36 A FRAGMENT. Such is literally the hiftory of Shakspeare, with this difference, that the buffooneries which Moliere annexed to his pieces Shakspeare interwove into his. It was a happy circumftance for the French poet, that two pieces were acted on the fame day. It gave him an occafion of faying trifling things with impunity; an occasion of which Shakspeare was deprived, as in his time one piece only was exhibited. The little pieces of Moliere took up in acting an hour and a half. Those of Shakspeare in general did not last above fifteen minutes; this moft frequently was no more than two very fhort fcenes, and that Monftrous farce of the Grave-diggers is a fingle scene, written in the low manner of Moliere to divert the people; and for this fingle scene, which takes up eight minutes in the reprefentation, the enlightened critics of this age have condemned ten volumes of the plays of Shakfpeare. Artists are every where the fame. What Shakspeare did at London, and Moliere at Paris, Raphael has done at Rome, and he has done it in his masterpiece, in the mafter-piece of painting, his Transfiguration. The two Dominicans on their knees are as fhocking a violation of good-fenfe, and of the unities of place, of time, and of action, as it is poffible to imagine. But we must not by any means fuppofe that Raphael was not more fenfible of the abfurdity than we are. His mafter would have it fo, and he was obliged to please him. Inftead of faying, Raphael wanted tafte; let us fay, Raphael wanted to be a car-. * In the French it is “poefics.” dinal. . dinal. The mafter of Shakspeare and Moliere was the people, a foolish and fantastic monfter: to fatisfy it, these writers were obliged to lay aside their own genius, and to affume the genius of the pit. There never exifted three men who had more tafte than Raphael, Moliere, and Shakspeare. All three have erred against good tafte. But let us not therefore fay, that they were unacquainted with it; let us rather fay, that they facrificed it to the defire of making their for tunes. FINI S. This Day was published, handsomely printed in Ten large Volumes, Odavo, [Price Three Pounds in Boards, THE PLAYS OF WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE, WITH THE CORRECTIONS AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF To which are added NOTES by SAMUEL JOHNSON and GEORGE STEEVENS, together with the Prefaces of former Editors; a Portrait of the Author, finely engraved by HALL, from a Painting in the Poffeffion of his Grace the Duke of CHANDOS; alfo Two other Portraits of the Author, a Facfimile of his Hand-writing; and a Plate representing the Figures of ancient Morrice-Dancers, &c. The THIRD Edition, revised and augmented by the EDITOR of DODSLEY'S Old Plays. Printed for G. G. J. and J. ROBINSON, Pater-nofter-Row; and for the rest of the Proprietors; where may be also had, HERON'S LETTERS on LITERATURE. BOOKS written by the Author of this FRAGMENT; and fold by G. G. J. and J. ROBINSON. I. LETTERS from an ENGLISH TRAVELLER [MARTIN SHERLOCK, Efq.] Tranflated from the French Original, printed at Geneva and Paris, with Notes. A new Edition, revised and corrected. Price 2s. 6d. fewed. "To this new edition is prefixed (in French) a letter with which Mr. Sherlock was honoured by the King of Pruffia, in return for his book, which he fent to his Majefty as he was paffing (a fecond time) through Pottsdam. me. • Mr. Sherlock, I thank you for the book which you have just sent It has met with the reception that it deferves. I defire to fee its author, and you will come to me for that purpose to-morrow about eleven in the forenoon. My Major-General, Count de Goërtz, has orders to conduct you thither, and to present you. I pray God to have you, Mr. Sherlock, in his holy and worthy protection. 1 FREDERICK. 99 Without this proof, few would fufpect that this Royal Author ever prayed. From Mr. Sherlock's Nouvelles Lettres, we learn that "his Majefty received him gracioufly, and faid to him things too flattering for him to repeat." The editor, confidering his author "as a kind of literary phænomenon, as he travels through Italy, and publishes a book in Rome in Italian, and another in French at Paris," has also annexed" accounts of his merits given by the Journalists and Reviewers of France and Italy." These reviews relate to his three works, viz. his two volumes of letters, and his Configlio ad un Giovane Poeta. The profits of this work were directed by the author to be diftributed to poor diftreffed widows, the marquis of Maccarani undertaking the receipt and diftribution." Gent. Mag. 1780, p. 475. II. NEW LETTERS from an ENGLISH TRAVELLER. Written originally in French, by the Rev. MARTIN SHERLOCK, A. M. Chaplain to the Earl of Bristol. And now translated into English by the Author. Price 2s. 6d. fewed. "This lively Traveller was introduced to our readers more than once in the course of the last year, though in the disguise of an Efquire by our mistake. The prefent collection contains forty-four more more Letters, which have been as well received by all the foreign journals as the author feems to have been in all the foreign courts. Lord Bristol is ftill his Mæcenas, and in abilities he is indeed nulli fecundus. Italy occupies fifteen of thefe letters. Of these the subjects are, its beauties, natural, artificial, and hiftorical, the women, the chevaliere fervants, or cicifbeos, &c. &c. The other letters are dated from Geneva, Lausanne, Strafburgh, Berlin, Germany, Senlis, and Paris. In fome of the latter he defends his justly admired Shakspeare from the attacks of M. de Voltaire; and if this work fucceeds, intends in his next to engage M. de la Harpe.t: "Our author's dialogue with a young Ruffian at Senlis, who had been fleeced at Paris, is truly original." Gent. Mag. 1781, p. 30. III. Configlio ad un Giovane Poeta del Sig. SHERLOCK IV. Letters on feveral Subjects. By the Rev. MARTIN "Thefe Thirty Letters are not a tranflation: they are originally printed in England; and difplay that happy union of taste and erudition, that knowledge of men and of books, which we had occáfion to admire, with a few grains of allowance, in the former foreign productions of this writer. The chief subjects are, the King of 'Pruffia, Genius, Wit, Tafte, Judgement, Delicacy, Voltaire, Shakfpeare, Richardson (to whofe Clariffa, he afferts, there is not an equal in the universe for wit, fentiment, and fenfe), La Fontaine, the French, Women, the pious Æneas, and Mr. SHERLOCK. Ibid. `p. 132. V. Letters on feveral Subjects. By the Rev. MARTIN "The pen of this ready writer produces volumes faster than we can review them. The prefent confifts of XXXIII Letters, in which he harangues, with his wonted fpirit, on the King and Queen of England, London, Love, Shakspeare, Tafle, Mufic, Lord Chefterfield's Letters, Lord Lucan and Mr. and Mrs. Vefey, the Eng lish and French, the Vapours, French and English Women, Mr. SHERLOCK, and Travelling. Ibid. p. 230. *The Original Letters are entered at Stationers Hall. Either of the Volumes may be had separately. |