Perfons Represented. Duke of Milan, father to Silvia. Speed, a clownish fervant to Valentine. Panthino', fervant to Anthonio. Julia, a lady of Verona, beloved of Protheus. Silvia, the duke of Milan's daughter, beloved of Va lentine. Lucetta, waiting-woman to Julia. Servants, musicians. SCENE, fometimes in Verona; fometimes in Milan; and on the frontiers of Mantua. Panthino,] In the enumeration of characters in the old copy, this attendant on Anthonio is called Panthion, but in the play, always Panthino. STEEVENS. 'TWO GENTLEMEN 2 O F VERON A. 3 ACT I. SCENE I. An open place in Verona. Enter Valentine and Protheus. Val. Ceafe to perfuade, my loving Protheus; Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits: Wer't Some of the incidents in this play may be fuppofed to have been taken from The Arcadia, book I. chap. 6. where Pyrocles confents to head the Helots. (The Arcadia was entered on the books of the Stationers' Company, Aug. 23d, 1588.) The loveadventure of Julia resembles that of Viola in Tavelfth Night, and is indeed common to many of the ancient novels. STEEVENS. Mrs. Lenox obferves, and I think not improbably, that the ftory of Protheus and Julia might be taken from a fimilar one in the Diana of George of Montemayor." This paftoral romance,' fays fhe, "was tranflated from the Spanish in Shakespeare's time.” I have seen no earlier tranflation, than that of Bartholomew Yong, who dates his dedication in November 1598, and Meres, in his Wit's Treasury, printed the fame year, exprefly mentions the Two Gentlemen of Verona. Indeed Montemayor was tranflated two or three years before, by one Thomas Wilfon; but this work, I am perfuaded, was never published entirely; perhaps fome parts of it were, or the tale might have been tranflated by others. However Mr. Steevens fays, very truly, that this kind of love-adventure is frequent in the old novelifts. FARMER. There Wer't not, affection chains thy tender days I rather There is no earlier tranflation of the Diana entered on the books of the Stationers' Company, than that of B. Younge, September 1598. Many tranflations, however, after they were li cenfed, were capricioufly fuppreffed. Among others, "The Decameron of Mr. John Boccace Florentine," was "recalled by my lord of Canterbury's commands." I much lament having never met with a work entitled, "A Catalogue for Englishe printed Bookes," entered at Stationers' Hall, May 8, 1595. STEEVENS. 2 It is obfervable (I know not for what cause) that the style of this comedy is lefs figurative, and more natural and unaffected than the greater part of this author's, though fuppofed to be one of the first he wrote. POPE. It may very well be doubted, whether Shakespeare had any other hand in this play than the enlivening it with fome fpecches and lines thrown in here and there, which are easily distinguished, as being of a different ftamp from the reft. HANMER. To this obfervation of Mr. Pope, which is very juft, Mr. Theobald has added, that this is one of Shakespeare's worst plays, and is lefs corrupted than any other. Mr. Upton peremptorily determines, that if any proof can be drawn from manner and flyle, this play must be fent packing, and feek for its parent elsewhere. How otherwife, fays he, do painters diftinguish copies from originals, and have not authors their peculiar ftyle and manner from which a true critic can form as unerring judgment as a painter? I am afraid this illustration of a critic's feience will not prove what is defired. A painter knows a copy from an original by rules fomewhat refembling these by which critics know a tranflation, which if it be literal, and literal it must be to resemble the copy of a picture, will be cafily diftinguished. Copies are known from originals, even when the painter copies his own picture; fo if an author should literally tranflate his work, he would lose the manner of an original. Mr. Upton confounds the copy of a picture with the imitation of a painter's manner. Copies are eafily known, but good imitations are not detected with equal certainty, and are, by the best judges, often mistaken. Nor is it true that the writer has always peculiarities equally diftinguishable with those of the painter. The peculiar manner of each arifes from the defire, natural to every performer, of facilitating his fubfequent works by recurrence to his former ideas; this recurrence produces that repetition which is called habit. The painter, whofe work is partly intel lectual and partly manual, has habits of the mind, the eye and the hand, I rather would entreat thy company, 4 Wear out thy youth with + fhapeless idleness. Pro. Wilt thou be gone? Sweet Valentine, adieu! When thou doft meet good hap; and, in thy danger, Commend thy grievance to my holy prayers, Val. And on a love-book pray for my fuccefs. hand, the writer has only habits of the mind. Yet, fome painters have differed as much from themselves as from any other; and I have been told, that there is little resemblance between the first works of Raphael and the laft. The fame variation may be expected in writers; and if it be true, as it feems, that they are lefs fubject to habit, the difference between their works may be yet greater. But by the internal marks of a compofition we may discover the author with probability, though feldom with certainty. When I read this play, I cannot but think that I find, both in the ferious and ludicrous fcenes, the language and fentiments of Shakespeare. It is not indeed one of his most powerful effufions, it has neither many diverfities of character, nor striking delineations of life, but it abounds in youal beyond most of his plays, and few have more lines or paffages, which, fingly confidered, are eminently beautiful. I am yet inclined to believe that it was not very fuccefsful, and fufpect that it has escaped corruption, only because being seldom played, it was lefs exposed to the hazards of transcription. JOHNSON. 3 Home-keeping youth have ever homely wits:] Milton has the fame play on words: "It is for homely features to keep home, "They had their name thence.' STEEVENS. -fhapeless idleness.] The expreffion is fine, as implying that idlenes prevents the giving any form or character to the man ners. WARBURTON. Val. That's on fome fhallow ftory of deep love, Pro. Over the boots? nay, give me not the boots. for it boots thee not. Val. To be in love, where fcorn is bought with groans; Coy looks, with heart-fore fighs; one fading mo- With twenty watchful, weary, tedious nights: 5 nay, give me not the boots.] A proverbial expreffion, though now difufed, fignifying, don't make a laughing stock of me; don't play upon me. The French have a phrafe, Bailler foin en corne; which Cotgrave thus interprets, To give one the boots; to fell him a bargain. THEOBALD. Perhaps this expreffion took its origin from a fport the country people in Warwickshire ufe at their harveft-home, where one fits as judge to try misdemeanors committed in harvest, and the punishment for the men is to be laid on a bench, and flapped on the breech with a pair of boots. This they call giving them the boots. I meet with the fame expreffion in the old comedy called Mother Bombie, by Lylly: "What do you give me the boots ?” Again, in The Weakest goes to the Wall, a comedy, 1618: 66 -Nor your fat bacon can carry it the boots." away, if you offer as The boots, however, were an ancient engine of torture. In MS. Harl. 6999-48, Mr. T. Randolph writes to lord Hunfdon, &c. and mentions, in the P. S. to his letter, that Geo. Flecke had yesterday night the boots, and is faid to have confeffed that the E. of Morton was privy to the poisoning the E. of Athol, 16 March, 1580 and in another letter, March 18, 1580, "-that the laird of Whittingham had the boots, but without torment confefs'd, &c." STEEVENS. : |