is an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tygre's heart, wrapt in a player's hyde, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank-verse as the best of you; and being an absolute Johannes Factotum, is, in his own conceit, the only Shake-scene in a country." This is obviously levelled at Shakespeare, under the play upon his name of Shake-scene. The words "tygre's heart, wrapt in a player's hyde," are, as Collier points out, a parody on a line in a historical play (most likely by Greene), "O tiger's heart wrapp'd in a woman's hyde," from which Shakespeare had taken his Henry VI., Part iii. We have here most important information given by a rival dramatist regarding Shakespeare at this early point in his development. He is called the Johannes Factotum of his company, and this establishes the fact of the extraordinary variety of his powers. The allusion in the words "beautified with our feathers," and in several expressions of the same import, is to Shakespeare's being an adapter and improver of the plays of other authors, Greene himself being no doubt among the number. There are two points of importance to be noted here; one being that many of the plays acted at the Blackfriars theatre, under the names of their original authors, were retouched and altered by Shakespeare; and the other, that many of Shakespeare's own dramas are based on older plays of a poorer and more meagre character. This is a view of Shakespeare's genius and works which deserves attention. It is impossible that one man could create such an extraordinary variety of characters, incidents, names,

and originate such a rich profusion of expression as we find within the compass of Shakespeare's dramas, if he had no pre-existing materials. In fact, we must look on the great dramatist as having fallen heir to all the spoils of the drama which preceded him, including both the groundwork and the language. There can be no doubt we ought to take the same view of Homer. Regarding him, there are two conflicting hypotheses. One is, that Homer was a poet who simply composed his epic poems out of the traditions which existed in his time. The other hypothesis denies that such a man as Homer ever existed, and maintains that the "Iliad" is a collection of heterogeneous poems, arranged by later critics and put under one name. Here, as in the case of many conflicting theories, the truth, no doubt, is to be found by combining both. Homer thus was the last of a race of bards who sung the wars of Troy and the deeds of ancient heroes, and it was the function of his sublime genius to blend all these fugitive poems into one, along with many original creations of his own, recasting the language of the older pieces. We think the same is true of Shakespeare. A little after the publication of Greene's piece, Chettle wrote a tract called, "Kindheart's Dream," in which, by way of apology for the attack just alluded to, he says of Shakespeare, "I myself have seen his demeanor no lesse civill than he [is] excellent in the qualitie he professes: besides, divers of worship have reported his uprightness of dealing, which argues his honesty, and his facetious grace in writing, which approves his art." This shows how high a reputation Shakespeare had already acquired.

CHAPTER V.

PUBLIC LIFE-SECOND PERIOD.

1591-1610.

Venus and Adonis published in 1593-The Rape of Lucrece in 1594— Shakespeare in high favour with Queen Elizabeth and King JamesBen Jonson's allusion-Queen Elizabeth's glove-Falstaff in Merry Wives-Ben Jonson and Shakespeare-Jonson's Every Man in his Humour-Fuller on Shakespeare and Jonson-Criticism of Jonson on his friend-Meres' Wit's Treasury-Shakespeare's purchases in Stratford-Crown Inn, Oxford-He retires.

SEVERAL of Shakespeare's dramas had been published before 1591, among which, it is agreed, were the three parts of "Henry VI. ;" but there is a want of harmony with regard to the order in which his other early plays appeared. Without stopping to discuss this question, we shall notice several points of interest in Shakespeare's public life from this time onwards to the period of his withdrawal to Stratford. It was in the spring of 1593 that his "Venus and Adonis" issued from the press, with a dedication to the Earl of Southampton. Probably it was this piece that procured him the friendship of that nobleman. His "Rape of Lucrece" appeared in 1594. He also attained high favour with Queen Elizabeth, before whom, as well as her successor, King James, he frequently acted. Ben Jonson alludes to this, where, in reference to the "Sweet swan of Avon," he speaks of

"Those flights upon the banks of Thames,

That so did take Eliza and our James."

There is a tradition, which we may here quote, that one evening in the theatre, while Shakespeare was personating the part of a king, Queen Elizabeth, in crossing the stage, moved politely to the poet without being duly recognised. To ascertain if this was intentional, she again passed the stage near him, and dropped her glove. This was at once taken up by Shakespeare, who, in closing a speech, added the two following lines, which seemed to form a part of it :

"And though now bent on this high embassy,

Yet stoop we to take up our cousin's glove."

He then left the stage, and presented the glove to the queen, who is said to have been delighted with his ease and readiness, and to have complimented him for it. Rowe mentions that Elizabeth "was so well pleased with that admirable character of Falstaff in the two parts of 'Henry IV.,' that she commanded him to continue it for one play more, and show him in love: this is said to be the occasion of his writing the 'Merry Wives of Windsor."" Dennis, who preceded Rowe by a few years, says that "this comedy ("Merry Wives of Windsor') was written at Elizabeth's command, and by her direction: and she was so eager to see it acted, that she commanded it to be finished in fourteen days."

But if court patronage was one of the influences which developed the genius of the great dramatist, a much more potent one was his converse with the famous wits of his time. Among these the first place is due to Ben Jonson. According to Rowe, their connection was brought about by "a remarkable piece of humanity

and good nature on the part of Shakespeare. Mr. Jonson, who was at that time altogether unknown to the world, had offered one of his plays to the players in order to have it acted, and the persons into whose hands it was put, after having turned it carelessly and superciliously over, were just upon returning it to him with an illnatured answer that it would be of no service to their company, when Shakespeare luckily cast his eye upon it, and found something so well in it as to engage him first to read it through, and afterwards to recommend Mr. Jonson and his writings to the public." Jonson's play "Every Man in his Humour," was first performed at the Globe theatre in 1598, Shakespeare being one of the actors. Gifford attempts to show that this play was acted first in 1597, at a different theatre—an opinion which he supports by a passage out of Henslowe's Diary. It is satisfactorily proved by Collier, however, that Henslowe's "Humours," or "Umers" as he spells it, must have been an entirely different play from Jonson's. In his own authorized edition of his works in 1616, Ben Jonson positively states that his comedy of "Every Man in his Humour," was acted in the year 1598, by the then Lord Chamberlain's servants-namely, Shakespeare's company, and that it was acted for the first time in that year. This must be regarded as settling the question.

Such was the commencement of an intimate friendship between Shakespeare and rare Ben Jonson, which lasted during their lives. The place where their convivial meetings were held was, if we may trust tradition, the Falcon Tavern. Fuller in his "Worthies,"

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