lady, but the cards were clapped on the table, and down fhe comes with, My dear, would you speak with me?' He received her in his arms, and, after repeated careffes, tells her the experiment, confeffes his goodnature, and affures her, that fince he could now command her temper, he would no longer disguise his own."

It cannot but feem strange that Shakspeare should be fo little known to the author of the Tatler, that he should fuffer this story to be obtruded upon him; or fo little known to the publick, that he could hope to make it pafs upon his readers as a real narrative of a tranfaction in Lincolnshire; yet it is apparent, that he was deceived, or intended to deceive, that he knew not himself whence the story was taken, or hoped that he might rob fo obfcure a writer without detection.

Of this play the two plots are fo well united, that they can hardly be called two without injury to the art with which they are interwoven. The attention is entertained with all the variety of a double plot, yet is not distracted by unconnected incidents.

The part between Katharina and Petruchio is eminently spritely and diverting At the marriage of Bianca the arrival of the real father, perhaps, produces more perplexity than pleasure. The whole play is very popular and diverting. JOHNSON.

WINTER'S TALE.

*This play, throughout, is written in the very fpirit of its author. And in telling this homely and fimple, though agreeable, country tale, Our feeteft Shakspeare, fancy's child, Warbles bis native wood-notes wild.

This was neceffary to obferve in mere juftice to the play; as the meannefs of the fable, and the extravagant conduct of it, had misled fome of great name into a wrong judgement of its merit; which, as far as it regards fentiment and character, is fcarce inferior to any in the whole collection. WARBURTON.

At Stationers' Hall, May 22, 1594, Edward White entered "A booke entitled AWynter Nyght's Paftime." STEEVENS.

The ftory of this play is taken from The Pleasant Hiftory of Doraftus and Fawnia, written by Robert Greene. JOHNSON.

In this novel, the king of Sicilia whom Shakspeare names

Leontes, is called

Egiftus.

Polixenes K. of Bohemia

Pandofto.

Mamillius P. of Sicilia

Florizel P. of Bohemia
Camillo

Old Shepherd

Hermione

Perdita

Garinter.

Doraftus.

Franion.

Porrus.

Bellaria.

Faunia.

Mopfa

Mopfa.

The parts of Antigonus, Paulina, and Autolycus, are of the poets ow invention; but many circumstances of the novel are omitted in the play. STEEVENS.

Dr. Warburton, by fome of great name," means Dryden and Pope. See the Effay at the end of the Second Part of The Conqueft of Granada : "Witness the lameness of their plots; [the plots of Shakspeare and Fletcher;] many of which, especially thofe which they wrote first, (for even that age refined itself in fome measure,) were made up of fome ridiculous incoherent ftory, which in one play many times took up the bufinefs of an age. I fuppofe I need not name Pericles, Prince of Tyre, [and here, by-the-by, Dryden exprefsly names Pericles as our author's production,] nor the hiftorical plays of Shakspeare; befides many of the reft, as The Winter's Tale, Love's Labour's Loft, Measure for Measure, which were either grounded on impoffibilities, or at least fo meanly written, that the comedy neither caufed your mirth, nor the ferious part your concernment." Mr. Pope, in the Preface to his edition of our author's plays, pronounced the fame ill-confidered judgement on the play before us. "Ifhould conjecture (fays he) of fome of the others, part ticularly Love's Labour's Loft, THE WINTER'S TALE, Comedy of Error!, and Titus Andronicus, that only fome characters, fingle fcenes, or perhaps a few particular paffages, were of his hand."

None of our author's plays has been more cenfored for the breach of dramatick rules than The Winter's Tale. In confirmation of what Mr. Steevens has remarked in another place that Shakspeare was not VOL. III.

M

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