66 copy in duodecimo, without title, but with the printer's monogram in the last page, I suspect of 1569, which once belonged to Pope, and from which the late Mr. Spence most faithfully printed a modern edition of the tragedy, in the year 1736. I believe it was printed before that of 1571, for it retains all the errors of Griffith's firft or fpurious edition of 1565. In the Preface prefixed to the edition of 1571, is the following paffage. "Where [whereas] this tragedy was for furniture of part of the grand Christmasse in the Inner-temple, first written about nine years ago by the right honourable Thomas now lord Buck"hurst, and by T. Norton; and afterwards showed before her “maiestie, and neuer intended by the authors thereof to be published: Yet one W. G. getting a copie thereof at fome young mans hand, that lacked a little money and much difcretion, in the last great plague anno 1565, about fiue yeares past, while the said lord was out of England, and T. Norton "far out of London, and neither of them both made priuy, put "it forth exceedingly corrupted, &c." W. G. is William Griffith, the printer in Fleet street, abovementioned. Mr. Garrick had another old quarto edition, printed by Alde, in 1590. These are the circumftances of the fable of this tragedy. Gordobuc, a king of Britain about fix hundred years before Christ, made in his life-time a divifion of his kingdom to his fons Ferrex and Porrex. The two young princes within five years quarrelled for univerfal fovereignty. A civil war enfued, and Porrex flew his elder brother Ferrex. Their mother Viden, who loved Ferrex beft, revenged his death by entering Porrex's chamber in the night, and murthering him in his fleep. The people, exasperated at the cruelty and treachery of this murther, rofe in rebellion, and killed both Viden and Gordobuc. The nobility then affembled, collected an army, and destroyed the In the year 1717, my father, then a fellow of Magdalene college at Oxford, gave this copy to Mr. Pope, as appears by a letter of Pope to R. Digby, dat. Jun. 2. 1717. See Pope's LETTERS, vol. ix. p. 39. edit. 12mo. 1754. "Mr. War"ton forced me to take Gordobuc, &c." Pope gave it to the late bishop Warburton, who gave it to me about ten years ago, 1770. rebels.. rebels. An inteftine war commenced between the chief lords: the fucceffion of the crown became uncertain and arbitrary, for want of the lineal royal iffue: and the country, deftitute of a king, and wafted by domeftic flaughter, was reduced to a state of the most miferable defolation. In the dramatic conduct of this tale, the unities of time and place are eminently and visibly violated: a defect which Shakefpeare fo frequently commits, but which he covers by the magic of his poetry. The greater part of this long and eventful history is included in the representation. But in a story so fertile of bloodshed, no murther is committed on the stage. It is worthy of remark, that the death of Porrex in the bed-chamber is only related. Perhaps the players had not yet learned to die, nor was the ponyard fo effential an article as at prefent among the im plements of the property-room. Nor is it improbable, that to kill a man on the ftage was not now avoided as a spectacle fhocking to humanity, but because it was difficult and inconvenient to be reprefented. The writer has followed the feries of facts related in the chronicles without any material variation, or fictitious embarrafiments, and with the addition only of a few neceffary and obvious characters. There is a Chorus of Four Antient and Sage Men of Britain, who regularly clofe every Act, the last excepted, with an ode in long-lined ftanzas, drawing back the attention of the audience to the fubftance of what has juft paffed, and illuftrating it by recapitulatory moral reflections, and poetical or hiftorical allufions. Of these the best is that which terminates the fourth Act, in which prince Porrex is murthered by his mother Viden. These are the two firft ftanzas. When greedie luft in royall seat to reigne, Behold Behold howe MISCHIEFE wide herfelfe difplaies, When blood thus fhed doth staine the heauens face, The mightie god euen moueth from his place, With wrath to wreak. Then fendes he forth with spede With ferpents girt, carrying the whip of ire, With haire of ftinging fnakes, and fhining bright Do make the mother kill her onelie fon! Blood afketh blood, and death muft death requite : Juftly hath euer fo required it, &c. In the imagery of thefe verfes, we difcern no faint traces of the hand which drew the terrible guardians of hell-gate, in the INDUCTION to the MIRROUR of MAGISTRATES. The moral beauties and the spirit of the following ode, which clofes the third act, will perhaps be more pleafing to many readers. The luft of kingdom knowes no facred faithe, No kindlie loue, no feare of heauens wrathe: The fonne fo lothes the fathers lingerynge daies, f A& iv. Sc. ult. Kingdoms, edit. 1565. O wretched . O wretched prince! ne doft thou yet recorde Thus fatall plagues purfue the giltie race, The wicked child thus bringes to wofull fier Destroye the parted reigne with hatefull ftrife: And hence doth spring the well, from which doth flo, Every Act is introduced, as was the custom in our old plays, with a piece of machinery called the DUMB SHOW, fhadowing by an allegorical exhibition the matter that was immediately to follow. In the construction of this spectacle and its perfonifications, much poetry and imagination was often difplayed. It is fome apology for these prefigurations, that they were commonly too mysterious and obfcure, to foreftal the future events with any degree of clearness and precifion. Not that this mute mimicry was always typical of the enfuing incidents. It fometimes ferved for a compendious introduction of such circumstances, as could not commodioufly be comprehended within the bounds of the representation. It fometimes fupplied deficiencies, and covered the want of bufinefs. Our ancestors were eafily fatified with this artificial supplement of one of the most important unities, which abundantly filled up the interval that was neceffary to pafs, while a hero was expected from the Holy Land, or a princess was imported, married, and brought to bed. • Still, omitt. edit. 1565. i This, edit. 1565. Very, a worse reading, in edit, 1571. 1 Mournings, edit. 1565. m Act iii. Sc. ult. mean time, the greater part of the audience were probably more pleased with the emblematical pageantry than the poetical dialogue, although both were alike unintelligible. I will give a specimen in the DOMME SHEWE preceding the fourth act. "First, the mufick of howeboies began to plaie. Duringe whiche, there came forth from vnder the stage, as "thoughe out of hell, three Furies, ALECTO, MEGERA, and "CTESIPHONE ", clad in blacke garments fprinkled with bloud " and flames, their bodies girt with fnakes, their heds spread "with ferpents instead of heare, the one bearing in her hande 66 a fnake the other a whip, and the thirde a burning firebrande: "eche driuynge before them a kynge and a queene, which moued by Furies vnnaturally had flaine their owne children. The "names of the kinges and queenes were thefe, TANTALUS, "MEDEA, ATHAMAS, INO, CAMBISES, ALTHEA. After "that the Furies, and these, had paffed aboute the stage thrife, they departed, and then the muficke ceafed. Hereby was fignified the vnnaturall murders to followe, that is to faie, "Porrex flaine by his owne mother. And of king Gordobuc "and queene Viden killed by their owne fubjectes." Here, by the way, the vifionary proceffion of kings and queens long fince dead, evidently resembles our author Sackville's original model of the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES; and, for the same reafon, reminds us of a fimilar train of royal spectres in the tentscene of Shakespeare's KING RICHARD THE THIRD. I take this opportunity of expreffing my furprise, that this oftenfible comment of the Dumb Shew fhould not regularly appear in the tragedies of Shakespeare. There are even proofs that he treated it with contempt and ridicule. Although fome critics are of opinion, that because it is never defcribed in form at the close or commencement of his acts, it was therefore never introduced. Shakespeare's aim was to collect an audience, and for this purpose all the common expedients were neceffary. No VOL. III. n Tifiphone. dramatic |