Forman's Diary relates to the year 1594, and Stowe's Chronicle may be quoted to the same effect. The other supposed temporary allusion occurs in Act. v. sc. 1, and is contained in the lines, "The thrice three Muses mourning for the death Of learning, late deceas'd in beggary," which some have imagined to refer to the death of Spenser. If so, it must have been an insertion in the drama subsequent to its first production, because Spenser was not dead in 1598, when "Midsummer-Night's Dream" was mentioned by Meres. It is very doubtful whether any particular reference were intended by Shakespeare, who, perhaps, only meant to advert in strong terms to the general neglect of learning. T. Warton carried the question back to shortly subsequent to the year 1591, when Spenser's "Tears of the Muses" was printed, which, from the time of Rowe to that of Malone, was supposed to contain passages highly laudatory of Shakespeare. There is a slight coincidence of expression between Spenser and Shakespeare, in the poem of the one, and in the drama of the other, which deserves remark: Spenser says,— "Our pleasant Willy, ah, is dead of late. And one of Shakespeare's lines is,— "Of learning, late deceas'd in beggary." Yet it is quite clear, from a subsequent stanza in "The Tears of the Muses," that Spenser did not refer to the natural death of "Willy," whoever he were, but merely that he "rather chose to sit in idle cell," than write in such unfavourable times. In the same manner, Shakespeare might not mean that Spenser (if the allusion indeed be to him) was actually "deceased," but merely, as Spenser expresses it in his "Colin Clout," that he was "dead in dole." The allusion to Queen Elizabeth as the "fair vestal, throned by the west," in A. ii. sc. 1, affords no note of time. It seems highly probable that "A Midsummer-Night's Dream" was not written before the autumn of 1594, and if the speech of Titania in A. ii. sc. 1, were intended to describe the real state of the kingdom, from the extraordinary wetness of the season, we may infer that the drama came from the pen of Shakespeare at the close of 1594, or in the beginning of 1595. "The Knight's Tale" of Chaucer, and the same poet's "Tysbe of Babylone," together with Arthur Golding's translation of the story of Pyramus and Thisbe from Ovid, are the only sources yet pointed out was never seen so byg as yt was: and in the lattere end of October, the waters burst downe the bridg at Cambridge. In Barkshire were many gret waters, wherewith was moch harm done sodenly." MS. Ashm. 384, fol. 105. of the plots introduced and employed by Shakespeare. Oberon, Titania, and Robin Good-fellow, or Puck, are mentioned, as belonging to the fairy mythology, by many authors of the time. The Percy Society not long since reprinted a tract called "Robin Good-fellow, his Mad Pranks and Merry Jests," from an edition in 1628; but there is little doubt that it originally came out at least forty years earlier together with a ballad inserted in the Introduction to that reprint, it shows how Shakespeare availed himself of existing popular superstitions. In "Percy's Reliques" (III. 254, edit. 1812,) is a ballad entitled "The Merry Pranks of Robin Goodfellow," attributed to Ben Jonson, of which I have a version in a MS. of the time it is the more curious, because it has the initials B. J. at the end. It contains some variations and an additional stanza, which, considering the subject of the poem, it may be worth while here to subjoin : The incidents connected with the life of Robin Good-fellow were, no doubt, worked up by different dramatists in different ways; and in "Henslowe's Diary" are inserted two entries of money paid to Henry Chettle for a play he was writing in Sept. 1602, under the title of "Robin Good-fellow." 66 There is every reason to believe that, Midsummer-Night's Dream" was popular: in 1622, the year before it was reprinted in the first folio, it is thus mentioned by Taylor, the water-poet, in his "Sir Gregory Nonsense :"-" I say, as it is applausfully written, and commended to posterity, in the Midsummer-Night's Dream:if we offend, it is with our good will: we came with no intent but to offend, and show our simple skill."—(See A. v. sc. 1.) It appears by a MS. preserved in the Library at Lambeth Palace, that " Midsummer-Night's Dream was represented at the house of John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln, on 27th Sept., 1631. Hist. of Eng. Dram. Poetry and the Stage, ii. 26. 2 A wood-cut is on the title-page, intended to represent Robin Goodfellow : he is like a Satyr, with hoofs and horns, and a broom over his shoulder. Sir Hugh Evans, in "The Merry Wives of Windsor," was no doubt thus dressed, when he represented Puck, or Robin Goodfellow. A copy of the wood-cut may may be seen in "The Bridgwater Library Catalogue," 4to, 1837, p. 258. Other Fairies attending their King and Queen. SCENE, Athens, and a Wood not far from it. The two quartos of 1600, and the four folio editions, are without any enumeration of the persons. It was first given by Rowe. MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM. ACT I. SCENE I. Athens. A Room in the Palace of THESEUS. Enter THESEUS, HIPPOLYTA, PHILOSTRATE, and Attend ants. The. Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour Draws on apace: four happy days bring in Another moon; but, oh, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! she lingers my desires, Like to a step-dame, or a dowager, Long withering out a young man's revenue. Hip. Four days will quickly steep themselves in nights; Four nights will quickly dream away the time'; And then the moon, like to a silver bow Now bent in heaven', shall behold the night Of our solemnities. The. Go, Philostrate, Stir up the Athenian youth to merriments; 1 Four NIGHTS will quickly dream away the time ;] The 4to, by Roberts, has daies instead of " nights :" the 4to. by Fisher, and the folio, give it correctly. 2 Now bent in heaven,] The old copies, 4to, and folio, are uniform in this reading: Rowe changed "now" to new, but surely without necessity. The meaning of Hippolyta is, that "then the moon, which is now bent in heaven like a silver bow, shall behold the night of our solemnities." Astronomically the alteration does not seem called for; because, elsewhere in this act, we find that the nights were moonlight at the time when Hippolyta is speaking. In this restoration I am glad to fortify myself by the opinion of Mr. Amyot. Turn melancholy forth to funerals, [Exit PHILOSTrate. Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword, And won thy love doing thee injuries ; With pomp, with triumph, and with revelling. Enter EGEUS, with his daughter HERMIA, LYSANDER, and DEMETRIUS. Ege. Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke! The. Thanks, good Egeus: what's the news with thee? Ege. Full of vexation come I; with complaint To stubborn harshness.-And, my gracious duke, 3 Stand forth, Demetrius.-] It ought to be mentioned, that in all the old editions, "Stand forth, Demetrius," and afterwards, "Stand forth, Lysander," are printed as stage directions, and not as part of the text, to which they appear to belong, because they form portions of the lines completed in one case by the words, "my noble lord,” and in the other by the words, "and my gracious duke." Egeus wished them to show themselves separately for greater distinctness. |