Florizel. Thou dearest Perdita, With these forc'd thoughts, I pr'ythee, darken not the mirth of the feast. ee, darken agreeable, country tale, Our sweetest Shakspeare, fancy's child, This was necessary to observe in mere justice to the play; The Winter's Tale may be ranked among the historic plays Shakspeare, though not one of his numerous criticks and co mentators have discovered the drift of it. It was certainly tended (in compliment to Queen Elizabeth,) as an indire apology for her mother, Anne Boleyn. The address of t poet appears no where to more advantage. The subject w too delicate to be exhibited on the stage without a veil; a it was too recent, and touched the Queen too nearly, for t bard to have ventured so home an allusion on any other grou than compliment. The unreasonable jealousy of Leont and his violent conduct in consequence, form a true portrait Henry the Eighth, who generally made the law the engine his boisterous passions. Not only the general plan of the sto is most applicable, but several passages are so marked, th they touch the real history nearer than the fable. Hermic on her trial says : - for honour, "'Tis a derivative from me to mine, This seems to be taken from the very letter of Anne Bole to the King before her execution, where she pleads for the fant Princess his daughter. Mamillius, the young Prince, unnecessary character, dies in his infancy; but it confirms t allusion, as Queen Anne, before Elizabeth, bore a still-bo son. But the most striking passage, and which had nothi to do in the tragedy, but as it pictured Elizabeth, is, whe Paulina, describing the new-born Princess, and her likene to her father, says: "She has the very trick of his frow There is one sentence indeed so applicable, both to Elizabe and her father, that I should suspect the poet inserted it af her death. Paulina, speaking of the child, tells the King : 'Tis yours; "And might we lay the old proverb to your charge, The Winter's Tale was therefore in reality a second part Henry the Eighth. |