of our poet's plays admitted this into their volume, cannot now be ascertained. The most probable reason that can be assigned, is, that he wrote a few lines in it, or gave some assistance to the author, in revising it, or in some other way aided him in bringing it forward on the stage. The tradition mentioned by Ravenscroft in the time of King James II. warrants us in making one or other of these suppositions. "I have been told," (says he in his preface to an alteration of this play published in 1687,) by some anciently conversant with the stage, that it was not originally his, but brought by a private author to be acted, and he only gave some master touches to one or two of the principal parts or characters." 1 "A booke entitled A noble Roman Historie of Titus Andronicus," was entered at Stationers'- Hall, Feb. 6, 1593-4. This was undoubtedly the play, as it was printed in that year (according to Langbaine, who alone appears to have seen the first edition,) and acted by the servants of the Earls of Pembroke, Derby, and Sussex. It is observable that in the entry no author's name is mentioned, and that the play was originally performed by the same company of comedians who exhibited the old drama, entitled The Contention of the Houses of Yorke and Lancaster, The old Taming of a Shrew, and Marlowe's King Edward II. by whom not one of Shakespeare's plays is said to have been performed. From Ben Jonson's Induction to Bartholomew Fair, 1614, we learn that Andronicus had been exhibited twenty-five or thirty years before; that is, according to the lowest computation in 1589; or taking a middle period, which is perhaps more just, in 1587. To enter into a long disquisition to prove this piece not to have been written by Shakespeare, would be an idle waste of time. To those who are not conversant with his writings, if particular passages were examined, more words would be necessary than the subject is worth; those who are well acquainted with his works, cannot entertain a doubt on the question.-I will however mention one mode by which it may be easily ascertained. Let the reader only peruse a few lines of Appius and Virginia, Tancred and Gismund, The Battle of Alcazar, Jeronimo, Selimus Emperor of the Turks, The Wounds of Civil War, The Wars of Cyrus, Locrine, Arden of Feversham, King Edward 1. The Spanish Tragedy, Solyman and Perseda, King Leir, the old King John, or any other of the pieces that were exhibited before the time of Shakespeare, and he will at once perceive that Titus Andronicus was coined in the same mint. The testimony of Meres, mentioned in a preceding note, alone remains to be considered. His enumerating this among Shakespeare's plays may be accounted for in the same way in which we may account for its being printed by his fellowcomedians in the first folio edition of his works. Meres was in 1598, when his book appeared, intimately connected with Drayton, and probably acquainted with some of the dramatick poets of the time, from some or other of whom hẹ might have heard that Shakespeare interested himself about this tragedy, or had written a few lines for the author. The internal evidence furnished by the piece itself, and proving it not to have been the production of Shakespeare, greatly outweighs any single testimony on the other side. Meres might have been misinformed, or inconsiderately have given credit to the rumour of the day. For six of the plays which he has mentioned, (exclusive of the evidence which the representation of the pieces themselves might have furnished,) he had perhaps no better authority than the whisper of the theatre; for they were not then printed. He could not have been deceived by a title-page, as Dr. Johnson supposes; for Shakespeare's name is not in the title-page of the edition printed in quarto in 1611, and therefore we may conclude, was not in the title-page of that in 1594, of which the other was undoubtedly a re-impression. Had this mean performance been the work of Shakespeare, can it be sup posed that the booksellers would not have endeavoured to procure a sale for it by stamping his name upon it? In short, the high antiquity of the piece, its entry on the Stationers' books, and being afterwards printed without the name of our author, its being performed by the servants of Lord Pembroke, &c. the stately march of the versification, the whole colour of the composition, its resemblance to several of our most ancient dramas, the dissimilitude of the style from our author's undoubted compositions, and the tradition mentioned by Ravenscroft, when some of his contemporaries had not been long dead, (for Lowin and Taylor, two of his fellow-comedians, were alive a few years before the Restoration, and Sir William D'Avenant, who had him 'self' written for the stage in 1629, did not die till Apr 1668;) all these circumstances com bined, prove with irresistible force that the play of Titus Andronicus has been erroneously ascribed to Shakespeare. MALONE. Kyd-probably original author of Andronicus, Locrirą, and play in Hamlet.-Marloe, of H. 6. "Ben Jonson, Barthol. Fair-ranks together Hieronym and Andronicus, [time and stile]-first exposed him to the criticks-shelter'd afterwards under another's name. 66 Sporting Kyd [perhaps wrote comedy] and Marloe's mighty line-Jonson. [might assist Lily.] Perhaps Shake. speare's additions outshone. Tamburlaine mention'd with praise by Heywood, as Marloe's might be different from the bombast one-and that written by Kyd." From a loose scrap of paper, in the hand writing of Dr. Farmer. STEEVENS. In the library of the Duke of Bridgewater, at Ashbridge, is a volume of old quarto plays, numbered R. 1.7; in which the first is Titus Andronicus. TODD. PERSONS REPRESENTED. SATURNINUS, son to the late Emperor of Rome, and afterwards declared Emperor himself. BASSIANUS, brother to Saturninus; in love with Lavinia. TITUS ANDRONICUS, a noble Roman, general against the Goths. MARCUS ANDRONICUS, tribune of the people; and brother to Titus. } sons to Tamora. AARON, a Moor, beloved by Tamora. A Captain, Tribune, Messenger, and Clown; Romans. Goths and Romans. TAMORA, queen of the Goths. LAVINIA, daughter to Titus Andronicus. A Nurse, and a black Child. Kinsmen of Titus, Senators, Tribunes, Officers, Soldiers, and Attendants. SCENE, Rome; and the country near it. TITUS ANDRONICUS ACT I. SCENE I.-Rome. Before the capitol. The tomb of the Andronici appearing; the Tribunes and Bas. Romans,-friends, followers, favourers of my right, If ever Bassianus, Cæsar's son, Were gracious in the eyes of royal Rome, |