But as my life did linger thus in paine,

They sent to me my bootleffe hand againe,
And therewithal the heades of my three fonnes,
Which filld my dying heart with fresher moanes.

Then past reliefe I upp and downe did goe,
And with my tears writ in the dust my woe:
I fhot my arrowest towards heaven hie,
And for revenge to hell did often crye.

The empreffe then, thinking that I was mad,
Like furies the and both her fonnes were clad,
(She nam❜d Revenge, and Rape and Murder they)
To undermine and heare what I would fay.

I fed their foolish veines † a certaine space,
Untill my friendes did find a fecret place,
Where both her fonnes unto a poft were bound,
And just revenge in cruell fort was found.

I cut their throates, my daughter held the pan
Betwixt her ftumpes, wherein the bloud it ran :
And then I ground their bones to powder small,
And made a paste for pyes ftreight therewithall.

go

95

100

105

Then

If the ballad was written before the play, I should fuppofe this to be only a metaphorical expreffion, taken from that in the Pfalms," They fboot out their arrows, even bitter words." Pf. 64. 3.

i.e. encouraged them in their foolish humours, or fancies.

Then with their fleshe I made two mighty pyes,
And at a banquet fervde in stately wise :
Before the empreffe fet this loathsome meat;
So of her formes own flesh fhe well did eat.

Myfelfe bereav'd my daughter then of life,
The empreffe then I flewe with bloudy knife,
And stabb'd the emperour immediatelie,
And then myself: even foe did Titus die.

Then this revenge against the Moore was found,
Alive they fett him halfe into the ground,
Whereas he stood untill fuch time he ftarv'd.

110.

115

And foe God fend all murderers may be ferv'd.

120

XIII.

TAKE THOSE LIPS AWAY.

The first stanza of this little fonnet, which an eminent critic justly admires for its extreme fweetness, is found in Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE, A. 4. Sc. 1. Both the ftanzas are preferved in Beaum. and Fletcher's BLOODY BROTHER, A. 5. c. 2. Sewel and Gildon have printed it among Shakespeare's smaller Poems, but they have done the fame by twenty other pieces that were never writ by him; their book being a wretched heap of inaccuracies and mistakes. It is not found in Jaggard's old edition of Shakespear's SONNETS reprinted by Lintot.

Q 2

Bp. Warb. in bis Shakesp.

TAKE,

TA

AKE, oh take those lips away,
That fo fweetlye were forfworne;
And thofe eyes, the breake of day,

Lights, that do misleade the morne;
But my kiffes bring againe,

Seales of love, but feal'd in vaine.

Hide, oh hide thofe hills of fnowe,
Which thy frozen bofom beares,

On whofe tops the pinkes that growe,

Are of thofe that April wears:
But first fet my poor heart free,,
Bound in thofe icy chains by thee.

XIV.

KING LEIR AND HIS THREE DAUGHTERS.

The Reader has here an ancient ballad on the Subject of KING LEAR, which (as a fenfible female critic has well objerved †) bears fo exact an analogy to the argument of Shakespeare's play, that his having copied it could not be doubted, if it were certain, that it was written before the tragedy. Here is found the hint of Lear's madness, which the old chronicles do not mention, as alfo the extravagant cruelty exercifed on him by his daughters: In the death of

+ Shakespear illuftrated, Vol. 3. p. 302.

Lear

See Jeffery of Monmouth, Holingbed, &c. who relate Leir's hiflory in many respects the fame as the ballad.

Lear they like-wife very exactly coincide.—The misfortune is, that there is nothing to affift us in ascertaining the date of the ballad but what little evidence arifes from within; this the Reader must weigh and judge for himself.

It may be proper to obferve, that Shakespeare was not the firft of our Dramatic Poets who fitted the Story of LEIR to the Stage. His firft 4to Edition is dated 1608; but three years before that had been printed a play intitled,

"" The

true Chronicle History of Leir and his three daughters "Gonorill, Ragan, and Cordella, as it hath been divers "and fundry times lately acted. 1605. 4to."This is a

very poor and dull performance, but happily excited ShakeSpeare to undertake the fubject, which he has given with very different incidents. It is remarkable, that neither the tircumstances of Leir's madness; nor his retinue of a select number of knights; nor the affecting deaths of Cordelia and Leir, are found in that first dramatic piece: in all which Shakespeare concurs with this ballad.

But to form a true Judgment of Shakespeare's Merit, the curious Reader fhould caft his eye over that previous Sketch : which he will find printed at the end of THE TWENTY PLAYS of Shakespeare, republished from the quarto impreffons by GEORGE STEEVENS, Efq; with fuch elegance and exactness, as lead us to expect a fine edition of all the works of our great Dramatic Poet.

The following Ballad is given from an ancient copy in the "Golden Garland," bl. let. intitled, A lamentable fong of "the Death of King Leir, and his three daughters. To "the Tune of When flying fame."

K

ING Leir once ruled in this land,

With princely power and peace;
And had all things with hearts content,
That might his joys increase,

Amongst those things that nature gave,
Three daughters fair had he,
So princely feeming beautiful,
As fairer could not be.

So on a time it pleas'd the king

A question thus to move,

Which of his daughters to his grace

Could fhew the dearest love:

For to my age you bring content,

Quoth he, then let me hear

Which of you three in plighted troth
The kindeft will appear.

To whom the eldest thus began;
Dear father, mind, quoth the,
Before your face, to do you good,
My blood shall render'd be:
And for your fake my bleeding heart
Shall here be cut in twain,
Ere that I fee your reverend age
The smallest grief fustain.

And fo will I, the fecond faid;

25

Dear father, for your fake,

The worst of all extremities

I'll gently undertake:

And ferve your highness night and day

With diligence and love;

30

That