and from the prologue to Eastward Hoe appears to have been acted in 1604, or before. Maria, in Twelfth Night, speaking of Malvolio, fays, " he does fmile his face into more lines than the new map with the augmentation of the indies." I have not been able to learn the date of the map here alluded to; but, as it is spoken of as a recent publication, it may, when difcovered, ferve to afcertain the date of this play more exactly. The comedy of What you Will, (the second title of the play now before us) which was entered at Stationers' hall, Aug. 9, 1607, was probably Marston's play, as it was printed in that year; and it appears to have been the general practice of the booksellers at that time, recently before publication, to enter those plays of which they had procured copies. Twelfth Night was not registered on the Stationers' books, nor printed, till 1623. It has been thought, that Ben Jonfon intended to ridicule the conduct of this play, in his Every Man out of bis Humour, at the end of At III. Sc. vi. where he makes Mitis say,-" That the argument of his comedy might have been of fome other nature, as of a duke to be in love with a countess, and that countess to be in love with the duke's fon, and the fon in love with the lady's waiting maid: fome fuch cross wooing, with a clown to their ferving man, better than be thus near and familiarly allied to the time f. I doubt, however, whether Jonfon had here Twelfth Night in contemplation. If an allusion to this comedy were intended, it would afcertain it to have been written before 1599, when Every Man out of bis Humour was first acted. But Meres does not mention Twelfth Night in 1598, nor is there any reason to believe that it then existed. I know not whether this paffage is found in the quarto copy of Every Man out of his Humour, published in 16008. Perhaps it first appeared in the folio edition of Jonfon's g NOTES. See the first note on Twelfth Night, Act I. Sc. i. "A comical fatyre of Every Man out of bis Humour," was entered on the Stationers' books, by John Helme, in the year 1600; and the piece was, I suppose, then published, for several passages of it are found in a mifcellaneous collection of poetry, entitled England's Parnassus, printed in that year. works, works, printed in 1616; in which cafe, though it should be admitted to have been a sneer at Shakspeare, it would not affect the date now attributed to Twelfth Night. It is certain that Jonson made alterations in some of his pieces, when he collected and reprinted them. Every Man in his Humour, in particular, underwent an entire reform; all the persons of the drama, to whom English names were given on its republication, having in the former edition appeared as natives of Italy, in which country the scene originally was laid. If the dates here affigned to our author's plays should not, in every instance, bring with them conviction of their propriety, let it be remembered, that this is a fubject on which conviction cannot at this day be obtained: and that the obfervations now fubmitted to the publick, do not pretend to any higher title than that of "AN ATTEMPT to afcertain the chronology of the dramas of Shakfpeare." Should the errors and deficiencies of this essay invite others to deeper and more fuccefsful researches, the end proposed by it will be attained and he who offers the present arrangement of Shakspeare's dramas, will be happy to transfer the flender portion of credit that may refult from the novelty of his undertaking, to some future claimant, who may be supplied with ampler materials, and endued with a fuperior degree of antiquarian fagacity. To fome, he is not unapprized, this enquiry will appear a tedious and barren fpeculation. But there are many, it is hoped, who think nothing that relates to the brightest ornament of the English nation, wholly uninteresting; who will be gratified by obferving, how the genius of our great poet gradually expanded itself, till, like his own Ariel, it flamed amazement in every quarter, blazing forth with a Justre, that has not hitherto been equalled, and perhaps will never be furpassed. MALONE. PLAYS, &c. contained in each VOLUME. CONTENTS of VOL. Ι. Head of Shakespeare, from an Engraving by Martin Dreefhout, before the Folio 1623. Advertisement by Steevens. Extract from the Gul's Hornbook, by Decker, concern- The Globe Theatre, from the Long Antwerp View of Catalogue of the earliest Tranflations from Greek and Appendix to Colman's Terence, relative to the Learning Dedication by Heminge and Condell to the Folio, 1623. - - by Pope. by Theobald. by Hanmer. by Warburton. Advertisement prefix'd to Steevens's Twenty Plays, &c. Rowe's Life of Shakespeare. Mf. in the Herald's Office. Licences to Shakespeare, &c. from Rymer's Fœdera, and his Mff. Head of Shakespeare from that by Marshall, prefixed to Fac-Simile of Shakespeare's Hand-writing. Anecdotes of Shakespeare, from Oldys's Mff. &c. Farmer's Account of a Pamphlet falsely imputed to Shake- Observations on Passages in the Preface to the French Tranflation of Shakespeare. Re- Registers of the Shakespeare Family. Grainger's Catalogue of the Portraits of Shakespeare. Ancient and Modern Commendatory Verses on Shake- Entries of Shakespeare's Plays on the Books of the Sta- |