any great degree of knowledge or nicety that way; till Ben Johnfon, getting poffeffion of the stage, brought critical learning into vogue: And that this was not done without difficulty, may appear from thofe frequent leffons (and indeed almost declamations) which he was forced to prefix to his first plays, and put into the mouths of his actors, the Grex, Chorus, etc. to remove the prejudices, and inform the judgment of his hearers. "Till then, our authors had no thoughts of writing on the model of the ancients their Tragedies were only hiftories in dialogue; and their comedies followed the thread of any novel as they found it, no lefs implicitly than if it had been true history.

To judge therefore of Shakespear by Ariftotle's rules, is like trying a man by the laws of one country, who acted under thofe of another. He writ to the people; and writ at firft without patronage from the better fort, and therefore without aims of pleafing them: without aflistance or advice from the learned, as without the advantage of education or acquaintance among them: without that knowledge of the best models, the ancients, to infpire him with an emulation of them: in a word, without any views of reputation, and of what poets are pleafed to call immortality: Some or all of which have encouraged the vanity, or animated the ambition, of other writers.

Yet it must be obferved, that when his performances had merited the protection of his prince, and when the encouragement of the court had fucceeded to that of the town; the works of his riper years are manifeftly raised above those of his former. The dates of his plays fufficiently evidence that his productions improved, in proportion to the respect he had for his auditors. And I make no doubt this obfervation would be found true in every inftance, were but editions extant from which we might learn the exact time when every piece was compofed, and whether writ for the town, or the court.

Another caufe (and no lefs ftrong than the former) may be deduced from our author's being a player, and forming himself firft upon the judgments of that body of men whereof he was a member. They have ever had a standard to themselves, upon other principles than thofe of Ariftotle. As they live by the majority, they know no rule but that of pleafing the prefent humour, and complying with the wit in fashion; a confideration which brings all their judgment to a short point. Players are juft fuch judges of what is right, as taylors are of what is graceful. And in this view it will be but fair to allow, that most of our Author's faults are less to be ascribed to his wrong judgment as a Poet, than to his right judgment as a Player.

By these men it was thought a praise to Shakefpear that he searce ever blotted a line. This they industriously propagated, as appears from what we are told by Ben Johnson in his Discoveries, and from the preface of Heminges and Condell to the firft folio edition. But in reality (however it has prevailed) there never was a more groundless report, to the contrary of which there are more undeniable evidences. As the Comedy of the Merry Wives of Windfor, which he entirely new writ; the Hiftory of Henry VI. which was first published under the title of the Contention of York and Lancaster: and that of Henry V. extremely improved; that of Hamlet enlarged to almoft as much again as at firft, and many others. I believe the common opinion of his want of learning proceeded from no better ground. This too might be thought a praise by fome, and to this his errors have as injudicioufly been a scribed by others. For 'tis certain, were it true, it could concern but a small part of them; the most are fuch as are not properly defects, but fuperfœtations; and arife not from want of learning or reading, but from want of thinking or judging: or rather (to be more just to our Author) from a com pliance to those wants in others. As to a wrong choice of the fubject, a wrong conduct of the incidents, falfe thoughts, forced expreffions, etc. if thefe are not to be ascribed to the aforefaid acci

dental reafons, they must be charged upon the poet himself, and there is no help for it. But I think the two disadvantages which I have mentioned (to be obliged to please the lowest of people, and to keep the worft of company) if the confideration be extended as far as it reasonably may, will appear fufficient to mislead and deprefs the greatest Genius upon earth. Nay the more modefty with which fuch a one is endued, the more he is in danger of fubmitting and conforming to others, against his own better judgment.

But as to his want of learning, it may be neceffary to say something more: There is certainly a vaft difference between learning and languages. How far he was ignorant of the latter, I cannot determine; but it is plain he had much reading at least, if they will not call it learning. Nor is it any great matter, if a man has knowledge, whether he has it from one language or from another. Nothing is more evident than that he had a tafte of natural philofophy, mechanicks, ancient and modern history, poetical learning and mythology: We find him very knowing in the customs, rites, and manners of antiquity. In Coriolanus and Julius Cæfar, not only the fpirit, but manners, of the Romans are exactly drawn; and still a nicer diftinction is shown, between the manners of the Romans in the time of the former, and of the latter. His reading in the

antient hiftorians is no lefs confpicuous, in many references to particular paffages: and the speeches copied from Plutarch in Coriolanus may, I think, as well be made an instance of his learning, as thofe copied from Cicero in Catiline, of Ben Johníon's. The manners of other nations in general, the Egyp tians, Venetians, French, etc. are drawn with equal propriety. Whatever object of nature, or branch of science, he either fpeaks of or defcribes; it is always with competent, if not extensive knowledge : his descriptions are ftill exact; all his metaphors appropriated, and remarkably drawn from the true nature and inherent qualities of each subject. When he treats of ethic or politic, we may conftantly obferve a wonderful juftness of diftinction, as well as extent of comprehenfion. No one is more a mafter of the poetical ftory, or has more frequent allusions to the various parts of it: Mr. Waller (who has been celebrated for this laft particular) has not fhewn more learning this way than Shakespear. We have tranflations from Ovid published in his name, among those poems which pass for his, and for fome of which we have undoubted authority (being published by himself, and dedi. cated to his noble patron the Earl of Southampton :) He appears alfo to have been converfant in Plautus, from whom he has taken the plot of one of his plays he follows the Greek authors, and particu