their two families, for the unreasonable feuds and animofities that had been fo long kept up between them, and occafioned the effufion of fo much blood. In the management of this ftory, he has fhewn fomething won derfully tender and paffionate in the love-part, and very pitiful in the diftrefs. Hamlet is founded on much the fame tale with the Eletra of Sophocles. In each of them a young prince is engaged to revenge the death of his father; their mothers are equally guilty, are both concerned in the murder of their husbands, and are afterwards married to the murderers. There is in the first part of the Greek tragedy fomething very moving in the grief of Electra: but, as Mr. Dacier has obferved, there is fomething very unnatural and fhocking in the manners he has given that princefs and Oreftes in the latter part. Oreftes imbrucs his hands in the blood of his own mother; and that barbarous action is per formed, though not immediately upon the ftage, yet fa near, that the audience hear Clytemneftra crying out to Egyfthus for help, and to her fon for mercy; while Electra her daughter, and a princefs, (both of them characters that ought to have appeared with more decency,) ftands upon the ftage, and encourages her bro ther in the parricide. What horror does this not raise! Clytemnestra was a wicked woman, and had deferved to die; nay, in the truth of the story, she was killed by her own fon: but to represent an action of this kind on the ftage, is certainly an offence against thofe rules of manners proper to the perfons, that ought to be obfer ved there. On the contrary, let us only look a little on the conduct of Shakespeare. Hamlet is reprefented with the fame piety towards his father, and refolution to revenge his death, as Oreftes; he has the fame abhorrence for his mother's guilt, which, to provoke him the more, is heightened by inceft: but it is with wonderful art, and juftness of judgment, that the poet restrains him from doing violence to his mother. To prevent any thing of that kind, he makes his father's ghoft forbid that part of his vengeance. But But howsoever thou purfu'ft this act, Vol. 8. p. 106. This is to diftinguish rightly between horror and terror. The latter is a proper paffion of tragedy; but the former ought always to be carefully avoided. And certainly no dramatic writer ever fucceeded better in raising terror in the minds of an audience than Shakespeare has done. The whole tragedy of Macbeth, but more efpecially the fcene where the King is murdered, in the fecond Act, as well as this play, is a noble proof of that manly fpirit with which he writ; and both fhew how powerful he was in giving the strongest motions to our fouls that they are capable of. I cannot leave Hamlet, without taking notice of the advantage with which we have feen this maf terpiece of Shakespeare diftinguifh itself upon the stage, by Mr. Betterton's fine performance of that part: A man, who though he had no other good qualities, as he. has a great many, muft have made his way into the efteem of all men of letters by this only excellency. No man is better acquainted with Shakespeare's manner of expreffion; and indeed- he has ftudied him fo well, and is fo much a master of him, that whatever part of his he forms, he does it as if it had been written on purpose for him, and that the author had exactly conceived it as he plays it. I must own a particular obligation to him, for the moft confiderable part of the paffages relating to this life, which I have here tranfmitted to the public; his veneration for the memory of Shakespeare having engaged him to make a journey into Warwickshire, on purpose to gather up what remains he could of a name for which he had fo great a veneration. per The The following Inftrument was tranfmitted to the editors of Shakespeare's works, by John Anftis, Efq; Garter King at Arms. It is marked, G. 13P. 349. There is also a manufcript in the herald's office, marked W. 2. p. 276. where notice is taken of this coat, and that the perfon to whom it was granted, had borne magistracy at Stratford upon Avon. To all and fingular noble and gentlemen of all eftates and degrees, bearing arms, to whom thefe prefents fhall come: William Dethick, Garter Prin cipal King of Arms of England, and William Camden, alias Clarencieulx, King of Arms for the fouth, eaft, and weft parts of this realm, fend greetings. Know ye, that in all nations and kingdoms the record and remembrance of the valiant facts and virtuous difpofitions of worthy men, have been made known and divulged by certain fhields of arms and tokens of chivalry; the grant or teftimony whereof appertaineth unto us, by vir tue of our offices from the Queen's Moft Excellent Majesty, and her Highness's moft noble and victorious progenitors: Wherefore being folicited, and by credible re port informed, that John Shakespeare, now of Stratford upon Avon, in the county of Warwick, Gentleman, whofe great-grandfather, for his faithful and approved fervice to the late moft prudent prince, King Henry VII. of famous memory, was advanced, and rewarded with lands and tenements, given to him, in those parts of Warwickshire, where they have continued by fome defcents in good reputation and credit; and for that the faid John Shakespeare having married the daughter, and one of the heirs of Robert Arden of Wellingcote in the faid county, and alfo produced this his ancient coat of arms, heretofore affigned to him whilft he was her Majefty's officer and bailiff of that town: in confideration of the premiffes, and for the encouragement of his pofterity, unto whom fuch blazon of arms and atchieve- ments ments of inheritance from their faid mother, by the ancient custom and laws of arms, may lawfully defcend; we the faid Garter and Clarencieulx have affigned, granted, and confirmed, and by thefe prefents exemplified unto the faid John Shakespeare, and to his pofterity, that fhield and coat of arms, viz. In a field of gold upon a bend fables a fpear of the first, the point upward, headed argent; and for his creft or cognisance, A falcon, Or, with his wings difplayed, flanding on a wreath of his colours, fupporting a fpear armed headed, or feeled filver, fixed upon an helmet with mantle and taffels; as more plainly may appear depicted in this margent: and we have likewife impaled the fame with the ancient arms of the faid Arden of Wellingcote; fignifying thereby, that it may and shall be lawful for the faid John Shakefpeare, Gent. to bear and ufe the fame fhield of arms, fingle or impaled, as aforefaid, during his natural life; and that it fhall be lawful for his children, iffue, and pofterity, lawfully begotten, to bear, ufe, and quarter, and fhew forth the fame, with their due differences, in all lawful warlike feats and civil ufe or exercifes, according to the laws of arms, and custom that to gentlemen belongeth, without let or interruption of any perfon or perfons for ufe or bearing the fame. In witnefs and testimony whereof, we have fubfcribed our names, and fastened the feals of our offices. Given at the office of Arms, London, the day of in the forty-fecond year of the reign of our Moft Gracious Sovereign Lady, Elifabeth, by the grace of God, Queen of England, France, and Ireland,. Defender of the Faith, &c. 1599. To the memory of my beloved, the Author, Mr. WIL LIAM SHAKESPEARE, and what he hath left us. To draw no envy, Shakespeare, on thy name, Am I thus ample to thy book, and fame; As neither man nor mufe can praise too much. Which, when it founds at beft, but echoes right; Pacuvius, Accius, him of Cordova dead, And fhake a flage: or, when thy focks were on, |