fame author with Edward the Third, which had been recovered to the world in Mr. Capell's Prolufions.

If any play in the collection bears internal evidence of Shakspeare's hand, we may fairly give him Timon of Athens. In this play we have a familiar quotation from Horace:

"Ira furor brevis eft."

I will not maintain but this hemistich may be found in Lilly or Udall; or that it is not in the Palace of Pleafure, or the English Plutarch; or that it was not originally foifted in by the players: it ftands, however, in the play of Timon of Athens.

The world in general, and those who purpose to comment on Shakspeare in particular, will owe much to Mr. Farmer, whofe researches into our old authors throw a luftre on many paffages, the obfcurity of which muft elfe have been impenetrable. No future Upton or Gildon will go further than North's tranflation for Shakspeare's acquaintance with Plutarch, or balance between Dares Phrygius, and The Troye Booke of Lydgate. The Hyftorie of Hamblet, in black letter, will for ever fuperfede Saxo Grammaticus; tranflated novels and ballads will, perhaps, be allowed the fources of Romeo, Lear, and The Merchant of Venice; and Shakspeare himself, however unlike Bayes in other particulars, will ftand convicted of having transverfed the profe of Holinfhed; and, at the same time, to prove" that his ftudies lay in his own language,' the tranflations of Ovid are determined to be the production of Heywood.

"That his ftudies were most demonstratively confined to nature, and his own language," I readily allow but does it hence follow that he was fo deplorably ignorant of every other tongue, living or

dead, that he only "remembered, perhaps, enough of his fchool-boy learning to put the big, bag, bog, into the mouth of Sir H. Evans; and might pick up in the writers of the time, or the courfe of his conversation, a familiar phrafe or two of French or Italian." In Shakspeare's plays both these last languages are plentifully fcattered; but, then we are told, they might be impertinent additions of the players. Undoubtedly they might: but there they are, and, perhaps, few of the players had much more learning than Shakspeare.

Mr. Farmer himself will allow that Shakspeare began to learn Latin: I will allow that his fludies lay in English: but why infift that he neither made any progrefs at fchool; nor improved his acquifitions there? The general encomiums of Suckling, Denham, Milton, &c. on his native genius, prove nothing; and Ben Jonfon's celebrated charge of Shakspeare's Small Latin, and lefs Greek, feems

Mr. Farmer clofes the general teftimonies of Shakspeare's having been only indebted to nature, by saying, "He came out of her hand, as fome one else expreffes it, like Pallas out of Jove's head, at full growth and mature." It is whimfical enough, that this fome one elfe, whofe expreffion is here quoted to countenance the general notion of Shakspeare's want of literature, fhould be no other than myfelf. Mr. Farmer does not choose to mention where he met with the expreffion of fome one else; and fome one else does not choose to mention where he dropt it.*

In defence of the various reading of this paffage, given in the Preface to the laft edition of Shakspeare, fmall Latin and no Greek," Mr. Farmer tells us, that "it was adopted above a century

It will appear ftill more whimsical that this fome one else whofe expreffion is here quoted, may have his claim to it fuperfeded by that of the late Dr. Young, who in his Conjectures on Original Composition, (p. 100, Vol. V. edit. 1773,) has the following fentence: "An adult genius comes out of nature's hands, as Pallas out of Jove's head, at full growth and mature. Shakspeare's genius was of this kind." Where fome one efe the first may have intermediately dropped the contested expreffion I cannot afcertain; but fome one else the fecond tranfcribed it from the author already mentioned. ANON.

abfolutely to decide that he had fome knowledge of both; and if we may judge by our own time, a man, who has any Greek, is feldom without a very competent fhare of Latin; and yet fuch a man is very likely to ftudy Plutarch in English, and to read tranflations of Ovid.

See Dr. Farmer's reply to thefe remarks by Mr. Colman, in a note on LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, A IV. fc. ii. p. 258.

ago by W. Towers, in a panegyrick on Cartwright." Surely, Towers having faid that Cartwright had no Greek, is no proof that Ben Jonfon faid fo of Shakspeare."

ANCIENT TRANSLATIONS

FROM

CLASSICK

AUTHORS.*

TE

HOME R.

EN Bookes of Homer's Iliades tranflated out of French, by Arthur Hall, Efquire. At London. Imprinted by Ralph Newberie, 4to.3 1581 The Shield of Achilles from the 18th Book of Homer, by Geo. Chapman, 4to. Lond. 1596 Seven Books of the Iliades, by ditto, 4to. Lond.

1596

1598

Do. Homer Prince of Poets: tranflated according to the Greeke in Twelve Bookes of his Iliads: By Geo. Chapman; fmall folio. Lond. printed for Samuel Macham. No date.

2 This Lift was drawn up by Mr. Steevens. I have made a few inconfiderable additions to it, which are diftinguished by this mark. MALONE.

3 In the first vol. of the books of entries belonging to the Stationers' Company, is the following:

“Henry Bynneman.] Nov. 1580, lycensed unto him under the wardens' handes ten bookes of the Iliades of Homer." Again, Samuel Macham.] Nov. 14, 1608. "Seven bookes of Homer's Iliades tranflated into English by Geo. Chapman.-[By affignment from Mr. Windett.] Again, Nathaniel Butter] April 8, 1611, "A booke called Homer's Iliades in Englifhe, containing 24 Bookes. Again, Nov. 2, 1614," Homer's Odiffes 24 bookes, tranflated by George Chapman.”

4 Meres, in his Second Part of Wits Commonwealth, fays that Chapman is" of good note for his inchoate Homer."

[This, I believe, was published in 1609. There are feveral Sonnets at the end, addreffed to different noblemen; among them one," to the Lord Treafurer, the Earle of Salisbury." See alfo the entry below.]

Fifteen Books of D°. thin folio 1600 The whole Works of Homer, by do. printed for Nath. Butter; no date, but probably printed

1611

in The Crowne of all Homer's Works, Batrachomymachia, &c. *[By Geo. Chapman, with his portrait in the title-page.] thin folio; printed by John Bill. No date.

The ftrange wonderfull and bloudy Battel between Frogs and Mife; paraphraftically done into English Heroycall Verfe, by W. F. (i. e. William Fowldes,) 4to.

-

HESIO D.

1603

The Georgicks of Hefiod, by George Chapman; Tranflated elaborately out of the Greek: Containing Doctrine of Hufbandrie, Moralitie, and Pietie; with a perpetual Calendar of Good and Bad Daies; Not fuperftitious, but neceffarie (as farre as naturall Caufes compell) for all men to obferve, and difference in following their affaires. Nec caret umbra Deo. London, Printed by H. L. for Miles Partrich, and are to be folde at his Shop neare Saint Dunstans Church in Fleetstreet. [This title-page is given at full length, because the exiftence of the book it belongs to (which

1618

5 In the firft volume of the Entries of the Stationers' Company is the following:

"T. Purfoote.] The Battel of the Frogges and Myce, and certain orations of Ifocrates." Jan. 4, 1579.