Perhaps Donne or Basse improved upon them, thus: "But if precedencie in death doe barre or doth A fourth place in your sacred sepulchre, Under this [ ] marble of thy owne Sleep, rare Tragedian, Shakespeare, sleep alone," &c. and further it seems not improbable that the third of these lines became, "In this unshared marble of thy owne," before the additional couplet was added, when unshared was supplanted by uncarved. [Not quite agreeing with Dr. Ingleby in his view of this Epitaph, I have left his remarks, as they stood, and append a few of my own; I print the version from Lansdowne 777, because it is an early MS., probably of the end of James I, and because it closely agrees with the two other earliest copies, viz. that given by Malone, and Mr. Halliwell's fac-simile. We therefore are likely here, as I think, to get the nearest approach to the original. An argument in favour of this is, that the names of the poets in the first three lines of these, as in nearly all the versions (Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, II, III, IV), are placed in chronological order,-Spencer is to go nearer Chaucer, and is to be followed by Beaumont; thus, besides avoiding the repetition of Beaumont in line 2, giving more force to the allusion in line 9. This is confirmed by the quotation from the epitaph given by Jonson (after, p. 315). The variations in the different versions are considerable, but are generally such as would arise from the lines having been written down from memory, rather than errors of a copyist; the verses evidently were popular, on a popular subject, and hence are found in common-place-books and miscellaneous collections. Two only of our fifteen copies omit lines 13, 14 (those in Donne's Poems, and Harl. 1749), they therefore probably were in the poem as first written, with the rest of which they seem to me quite consistent. Perhaps the most curious variation falls upon line 11; besides the two texts above we find “In an uncarued”, “curved ” (badly written for carved in the Ashmole copy), "curled" (Donne), "cabled" (which I think badly written for "curled," Harl. 1749), this copy closely follows Donne's; “sacred,” and “sable,” instead of “carved.” It seems to me that "Under this carved marble" has more sense, either figuratively, or positively, with a possible reference to Shakespere's tomb at Stratford, than to suppose him buried in marble, carved or uncarved. L. T. S.] The following is a list of all the manuscript copies that are known to us. * (1.) Brit. Mus. MS. Lansdowne 777, fo. 67 b. + (2.) A collection of Miscellaneous Poems in a handwriting of the early part of the reign of Charles I; from which these verses are printed in Fennell's Shakespeare Repository, p. 10. * (3.) A MS. copy inserted in the Halliwell Collection of printed Proclamations and Broad-sides, in the Chetham Library, Manchester. See fac-simile of it in the catalogue (London, 1851, privately printed), No. 2757. * (4.) A collection of manuscript poems, formerly in the possession of Gustavus Brander, Esq., containing these verses. Cited by Malone, who says "the MS. appears to have been written soon after the year 1621.” Shakespere's Works, 1821, vol. i. pp. 470-472. *(5.) A volume of manuscript poems composed by W. Herrick and others, and inter alia Basse's lines; in the Rawlinson Collection, Bodleian Library, Oxford. (Cited by Malone, but a diligent search has failed to discover it.) * (6.) A volume of manuscripts, containing poems by Bishop Corbet, and inter alia Basse's lines; also in the Rawlinson Collection. MS. Poet. Vol. 117, p. 40 (resembles Lans. 777). *(7.) British Museum MS. Sloane 1792 (not 1702 as Malone quotes it), fo. 114. † (8.) Phillipps MSS. at Cheltenham (formerly Middlehill), No. 9569 : printed at the end of The Marriage of Wit and Wisdom, edited by J. O. Halliwell for the Shakespere Society, 1846; p. 92 (written about 1638). * (9.) A volume of manuscripts, containing six poems by W. Herrick, and also Basse's lines. Vol. 38, No. 421, in the Ashmole Collection Bodleian Library, Oxford. † (10.) Harl. MS. 1749, fo. 289 6 (a corrupt version: it wants lines 13, 14). To these may be added the following five early printed versions. + I. Donne's Poems. 1633. [4to.] p. 149. (Sign. Y 3; the paging is wrong, it should be 165:) * II. Verses appended to Shakespeare's Poems. K 8, back. 1640. [12mo.] Sign. * III. Witt's Recreations: selected, &c. 1640 [12mo.], where Basse's lines are numbered Epitaph 5, sign. AA 2. * IV. Witt's Recreations Augmented, &c. 1641 [12mo.], where Basse's lines are numbered 144 of the Epitaphs. * V. Poems: by Francis Beaumont [with additions by various writers]. 1652. [sm. 8vo.] Sign. M. The Epitaph is not in the edition of these Poems of 1640, it is among the additions of 1652. Of these, II, III, and IV are substantially the same, and follow in the main, No. (1). The * and † show the type to which each copy belongs As to the evidence of authorship: In (1) the lines are subscribed, "Wm. Basse,” (2) headed "Mr. Basse," and (3) "Mr. Willm. Basse": (4) "Basse his elegie one Poett Shakespeare, who died in April, 1616": (5) "Shakespeare's Epitaph," without author's name. (6) "Basse his elegye on Shakespeare": (7) Headed "vpon shackpeare"; no author's name. (8) Headed "On Shakespeare, Basse." (9) Subscribed" finis, Dr. Doone." (10) Nothing. In I. they are assigned to Dr. Donne; but they are omitted from the next edition of his Poems. In II. they are subscribed W. B. in III, IV, and V, they are anonymous. They are not included in "The Pastorals and other Workes of William Basse," printed in 1653. C. M. I. SH. ALLN. BK.-I. U THOMAS ROBINSON, 1622. And when he is merrily difpofed (as that is not seldom) then muft his dearling Kate Knightley play him a merry fit, and fifter Mary Brooke, or fome other of his laft-come Wags, muft fing him one bawdy fong or other to digeft his meat. Then after fupper it is usuall for him to reade a little of Venus and Adonis, the iefts of George Peele, or some such fcurrilous booke: for there are few idle Pamphlets printed in England which he hath not in the house. The Anatomy of the English Nunnery at Lisbon in Portugall: By the use of the expression "idle pamphlets" Brother Robinson did not necessarily intend (as Mr. Collier supposes, Bibliog. and Crit. Account, ii. 274) to depreciate Shakespeare's poem. An "idle pamphlet,” at that time of day, meant one which afforded diversion rather than edification. Surely "scurrilous booke" (to which Mr. Collier takes no exception) implies a much graver charge. C. M. I. JOHN TAYLOR, 1622. And laft he laughed in the Cambrian tongue, and beganne to declare in the Vtopian Speech, what I haue heere with moft diligent negligence tranflated into the English Language, in which if the Printer hath placed any line, letter or fillable, whereby this large volume may be made guilty to bee vnderstood by any man, I would haue the Reader not to impute the fault to the Author, for it was farre from his purpose to write to any purpose, fo ending at the beginning, I fay as it is applawsfully written and commended to pofterity in the Midsommer nights dreame. If we offend, it is with our good will, we came with no intent, but to offend, and show our fimple skill. Rolihayton. ... Sir Gregory Nonsence. His Newes from no place. In Mr. Hall.-P.'s. Mem. on M. N. Dr., p. 35. The words meant to be quoted are those of Manager Quince, the Prologue, in M. N. Dr., 1st Folio, p. 160, col. I: "Pro. If we offend, it is with oure good will. That you should thinke, we care not to offend, But with good will. To show our simple skill.” The word 'intent' was recollected from the later lines— "We do not come, as minding to content you, THOMAS WALKLEY, 1622. The Stationer to the Reader ཏ《《འོ། ༢༥ O fet forth a booke without an Epiftle, were like to the old English prouerbe, A blew coat without a badge, & the Author being dead, I thought good to take that piece of worke vpon mee: To commend it, I will not, for that which is good, I hope euery man will commend, without intreaty: and I am the bolder, because the Authors name is fufficient to vent his worke. Thus leauing euery one to the liberty of iudgement: I haue ventered to print this Play, and leave it to the generall cenfure. Yours, The Tragedy of Othello, / The Moore of Venice. | As it hath beene diuerse times acted at the / Globe, and at the Black-Friers, by his Maiesties Seruants. Written by VVilliam Shakespeare./ London, / Printed by N. O. I for Thomas Walkley, and are to be sold at his / shop, at the Eagle and Child, in Britans Bursse./ 1622./ sign. A 2. Mr. Herbert A. Evans calld my attention to Walkley's Foreword not being in the Centurie. At the end of 'The Fourth Edition' of Othello, 1655, in its publisher's List of Books, "Printed or sold by William Leake, at the signe of the |