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WINTER'S TALE.] This play, throughout, is written in the very spirit of its author. And in telling this homely and fimple, though agreeable, country tale,

Our faveeteft Shakspeare, fancy's child,

Warbles his native wood-notes wild.

This was neceffary to obferve in mere juftice to the play; as the meannefs of the fable, and the extravagant conduct of it, had misled fome of great name into a wrong judgement of its merit; which, as far as it regards fentiment and character, is scarce inferior to any in the whole collection. WARBURTON.

At Stationers' Hall, May 22, 1594, Edward White entered “ A booke entitled A Wynter Nyght's Paftime." STEEVENS.

The story of this play is taken from The Pleafant Hiftory of Doraftus and Farnia, written by Robert Greene. JOHNSON.

In this novel, the king of Sicilia whom Shakspeare names

Leontes, is called

Polixenes K. of Bohemia

Mamillius P. of Sicilia

Florizel P. of Bohemia
Camillo

Old Shepherd

Hermione

Perdita

Mopfa

Egiftus.

Pandofto.

Garinter.

Doraftus.

Franion.

Porrus.

Bellaria.

Faunia.

Mopfa.

The parts of Antigonus, Paulina, and Autolycus, are of the poet's own invention; but many circumftances of the novel are omitted in the play. STEEVENS.

Dr. Warburton, by "fome of great name," means Dryden and Pope. See the Effay at the end of the Second Part of The Conquest of Granada: "Witness the lameness of their plots; [the plots of Shakspeare and Fletcher;] many of which, efpecially thofe which they wrote firft, (for even that age refined itself in fome measure,) were made up of fome ridiculous incoherent ftory, which in one play many times took up the business of an age. I fuppofe I need not name Pericles, Prince of Tyre, [and here, by-the-by, Dryden exprefsly names Pericles as our author's production,] nor the historical plays of Shakspeare; befides many of the reft, as The Winter's Tale, Love's Labour's Loft, Measure for Meafure, which were either grounded on impoffibilities, or at least fo meanly written, that the comedy neither caufed your mirth, nor the ferious part your concernment." Mr. Pope, in the Preface to his edition of our author's plays, pronounced the fame ill-confidered judgement on the play before us. "I fhould conjecture (fays he) of fome of the others, particularly Love's Labour's Loft, THE WINTER'S TALE, Comedy of Errors, and Titus Andronicus, that only fome characters, fingle fcenes, or perhaps a few particular paffages, were of his hand.'

None of our author's plays has been more cenfured for the breach of dramatick rules than The Winter's Tale. In confirmation of what Mr. Steevens has remarked in another place-" that Shakfpeare was not ignorant of these rules, but difregarded them,”—it may be observed, that the laws of the drama are clearly laid down by a writer once univerfally read and admired, Sir Philip Sidney, who in his Defence of Poefy, 1595, has pointed out the very improprieties into which our author has fallen in this play. After mentioning the defects of the tragedy of Gorboduc, he adds: “ But if it be fo in Gorboducke, how much more in all the rest, where you fhall have Afia of the one fide, and Affricke of the other, and fo manie other under kingdomes, that the player when he comes in, muft ever begin with telling where he is, or else the tale will not be conceived,Now of time they are much more liberal. For ordinarie it is, that two young princes fall in love, after many traverses fhe is got with childe, delivered of a faire boy: he is loft, groweth a man, falleth in love, and is readie to get another childe, and all this in two houres fpace: which how abfurd it is in fence, even fence may imagine."

The Winter's Tale is fneered at by B. Jonfon, in the induction to Bartholomew Fair, 1614: "If there be never a fervant-moniter in the fair, who can help it, nor a neft of antiques? He is loth to make nature afraid in his plays, like thofe that beget TALES, Tempefts, and fuch like dralleries." By the neft of antiques, the twelve fatyrs who are introduced at the sheep-fhearing festival, are alluded to.-In his converfation with Mr. Drummond of Hawthornden, in 1619, he has another ftroke at his beloved friend; "He [Jonfon] faid, that Shak speare wanted art, and fometimes fenfe; for in one of his plays he brought in a number of men, faying they had fuffered fhipwreck in Bohemia, where is no fea near by 100 miles." Drummond's Works, fol. 225, edit. 1711. When this remark was made by Ben Jonfon, The Winter's Tale was not printed, Thefe words therefore are a fufficient answer to Sir T. Hanmer's idle fuppofition that Bohemia was an error of the prefs for Bythinia.

This play, I imagine, was written in the year 1604. See An Attempt to afcertain the order of Shakspeare's plays, Vol. I.

MALONE.

Sir Thomas Hanmer gave himself much needlefs concern that Shakspeare fhould confider Bohemia as a maritime country. He would have us read Bythinia: but our author implicitly copied the novel before him. Dr. Grey, indeed, was apt to believe that Doraftus and Faunia might rather be borrowed from the play; but I have met with a copy of it, which was printed in 1588.vantes ridicules thefe geographical mistakes, when he makes the princefs Micomicona land at Offuna.-Corporal Trim's king of Bohemia" delighted in navigation, and had never a fea-port in

-Cer

his dominions ;" and my lord Herbert tells us, that De Luines the prime minifter of France, when he was embassador there, demanded, whether Bohemia was an inland country, or lay 66 upon the fea?"There is a fimilar mistake in The Two Gentlemen of Veronas relative to that city and Milan. FARMER.

The Winter's Tale may be ranked among the hiftoric plays of Shakspeare, though not one of his numerous criticks and commentators have difcovered the drift of it. It was certainly intended (in compliment to queen Elizabeth) as an indirect apology for her mother Anne Boleyn. The addrefs of the poet appears no where to more advantage. The fubject was too delicate to be exhibited on the ftage without a veil; and it was too recent, and touched the queen too nearly, for the bard to have ventured fo home an allufion on any other ground than compliment. The unreasonable jealoufy of Leontes, and his violent conduct in confequence, form a true portrait of Henry the Eighth, who generally made the law the engine of his boisterous paffions. Not only the general plan of the ftory is moft applicable, but feveral paffages are To marked, that they touch the real history nearer than the fable, Hermione on her trial says:

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" "Tis a derivative from me to mine,
"And only that I ftand for."

This feems to be taken from the very letter of Anne Boleyn to the king before her execution, where fhe pleads for the infant princefs his daughter. Mamillius, the young prince, an unneceffary character, dies in his infancy; but it confirms the allufion, as queen Anne, before Elizabeth, bore a still-born fon. But the moft ftriking paffage, and which had nothing to do in the tragedy, but as it pictured Elizabeth, is, where Paulina, defcribing the newborn princess, and her likeness to her father, fays: "She has the very trick of his frown." There is one fentence indeed fo applicable, both to Elizabeth and her father, that I fhould fufpect the poet inferted it after her death. Paulina, speaking of the child, tells the king:

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'Tis yours;

"And might we lay the old proverb to your charge,

"So like you, 'tis the worfe."

The Winter's Tale was therefore in reality a second part of Henry the Eighth. WALPOLE.

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Another Sicilian Lord.

Rogero, a Sicilian Gentleman.

An Attendant on the young Prince Mamillius.
Officers of a Court of Judicature.

Polixenes, King of Bohemia:

Florizel, his fon.

Archidamus, a Bohemian Lord.

A Mariner.

Gaoler.

An old Shepherd,

Clown, his Son.

reputed Father of Perdita:

Servant to the old Shepherd.

Autolycus, a Rogue.

Time, as Chorus.

Hermione, Queen to Leontes.

Perdita, Daughter to Leontes and Hermione.

Paulina, Wife to Antigonus.

Emilia, a Lady,

Two other Ladies,} attending the Queen.

Mopfa,

Dorcas,

} Shepherdesses.

Lords, Ladies, and Attendants; Satyrs for a dance; Shepherds, Shepherdeffes, Guards, &c.

SCENE, fometimes in Sicilia, fometimes in Bohemia.

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