with divers stolen, and surreptitious copies, maimed, and deformed by the frauds and stealths of injurious impostors, that exposed them; even those, are now offered to your view cured, and perfect of their limbs, and all the rest, absolute in their numbers, as he conceived them. Who, as he was a happy imitator of Nature, was a most gentle expresser of it. His mind and hand went together; and what he thought, he uttered with that easiness, that we have scarce received from him a blot in his papers. But it is not our province, who only gather his works, and give them you, to praise him. It is yours that read him. And there we hope, to your divers capacities, you will find enough, both to draw, and hold you; for his wit can no more lie hid, than it could be lost. Read him, therefore; and again, and again: and if then you do not like him, surely you are in some manifest danger, not to understand him. And so we leave you to other of his friends, who, if you need, can be your guides: if you need them not, you can lead yourselves, and others. And such readers we wish him. JOHN HEMINGE. COMMENDATORY VERSES. Upon the Effigies of my worthy Friend, the Author, Master William Shakespeare, and his Works. Spectator, this life's shadow is :-to see The truer image, and a livelier he, Turn reader. But observe his comic vein, An Epitaph on the admirable Dramatic Poet, W. Shakespeare.' What need my Shakespeare for his honour'd bones, The labour of an age in piled stones; Or that his hallow'd reliques should be hid Under a star-ypointing pyramid? Dear son of memory, great heir of fame, What need'st thou such dull witness of thy name? Hast built thyself a lasting monument: For whilst, to the shame of slow-endeavouring art, We 1 An Epitaph on the admirable Dramatic Poet, W. Shakespeare.] These lines, like the preceding, have no name appended to them in the folio, 1632, but the authorship is ascertained by the publication of them as Milton's, in the edition of his Poems in 1645. Svo. give them as they stand there, because it is evident that they were then printed from a copy corrected by the author: the variations are interesting, and Malone pointed out only one, and that certainly the least important. Instead of "weak witness" in line 6, the folio 1632 has "dull witness :" instead of "live-long monument," in line 8, the folio has "lasting monument:" instead of "heart," in line 10, the folio has "part," an evident misprint: and instead of itself bereaving," in line 13, the folio has "herself bereaving." The last is the difference mentioned by Malone, who also places " John Milton" at the end, as if the name were found in the folio of 1632. VOL. I.-A Those Delphic lines with deep impression took; To the Memory of the deceased Author, Master W. Shakespeare. Shake-speare, at length thy pious fellows give Shall loathe what's new, think all is prodigy Of his, thy wit-fraught book shall once invade : Or till I hear a scene more nobly take, Than when thy half-sword parleying Romans spake :' 1 Than when thy half-sword parleying Romans spake :] Leonard Digges prefixed a long copy of verses to the edition of Shakespeare's Poems in 1640, 8vo, in which he makes this passage, referring to "Julius Cæsar," more distinct; he also there speaks of the audiences Shakespeare's plays at that time drew, in comparison with Ben. Jonson's. This is the only part of his production worth,adding in a note. "So have I seen, when Cæsar would appear, And on the stage at half-sword parley were Were ravish'd! with what wonder they went thence! Of tedious, though well-labour'd, Cataline; Sejanus too, was irksome: they priz'd more 'Honest' Iago, or the jealous Moor. And though the Fox and subtil Alchymist, Long intermitted, could not quite be mist, Though these have sham'd all th' ancients, and might raise Yet these sometimes, even at a friend's desire, Acted, have scarce defray'd the sea-coal fire, And door-keepers: when, let but Falstaff come, Hal, Poins, the rest,-you scarce shall have a room, All is so pester'd let but Beatrice And Benedick be seen, lo! in a trice The cock-pit, galleries, boxes, all are full, To hear Malvolio, that cross-garter'd gull. Brief, there is nothing in his wit-fraught book, Whose sound we would not hear, on whose worth look," &c. Till these, till any of thy volume's rest, L. DIGGES. To the Memory of M. W. Shake-speare. We wonder'd (Shake-speare) that thou went'st so soon Can die, and live to act a second part: This a re-entrance to a plaudite. I. M.1 To the Memory of my beloved, the Author, Mr. William To draw no envy (Shakespeare) on thy name, As neither man, nor muse, can praise too much; 1 Perhaps the initials of John Marston. 2 Referring to lines by William Basse, then circulating in MS., and not printed (as far as is now known) until 1633, when they were falsely imputed to Dr. Donne, in the edition of his poems in that year. All the MSS. of the lines, now extant, differ in minute particulars. |