صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

X. Merchant of Venice. for Do. 5. 1634. John Norton. 1600. J. R. for Thomas Heyes. a &f.)

(beft edit.) 2. 1600. J. Ro

berts. 3. 1637. M. P. for Lau

XVI. Richard III. 1597.

rence Hayes. 4. 1652. for Wil-Valentine Sims, for Andrew liam Leake. (ADD.)

Wife. (*DES.) 2. 1598. Tho

mas Creede, for Do. 3. 1602.

XI. Merry Wives of Wind-Do. 4. 1612. Thomas Creede. for. [1602. T. C. for Arthur Sold by Mathew Lawe. 5. Johnfon. 2. 1619. for Do.] 3. 1622. Thomas Purfoot. Sold 1630. T. H. for R. Meighen. by Do. 6. 1629. John Norton. (a & f.) Sold by Do. 7. 1634. John

XII. Midfummer Night's Dream. 1600. for Thomas Fisher. (beft edit.). 2. 1600. James Roberts.

Norton.

XVII. Romeo and Juliet. [1597. John Danter.] 2.1599. Thomas Creede, for Cuthbert Burby. (DES.) 3. 1609. for XIII. Much Ado about No- John Smethwick. (beft edit. thing. 1600. V. S. for An-ADD.) 4. no date. for John drew Wife and William Afp-Smethwicke. (ADD.) 5.1637. ley. (beft edit.) R. Young for Do.

XIV. Othello. 1622. N. O.| XVIII. Taming of the for Thomas Walkley. (a) 2. Shrew. [1607. V. S. for Nich. no date. (Preface by Tho. Ling. * DES.] 2. 1631. W. S. Walkely. DES.) 3. 1630. for John Smethwicke. A. M. for Richard Hawkins. (a.) 4. 1655. for William Leak. (ADD. a.)

XIX. Titus Andronicus. 1611. for Edward White. (best edit.)

XV. Richard II. 1597. Valentine Simmes for Andrew XX. Troilus and Creffida. Wife. (beft edit, ADD.) 2. 1609. G. Eld for R. Bonian 1598. Valentine Simmes for and H. Whalley. (beft edit.) 2. Do. 3. 1608. W. W. for Ma- no date. G. Eld for do. (*DES.} thew Law. (DES.) 4. 1615.

NOTE S.

A.] Signature E, in this copy, contains fix leaves; a fcene being there added, the first act of the third.

B.] Thefe editions contain only the fecond and third parts of "Henry the fixth," and are thus i titled,The whole Contention betweene the two famous Houfes, Lancaster and Yorke.

C.] In all thefe editions the play is in two parts.

D. The first of theie "Lears" is printed upon eleven fheets; the fecond, but upon ten and a quarter: fignature, next the title-page, of the first, A. 2; of the fecond, B.

N. B.] ADD. fignifies-additions, or copies added by the compiler; (v. "Introduction," p. 140.) IMP.-imperfect; and DES.-defideratum, or wanting in his collection; and a star before DES. impliesnever feen by him: the notices of thefe are from the tables of former editors.

Ditto of PLAYS afcribed to him.

I. Arraignment of Paris. VIII. Mucedorus. † 1598. O. C. 1584. Henrie Marth. for William Jones. (DES.) 2. (a & f.) 1610. for Do. 1615. N. O. II. Birth of Merlin.**1662. for Do. (DES.) 4. 1639. for Tho. Johnfon for Francis John Wright. 5. Kirkman and Henry Marth. (a).

III. Edward III. O. C. 1596. for Cuthbert Burby. 2. 1599. Simon Stafford for Do.

IV. Fair Em. † 1631. fo: John Wright.

V. Locrine. * 1595. Thomas Creede. (a & f.)

VI. London Prodigal. * 1605. T. C. for Nathaniel Butter.

VII. Merry Devil of Edmonton. 1608. Henry Ballard for Arthur Johnfon. 2. 1617. G. Eld. for Do. 3. 1626. A. M. for Francis Falkner. 4. 1631. T. P. for do. 5. 1655. for William Gilbertfon.

no date. for Francis Coles. 6. 1668. E. O. for Do.

IX. Pericles. * 1609. for Henry Goffon. 2. 1619. for T. P. 3. 1630. J. N. for R. B. 4. 1635. Thomas Cotes.

X. Puritan. * 1607. G. Eld. (a.)

XI. Sir John Oldcastle. 1600. for T. P.

XII. Thomas lord Cromwel. * 1683. Thomas Snodham.

XIII. Two noble Kinfmen. ** 1634. Tho. Cotes, for John Waterfon. (a & f.)

XIV. Yorkshire Tragedy. * 1619. for T. P.

NOTE.

The two plays, marked with double asterisks, are faid in the titlepage to have been written, the first by Shakespeare and Rowley, the other by Fletcher and Shakespeare: and the feven, with fingle afterisks, are publifhed with his other plays in a folio edition printed in 1664, and in fome editions fince. O. C. fignifies old catalogues; in fome of which these two plays are afcribed to Shakespeare: and the remaining three, diftinguished by croffes, are in a volume, now in Mr. Garrick's poffeffion, that did belong to king Charles the first, which is titled upon the back, "Shakespeare, vol. I." and these likewise are given to him by old catalogues, "Fair Em" excepted, which is therefore differenced by having but one cross-bar. It may be just observed too, that to the plays marked-O. C. and with croifes, there is no name of author, either in the title-page, or other part of the double afterisks, fee the account above; and, for the ingle ones, in the title-pages of "Locrine, Puritan, and Thomas lord Cromwel," are the initial letters, W. S, and, in the others, the name at length.

FOLIO EDITIONS.

I. Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Hiftories, & Tragedies. Published according to the true originall Copies. 1623. fol. Ifaac Jaggard and Ed. Blount.

II. Do, 1632, fol. Tho. Cotes. for Robert Allot.

III. Do, 1664, fol. for P. C.

IV. Do, 1685, fol. for H. Herringman, E. Brewster, and R. Bentley.

EDITIONS OF HIS POEMS.

I. Shakespear's Poems. 1609. quarto. (*DES.)

II. Do, no date, octavo, for Bernard Lintott. (v. note.) III. Do. 1640, octavo. Tho. Cotes. Sold by John Benson. IV. Paffionate Pilgrim, poems by do. 1559, octavo, small. for W. Jaggard. Sold by W. Leake.

V. Pape of Lucrece, a poem. 1594, quarto. Richard Field, for John Harrifon. (DES.)

VI. Do, 1598, octavo. P. S. for do.

VII. Do, 1607, octavo, N. O. for do.

VIII. Venus and Adonis, a poem. 8620, octavo. for J. P.

NOTE.

This is faid in the title-page to be an exact copy of the edition that goes before; and has the appearance of being what it profeffes.

SOME

ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE, &c.

0 F

Mr. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

IT

Written by Mr. ROW E. -.

feems to be a kind of respect due to the memory of excellent men, especially of those whom their wit and learning have made famous, to deliver fome account of themfelves, as well as their works, to pofterity. For this reafon, how fond do we fee some people of discovering any little personal story of the great men of antiquity! their families, the common accidents of their lives, and even their shape, make, and features, have been the subject of critical enquiries. How trifling foever this curiofity may seem to be, it is certainly very natural; and we are hardly fatisfied with an account of any remarkable perfon, till we have heard him described, even to the very cloaths he wears. As for what relates to men of letters, the knowledge of an author may sometimes conduce to the better understanding his book: and though the Works of Mr. Shakespeare may seem not to want a comment, yet I fancy fome little account of the man himself may not be thought improper to go along with them.

He was the son of Mr. John Sheakspeare, and was born at Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire, in April 1564. His family, as appears by the register and publick writings

relating to that town, were of good figure and fashion there, and are mentioned as gentlemen. His father, who was a confiderable dealer in wool, had fo large a family, ten children in all, that though he was his eldest fon, he could give him no better education than his own employment. He had bred him, 'tis true, for fome time at a free-school, where 'tis probable he acquired what Latin he was master of: but the narrowness of his circumftances, and the want of his affiftance at home, forced his father to withdraw him from thence, and unhappily prevented his further proficiency in that language. It is without controversy, that in his works we scarce find any traces of any thing that looks like an imitation of the ancients. The delicacy of his taste, and the natural bent of his own great genius, (equal, if not fuperior to fome of the best of theirs) would certainly have led him to read and ftudy them with fo much pleafure, that fome of their fine images would naturally have infinuated themselves into, and been mixed with, his own writings: fo that his not copying at leaft fomething from them, may be an argument of his never having read them. Whether his ignorance of the ancients were a disadvantage to him, or no, may admit of a difpute: for though the knowledge of them might have made him more correct, yet it is not improbable but that the regularity and deference for them, which would have attended that correctness, might have reftrained fome of that fire, impetuofity, and even beautiful extravagance, which we admire in Shakespeare: and I believe we are better pleased with those thoughts, altogether new and uncommon, which his own imagination supplied him fo abundantly with, than if he had given us the most beautiful paffages out of the Greek and Latin poets, and that in the most agreeable manner that it was poffsible for a mafter of the English language to deliver them.

« السابقةمتابعة »