PRELIMINARY REMARKS. THERE is great reason to believe, that the serious part of this Comedy is founded on some old translation of the seventh history in the fourth volume of Belleforest's Histoires Tragiques. Belleforest took the story, as usual, from Bandello. The comic scenes appear to have been entirely the production of Shakspeare. It is not impossible, however, that the circumstances of the Duke sending his Page to plead his cause with the Lady, and of the Lady's falling in love with the Page, &c. might be borrowed from the Fifth Eglog of Barnaby Googe, published with his other original Poems in 1563 : "A worthy Knyght dyd love her longe, "And for her sake dyd feale "The panges of love, that happen styl 66 By frowning fortune's wheale. "He had a Page, Valerius named, 66 Whom so muche he dyd truste, "To hym declare he muste. “To sue for his redresse, "And to entreate for grace to her 66 66 66 By hym his sutes toke place, "This passed well, tyll at the length "With many teares besechynge her Thus also concludes the first scene of the third act of the play before us: "And so adieu, good madam; never more "Will I my master's tears to you deplore," &c. I offer no apology for the length of the foregoing extract, the book from which it is taken, being so uncommon, that only one copy, except that in my own possession, has hitherto occurred. Even Dr. Farmer, the late Rev. T. Warton, Mr. Reed, and Mr. Malone, were unacquainted with this Collection of Gooeg's Poetry. STEEVENS. Thus far Mr. Steevens. By the kindness of my friend, Mr. Heber, the present possessor of the very rare book which has been quoted, I am enabled to add the remainder of Barnaby Googe's poem, from which it will appear that if there be any resemblance at all between the story of his Egloge and the fable of TwelfthNight, it is very remote indeed : "She then with mased countnaunce nor tyll this tyme dyd feare, "That thou dydste for thy mayster sue "but onely for my sake. "And for my syght, I euer thought "thou dydste thy trauayle take "But nowe I se the contrarye, "thou nothynge carste for me, Synce fyrst thou knewste, the fyerye flames "O Lorde how yll, thou doste requyte "that I for the haue done, "I curse the time, that frendshyp fyrst, "O Lorde I the beseche let me, "in tyme reuenged be: "And let hym knowe that he hath synd "in this misusynge me. "I can not thynke, but Fortune once, 66 "shall the rewarde for all, And vengeaunce due for thy deserts "And tell thy maister Faustus nowe, "that neuer more he sewe to me, gyve: Mr. Malone was of opinion that the plot of this play was rather taken from The Historie of Apolonius and Silla, which is the second tale in a collection, by Barnabe Riche, entitled Rich his Farewell to Militarie Profession, which first appeared in 1583. In compliance with his intention, it is here inserted. I ought, in justice, to add, that I am not sure that this was Mr. Malone's own discovery, for I find it pointed out in a very modest and respectful letter addressed to him, in the year 1806, by Mr. Octavius Gilchrist of Stamford. "During the time that the famous citty of Constantinople, remained in the handes of the Christians, amongst many other noble men, that kept their abiding in that florishing citty, there was one whose name was Apolonius, a worthy duke, who being but a very VOL. XI. Y yong man, and euen then newe come to his possessions which were very great, leuied a mighty bande of men, at his owne proper charges, with whom hee serued against the Turke, during the space of one whole yeere, in which time although it were very short, this young duke so behaued himselfe, as well by prowesse and valiance shewed with his owne hands, as otherwise, by his wisdome and liberality, vsed towards his souldiors, that all the world was filled with the fame of this noble duke. When he had thus spent one yeeres seruice, he caused his trompet to sound a retrait, and gathering his company together, and imbarking themselues he set saile, holding his course towards Constantinople : but beeing vpon the sea, by the extremity of a tempest which sodainely fell, his fleete was seuered some one way, and some an other, but hee him selfe recouered the Isle of Cypres, where he was worthily receiued by Pontus duke and gouernour of the same isle, with whom hee lodged, while his shippes were new repairing. "This Pontus that was lord and gouernour of this famous isle, was an auncient duke, and had two children, a sonne and a daughter, his son was named Siluio, of whom hereafter we shal haue further occasion to speake, but at this instant he was in the parts of Africa, seruing in the warres. "The daughter her name was Silla, whose beauty was so pereles, that she had the soueraignty amongst all other dames, as well for her beauty as for the noblenesse of her birth. This Silla hauing heard of the worthinesse of Apolonius, this yong duke, who besides his beauty and good graces, had a certaine natural allurement, that being now in his company in her fathers court, she was so strangely attached with the loue of Apolonius, that there was nothing might content her but his presence and sweet sight, and although she saw no maner of hope, to attaine to that she most desired: knowing Apolonius to be but a guest, and ready to take the benefit of the next wind, and to depart into a straunge countrye, whereby shee was bereaued of all possibility euer to see him againe, and therefore striued with her selfe to leaue her fondnesse, but al in vaine it would not bee, but like the fowle which is once limed, the more shee striueth, the faster she tyeth her selfe. So Silla was now constrained perforce her will to yield to loue, wherefore from time to time, shee vsed so great familiarity with him, as her honour might well permitte, and fed him with such amorous baites, as the modestye of a maide, could reasonably afforde, which when shee perceiued, did take but small effect, feeling her selfe out raged with the extremity of her passion, by the onely countenance that she bestowed vpon Apolonius, it might haue bene well perceiued, that the very eyes pleaded vnto him for pitie and remorse. But Apolonius comming but lately from out the field, from the chasing of his enemies, and his fury not yet throughly desolued, nor purged from his stomacke, gaue no regard to those |