was a long time manager of the Cockpit playhouse in Drury-lane,) fome particulars concerning Spenfer. I mention thefe circumftances only to fhew that Aubrey was a curious and diligent inquirer, at a time when fuch inquiries were likely to be attended with fuccefs. verfation that paffed between Old Ben and Mr. Drummond of Hawthornden, which was not published till eleven years after Mr. Aubrey's death. A long account of Serjeant John Hofkyns, and Skinner, bishop of Oxford, may be found in Wood's Athen. Oxon. I. 614-II. 1156. Not knowing that this poet had a fon who arrived at man's eftate, I had no doubt that the reverfionary grant of the office of Mafter of the Revels, which I found in the chapel of the Rolls, was made to old Ben; [See Mr. Malone's Shakspeare, Ford, and Jonfon, Vol. I.] but I am now convinced that I was miftaken, and that this grant was made either to his fon, Benjamin Jonfon the younger, who was alfo a poet, though he has not been noticed by any of our biographical writers, or to fome other perfon of the fame name. A paper which has lately fallen into my hands, pointed out my mistake. It appears that Sir Henry Herbert foon after the Restoration brought an action on the cafe against Mr. Betterton, for the injury Sir Henry fuffered by the performance of plays without the accustomed fees being paid to the Matter of the Revels. On the trial it was neceffary for him to establish his title to that office; and as the grant made to him was not to take effect till after either the death, refignation, forfeiture, or furrender of Benjamin Jonfon and Sir John Aftley, it became neceffary to fhew that thofe two perfons were dead: and accordingly it was proved on the trial that the faid Benjamin Jonfon died, Nov. 20, 1635. The poet-laureat died, August 16, 1637. The younger Jonfon was a dramatick author, having in conjunction with Brome, produced a play called A Fault in Friendship, which was acted at the Curtain by the Prince's company in October, 1623; and in 1672 a collection of his poems was published. To this volume are prefixed verfes addreffed to all the ancient family of the Lucyes," in which the writer describes himself as "a little ftream from that clear spring:" a circumftance which adds fupport to Dr. Bathurft's account of his father's birthplace. It should feem that he was not on good terms with his father. "He was not very happy in his children, (fays Fuller in his account of Ben Jonfon,)" and most happy in thofe which died first, though none lived to furvive him.” Dr. Farmer in his admirable Effay on the Learning of Shakspeare, by which, as Dr. Johnson justly obferved, "the queftion is for ever decided," has given an extract from Mr. Aubrey's account of our poet, and the part which he has quoted has been printed in a former page: but as the manufcript memoir is more copious, and the account given by Aubrey of our poet's verfes on John o'Combe, (which has never been publifhed) is materially dif ferent from that tranfmitted by Mr. Rowe, I shall give an exact tranfcript of the whole article relative to Shakspeare, from the original. MS. Aubrey. MUS. ASHMOL. Oxon. Lives, MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. "William Shakespeare's father was a butcher, and I have been told heretofore by fome of the neighbours, that when he was a boy, he exercised his father's trade; but when he killed a calfe, he would do it in a high ftyle, and make a fpeech. This William, being inclined naturally to poetry and acting, came to London, I gueffe about 18, and was an actor at one of the playhouses, and did act exceedingly well. Now Ben Jonfon was never a good actor, but an excellent inftructor. He began early to make effays in dramatique poetry, which at that time was very lowe, and his plays took well. He was a handsome well fhaped man; verie good company, and of a very ready, and pleasant, and fmooth witt. The humour of the constable in 9 Vol. II. p. 66. Dr. Farmer fuppofed that Aubrey's anecdotes. of Shakspeare came originally from Mr. Beefton, but this is a miftake. Mr. Beefton is quoted by Aubrey only for fome particulars relative to Spenfer. A Midfommer-night Dreame he happened to take it Crendon in Bucks, (I think it was Midfommernight that he happened to be there;) which is the road from London to Stratford; and there was living that conftable about 1642, when I came first to Oxon. Mr. Jof. Howe is of the parish, and knew him. Ben Jonfon and he did gather humours of men wherever they came. One time as he was at the taverne at Stratford, Mr. Combes, an old ufurer, was to be buryed; he makes then this extemporary epitaph upon him: • Ten in the hundred the Devill allowes, But Combes will have twelve, he fweares and he vowes: Hoh! quoth the Devill, 'tis my John o'Comb.' He was wont to go to his native country once a yeare, I think I have been told that he left near 300l. to a fifter. He understood latin pretty well; for he had been in his younger yeares a fcoolmaster in the country." Let us now proceed to examine the several of this account. parts The firft affertion, that our poet's father was a butcher, has been thought unworthy of credit, because "not only contrary to all other tradition, but, as it may feem, to the inftrument in the herald's-office," which may be found in a former page. But for my own part, I think, this affertion, (which it should be observed is positively affirmed on the information of his neighbours, procured probably at an early period,) and the received account of his having been a wool-ftapler, by no means inconfiftent. Dr. Farmer has illuftrated a paffage in Hamlet from information derived from a person who was at once a wool-man and butcher; * Vol. I.. and, I believe, few occupations can be named, which are more naturally connected with each other. Mr. Rowe first mentioned the tradition that our poet's father was a dealer in wool, and his account is corroborated by a circumstance which I have juft now learned. In one of the windows of a building in Stratford which belonged to the Shakspeare family, are the arms of the merchants of the ftaple;-Nebule, on a chief gules, a lion paffant, or; and the fame arms, I am told, may be obferved in the church at Stratford, in the fret-work over the arch which covers the tomb of John de Clopton, who was a merchant of the ftaple, and father of Sir Hugh Clopton, lord-mayor of London, by whom the bridge over the Avon was built. But it fhould feem from the records of Stratford that John Shakspeare, about the year 1579, at which time our poet was fifteen years old, was by no means in affluent circumftances; and why may we not fuppofe that at that period he endeavoured to fupport his numerous family by adding the trade of a butcher to that of his principal bufinefs; though at a fubfequent period he was enabled, perhaps by his fon's bounty, to difcontinue the lefs refpectable of thefe occupations? I do not, however, think it at all probable, that a perfon who had been once bailiff of Stratford fhould have fuffered any of his children to have been employed in the fervile office of killing calves. Mr. Aubrey proceeds to tell us, that William Shak fpeare came to London and began his theatrical career, according to his conjecture, when he was about eighteen years old;-but as his merit as an actor is the principal object of our prefent difqui 2 See Vol. I. p. 2, n. 2. fition, I fhall poftpone my observations on this paragraph, till the remaining part of these anecdotes has been confidered. We are next told, that " he began early to make effays in dramatique poetry, which at that time was very lowe, and his playes took well." On these points, I imagine, there cannot be much variety of opinion. Mr. Aubrey was undoubtedly mistaken in his conjecture, (for he gives it only as conjecture,) that our poet came to London at eighteen; for as he had three children born at Stratford in 1583 and 1584, it is very improbable that he should have left his native town before the latter year. I think it most probable that he did not come to London before the year 1586, when he was twenty-two years old. When he produced his first play, has not been afcertained; but if Spenfer alludes to him in his Tears of the Mufes, Shakspeare must have exhibited fome piece in or before 1590, at which time he was twenty-fix years old; and though many have written for the publick before they had attained that time of life, any theatrical performance produced at that age, would, I think, fufficiently juftify Mr. Aubrey in saying that he began early to make effays in dramatick poetry. In a word, we have no proof that he did not woo the dramatick Muse, even fo early as in the year 1587 or 1588; in the first of which years he was but twenty-three: and therefore till fuch proof fhall be produced, Mr. Aubrey's afiertion, founded apparently on the information of those who lived very near the time, is entitled to fome weight. "He was a handfome well-fhaped man, verie good company, and of a very ready, and pleafant, and fmooth witt." |