Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/307

[ 291 ] are the ubject of his play, happened at Verona in 1591, at the very moment that a dramatick repreentation of them was exhibiting in London: (for if Romeo and Juliet was written in 1591, it probably was then alo repreented.) The paSS undefinedage quoted trikes me, as only diplaying one of thoe characteritical traits, which ditinguih old people of the lower clas; who delight in enumerating a multitude of minute circumtances that have no relation to the buines immediately under their conideration, and are particularly fond of computing time from extraordinary events, uch as battles, comets, plagues, and earthquakes. This feature of their character our author has in various places, trongly marked. Thus (to mention one of many intances) the Grave-digger in Hamlet ays, that he came to his employment, “ of all the days i'th'year, that day that the lat king o’ercame Fortinbras—that very day that young Hamlet was born.”—Shakpeare probably remembered the earth-quake in 1580, and thought he might introduce one, for the nonce, at Mantua. Why he has placed this earthquake at the ditance of eleven years, it is not very eay to determine. However, it may be oberved, that having uppoed it to have happened on the day on which Juliet was weaned, he could not well have made it more ditant than thirteen years; which, indeed, from the context, hould eem to be the true reading. Suppoing the author to have ued figures, the mitake might eaily have happened.—At preent there is a manifet contradiction in the Nure’s account; for he expresly ays that Juliet was within a fortnight and odd days of completing fourteenth year; and yet, according to the computation here made, he could not well be much more than twelve years old. Perhaps Shakpeare was more careful to mark the garrulity, than the preciion, of the old woman—or perhaps, he meant this very incorrectnes as a trait of her character:—or, without having recoure to either of thee uppoitions, hall we ay, that our author was here, as in ome other places, haty and inattentive? It is certain [T2]