his Love Labors Lost, his Love Labours Wonne, his Midsummers Night Dreame, and his Merchant of Venice: for tragedy, his Richard the 2. Richard the 3. Henry the 4. King John, Titus Andronicus, and his Romeo and Juliet.

As Epius Stolo said that the muses would speake with Plautus tongue, if they would speak Latin, so I say that the muses would speak with Shakespeares fine filed phrase, if they would speake English.

It is scarcely necessary to observe that this has been quoted by all writers on the chronology of Shakespeare's plays. Romeo and Juliet, Richard II. and Richard III. were published in 1597, and were probably written earlier; and Weever, who, in 1596 or earlier, wrote a collection of Epigrams, published in 1599, thus alludes to them,

Ad Gulielmum Shakespeare.

Honie-tongd Shakespeare, when I saw thine issue,
I swore Apollo got them, and none other;
Their rosie-tainted features clothed in tissue,
Some heaven-born goddesse said to be their mother.
Rose-cheeckt Adonis with his amber tresses,
Faire fire-hot Venus charming him to love her,
Chaste Lucretia, virgine-like her dresses,

Proud lust-stung Tarquine seeking still to prove her;
Romeo, Richard, more whose names I know not:
Their sugred tongues and power attractive beauty
Say they are saints, althogh that saints they shew not,
For thousand vowes to them subjective dutie.

They burn in love, thy children, Shakespeare, let them :
Go, wo thy muse! more nymphish brood beget them.

The first sketches of the Second and Third Parts of Henry VI. had appeared in 1593, and Titus Andronicus is said to have been printed in 1594; but a doubt has arisen on the question whether the entry on the Stationers' Company registers, no copy of the book itself being known, refers to Shakespeare's play or another under the same title. It should be observed that Meres does not seem by any means to write as if the list he had given of Shakespeare's plays was more than a selection, and the tendency of modern

discovery is certainly towards the earlier composition of most of the plays than the older critics were willing to allow. Mr. Collier discovered that Othello* was acted at Harefield Place in the year 1602, the following entry occurring in accounts for that year in Lord Ellesmere's collection,-"6 August, 1602; rewardes to the vaulters, players and dauncers (of this x.li. to Burbidges players for Othello), lxiiij.li. xviij.s. x.d." This play was therefore acted before Queen Elizabeth in July 1602, when she was entertained by Lord Keeper Egerton, and Mr. Collier seems to think it was selected because it was then a new play; but I do not see the force of this argument, which would be equally applicable to the notice of its performance at Court on Nov. 1st, 1604. I have evidence to produce which very clearly shows that this play was written before 1600, for in a MS. entitled 'The Newe Metamorphosis, or a Feaste of Fancie, or Poeticall Legendes, written by J. M. Gent. 1600,' occurs the following passage, evidently imitated from Shakespeare's well-known lines beginning "Who steals my purse, steals trash," t

The highwayman that robs one of his purse

Is not soe bad; nay, these are ten tymes worse!
For these doe rob men of their pretious name,
And in exchange give obloquie and shame.

It should be remarked that some additions were made by the author of this MS. several years after the date he

Othello was considered one of Shakespeare's masterpieces at a very early period. It is mentioned with Jonson's Cataline in Sheppard's Epigrams, 1651, p. 98, but as inferior to the Albovine of Davenant!

Trash was an old cant term for money. "Pelfe, trash, id est, mony.' Florio, ed. 1611, p. 63. The following passage contains the nearest approach to the difficult phrase rump-fed in Macbeth that I have yet met with, and would seem to give it an indelicate and reproachful meaning,—

Of rumpe-wood widdowes, she's a patterne just,
Though ner so old yet younge lads have they must,
Who for the most part them doe thus rewarde,
Getting their gold, they quickly them discarde.

assigns to its composition; but there is no reason to suppose that the part in which the above passage occurs, was written after the year 1600. There are several imitations of Shakespeare to be traced in this curious poem; the following was probably suggested by a similar enumeration of antipathies in the Merchant of Venice:

I knewe the like by one that nould endure
To see a goose come to the table sure;
Some cannot brooke to se a custarde there,
Some of a cheese doe ever stande in feare;
And I knowe one, if she tobacco see,
Or smels the same, she swoones imediately:
The like of roses I have heard some tell,
Touch but the skyn and presently 'twill swell,
And growe to blisters; the reason it is this,
Twixt them and these there's such antithisis.

I have not succeeded in discovering the author of this work, but this is not a matter worth much inquiry, for it has no poetical merit. He was well acquainted with the writers of the time, many of whom he mentions: kynde Kit Marloe, noble Sidney, and several others. "Green's Galiard" he also alludes to, and the references to obscure persons and events of the time are highly entertaining and curious. This is not the proper place to exhibit them, but one probable allusion to Shakespeare must not be omitted,Who hath a lovinge wife and loves her not, He is no better then a witlesse sotte; Let such have wives to recompence their merite, Even Menelaus forked face inherite.

Is love in wives good, not in husbands too?

Why doe men sweare they love then when they wooe?

It seemes tis true that W. S. said,

When once he heard one courting of a mayde,—

Beleeve not thou mens fayned flatteryes,

Lovers will tell a bushell-full of lyes!

Although Meres does not particularize the two parts of Henry IV., there can be little doubt they had both been

produced before 1598, and much of Shakespeare's reputation with his contemporaries probably rested on the inimitable scenes in which are pictured the irregular adventures of Falstaff and the Prince. Mr. Hunter appears to think the circumstance of some of these scenes being laid at the Boar's Head Tavern in Eastcheap was occasioned by a desire to particularize a favorite inn celebrated in Shakespeare's own days, the keeper of which "would doubtless find his account, as other persons have since done, in having his house

advertised at the theatres." This reads like antiquated conjecture, and the subject is hardly worth discussion, but Shakespeare has so popularized this tavern that a few words on its history will scarcely be considered out of place. It is found first mentioned as an inn in 1537, "all that tavern called the Bores Hedde," and frequent notices of it occur in Elizabethan writers. It was destroyed by the fire of London, but after that catastrophe a new tavern was raised on the old site, and a carved bas-relief in stone, represented above, placed over the gate. This second building remained till the alterations for the erection of the new London bridge required its removal. Soon after the Restoration a person of the name of John Sapcott was the successor of

Mistress Quickly, and issued penny tokens, one of which, still preserved in the cabinet of a collector, is here engraved.

It should be observed that the Boar's Head was formerly a common sign in London, and an unpublished document in the Chapter-house* mentions a theatre so called, a curious

"James, by the grace of God, Kynge of England, Scotland, Fraunce, and Irelande, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all Justices of peace, Maiors, Sherefes, Vicechancellours of any our unyversities, bailiffes, headboroughes, constables, and to all other our offycers, mynisters, and lovinge subjectes, to whome it may appertaine, greeting, Knowe yee that wee, of our speciall grace, certaine knowledge, and mere motion, have lycensed and authorised, and by these presentes doe lycence and authorise Thomas Greene, Christopher Beeston, Thomas Hawood, Richard Pyrkins, Robert Pallant, John Duke, Thomas Swynerton, James Holt, Robert Beeston, and Robert Lee, servauntes unto our dearest wyfe the Queene Anna, with the rest of there associates, freely to use and exercise the art and faculty of playinge comedies, tragedies, histories, enterludes, morralls, pastoralls, stage plaies, and such other lyke as they have already studied, or hereafter shall use or study, as well for the recreacion of our lovinge subjectes, as for our solace and pleasure, when wee shall thinke good to see them duringe our pleasure; And the said comedies, tragedies, histories, enterludes, morralls, pastoralls, stage playes, and suche like, to shew and exercise publikly, when the infecion of the plague shall decrease to the nomber of thirty weekly within our Citie of London and the liberties therof, aswell within there now usuall howsen called the Curtayne and the Bores head, within our County of Midd. as in any other play-house not used by others, by the said Thomas Greene erected, or by hym hereafter to be builte, And also within any townehalls or mouthalls, or other conveinyent places, within the liberties and freedomes of any cittie, universitie, towne, or boroughe whatsoever within our said realmes and domynyons. Willing and commaundinge you and everie of you, as you tender our pleasure, not only to permytt and suffer them to use and exercise the said art of playing without any your lettes, hinderaunces, or molestacions, duringe our said pleasure, but also to be aydinge and assistinge unto them, yf any wronge be to them offered; And to allow them such former curtesies, as hath heretofore bene gyven unto any men of theire qualitie: And also what further favour any of our subjectes shall shew to these our deare and loveinge wyfes servauntes, for our sake, wee shall take kyndly at your handes."

In the original document, this last paragraph is scratched through, as intended to be cancelled. The whole is without date, and is only a rough draft. There are several interlineations in the MS., which are here indicated by italics.