it was printed; but is mentioned by Meres in 1598.

From the comedy of Doctor Dodipoll, Mr. Steevens has quoted a line, which the author feems to have borrowed from Shakspeare:

'Twas I that led you through the painted meads, "Where the light fairies danc'd upon the flowers, Hanging in every ieaf an orient pearl."

So, in A Midfummer Night's Dream:

"And hang a pearl in ev'ry cowflip's car."

Again:

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And that fame dew, which fometimes on the buds "Was wont to fwell, like round and orient pearls, "Stood now within the pretty flouret's eyes,

Like tears, &c.

There is no earlier edition of the anonymous play in which the foregoing lines are found, than that in 1600; but Doctor Dodipowle is mentioned by Nafhe, in his preface to Gabriel Harvey's Hunt is up, printed in 1596.

4

The paffage in the fifth act, which has been thought to allude to the death of Spenfer, is not inconfiftent with the early appearance of this comedy; for it might have been inferted between the time of that poet's death, and the year 1600, when the play was published. And indeed, if the allufion was intended, which I do not believe, the paffage must have been added in that interval; for A Midfummer Night's Dream was certainly

4 "The thrice three mufes, mourning for the death "Of learning, late deceas'd in beggary."

written in, or before 1598, and Spenfer, we are told by Sir James Ware, (whofe teftimony with refpect to this controverted point must have great weight,) did not die till 1599: "others, (he adds,) have it wrongly, 1598. " So careful a

5

Preface to Spenfer's View of the State of Ireland. Dublin, fol. 1633. This treatife was written, according to Sir James Ware, in 1596. The teftimony of that hiftorian, relative to the time of Spenfer's death, is confirmed by a fact related by Ben Jonson to Mr. Drummond of Hawthornden, and recorded by that writer. When Spenfer and his wife were forced in great diflrefs to fly from their house, which was burnt in the Irish Rebellion, the earl of Effex fent him twenty pieces; but he refused them; telling the perfon that brought them, he was fure he had no time to fpend them. He died foon afterwards, according to Ben Jonfon's account, in King-ftreet. Lord Effex was not in Ireland in 1598, and was there from April to September in the following year.

It should alfo be remembered that verfes by Spenfer are prefixed to Lewknor's Commonwealth and Government of Venice, published in 1599.

That this celebrated poet was alive in Sept. 1598, is proved by the following paper, addreffed. by Queen Elizabeth to the Lords Juftices of Ireland, which is preferved in the Museum, MSS. Harl. 286, and has not, I believe, been noticed by any of his biographers :

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"Laft. of Sept. 1598.

"To the Lords Juftices of Ireland.

Though we doubt not but you will without any motion from us have good regard for the appointing of meete and ferviceable perfons to be Sheriffs in the feveral counties, which is a matter of great importance, especially at this time, when all parts of the realme are tinged with the infection of rebellion, yet wee thinke it not amiffe fometime to recommend unto you fuch men as wee fhould (with) to have for that office. Among whom we may juftly reckon Edm. Spenfer, a gentleman dwelling in the county of Corke, who is fo well known unto you all for his good and commendable parts, (being a man endowed with good

fearcher into antiquity, who lived fo near the time, is not likely to have been mistaken in a fact, concerning which he appears to have made particular inquiries.

The paffage in queftion, however, in my apprehenfion, has been mifunderflood. It relates, I conceive, not to the death of Spenfer, but to the nine Mufes lamenting the decay of learning, in that author's poem entitled The Tears of the Mufes, which was published in 1591: and hence probably the words, "late deceas'd in beggary." This allufion, if I am right in my conjecture, may serve to confirm the date affigned to A Midfummer Night's

Dream.

5. COMEDY OF ERRORS, 1593.

The only note of time that occurs in this play is found in the following paffage:

"Ant. S. In what part of her body standsFrance?"

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Drom. S. In her forehead; arm'd and reverted, making war against the hair."

knowledge in learning, and not unfkilful or without experience in the fervice of the warres,) as we need not use many words in his behalf. And therefore as we are of opinion that you will favour him for himselfe and of your own accord, fo we do pray you that this letter may increafe his credit fo far forth with you as that he may not fayle to be appointed Sheriffe of the county of Corke, unleffe there be to you knowne fome important cause to the contrary.

"We are perfuaded he will fo behave himselfe in this particular as you shall have juft caufe to allowe of our recommendation, and his good fervice. And fo, &c.

6

I have no doubt that an equivoque was here intended, and that, befide the obvious fenfe, an allusion was intended to King Henry IV. the heir of France, concerning whofe fucceffion' to the throne there was a civil war in that country, from Auguft 1589, when his father was affaffinated, for feveral years. Henry, after struggling long against the power and force of the League, extricated himself from all his difficulties by embracing the Roman Catholick religion at St. Denis, on Sunday the 25th of July, 1593, and was crowned king of France in Feb. 1594; I therefore imagine this play was written before that period. In 1591 Lord Effex was fent with 4000 troops to the French king's affiftance, and his brother Walter was killed before Rouen in Normandy. From that time till Henry was peaceably fettled on the throne, many bodies of troops were fent by Queen Elizabeth to his aid: fo that his fituation must then have been a matter of notoriety, and a fubject of converfation in England.

This play was neither entered on the Stationers' books, nor printed, till 1623, but is mentioned by Meres in 1598, and exhibits internal proofs of having been one of Shakspeare's earlieft productions. I formerly fuppofed that it could not have been written till 1596; because the tranflation of the Menæchmi of Plautus, from which the plot appears to have been taken, was not publifhed till 1595. But on a more attentive examination of

6 The words heir and hair were, I make no doubt, pronounced alike in Shakspeare's time, and hence they are frequently confounded in the old copies of his plays.

that tranflation, I find that Shakspeare might have feen it before publication; for from the printer's advertisement to the reader, it appears that for fome time before it had been handed about in MS.

among the tranflator's friends. The piece was entered at Stationers' Hall, June 10, 1594, and as the author had tranflated all the comedies of Plautus, it may be prefumed that the whole work had been the employment of fome years and this might have been one of the earlieft tranflated. Shakspeare muft alfo have read fome other account of the fame ftory not yet difcovered; for how otherwise could he have got the names of Erraticus and Surreptus, which do not occur in the tranflation of Plautus? There the brothers are called Menæchmus Soficles, and Menæchmus the traveller.

The alternate rhymes that are found in this play, as well as in A Midfummer Night's Dream, Love's Labour's Loft, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Romeo and Juliet, are a further proof that these pieces were among our author's earlieft productions. We are told by himself that Venus and Adonis was firft heir of his invention." The Rape of Lucrece probably followed foon afterwards.

the

When he turned his thoughts to the stage, the measure which he had ufed in those poems, naturally prefented itself to him in his first dramatick essays: I mean in those plays which were written originally by himself. In those which were grounded, like the Henries, on the preceding productions of other men, he naturally followed the example before him, and confequently in thofe pieces no alternate rhymes are found.