the two. True, this may seem to offend against the letter of the epitaph,

Bleste be the man yt spares thes stones

And curst be he yt moves my bones.

"But there is no desecration in entrusting the noble remains of the poet to the enquiring eye of Science; which will but learn something new from them, and place beyond doubt the value of another precious relic of him, and then restore them to the quiet of the grave."

Professor Delius's paper on the original text of King Lear, which follows, will be found translated in our Transactions above, p. 125. K. Elze comes next, with a paper on Shakspere's character, and his way of looking at life.

In his private life Herr Elze supposes Shakspere to have been kindly and genial, but probably somewhat proud and independent, caring more for wealth and for position as a landed proprietor than for literary fame. In this, as in some other respects, he is like Scott, over whom he had the advantage, that while both could earn money, only Shakspere knew how to manage it when he had earned it. He must have been a man of steady purpose, not given to make undue claims for himself; indeed, hating exaggeration in all forms, and always trying to see the actual truth of things. Only thus can he have learned that deep insight into the problems of life and thought which shows itself in his works, especially in the great plays of his later time.

As to his opinions on special points of religion and politics, they are hard, if not impossible, to come at. He was not a Catholic, but neither was he a dogmatic Protestant; his view was large, tolerant, and worldly. So in politics, he cannot be claimed for any party; he looks at all fairly, and, as in private morals, so in public, regards self-control and practical wisdom as the most admirable virtues. If he seems to have less regard for the middle class than for kings and nobles, it is because in his time it had less weight and importance than now. Even his well-marked patriotism does not interfere with his fairness; he is as just to foreigners as to Englishmen. (I cannot help thinking that Professor Elze overlooks, out of sympathy, some prejudice against the French.) Finally he expresses his belief that Shakspere must have exercised himself in that self-control which he evidently prized above all instinctive goodness.

Freiherr von Friesen gives a study of Ben Jonson. He does justice to Jonson's great energy and ability, but says that he drew characteristics rather than character; while his view of life is cynical and

wants ethical feeling. Of the masques, he says that they mark the transition from the national drama, for which Shakspere wrote, to a mere court drama, lower in its aims and tone. Whatever other causes may have worked to this end, the poets who helped towards it (and chief among them Ben Jonson as the ablest) must share the blame. We have to thank Dr Wilhelm Wagner for a reprint of Aleilia, a collection of poems by an unknown author, which he has edited very carefully from the only perfect copy of the first edition (1595), which is in the Town Library at Hamburg. Dr Wagner points out one or two verbal resemblances between these poems and passages in Romeo and Juliet. He also notices two passages which he thinks were suggested by lines in the Merchant of Venice:

and

The fire of love is first bred in the eye,'

In meanest show the most affection dwells,
And richest pearls are found in simplest shells.'

The first he compares with the song in the casket scene,

'It is engendered in the eyes;'

the second with Bassanio's speech following the song. We cannot suppose that Shakspere borrowed his thoughts from Alcilia. We must, therefore, decide that the author of Alcilia had seen the casket scene upon the stage. If this be so, the first form of the Merchant of Venice must be earlier than 1595.

Herr W. König contributes a paper on Shakspere's poetical development and the succession of his plays. Herr König thinks that in the attempt to fix the relative dates of the plays too much attention has been paid to language, too little to the worth of the plays. By studying the idea of the play, and its poetical and dramatic treatment, we have a surer test of date than in style or versification.

It is impossible to abridge a paper which depends so much as this does on detail, and I will therefore content myself with giving Herr König's list, only adding that he believes Pericles, Titus Andronicus, and the three parts of Henry VI, to be wholly the work of Shakspere.

A paper by W. König, jun., follows on Shakspere and Voltaire. This not only gives a good account of Voltaire's writings about Shakspere, it also traces the influence which the study of Shakspere had on Voltaire's own plays. Thus he thinks that the introduction of a ghost in Eriphyle, and again in Semiramis, is borrowed from Hamlet. Zaïre is founded upon Othello, but the pocket-handkerchief has been changed into a letter. The gradual training of a century was necessary before the polite French ear could bear the word 'mouchoir' on the stage. In Zaire Voltaire brings upon the stage for the first time names belonging to French history. This novelty too he owed to Shakspere. The Death of Caesar is founded upon Shakspere's play. In all these cases Voltaire's thoroughly French taste has led him to alter (for the worse) the models he drew from. In some degree Herr König may be said to vindicate Voltaire's consistency, since he holds that Voltaire, while really admiring some passages in Shakspere's plays, yet always believed in the rules. of the so-called classical drama. He could honestly praise Shakspere while yet unknown in France, but when it seemed that Shakspere was to be invoked as an authority for breaking the established laws of French dramatic poetry, he could no less honestly combat what he looked upon as a fatal error. Neither by nature nor education was Voltaire capable of understanding Shakspere truly, and so appreciating the greatness of which he still had an instinctive feeling.

Hamlet in Spain, by Caroline Michaelis, gives an account of the attention, or rather the neglect, which Shakspere has met with in Spain. Hitherto he has been known very little, and only through translations of the Voltairean school. Now a complete translation is being published by S. Jaime Clark, which is conscientiously and well done, following the form of the original as nearly as possible. The latter part of the paper describes a new Hamlet by S. Coello. It' is inspired by Shakspere, but is freely altered, and has been changed

from a tragedy into a drama, in which seven characters carefully observe the unities.

A kindly notice of the publications of our own Society by Prof. Delius completes the list of papers.

There is also a list of Shakspere performances at the German theatres which is enough to stir envy and shame in any Englishman. From this it appears that in 32 theatres from which returns have been given, no less than 25 of Shakspere's plays have been acted— some of them many times.

A page to the memory of Mr Howard Staunton, some reviews of Shakspere literature, and a list of books and articles on Shaksperian matters for 1873-4, compiled by Mr Albert Cohn, complete the volume.

"Nihil loci est segnitiæ, neque wicked]

=

'lubber': 2 Gent., II. v. 47, &c. socordiæ. Thers no time to plaie the litherbie [lither now, or lasie lubber."-R. Bernard's Terence in English, p. 19, ed. 1607 (1st ed. 1598).

'lubberly': My. Wives, V. v. 195. "In faith, this is but a great lubberly knaue, which seemeth to you to be such a tall [= brave] fellow feare him not."-R. Bernard's Terence in English, p. 167, ed. 1607 (1st ed. 1598).

'minion': sb. Tempest, IV. 98. "Adolescentula, formâ & vultu adeo modesto, adeo venusto, vt nihil suprà. A young wench, a pretty dapper lasse, a little young minion of beautie and countenance; so demure and so faire, so well fauoured withall, as that nothing may excell it, or goe beyond."-R. Bernard's Terence in English, p. 12, ed. 1607 (1st ed. 1598).

'nipping': adj. 2 Hen. VI, II. iv. 3; Hen. VIII, III. ii. 357. "A quicke witte will take soone, a staid memorie will hold fast, a dull head may proue somwhat, a meane witte offers faire, praise bewrayeth some courage, awe some; in eache kinde there is likelyhood, and yet error in eche. For as there be faire blossomes, so there be nipping frostes."-1581; R. Mulcaster, Positions, p. 140.

known copy, discovered in Cassel), with Dyce's text of 1850, Marlowe's Works, vol. ii., by Dr Rudolf Genée of Dresden.

"The troublesome

raigne and lamentable death of
Edward the second, King of
England: with the tragicall
fall of proud Mortimer:

As it was fundrie times publiquely acted
in the honourable citie of London, by the
right honourable the Earle of Pem-
brooke his fervants.

Imprinted at London for William Iones,
dwelling neere Holbourne conduit, at the
figne of the Gunne, 1594."

The back of the title-page is blank. There is no Dramatis Persona The text contains 91 pages besides the title, not paged or signd. The title above is not a facsimile.