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I know fome People have been of Opinion, that Shakespear is not meant by Willy in the first Stanza of these Verses, becaufe Spencer's Death happen'd twenty Years before ShakeSpear's. But, befides that the Character is not applicable to any Man of that time but himself, it is plain by the last Stanza that Mr. Spencer does not mean that he was then really Dead, but only that he had withdrawn himself from the Publick, or at least with-held his Hand from Writing, out of a disgust he had taken at the then ill taste of the Town, and the mean Condition of the Stage. Mr. Dryden was always of Opinion these Verfes were meant of Shakespear; and 'tis highly probable they were fo, fince he was three and thirty Years old at Spencer's Death; and his Reputation in Poetry must have been great enough before that Time to have deferv'd what is here faid of him. His Acquaintance with Ben Johnson began with a remarkable piece of Humanity and good Nature; Mr. Johnson, who was at that Time altogether unknown to the World, had offer'd one of his Plays to the Players, in order to have it Acted; and the Perfons into whofe Hands it was put, after having turn'd it carelessly and fupercilioufly over, were juft upon returning it to him with an ill-natur'd Answer,

that

that it would be of no fervice to their Company, when Shakespear luckily caft his Eye upon it, and found fomething fo well in it as to engage him first to read it through, and afterwards to recommend Mr. Johnson and his Writings to the Publick. After this they were profefs'd Friends; tho' I don't know whether the other ever made him an equal return of Gentleness and Sincerity. Ben was naturally Proud and Infolent, and in the Days of his Reputation did fo får take upon him the Supremacy in Wit, that he could not but look with an evil Eye upon any one that feem'd to stand in Competition with him. And if at times he has affected to commend him, it has always been with fome Reserve, infinuating his Uncorrectness, a careless manner of Writing, and want of Judgment; the Praise of seldom altering or blotting out what he writ, which was given him by the Players who were the firft Publishers of his Works after his Death, was what Johnson could not bear; he thought it impoffible, perhaps, for another Man to strike out the greatest Thoughts in the finest Expreffion, and to reach thofe Excellencies of Poetry with the Ease of a first Imagination, which himself with infinite Labour and Study could but hardly attain to. Johnson was cer

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tainly a very good Scholar, and in that had the advantage of Shakespear; tho' at the fame time I believe it must be allow'd, that what Nature gave the latter, was more than a Ballance for what Books had given the former; and the Judgment of a great Man' upon this occafion was, I think, very juft and proper. In a Conversation between Sir John Suckling, Sir William D'Avenant, Endymion Porter, Mr. Hales of Eaton, and Ben Johnson; Sir John Suckling, who was a profefs'd Admirer of Shakespear, had undertaken his Defence against Ben Johnson with fome warmth; Mr. Hale's, who had fat ftill for fome time, hearing Ben frequently reproaching him with the want of Learning, and Ignorance of the Antients, told him at last, That if Mr. Shakespear had not read the Antients, he had likewife not tollen any thing from 'em; (a Fault the other made no Conscience of) and that if he would produce any one Topick finely treated by any of them, he would undertake to her fomething upon the fame Subject at least as well written by Shakespear. Johnfon did indeed take a large liberty, even to the transcribing and tranflating of whole Scenes together; and fometimes, with all Deference to fo great a Name as his, not altogether for the advantage of the

Authors

Authors of whom he borrow'd. And if Auguftus and Virgil were really what he has made 'em in a Scene of his Poetafter, they are as odd an Emperor and a Poet as ever met. Shakespear, on the other Hand, was beholding to no body farther than the Foundation of the Tale, the Incidents were often his own, and the Writing intirely fo. There is one Play of his, indeed, The Comedy of Errors, in a great measure taken from the Menachmi of Plautus. How that happen'd, I cannot eafily Divine, fince, as I hinted before, I do not take him to have been Mafter of Latin enough to read it in the Original, and I know of no Translation of Plautus fo Old as his Time.

As I have not propos'd to my self to enter into a Large and Compleat Criticism upon Mr. Shakespear's Works, fo I fuppofe it will neither be expected that I should take notice of the fevere Remarks that have been formerly made upon him by Mr. Rhymer. I must confefs, I can't very well fee what could be the Reason of his animadverting with so much Sharpness, upon the Faults of a Man Excellent on moft Occafions, and whom all the World ever was and will be inclin'd to have an Efteem and Veneration for. If it was to fhew his own Know

Knowledge in the Art of Poetry, befides that there is a Vanity in making that only his Defign, I question if there be not many Imperfections as well in those Schemes and Precepts he has given for the Direction of others, as well as in that Sample of Tragedy which he has written to shew the Excellency of his own Genius. If he had a Pique against the Man, and wrote on purpose to ruin a Reputation fo well establish'd, he has had the Mortification to fail altogether in his Attempt, and to fee the World at least as fond of Shakespear as of his Critique. But I won't believe a Gentleman, and a good-natur'd Man, capable of the last Intention. Whatever may have been his Meaning, finding fault is certainly the easiest Task of Knowledge, and commonly those Men of good Judgment, who are likewife of good and gentle Difpofitions, abandon this ungrateful Province to the Tyranny of Pedants. If one would enter into the Beauties of ShakeSpear, there is a much larger, as well as a more delightful Field; but as I won't prescribe to the Tastes of other People, fo I will only take the liberty, with all due Submiffion to the Judgment of others, to obferve fome of thofe Things I have been pleas'd with in looking him over.

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