lities, and over-bearing in company; but as there is no good authority for the affertion, it is more agreeable to candour to believe him the amiable knight Winftanley draws him; as it feldom happens that a foul formed for the noble quality of friendship is haughty and infolent. There is a tragedy of Sir Thomas Overbury wrote by the late Kichard Savage, fon of earl Rivers, which was acted in 1723, (by what was then ufually called The Summer Company) with fuccefs; of which we shall speak more at large in the life of that unfortunate gentleman. j JOHN MARSTEN. HERE are few things on record concerning T1 this poet's life. Wood fays, that he was a student in Corpus-Chrifti College, Oxon; but in what country he was born, or of what family defcended, is no where fixed. Mr. Langbain fays, he can recover no other information of him, than what he learned from the teftimony of his bookfeller, which is, “That he was free from all obfcene "fpeeches, which is the chief cause of making plays "odious to virtuous and modeft perfons; but he ❝abhorred fuch writers and their works, and pro"fessed himself an enemy to all fuch as ftuffed "their scenes with ribaldry, and larded their "lines with fcurrilous taunts, and jets, so that "whatsoever even in the spring of his years he "prefented upon the private and public theatre, in "his autumn and declining age he needed not to to be ashamed of," He lived in friendship with the famous Ben Johnson, as appears by his addreffing to his name a tragi-comedy, called Male-Content; but we afterwards find him reflecting pretty,, feverely on Ben, on account of his Cataline and Se janus, janus, as the reader will find on the perufal of Marf ten's Epiftle, prefixed to Sophonisba.." Know, fays he, that I have not laboured in this poem, "to relate any thing as an hiftorian, but to enlarge "every thing as a poet. To tranfcribe authors, "quote authorities, and to tranflate Latin profe "orations into English blank verfe, hath in this fubject been the leaft aim of my ftudies." Langbain obferves, that none who are acquainted with the works of Johnson can doubt that he is meant here, if they will compare the orations in Saluft with thofe in Cataline. On what provocation Marten thus cenfured his friend is unknown, but the practice has been too frequently pursued, fo true is it, as Mr. Gay obferves of the wits, that they are oft game cocks to one another, and fometimes verify the couplet. That they are still prepared to praise or to ab hor us, Satire they have, and panegyric for us. Marften has contributed eight plays to the stage, which were all acted at the Black Fryars with applaufe, and one of them called the Dutch Courtezan, was once revived fince the Refloration, under the title of the Revenge, or a Match in Newgate. In the year 1633 fix of this author's plays were collated and published in one volume, and dedicated to the lady vifcountess Faulkland. His dramatic works are these : Antonio and Melida, a history, acted by the children of St. Paul's, printed in 1633. Antonius's Revenge; or the fecond part of Anto. ni and Melida, Thefe two plays were printed in Octavo feveral years before the new edition, Dutch Courtezan, a comedy frequently played at Black Fryars, by the children of the Queen's Re The late Mr. C. Bullock, a comedian, and fome time mo...nager of Lincoln's Inn-Fields theatre, made a play from that per VOL, I, No 2. G vels, printed in London 1633. It is taken from a French book called Les Contes du Mende. See the fame ftory in English, in a book of Novels, called the Palace of Pleafure in the laft Novel. Infatiate Countefs, a Tragedy, acted at WhiteFryars, printed in Quarto 1603, under the title of Ifabella the insatiable countess of Suevia. It is faid that he meant Joan the first queen of Jerufalem, Naples, and Sicily. The life of this queen has employed many pens, both on poetry and novels. Bandello has related her ftory under the title of the Inordinate Life of the Countess of Celant. The like story is related in God's Revenge aagainst Adultery, under the name of Anne of Werdenberg, duchefs of Ulme. Male Content, a Tragi-Comedy, dedicated to old Ben, as I have already taken notice, in which he heaps many fine epithets upon him. The firft defign of this play was laid by Mr. Webfter. Parafitafler; or the Fawn, a comedy, often prefented at the Black Fryars, by the children of the queen's Revels, printed in Octavo 1633. This play was formerly printed in quarto, 1606. The Plot of Dulcimel's cozening the Duke by a pretended difcovery of Tiberco's love to her, is taken from Boccace's Novels. What you will, a comedy, printed Octavo, London, 1653. This is faid to be one of our author's beft plays. The defign taken from Plautus's Amphitrion. Wonder of Women, or Sophonisba, a tragedy, afted at Black Fryars, printed in Octavo, 1633The English reader will find this ftory defcribed by Sir Walter Raleigh, in his hiftory of the world. B. 5. Befides his dramatic poetry he writ three books of Satires, entitled, The Scourge of Villany, printed in Octavo, London 1598. We have no account in what year our author died, but we find that his his works were published after his death by the great Shakespear, and it may perhaps be reafonably concluded that it was about the year 1614. TH WILLIAM SHAKESPEAR.: HERE have been fome ages in which providence feemed pleafed in a moft remarkable manner to display it felf, in giving to the world the fineft genius's to illuminate a people formerly barbarous. After a long night of Gothic ignorance, after many ages of prieftcraft and fuperftition, learning and genius vifited our Ifland in the days of the renowned Queen Elizabeth. It was then that liberty began to dawn, and the people having fhook off the reftraints of priestly aufterity, prefumed to think for themselves. At an Era fo remarkable as this, fo famous in his Dory, it feems no wonder that the nation should be bleffed with thofe immor. tal ornaments of wit and learning, who all confpired at once to make it famous.This aftonishing genius, feemed to be commiffioned from above, to deliver us not only from the ignorance under which we laboured as to poetry, but to carry poetry almost to its perfection. But to write a panegyric on Shakespear appears as unneceffary, as the attempt would be vain; for whoever has any tafte for what is great, terrible, or tender, may meet with the ampleft gratification in Shakespear; as may thofe alfo have a taste for drollery and true humour. His genius was almost boundless, and he fucceeded alike in every part of writing. I cannot forbear giving the character of Shakespear in G 2 the the words of a great genius, in a prologue fpoken by Mr. Garrick when he first opened Drury-lane house as Manager. When learning's triumph o'er her barb'rous foes, First rear'd the stage; immortal Shakespear rofe, Each change of many-coloured life he drew, All men have discovered a curiosity to know the little ftories and particularities of a great genius; for it often happens, that when we attend a man to his clofet, and watch his moments of folitude, we shall find fuch expreffions drop from him, or we may observe such inftances of peculiar conduct, as will let us more into his real character, than ever we can discover while we converse with him in public, and when perhaps he appears under a kind of mask. There are but few things known of this great man; few incidents of his life have defcended to pofterity, and tho' no doubt the fame of his abilities made a great noise in the age in which he flourished; yet his station was not such as to produce many incidents, as it was fubject to but few viciffitudes. Mr. Rowe, who well underfood, and greatly admired Shakespear, has been at pains to collect what incidents were known, or were to be found concerning him; and it is chiefly upon Mr. Rowe's authority we build the account now given. Our author was the fon of John Shakespear, and was born at Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire, April 154, at it appears by public records relating to that town. The family from which he is descended was of good figure and fashion there, and are mentioned as gentlemen. His father, who was a confiderable deaer in wool, being incumbred with a large family of |