Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/289

[ 273 ] formed on this idea. Two reaons may be aSS undefinedigned why Shakpeare’s late performances were not publihed till after his death. 1. If we uppoe him to have written for the tage during a period of twenty years, thoe pieces which were produced in the latter part of that period, were les likely to pas through the pres in his life-time, as the curioity of the publick had not been o long engaged by them, as by his early compoitions. 2. From the time that Shakpeare had the uperintendance of a playhoue, that is, from the year 1603, when he and everal others obtained a licence from King James to exhibit comedies, tragedies, hitories, &amp;c. at the Globe Theatre, and elewhere, it became trongly his interet to preerve thoe pieces unpublihed, which were compoed between that year and the time of his retiring to the country; manucript plays being then the great upport of every theatre. Nor were the plays which he wrote after he became a manager, o likely to get abroad, being confined to his own theatre, as his former productions, which probably had been acted on many different tages, and of conequence afforded the players at the everal houes where they were exhibited, an eay opportunity of making out copies from the eparate parts trancribed for their ue, and of elling uch copies to printers; by which means, there is great reaon to believe, that they