"But the admirers of this great poet have most reafon to complain, when he approaches nearest to his highest excellence, and feems fully refolved to fink them into dejection and mollify them with tender emotions by the Fall of Greatness, the Danger of Innocence, or the Croffes of Love."

Does Mr. J. mean to refer his readers to the Fall of Wolfey, the Diftreffes of Lear, the Murders of Duncan and Defdemona, &c. &c. or was his mind wholly occupied by fome quibbling scenes in Romeo and Juliet, and the Midfummer's Night's Dream?

"A quibble was to him the fatal Cleopatra for which he loft the world, and was content to lofe it."

Has not Mr. J. been as culpably fond of writing upon Quibble, as Shakespeare in persuing it? and is not his laboured paragraph upon quibble as puerile as a remnant of a school-boy's declamation? Befides, was it not a vice common to all the writers of that age?

"Familiar Comedy is often more powerful on the Theatre, than in the page; Imperial Tragedy is always lefs."

Imperial Tragedy, fuch at least as is attended with thefe effects, is of all others the coldest; and

that

that Trägick Writer has but very ill effected the purposes of that fpecies of Drama, whofe productions are more powerful in the Page, than on the Theatre. Cato, perhaps, may poffefs more dignity and force in the clofet; but we know that Richard, Lear, Othello, &c. have moft power on the stage.

"Those whom my arguments cannot perfuade to give their approbation to the judgement of Shakefpeare, will eafily, if they confider the condition of his life, make fome allowance for his ignorance."

There is much good fenfe, found criticism, and fine writing in these observations on the Unities; and it is certain that a strict observation of the Unities of Time and Place have not only "given more trouble to the poet than pleasure to the Auditor," but have perhaps created as many abfurdities as they have prevented yet it were to have been wished, that Mr. J. had in this, as in all other inftances, rather maintained the character of a reafoner, than affumed that of a pleader. All liberties may be carried to an excefs, and the violation of these Unities may be fo grofs as to become unpardonable. Shakespeare himself feems to have been fenfible of this; and therefore introduced the Chorus into Henry

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Henry the Fifth to waft us from fhore to fhore; and for the fame reafon he brings in the perfonage of Time in the character of Chorus in the Winter's Tale, to apologife for the lapfe of fixteen years, the distance between the supposed birth of Perdita, and her appearance as the nymph beloved by Florizel. It might have been worth while therefore to have endeavoured in fome measure to afcertain how far thefe Unities may allowably be tranfgreffed. Such an investigation by Mr. J. would have ftill enhanced the value of this excellent Preface, and muft have been agreeable to all readers.

"There has always prevailed a tradition, that Shakespeare wanted learning, that he had no regular education, nor much skill in the dead languages. Jonfon his friend, affirms, that he had fmall Latin and no Greek."

Mr. J. certainly quotes from memory in this place. The affirmation of Ben Jonfon is, that Shakespeare "had small Latin, and lefs Greek," which implies his having some share of both. Even in our times, a man who has fome Greek, has commonly a pretty competent knowledge of Latin.

"Such

"Such verfe we make when we are writing profe; we make fuch verfe in common conver

fation."

It is remarkable that Dennis, though perhaps undefignedly, has here exemplified his own obfervation.

To the PRINTER of the ST. JAMES'S CHRONICLE,

SIR,

Thursday, Nov. 7, 1755.

I Have feen and read the Remarks which you

were pleafed to fubjoin to the Extracts from Mr. Johnfon's Preface to his Edition of Shakefpeare, and hope that the fame Remarker, having concluded his comments on the Preface, will proceed to examine the work itfelf. In the mean time, if the following obfervations on fome of our new editor's notes, on the play of Henry the Fifth, appear to be worth your notice, you are welcome to publish them in your Chronicle. I had no particular reason for fingling out this play: but when my books, for which I had long fince subfcribed, came home, the fourth volume happened to be the first that I cut open, and Harry V. the firft

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firft play that I perused. Hereafter, perhaps, if fome abler critick does not take the task out of my hands, I may send you my obfervations on fome others.

FIRST.

For 'tis your thoughts that now muft deck our Kings, Carry them here and there.

"We fhould (fays Mr. J.) read King for Kings. The prologue relates only to this play, The miftake was made by referring Them to Kings which belongs to Thoughts."

Not to mention the harfhnefs of referring Them to Thoughts inftead of Kings, to which it naturally and obviously belongs, Kings is proper in relation only to this play. The Kings of France and England are those here intended by Shakespeare, who says in the fame spirit but a few lines before,

Suppofe, within the girdle of these walls,
Are now confin'd two mighty monarchies.

SECOND.

Hugh Capet alfo, who ufurp'd the crown

Of Charles the Duke of Lorrain, fole heir male
Of the true line and stock of Charles the Great,
To fine his title with fome fhews of truth,
Though in pure truth it was corrupt, &c.