IN his "Twelfth Night," Shakspeare introduces the clown singing part of the two first stanzas of the following song; which has been recovered from an ancient MS. of Dr. Harrington's at Bath, preserved among the many literary treasures transmitted to the ingenious and worthy possessor by a long line of most respectable ancestors. Of these only a small part hath been printed in the " Nuga Antiquæ," 3 vols. 12mo. ; a work which the public impatiently wishes to see continued. The song is thus given by Shakspeare, act iv. sc. 2. (Malone's edit. iv. 93.) My lady is unkind perdy- But this ingenious emendation is now superseded by the proper readings of the old song itself, which is here printed from what appears the most ancient of Dr. Harrington's poetical MSS., and which has, therefore, been marked No. I. (scil. p. 68). That volume seems to have been written in the reign of King Henry VIII., and as it contains many of the poems of Sir Thomas Wyat, hath had almost all the contents attributed to him by marginal directions written with an old but later hand, and not always rightly, as, I think, Clown. "Hey Robin, jolly Robin." [sing- might be made appear by other good authori ing.] "Tell me how thy lady does." Malvolio. Fool. Clown. "My lady is unkind, perdy. Clown. "Alas, why is she so?" ties. Among the rest, this song is there attributed to Sir Thomas Wyat also; but the discerning reader will probably judge it to belong to a more obsolete writer. In the old MS. to the 3d and 5th stanzas is prefixed this title, Responce, and to the 4th and 6th, Le Plaintif; but in the last instance Clown." She loves another."- -Who calls, so evidently wrong, that it was thought better ha?" to omit these titles, and to mark the changes of the dialogue by inverted commas. In Dr. Farmer has conjectured that the song other respects the MS. is strictly followed, should begin thus: "Hey, jolly Robin, tell to me except where noted in the margin-Yet the first stanza appears to be defective, and it should seem that a line is wanting, unless the four first words were lengthened in the tune. tural explanations often given by us painful editors and expositors of ancient authors. THIS sonnet (which is ascribed to Richard | is not inelegant), as at those forced and unnaEdwards* in the "Paradise of Daintie Devises," fo. 31, b.) is by Shakspeare made the subject of some pleasant ridicule in his "Romeo and Juliet," act iv. sc. 5, where he introduces Peter putting this question to the musicians. This copy is printed from an old quarto MS. in the Cotton Library (Vesp. A. 25), entitled, "Divers things of Hen. viij's time:" with some corrections from The Paradise of Dainty Devises, 1596. As the 13th line of the following ballad seems here particularly alluded to, it is not improbable that Shakspeare wrote it "shot so trim," which the players or printers, not perceiving the allusion, might alter to "true." The former, as being the more humorous expression, seems most likely to have come from the mouth of Mercutio.† In the 2d part of Hen. IV., act v. sc. 3, Falstaff is introduced affectedly saying to Pistoll, "O base Assyrian knight, what is thy news? Let King Cophetua know the truth thereof." These lines, Dr. Warburton thinks, were taken from an old bombast play of "King Cophetua." No such play is, I believe, now to be found; but it does not therefore follow that it never existed. Many dramatic pieces are referred to by old writers, which are not now extant, or even mentioned in any list. In the infancy of the stage, plays were often exhibited that were never printed. It is probably in allusion to the same play that Ben Jonson says, in his Comedy of "Every Man in his Humour," act iii. sc. 4, * See above, Preface to Song i. Book ii. of this vol. p. 158. Since this conjecture first occurred, it has been discovered that "shot so trim" was the genuine reading. See Shakspeare ed. 1793, xiv. 393. See Meres Wits Treas. f. 283. Arte of Eng. Poes. 1589, p. 51, 111, 143, 169. I have not the heart to devour thee, an' I might be made as rich as King Cophetua." At least there is no mention of King Cophetua's riches in the present ballad, which is the oldest I have met with on the subject. It is printed from Rich. Johnson's "Crown Garland of Goulden Roses," 1612, 12mo. (where it is entitled simply "A Song of a Beggar and a King"): corrected by another copy. VII. Take thy Old Cloak about thee. And Ile have a new cloake about mee. SHE. It is four and fortye yeeres agoe -is supposed to have been originally a Scotch | It will neither hold out winde nor raine; 31 ballad. The reader here has an ancient copy in the English idiom, with an additional stanza (the 2d) never before printed. This curiosity is preserved in the Editor's folio MS., but not without corruptions, which are here removed by the assistance of the Scottish Edition. Shakspeare, in his Othello, act ii., has quoted one stanza, with some variations, which are here adopted: the old MS. readings of that stanza are however given in the margin. Since the one of us the other did ken, And we have had betwixt us towe 35 Of children either nine or ten; men; In the feare of God I trow they bee; Man, take thine old cloake about thee. 40 15 His breeches cost him but a crowne, 50 Shee ha beene alwayes true to the payle Shee has helpt us to butter and cheese, I trow, Therefore he calld the taylor Lowne. He was a wight of high renowne, And thouse but of a low degree: Itt's pride that putts this countrye downe, 55 HE. And other things shee will not fayle; 20 Bell my wife she loves not strife, |