And Plutarch, whom Shakspeare very diligently ftudied, exprefsly declares, that he left the publick his gardens and walks, πέραν το Ποταμό, beyond the Tyber." This emendation likewife hath been adopted by the fubfequent editors; but hear again the old tranflation, where Shakspeare's study lay: "He bequeathed unto every citizen of Rome feventy-five drachmas a man, and he left his gardens and arbours unto the people, which he had on this fide of the river of Tyber." I could furnish you with many more inftances, but these are as good as a thoufand. Hence had our author his characteristick knowledge of Brutus and Antony, upon which much. argumentation for his learning hath been founded: and hence literatim the epitaph on Timon, which it was once prefumed, he had corrected from the blunders of the Latin verfion, by his own fuperior knowledge of the original.' I cannot however omit a paffage from Mr. Pope. "The Speeches copied from Plutarch in Coriolanus may, I think, be as well made an inftance of the learning of Shakspeare, as those copy'd from Cicero in Catiline, of Ben Jonfon's." Let us inquire into this matter, and transcribe a Speech for a fpecimen. Take the famous one of Volumnia: "Should we be filent and not speak, our raiment "Are we come hither; fince thy fight, which fhould "The fon, the husband, and the father tearing * See Theobald's Preface to King Richard II. 8vo. 1720.. "His country's bowels out: and to poor we "Our wish, which fide fhou'd win. For either thou "With manacles thorough our ftreets; or elfe "Thefe wars determine: if I can't perfuade thee "(Truft to't, thou shalt not,) on thy mother's womb, I will now give you the old tranflation, which fhall effectually confute Mr. Pope: for our author hath done little more, than thrown the very words of North into blank verfe: "If we helde our peace (my fonne) and determined not to speake, the ftate of our poore bodies, and prefent fight of our rayment, would eafely bewray to thee what life we haue led at home, fince thy exile and abode abroad. But thinke now with thy felfe, howe much more unfortunately, then all the women liuinge we are come hether, confidering that the fight which fhould be moft pleafaunt to all other to beholde, fpitefull fortune hath made moft fearfull to us: making my felfe to fee my fonne, and my daughter here, her husband, befieging the walles of his natiue countrie. So as that which is the only comfort to all other in their adversitie and miferie, to pray unto the goddes, and to call to them for aide; is the onely thinge which plongeth us into moft deepe perplexitie. For we cannot (alas) together pray, both for victorie, for our countrie, and for fafety of thy life alfo: but a worlde of grievous curfes, yea more than any mortall enemie can heappe uppon us, are forcibly wrapt up in our prayers. For the bitter foppe of most harde choyce is offered thy wife and children, to foregoe the one of the two: either to lose the perfone of thy felfe, or the nurse of their natiue contrie. For my felfe (my fonne) I am determined not to tarrie, till fortune in my life time doe make an ende of this warre. For if I cannot perfuade thee, rather to doe good unto both parties, then to ouerthrowe and deftroye the one, preferring loue and nature before the malice and calamitie of warres: thou fhalt fee, my fonne, and truft unto it, thou fhalt no foner marche forward to affault thy countrie, but thy foote fhall tread upon thy mother's wombe, that brought thee first into this world.” The length of this quotation will be excufed for its curiofity; and it happily wants not the affiftance of a comment. But matters may not always be fo eafily managed:—a plagiarism from Anacreon hath been detected. "The fun's a thief, and with his great attraction "This (fays Dr. Dodd) is a good deal in the manner of the celebrated drinking Ode, too well known to be inferted." Yet it may be alledged by thofe, who imagine Shakspeare to have been generally able to think for himself, that the topicks are obvious, and their application is different.-But for argument's fake, let the parody be granted; and "our author (fays fome one) may be puzzled to prove, that there was a Latin tranflation of Anacreon at the time Shakspeare wrote his Timon of Athens." This challenge is peculiarly unhappy : for I do not at prefent recollect any other claffick, (if indeed, with great deference to Mynheer De Pauw, Anacreon may be numbered amongst them,) that was originally published with two Latin3 tranfla tions. But this is not all. Puttenham in his Arte of English Poefie, 1589, quotes fome one of a "reafonable good facilitie in tranflation, who finding certaine of Anacreon's Odes very well tranflated by Ronfard the French poet-comes our minion, and tranflates the fame out of French into English:" and his ftrictures upon him evince the publication. Now this identical ode is to be met with in Ronfard! and as his works are in few hands, I will take the liberty of transcribing it: "La terre les eaux va boivant, "Et le foleil boit la marine. "Le foleil eft beu de la lune, "Tout boit foit en haut ou en bas : "Pourquoy done ne boirons-nous pas ?" Edit. Fol. p. 507. 3 By Henry Stephens and Elias Andreas, Par. 1554, 4to. ten years before the birth of Shakspeare. The former version hath been afcribed without reafon to John Dorat. Many other tranflators appeared before the end of the century: and particularly the ode in queftion was made popular by Buchanan, whofe pieces were foon to be met with in almoft every modern language. I know not whether an obfervation or two relative to our author's acquaintance with Homer, be worth our investigation. Lenox obferves on a paffage of Troilus and Creffida, The ingenious Mrs. where Achilles is roufed to battle by the death of Patroclus, that Shakspeare muft bere have had the Iliad in view, as "the old ftory, which in many places he hath faithfully copied, is abfolutely filent with refpect to this circumftance." And Mr. Upton is pofitive that the fweet oblivious antidote, inquired after by Macbeth, could be nothing but the nepenthe defcribed in the Odyffey, « Νηπενθές τ ̓ ἄχολόν τε, κακῶν ἐπίληθον ἁπάντων.” I will not infift upon the tranflations by Chapman; as the first editions are without date, and it may be difficult to afcertain the exact time of their publication. But the former circumftance might have been learned from Alexander Barclay; and the latter more fully from Spenfer," than from Homer himself. "But Shakspeare" perfifts Mr. Upton, "hath 4 It was originally drawn into Englishe by Caxton under the name of The Recuyel of the Hiftoryes of Troy, from the French of the ryght venerable Perfon and worshipfull man Racul le Feure, and fyryfbed in the holy citye of Colen, the 19 day of Septembre, the yere of our Lord God, a thousand foure hundred fixty and enleuen. Wynkyn de Worde printed an edit. fol. 1503, and there have been feveral fubfequent ones. 5" Who lift thistory of Patroclus to reade," &c. 6 Ship of Fodles, 1570, p. 21. Faerie Queene, 1596, Book IV. c. iii. ft. 43. |