TIMON OF ATHENS :

A TRAGEDY, BY WILLIAM SHAKspeare.

THE original materials of this fine and interesting drama, were derived from
a very slight notice of the above celebrated misanthrope in the life of
Antony, in North's translation of Plutarch; and the 28th Novel in Volume I.
of William Painter's Palace of Pleasure. Joseph Strutt, the engraver, had
however, a manuscript play upon this subject, which appeared to have been
written or transcribed about the year 1600, in which was a scene resembling
Timon's feast, in Act iii. Scene 6. of the present Tragedy; though, instead of
warm water, the guests are served with stones painted like artichokes, with
which they are driven out of the room: which incident Shakspeare is sup-
posed to have had in memory or design, when he made his Fourth Lord say,
"One day he gives us diamonds, next day, stones."

In the old play Timon then retires to the woods, attended by his faithful
steward Laches, who disguises himself that he may continue his services to
his lord; and this character is thought to have suggested to Shakspeare the
similar part of Flavius. In the last act the recluse is followed by his incon-
stant mistress, Callimela, and others, upon the report that he had discovered
a treasure in digging, a feature likewise adopted in the present Tragedy;
in which, however, all these hints have been incomparably improved and
expanded, the original being a very inferior production, though, from the
Greek frequently introduced in it, apparently the work of a scholar.

There were neither entry nor printed edition of Shakspeare's play until those of the folio in 1623, but Malone supposes that it was written in 1610, chiefly upon the reasons which led him to assign Coriolanus to the preceding year. It is also possible that this Tragedy has some allusion to the Plague of London in 1609, especially in Timon's speech to Alcibiades, in Act iv. Scene 3,-"Be as a planetary plague," &c.

The scene of this drama is Athens, and the woods adjoining; and Spon states that a building near the city is yet remaining, called “Timon's Tower." The period of history lies about the retirement of Alcibiades to Sparta, Year of Rome, 339, Before Christ, 415; and previous to his recall, Y. R. 347, B.C. 407.-In 1678 this piece was altered by Thomas Shadwell, being, as he expressed it, "made into a play;" and was acted at the Duke's Theatre, Dorset-Gardens. Richard Cumberland produced another alteration, from Shakspeare only, at Drury-Lane, in 1771; and Thomas Hull tried another with as little success, for his own benefit at Covent-Garden, May 13th, 1786, with a new character of Timon's mistress.

&*3&*333

*33*

3&*33*

SEVERAL dramatic compositions upon this subject appear to have existed previously to the production of the present; and it is also possible that another is referred to by Polonius in Hamlet, Act iii. Scene 2, when he is said to have "played once in the University," enacting Julius Caesar, whom Brutus "killed i' the Capitol." The chief materials of the present Tragedy were certainly derived from North's Plutarch; but it has been supposed that Shakspeare was also acquainted with a drama on this point of history, written by William Alexander, afterwards Earl of Stirling, published in 1607. From this conjecture, Malone supposed that the present drama must have been produced after 1607, or, at the earliest in that year; though there appears to have been an edition of Lord Stirling's Tragedy in 1604. That by Shakspeare was neither entered at Stationers' Hall nor printed, before 1623; but a memorandum by Vertue states, that a play called Cæsar's Tragedy was acted at Court before April 10th, 1613, which is supposed to have been the present piece, it being a frequent practice at that time to alter the names of this author's plays.

The scene of Julius Cæsar, to the end of Scene 1. Act iv., is at Rome; it is then at the camp, near Sardis; and the whole of Act v. passes in different parts of the Plains of Philippi. The action commences at the Lupercalia, a frantic festival sacred to Pan, held in honour of Casar, about the middle of February, in the Year of Rome 710,- Before Christ 40,-when the crown was offered him by Antony: Act i. Scene 2. He was slain March 15th in the same year; and the proscription of the Triumviri, exhibited in Act iv. Scene 1, really took place November 27th, Y. R. 711, on a little island formed by the River Rhenus near Bononia. The last defeat of Brutus and Cassius was about the end of October, Y. R. 712.

The first alteration of this piece was acted at Drury-Lane in 1719, and was attributed to Dryden and Sir William Davenant; but, from the inferiority of the additions, is believed to have been only the marked playhouse-copy traditionally ascribed to them. In 1722, Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, made Julius Cæsar into two Tragedies, one terminating with his murder, and the other being called Marcus Brutus: they had a prologue and choruses, two of the latter being furnished by Pope. The last revisal was produced at Covent-Garden, February 29th, 1812, by J. P. Kemble, when the excellence of his own Brutus, his brother's Antony, and Young's Cassius, rendered the whole performance scarcely less vivid than the reality.

3*3*

Titinius. Why didst thou send me forth, brave Cassius? Did I not meet thy friends? and did not they

Put on my brows this wreath of victory,

And bid me give't thee? Didst thou not hear their shouts?
Alas! thou hast misconstrued every thing.

But hold thee, take this garland on thy brow;

Thy Brutus bid me give it thee, and I
Will do his bidding.

Act 5. Sc. 3.

Brutus. Speak no more of her.-Give me a bowl of wine:In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.

Act 4. Sc. 3.

MACBETH:

A TRAGEDY, BY WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE.

PROPRIETY of fiction, solemnity, grandeur, and variety of action, are the chief features of this sublime and deservedly-celebrated play; which has been pronounced in the Theatre "the highest of all dramatic enjoyments." It's general scene is in various parts of Scotland, and, chiefly, at Macbeth's Castle near Inverness; but the third scene of Act iv. passes in England. The progress of the action is fearfully rapid, and seems to include but a few days: yet, though it's precise historical duration cannot be ascertained, Boethius and Buchanan state that Duncan was murdered by his cousin-german, Macbeth, about A.D. 1040, or 1045; and that the latter was slain by Macduff in A.D. 1057 or 1061.

The original narrative of these events is contained in the Scotorum Historia of Hector Boethius; whence it was translated into Scottish by John Bellenden, and afterwards into English by Raphael Holinshed, from whose Chronicles Shakspeare closely copied it. Malone placed the composition of the drama in 1606, and it has been regarded as the medium of dextrous and graceful flattery to James I., who was of the issue of Banquo, and first united the three kingdoms of Britain; at the same time that it adopted his well-known notions on the subject of Demonology. Dr. Johnson introduced this Tragedy by an admirable review of the origin, progress, and character, of witchcraft, with the design of defending the author from the censure of having adopted a puerile romance: of which, however, there is but little danger. It was once supposed that Shakspeare derived much of his incantations from a manuscript Tragi-Comedy, without date, by Thomas Middleton, called The Witch, privately printed by Reed in 1778; but Malone has shewn that it was probably written several years subsequently to Macbeth.

In 1674, an alteration of this Tragedy by Sir William Davenant, with "new songs," and the celebrated music of Matthew Locke, was performed with great splendour at the Duke's Theatre, Dorset-Gardens. The modern revisal was produced at Drury-Lane in 1789, by J. P. Kemble, and published in 1803, as performed at Covent-Garden. The part of Macbeth was one of this great actor's most admirable efforts, as it had also been of Garrick's, with different features of excellence. But however worthy Mrs. Pritchard was of performing with such talents, by far the most perfect Lady Macbeth appeared on February 2nd, 1785, when Mrs. Siddons first played the character at Drury-Lane. After an unequalled triumph in that part, she also closed her noble dramatic career in it at Covent-Garden, June 29th, 1812.