servants, as his own; the Queen retained the Earl of Worcester's servants, as her's; and Prince Henry took the Earl of Nottingham's players, for his dramatick servants. King James arrived, at the Charterhouse, London, on the 7th of May, 1603; which may be deemed the epoch of that revolution. On the 19th of May he granted the license, which was first published by Rymer, in 1705, to his servants, Laurence Fletcher, William Shakspeare, Richard Burbadge, Augustine Phillipes, John Hemings, Henrie Condel, William Slye, Robert Armin, and their associates, "freely to exercise the faculty of playing comedies, tragedies, histories, interludes, morals, pastorals, stage plaies, as well within their now usual house, called the Globe, as within any convenient places, in any city, and universitie, within his kingdoms, and dominions." Ample, and favourable, as this li cense was to those servants, it did not give them any exclusive privilege, which could prevent the actors of the Queen, or the servants of the Prince, from acting similar plays, within his realms; though they were thus distinguished by the royal license. Of such players, who were still more distinguished, as the original actors of Shakspeare's characters, it

Triumphant, which was printed by R. B. [Robert Barker] in 1604, sign'. B:-"Nay; see the bounty of our all kind soveraigne; not only to the indifferent of worth, and the worthy of honour, did He freely deal about these causes: But, to the mean gave grace; as taking to himself the late Lord Chamberlain's servants, now the King's acters; the Queen, taking to her the Earl of Worster's servants, that are now her acters; and the Prince, their sonne Henry, Prince of Wales, full of hope, took to him the Earl of Nottingham his servants, who are now his acters; so that of Lord's servants, they are now the servants of the King, Queen, and Prince."

may gratify curiosity, to know a little more of the life, and end.

LAURENCE FLETCHER.

Of this personage, who now appeared at the head of the King's servants, in the royal license of 1603, Mr. Malone, the historian of our stage, has said nothing. Fletcher was probably of St. Saviour's, Southwark; where several families of the name of Fletcher dwelt, as appears from the parish register. He was placed before Shakspeare and Richard Burbadge, in King James's license, as much perhaps by accident, as design. Augustine Phillips, when he made his will, in May, 1605, bequeathed to his fellow, Laurence Fletcher, twenty shillings. And this fellow of Phillips, and of Shakspeare, was buried in St. Saviour's church, on the 12th of September, 1608.1 It does not appear that he ever published any work, either in prose or verse.

WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE.

The great outlines of the life of this illustrious dramatist are sufficiently known. He was born on the 23d of April, 1564; and died, where he was born, on the 23d of April, 1616. Early in life, before he could have acquired any profession, he became a husband, and a father. Whether he ever

' The parish register records that event in the following manner: "1608, September 12th [was buried] Laurence Fletcher, a man, in the church." I could not find, in the prerogative office, either a will of the deceased, or any administration to his

estate.

removed his family to London is uncertain. At what time he first visited London is still more uncertain. He certainly rose to excellence as a player, before the year 1591: And he began to produce those dramas, which have eternized his name, about the year 1591. He was celebrated as a poet in 1594. He became greatly distinguished as a dramatist, before the demise of Elizabeth. He was adopted as one of the theatrical servants of King James: And he was placed the second in the list of those players who were specified in the royal license of 1603. In 1605, Augustine Phillips, by his will, recollected Shakspeare, as his fellow, and bequeathed him "a thirty shilling piece in gould," as a tribute of affec

Aubrey has preserved a tradition which is extremely probable, that Shakspeare used to travel, once a year, from Stratford to London, and from London to Stratford: If this tradition be admitted as a fact, it would prove, with strong conviction, that he had his family at Stratford, and his business in London. If documents be produced to prove, that one Shakspeare, a player, resided in St. Saviour's parish, Southwark, at the end of the sixteenth, or the beginning of the seventeenth, century; this evidence will not be conclusive proof of the settled residence of Shakspeare: For it is a fact as new as it is curious, that his brother Edmond, who was baptized on the 3d of May, 1580, became a player at The Globe; lived in St. Saviour's; and was buried in the church of that parish: the entry in the register being without a blur, "1607 December 31, [was buried] Edmond Shakespeare, a player, in the church;" there can be no dispute about the date, or the name, or the profession. It is remarkable, that the parish clerk, who scarcely ever mentions any other distinction of the deceased, than a man, or a woman, should, by I know not what inspiration, have recorded Edmond Shakespeare as a player. There were, consequently, two Shakspeares on the stage, during the same period; as there were two Burbadges, who were also brothers, and who acted on the same theatre. Mr. Malone has, indeed, remarked, that the burial of Edmond Shakspeare does not appear in the parish register of Stratford-upon-Avon. I have not been able to find any notice of Edmond Shakspeare, in the prerogative-office.

tion. How long he acted is uncertain; although he continued to write for the stage till the year 1614, in which year he is said to have produced TwelfthNight, his thirty fourth play. When he retired from the stage he probably disposed of his property in the theatre; as there is no specifick bequest of his share by the testament which he made on the 25th of March, 1616.

The will of Shakspeare has been often published, though not always with sufficient accuracy. It is not easy to tell who, of all the admirers of our illustrious dramatist, first had the curiosity to look into his will. It is even a point of some difficulty to ascertain when, and by whom, the will of Shakspeare was first published. Mr. Malone, indeed, is studious to reprobate Theobald, for publishing it most blunderingly. It was not published by the player editors in 1623; nor by Rowe, in 1709; nor by Pope, in 1725, or 1728; nor by Theobald, in 1733, or 1740; and he died in 1744; nor was it published by Hanmer, in 1744; nor by Warburton, in 1747 But, it was certainly published, with the original errors, in the Biographia Britannica,3 1763, for the first time, I believe. Why, then, does Mr. Malone accuse Theobald, who was dead before the event, of that publication, and of those errors ?4

3 Volume the Sixth; Part I.

Vol. I. pp. 157, 159, 162. Mr. Malone says, "that the name at the top of the margin of the first sheet was probably written by the scrivener who drew the will." [162] The fact, however, is, that this name was written by the entering clerk, in the prerogative office, at the time; as the clerks of the present day assured me; pointing at the Te [testamentum] which is prefixed to the name; and showing the similarity of the handwriting of the probat. It is true, as Mr. Malone says, that the name of Shakspeare is subscribed on the margin of the first brief

RICHARD BURBADGE.

This celebrated comedian, who was, probably, born before the year 1570, in Holywell Street, and who rose, by his talents, to the highest rank of his profession, was the son of James Burbadge, who died in February, 1596-7, and may be regarded as one of the elders of the English stage: Yet, he lived to enjoy one of the greatest pleasures of a parent; to see his son at the head of his profession, and admired by the world. Richard Burbadge, probably, appeared on the stage, as soon as he could speak. In the year 1589, he represented Gorboduc, and Tereus, in Tarleton's Platt of the Seven Deadlie Sinns. In 1597, Richard Burbadge played the arduous character of Richard III, for the first time of its being performed. In the Cambridge comedy, called The Return from Parnassus, which was probably written about the year 1602, he is introduced, in his proper person; instructing a Cambridge scholar how to act Richard III. He performed the most difficult parts in Shakspeare's dramas; and was "such an actor," says Sir Richard Baker, with an unprophetick spirit, "as no age must ever look to see the like." He was an eminent partner in the Globe and Blackfriars theatres; so

of his will; but, he ought to have added, what is plainly the fact, that the name is subscribed on the margin, at the bottom of the sheet, on the left hand corner; and was obviously there subscribed by the testator for want of room on the right hand corner of the sheet. There is no other ground for Mr. Malone's insinuation, that this signature was not made by Shakspeare, except that the three signatures to the will are very different in the manner, and spelling: But, all the genuine signatures of Shakspeare are dissimilar.