Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/338

[ 322 ] 32. The London Prodigal, 1605.

There is good ground for thinking that The London Prodigal was written long before 1605; but not affording any marks to acertain the precie time of its compoition, an, not deerving any very minute inquiry, it is here acribed to that year, in which it was publihed.

Shakpeare’s name is printed in the title page of this play, as well as in three other conteted pieces;—Pericles, Sir John Oldcatle, and A Yorkhire Tragedy. But how little the bookellers of that time crupled to avail themelves of his name, in order to procure a ale for their publications, appears from its being prefixed to two of Ovid’s Epitles, (which have ever ince been publihed among his poems) though they were tranlated by Thomas Heywood; and printed (as Dr. Farmer has oberved) in a work of his entitled Brytaine’s Troy, fol. 1609, before they were acribed to Shakpeare.

The tragedy of King Lear was entered on the books of the Stationers’ company Nov. 26, 1607, and is there mentioned to have been played the preceding Chritmas, before his majety at Whitehall. But this, I conjecture, was not its firt exhibition. It eems extremely probable that its firt appearance was in 1605; in which year the old play if K. Leir, that had been entered at Stationers’ hall in 1594, was printed by Simon Stafford, for John Wright, who, we may preume, finding Shakpeare’s play uccesful, hoped to palm the purious one on the publick for his.

Our author’s King Lear was not publihed till 1608. Harnet’s Declaration of Popih Impoures, from which Shakpeare borrowed ome fantatick names of pirits, mentioned in this play, was printed in 1603.