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"Feare not, my lord, the perfit good indeed,
"Can never be corrupted by the bad:
"A new fresh veffell ftill retavnes the taste

“Of that which first is powr'd into the fame :" [fign. H.

But whoever he was, Shakspeare has done him the
honour to follow him in a ftroke or two:
one has
been obferv'd upon above; and the reader, who is
acquainted with Shakspeare's Lear, will perceive
another in the fecond line of the concluding speech:
and here is a third; "Knoweft thou thefe letters?"
fays Leir to Regan, (fign. I. 3b.) fhewing her hers
and her fifter's letter commanding his death; up-
on which fhe fnatches at the letters, and tears
them: (v. Lear, p. 541, 542,) another, and that
a moft fignal one upon one account, occurs at fig-
nature C. 3b.

"But he, the myrrour of mild patience,

"Puts up all wrongs, and never gives reply: "

Perillus fays this of Leir; comprizing therein his character, as drawn by this author; how oppofite to that which Shakspeare has given him, all know: and yet he has found means to put nearly the fame words into the very mouth of his Lear,

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No, I will be the pattern of all patience,
I will fay nothing."

Laftly, two of Shakspeare's perfonages, Kent, and
the fleward, feem to owe their exiftence to the
above-mention'd" fhag-hair'd wretch," and the
Perrillus of this Leir.

The epifode of Glofter and his two fons is taken from the Arcadia: in which romance there is a chapter thus intitl'd;-"The pitifull flate, and ftorie of

the Paphlagonian unkinde King, and his kind fonne, firft related by the fon, then by the blind father." (Arcadia, p. 142, edit. 1590, 4to.) of which epifode there are no traces in either chronicle, poem, or play, wherein this history is handl'd.

Love's Labour's Loft.

The fable of this play does not seem to be a work entirely of invention; and I am apt to believe, that it owes its birth to fome novel or other, which may one day be difcover'd. The character of Armado has fome refemblance to Don Quixote; but the play is older than that work of Cervantes : of Holofernes, another fingular character, there are fome faint traces in a mafque of Sir Philip Sydney's that was prefented before Queen Elizabeth at Wanfted: this mafque call'd in catalogues The Lady of May, is at the end of that author's works, edit. 1627, folio.

Measure for Measure.

In the year 1578, was publifh'd in a black-letter quarto a miferable dramatick performance, in two parts, intitl'd-Promos and Caffandra; written by one George Whetstone, author likewife of the Heptameron, and much other poetry of the fame ftamp, printed about that time. Thefe plays their author perhaps, might form upon a novel of Cinthio's; (v. Dec. 8, Nov. 5,) which Shakspeare went not to, but took up with Whetstone's fable, as is evident from the argument of it; which, though it be fomewhat of the longeft, yet take it in his own words.

The Argument of the whole
Hiftorye.

"In the Cyttie of Julio (fometimes under the dominion of Corvinus Kinge of Hungarie and Boemia) there was a law, that what man fo ever committed adultery, fhould lofe his head, & the woman offender, fhould weare fome disguised apparel, during her life, to make her infamouflye noted. This fevere lawe, by the favour of some mercifull magiftrate, became little regarded, untill the time of Lord Promos auctority: who convicting a young gentleman nam'd Andrugio of incontinency, condemned, both him, and his minion to the execution of this ftatute. Andrugio

had a very vertuous, and beawtiful gentlewoman to his fifter, named Caffandra: Caffandra to enlarge her brothers life, fubmitted an humble petition to the Lord Promos: Promos regarded her good behaviours, and fantasying her great beawtie, was much delighted with the fweete order of her talke: and doying good, that evill might come thereof: for a time he repryv'd her brother: but wicked man, tourning his liking unto unlawful luft, he fet downe the spoile of her honour, raunfome for her Brothers life: Chafte Caffandra, abhorring both him and his fuite, by no perfwafion would yeald to this raunfome. But in fine, wonne with the importunitye of hir brother (pleading for life:) upon thefe conditions, fhe agreed to Promos. First that he fhould pardon her brother, and after marry her. Promos as fearles in Promiffe, as careleffe in performance, with follemne vowe, fygned her conditions: but worfe than any infydel, his will

fatisfyed, he performed neither the one nor the other: for to keepe his authoritye, unfpotted with favour, and to prevent Caffandraes clamors, he commaunded the Gayler fecretly, to prefent Caffandra with her brothers head. The Gayler, with the outcryes of Andrugio, (abhorring Promos lewdnes,) by the providence of God, provided thus for his fafety. He prefented Caffandra with a felons head newlie executed, who (being mangled, knew it not from her brothers, by the Gayler, who was fet at libertie) was fo agreeved at this trecherye, that at the pointe to kyl her felfe, she spared that ftroke, to be avenged of Promos. And devyfing a way, fhe concluded, to make her fortunes knowne unto the kinge. She (executing this refolution) was fo highly favoured of the king, that forthwith he hafted to do juftice on Promos: whose judgement was, to marrye Caffandra, to repaire her crafed Honour: which donne, for his hainous offence he should lose his head. This This marryage folempnised, Cassandra tyed in the greatest bondes of affection to her husband, became an earnest futer for his life: the Kinge (tendringe the generall benefit of the common weale, before her special ease, although he favoured her much) would not graunt her fute. Andrugio (difguifed a monge the company) forrowing the griefe of his fifter, bewrayde his fafety, and craved pardon. The Kinge, to renowne the vertues of Cassandra, pardoned both him, and Promos. The circumftances of this rare Historye, in action livelye foloweth."

The play itfelfe opens thus:

VOL. I.

Z

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Promos, Mayor, Shirife, Sworde bearer: One with a bunche of keyes: Phallax, Promos man.

"You Officers which now in Julio ftaye.
"Know you our leadge, the Kinge of Hungarie:
"Sent me Promos, to joyne with you in fway:
"That fill we may to Juftice have an eye.
"And now to show, my rule & power at lardge,
Attentivelie, his Letters Pattents heare:

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"Phallax, reade out my Soveraines chardge,
"Phal. As you commande, I wyll give heedful eare.

Phallax readeth the Kings Letters Patents, which

must be fayre written in parchment, with some great counterfeat zeale.

"Pro. Loe, here, you fee what is our Soveraignes wyl, "Loe, heare his wifh, that right, not might, bearefwaye: "Loe, heare his care, to weed from good the yll,

"To Scourge the wights, good Lawes that difobay."

And thus it proceeds; without one word in it, that Shakspeare could make ufe of, or can be read with patience by any man living: and yet, befides the characters appearing in the argument, his Bawd, Clown, Lucio, Juliet, and the Provost, nay, and even his Barnardine, are created out of hints which this play gave him; and the lines too that are quoted, bad as they are, fuggefted to him the manner in which his own play opens.

Merchant of Venice.

The Jew of Venice, was a flory exceedingly well known in Shakspeare's time; celebrated in ballads; and taken (perhaps) originally from an

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