FAC-SIMILE OF FIRST FOLIO.

393

O draw no cuy (Shakespeare) on thy name,
Am I thus ample to thy Booke, and Fame:
While I confefe by writings to be fuck,
As neither Man, ner Mude, can prafe too much.
Tus true, and all mens fuffrage. But the fo wayes
were not the paths I meant unto thy prasfe:
For feelseft Ignorance on thefe may light,
which, when it founds at best, but eccbo's right;
Or blinde affedion, which doth ne're aduate
The truth, but gropes, and orgetb all by chance
Or crafty Malice, might pretend this praife,

And thinke to ruine, where a feemid to rafe.
Thefe are, as fere infamous Baud, or whore,
Should prasfe a Matron. What could hurt her met
But thou art profe against them, and indeed

About thd fortune of them, or the need.
1, therefore will begin. Souls of the Age!

The applaufe! delight! the wonder of our stage
My Shakespeare, rife, I will na lodge thes by
Chaucer, or Spenfer, bid Beaumont lye
little further, to make thee a roome:
Thou art a Meniment, without a tombe,
And art alue fill, while thy Booke doth la,
And we have wis to read, and praife to gre.
That. I not mixe thee fo, wry brasne excufes

I meane with great, but difproportion'd Mula
For if I thought my judgeman were of years,

fhould comuns thee furely wish thy peeres,
And tell, bow farve thou didst ft our Lily our fbine,
Or fporting Kid, or Marlowes mighty line
And though the badfi frall Latine, and leffe Greeks,
From thence to honour thes, I would net fecke
For names, but call forth tbund ring ichilus,
Euripides, and Sophocles to us,
Pacanus, Accus, km of Cardous dead,
To life agane, to beare thy Buck in tread,
And fake a Stage Or, when thy Sockes were on,
Leave thee alone, for the comparifon

of

Of dithat infolent Greece, or haughtie Rome
font forth, or fince dad from their afhes come.
Triumph, my Britaine, thou hast one to fhome,
To whom all Scenes of Europe homege ove
He was not of an age, but for all time!

And all the Mules fill were in their prime,
when like Apollo he came forth to warme
Our cares, or like a Mercury to charme!
Nature her felfe was proud of hus defignes,

Audioy'd to weare the dressing of his lines!
which were fo richly fpun, and wouen fo fit,
As fince, he will vouchsafe no other Wit.
The merry Greeke, tart Ariftophanes,
Neat Terence, witty Plautus, now not pleafe
But antiquated, and deferted lye

As they were not of Natures family.
Tet must I not give Nature all: Thy Art,
My gentle Shakespeare, must entoy a part.
For though the Poets matter, Nature be,
its Art doth grue the fashion. And, that he,
Who cafts to write a lining line, muft fweat,
(fuch as thine are) and firske the fecond hear
pon the Mufes anusle: turne the fame,
(And himfeife with it) that he thinkes to frame,
Or for the lawrell, he may gasne a fcorne,
For a good Poet's made, as well as borne.
And fuch wert thou. Looke how the fathers face
Lives in his ifue, euen fo, the race

of Shakespeares minds, and manners brightly shines
In his well torned, and true filed lines.
In each of which, be feemes to shake a Lance,
As brandifht at the eyes of Ignorance.
Sweet Swan of Auon! what a fight it were
To fee thee in our waters yet appeare,

And make thefe flights upon the bankes of Thames,
That fo did take Eliza, and our lames!
But flay, I fee thee in the Hemisphere

Aduane'd, and made a Conftellation there!
Shine forth,thou Starre of Poets, and with rage,
Or influence, chide, or cheere the drooping Stage;
which, fince thy flight fro hence, hath moura'd like night,
And defpaires de bus for thy Volumes light.

BEN: IONSON.

3D

TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE
Henrie VVriothesley, Earle of Southampton,

and Baron of Titchfield.

Ight Honourable, I know not how I shall offend in
dedicating my unpolisht lines to your Lordship,nor
how the worlde vvill cenfure mee for choosing fo
Strong a proppe to fupport fo vveake a burthen,
Jonelye if your Honour feeme but pleafed, I ac-
count my felfe highly praifed, and vowe to take aduantage of all
idle houres,till I haue honoured you vvith fome grauer labour. But
if the first heire of my inuention proue deformed,I fhall be forie it
had fo noble a god-father: and neuer after eare fo barrena land,
for feare it yeeld me ftill fo bad a harueft, Ileaue it to your Honou
rable furuey,and your Honor to your hearts content,vvhich I wish
may alvvaies anfvvere your ovvne vvifh, and the vvorlds hope-
full expectation.

FAC-SIMILE OF VENUS AND ADONIS AND HAMLET

THE

Tragicall Hiftorie of

HAMLET

Prince of Denmarke

By William Shake-fpeare.

As it hath beene diuerfe times acted by his Highneffe fer-
uants in the Cittie of London: as alfo in the two V.
niuerfities of Cambridge and Oxford,and elfe-where

VENVS

AND ADONIS

Vilia miretur mulgus: mihiflauus Apollo
Pocula Caftalia plena miniffret aqua.

dt London printed for N.L. and Iohn Trundell 1603.

LONDON

Imprinted by Richard Field, and are to be fold at. the figne of the white Greyhound in Paules Church-yard.

1593.

395

"Rough Draft of Grant of Arms to John Shakespere by Sir William Dethick (Garter), 1596."

"Rough Draft of Assignment of Arms for Arden, impaled with Shakespere's, by Dethick (Garter) and Camden (Clarenceux), 1599."

397