they were the most vigorous, and had the moft fire and strength of Imagination in 'em, were the best. I would not be thought by this to mean, that his Fancy was fo loose and extravagant, as to be Independent on the Rule and Government of Judgment; but that what he thought, was commonly fo Great, so justly and rightly Conceiv'd in it self, that it wanted little or no Correction, and was immediately approv❜d by an impartial Judgment at the first fight. Mr. Dryden feems to think that Periéles is one of his firft Plays; but there is no judgment to be form'd on that, fince there is good Reafon to believe that the greatest part of that Play was not written by him; tho' it is own'd, fome part of it certainly was, particularly the laft Act. But tho' the order of Time in which the feveral Pieces were written be generally uncertain, yet there are Paffages in fome few of them which feem to fix their Dates. So the Chorus in the beginning of the fifth Act of Henry V. by a Compliment very handfomly turn'd to the Earl of Effex, fhews the Play to have been written when that Lord was General for the Queen in Ireland: And his Elogy upon Q. Elizabeth, and her Succeffor K. James, in the latter end of his Henry VIII, is a Proof of that Play's being written after the Acceffion of the latter of those two Princes to the Crown of England. Whatever the particular Times of his Writing were, the People of his Age, who began to grow wonderfully fond of Diverfions of this kind, could not but be highly pleas'd to fee a Genius arise amongst 'em of fo pleafurable, fo rich a Vein, and so plentifully capable of furnishing their favourite Entertainments. Befides the advantages of his Wit, he was in himself a good-natur'd Man, of great sweetness in his Manners, and a most agreeable Companion; fo that it is no wonder if with fo many good Qualities he made himself acquainted with the best Conversations of thofe Times. Queen Elizabeth had several of his Plays Acted before her, and without doubt gave him many gracious Marks of her Favour: It is that Maiden Princess plainly, whom he intends by A fair Veftal, Throned by the Weft. Midsummer Night's Dream, And that whole Paffage is a Compliment very properly brought in, and very handsomly apply'd to her. She was fo well pleas'd with that admirable Character of Falstaff, in the two Parts of Henry the Fourth, that the com manded manded him to continue it for one Play more, and to fhew him in Love. This is faid, to be the Occafion of his Writing The Merry Wives of Windfor. How well fhe was obey'd, the Play it self is an admirable Proof. Upon this Occafion it may not be improper to observe, that this Part of Falstaff is faid to have been written originally under the Name of Oldcastle; fome of that Family being then remaining, the Queen was pleas'd to command him to alter it; upon which he made use of Falstaff, The prefent Offence was indeed avoided; but I don't know whether the Author may not have been somewhat to blame in his fecond Choice, fince it is certain that Sir John Fal ftaff, who was a Knight of the Garter, and a Lieutenant-General, was a Name of diftinguish'd Merit in the Wars in France in Henry the Fifth's and Henry the Sixth's Times. What Grace foever the Queen confer'd upon him, it was not to her only he ow'd the Fortune which the Reputation of his Wit made. He had the Honour to meet with many great and uncommon Marks of Favour and Friendship from the Earl of Southampton, famous in the Hiftories of that Time for his Friendship to the unfortunate Earl of Effex. It was to that Noble Lord that he Dedicated his Venus and Adonis, the I know fome People have been of Opinion, that Shakespear is not meant by Willy in the first Stanza of thefe Verfes, because Spencer's Death happen'd twenty Years before Shakefpear's. But, befides that the Character is not applicable to any Man of that time but himself, it is plain by the laft Stanza that Mr. Spencer does not mean that he was then really Dead, but only that he had with-drawn himself from the Publick, or at leaft 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 Verses 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 Na ture; 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 fuperciliously over, were just upon returning it to him with an ill-natur'd Answer, that " d 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. Johnfon 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 far 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 Referve, infinuating his Uncorrectnefs, a careless manner of Writing, and want of Judgment; the Praise of feldom altering or blotting out what he writ, which was given him by the Players who were the first Publishers of his Works after his Death, was what Johnfon 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 Eafe of a first Imagination, which himself with infinite Labour and Study could but hardly attain to. Johnson was cer |