heureuse de lator says:lle ancienne, la main" &c Both editions of Twine's translation are now mas Twine was the continuator of Phaer's Vin left imperfect in the year 1558. In Twine's book our hero is repeatedly calle Tyrus." It is singular enough that this fable st re-published in 1607, the play entered on the bo oners' Company in 1608, and printed in 1609. I must still add a few words concerning the p Numerous are our unavoidable annotations o been so inveterately corrupted by transcription &c. that were it published, like the other dramas with scrupulous warning of every little change compels an editor to make in it, his comment w treble the quantity of his author's text. If ther insertion or transposition of a few harmless syl not affect the value of one sentiment throughout obviate those defects in construction and harm hitherto molested the reader, why should not facilitated by such means, rather than by a wear remarks that disturb attention, and contribute to ever interest might otherwise have been awakene before him? If any one of the trivial supplements. by the present editor are found to be needless o him be freely censured by his successors, on the ness or want of judgment. Let the Nimrods pursue him; let the champions of nonsense that E of antiquity, couch their rusty lances at the despe To the severest hazard, on this account, he wou fully expose himself, than leave it to be observ printed many passages in Pericles without an e them (as they must have originally appeared) wit meaning, and a tolerable flow of versification. Th aspires to rank with diamonds, should at least polish bestowed on it. Perhaps the piece here merit insufficient to engage the extremest vigilar Let it on the whole, however, be rendered legibl lue is estimated, and then its minutiæ (if they d become objects of contention. The old perplex copy of the play is by no means rare; and if the 1 ricles, should think himself qualified to evolve th a riddle, be it remembered, that the editor is not who would willingly subject him to such a labou |