was a long time manager of the Cockpit playhoufe in Drury-lane,) some particulars concerning Spenfer. I mention these circumstances only to shew that Aubrey was a curious and diligent inquirer, at a time when fuch inquiries were likely to be attended with fuccefs. versation that passed between Old Ben and Mr. Drummond of Hawthornden, which was not published till eleven years after Mr. Aubrey's death. A long account of Serjeant John Hoskyns, and Skinner, bishop of Oxford, may be found in Wood's Athen. Oxon. 1. 614-II. 1156. Not knowing that this poet had a fon who arrived at man's estate, I had no doubt that the reverfionary grant of the office of Master of the Revels, which I found in the chapel of the Rolls, was made to old Ben; [See Mr. Malone's Shakspeare, Ford, and Jonfon, Vol. I.] but I am now convinced that I was mistaken, and that this grant was made either to his fon, Benjamin Jonfon the younger, who was also a poet, though he has not been noticed by any of our biographical writers, or to fome other perfon of the fame name. A paper which has lately fallen into my hands, pointed out my mistake. It appears that Sir Henry Herbert soon after the Restoration brought an action on the cafe against Mr. Betterton, for the injury Sir Henry fuffered by the performance of plays without the accustomed fees being paid to the Master of the Revels. On the trial it was necessary for him to establish his title to that office; and as the grant made to him was not to take effect till after either the death, refignation, forfeiture, or furrender of Benjamin Jonfon and Sir John Aftley, it became necessary to shew that those two persons were dead: and accordingly it was proved on the trial that the faid Benjamin Jonfon died, Nov. 20, 1635. The poet-laureat died, August 16, 1637. The younger Jonfon was a dramatick author, having in conjunction with Brome, produced a play called A Fault in Friendship, which was acted at the Curtain by the Prince's company in October, 1623; and in 1672 a collection of his poems was published. To this volume are prefixed verses addressed " to all the ancient family of the Lucyes," in which the writer describes himself as " a little stream from that clear spring:" a circumstance which adds support to Dr. Bathurst's account of his father's birthplace. It should feem that he was not on good terms with his father. "He was not very happy in his children, (fays Fuller in his account of Ben Jonfon,) " and most bappy in those which died first, though none lived to furvive him." Dr. Farmer in his admirable Effay on the Learning of Shakspeare, by which, as Dr. Johnson justly observed, "the question is for ever decided," has given an extract from Mr. Aubrey's account of our poet, and the part which he has quoted has been printed in a former page: but as the manufcript memoir is more copious, and the account given by Aubrey of our poet's verses on John o'Combe, (which has never been published) is materially different from that tranfmitted by Mr. Rowe, I shall give an exact transcript of the whole article relative to Shakspeare, from the original. MS. Aubrey. Mus. ASHMOL. Oxon. Lives, P. I. fol. 78. a. [Inter Cod. Dugdal.] MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. "William Shakespeare's father was a butcher, and I have been told heretofore by fome of the neighbours, that when he was a boy, he exercised his father's trade; but when he killed a calfe, he would do it in a high style, and make a speech. This William, being inclined naturally to poetry and acting, came to London, I guesse about 18, and was an actor at one of the playhouses, and did act exceedingly well. Now Ben Jonfon was never a good actor, but an excellent instructor. He began early to make essays in dramatique poetry, which at that time was very lowe, and his plays took well. He was a handsome well shaped man; verie good company, and of a very ready, and pleasant, and fmooth witt. The humour of the constable in 9 Vol. II. p. 66. Dr. Farmer supposed that Aubrey's anecdotes of Shakfpeare came originally from Mr. Beeston, but this is a mistake. Mr. Beeston is quoted by Aubrey only for fome particulars relative to Spenser. A Midfommer-night Dreame he happened to take it Crendon in Bucks, (I think it was Midfommernight that he happened to be there ;) which is the road from London to Stratford; and there was living that constable about 1642, when I came first to Oxon. Mr. Jof. Howe is of the parish, and knew him. Ben Jonson and he did gather humours of men wherever they came. One time as he was at the taverne at Stratford, Mr. Combes, an old usurer, was to be buryed; he makes then this extemporary epitaph upon him: • Ten in the hundred the Devill allowes, • Hoh! quoth the Devill, 'tis my John o'Comb.' " He was wont to go to his native country once a yeare, I think I have been told that he left near 300l. to a fifter. He understood latin pretty well; for he had been in his younger yeares a scoolmaster in the country." Let us now proceed to examine the several parts of this account. The first assertion, that our poet's father was a butcher, has been thought unworthy of credit, because "not only contrary to all other tradition, but, as it may feem, to the instrument in the herald's-office," which may be found in a former page.* But for my own part, I think, this affertion, (which it should be observed is positively affirmed on the information of his neighbours, procured probably at an early period,) and the received account of his having been a wool-stapler, by no means inconfiftent. Dr. Farmer has illustrated a passage in Hamlet from information derived from a perfon who was at once a wool-man and butcher; and, I believe, few occupations can be named, which are more naturally connected with each other. Mr. Rowe first mentioned the tradition that our poet's father was a dealer in wool, and his account is corroborated by a circumstance which I have just now learned. In one of the windows of a building in Stratford which belonged to the Shakspeare family, are the arms of the merchants of the staple;-Nebule, on a chief gules, a lion passant, or; and the fame arms, I am told, may be observed in the church at Stratford, in the fret-work over the arch which covers the tomb of John de Clopton, who was a merchant of the staple, and father of Sir Hugh Clopton, lord-mayor of London, by whom the bridge over the Avon was built. But it should feem from the records of Stratford that John Shakspeare, about the year 1579, at which time our poet was fifteen years old, was by no means in affluent circumstances; and why may we not fuppofe that at that period he endeavoured to fupport his numerous family by adding the trade of a butcher to that of his principal business; though at a subsequent period he was enabled, perhaps by his fon's bounty, to difcontinue the less respectable of these occupations? I do not, however, think it at all probable, that a perfon who had been once bailiff of Stratford should have fuffered any of his children to have been employed in the fervile office of killing calves. * Vol. I. Mr. Aubrey proceeds to tell us, that William Shak speare came to London and began his theatrical career, according to his conjecture, when he was about eighteen years old;-but as his merit as an actor is the principal object of our present disquifition, I shall postpone my observations on this paragraph, till the remaining part of these anecdotes has been confidered. 2 See Vol. I. p. 2, n. 2. We are next told, that " he began early to make essays in dramatique poetry, which at that time was very lowe, and his playes took well." On these points, I imagine, there cannot be much variety of opinion. Mr. Aubrey was undoubtedly mistaken in his conjecture, (for he gives it only as conjecture,) that our poet came to London at eighteen; for as he had three children born at Stratford in 1583 and 1584, it is very improbable that he should have left his native town before the latter year. I think it most probable that he did not come to London before the year 1586, when he was twenty-two years old. When he produced his first play, has not been ascertained; but if Spenser alludes to him in his Tears of the Mufes, Shakspeare must have exhibited some piece in or before 1590, at which time he was twenty-fix years old; and though many have written for the publick before they had attained that time of life, any theatrical performance produced at that age, would, I think, sufficiently justify Mr. Aubrey in faying that he began early to make essays in dramatick poetry. In a word, we have no proof that he did not woo the dramatick Muse, even fo early as in the year 1587 or 1588; in the first of which years he was but twenty-three: and therefore till fuch proof shall be produced, Mr. Aubrey's afiertion, founded apparently on the information of those who lived very near the time, is entitled to fome weight. " He was a handfome well-shaped man, verie good company, and of a very ready, and pleasant, and smooth witt." |