THE

PLAYS

OF

WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE,

Accurately printed from the Text of the corrected Copy left by the late

GEORGE STEEVENS, Esq.

T

WITH

A SERIES OF ENGRAVINGS,

FROM ORIGINAL DESIGNS OF

HENRY FUSELI, Esq. R. A. PROFESSOR OF PAINTING:

OF EXPLANATORY AND HISTORICAL NOTES,

From the most eminent Commentators;

A History of the Stage, a Life of Shakspeare, &c.
BY ALEXANDER CHALMERS, A. М.

IN TEN VOLUMES.

VOLUME II.

CONTAINING

TWELFTH-NIGHT; OR WHAT YOU WILL.
MEASURE FOR MEASURE.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.
MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM.

LONDON:

Printed for F. C. and J. Rivington; J. Johnson; R. Baldwin; H. L. Gardner; W. J. and J. Richardson; J. Nichols and Son; T. Payne; R. Faulder; G. and J. Robinson; W. Lowndes; G. Wilkie; Scatcherd and Letterman; T. Egerton; J. Walker; W. Clarke and Son; J. Barker and Son; D. Ogilvy and Son; Cuthell and Martin; R. Lea; P. Macqueen; Lackington, Allen and Co.; T. Kay; J. Deighton; J. White; W. Miller; Vernor and Hood; D. Walker; C. Law; B. Crosby and Co.; R. Pheney; Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme; Cadell and Davies; J. Harding; R. H. Evans; S. Bagster; J. Mawman; Blacks and Parry; J. Badcock; J. Asperne; and T. Ostell.

1805.

YORK

TWELFTH - NIGHT:*

OR

WHAT YOU WILL.

VOL. 11.

B

*TWELFTH-NIGHT.] 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
"By frowning fortune's wheale.
"He had a Page, Valerius named,
"Whom so muche he dyd truste,
"That all the secrets of his hart
"To hym declare he muste.
"And made hym all the onely meanes
"To sue for his redresse,
"And to entreate for grace to her
"That caused his distresse.
"She whan as first she saw his page
"Was straight with hym in love,
"That nothynge coulde Valerius face
" From Claudia's mynde remove.
By hym was Faustus often harde,

To se his Ladyes face.

"This passed well, tyll at the length

"Valerius sore did sewe,
"With many teares besechynge her
"His mayster's gryefe to rewe.
"And tolde her that yf she wolde not
" Release his mayster's payne,
"He never wolde attempte her more
"Nor se her ones agayne," &c.

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,

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 oс