Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/347

[ 331 ] the Naile o’the Head—The Marriage of Wit and Widom—Sir Thomas More—{Harl. M. 7368) The Ile of Dogs, by Thomas Nahe—The comedy of Fidele and Fortunatus—The famous tragedy of The Detruction of Jerualem, by Dr. Legge—The Freeman’s Honour, by William Smith—Mahomet and Irene the Faire Greek—The Play of the Cards—Cardenio—The Knaves—The Knot of Fools—Raymond Duke of Lyons—The Nobleman, by Cyril Tourneur—[the five lat, acted in the year 1613] The honoured Loves—The Parliament of Love—and Nonuch, a comedy; all by William Rowley—The Pilgrimage to ParnaSS undefinedus, by the author of the Return from ParnaSS undefinedus—Believe as you Li, by MaSS undefinedinger—The Pirate, by Davenport—Roania or Love’s Victory, a comedy by Shirley, (ome of whoe plays were extant in M. in Langbaine’s time)—The Twins, a tragedy, acted in 1613—Tancredo, a tragedy, by Sir Henry Wotton—Demetrius and Marina, or the imperial Impotor and unhappy Heroine, a tragedy—The Tyrant, a tragedy—The Queen of Corica—The Bugbears—The Second Maid’s Tragedy—Timon, a comedy, &c. &c. Soon after the Retoration, one Kirkman a bookeller, printed many dramatick pieces that had remained unpublihed for more than ixty years; and in an advertiement ubjoined to “ ''A true, perfect, and exact catalogue of all the comedies, tragedies, &c. that were ever yet printed and publihed, till this preent year 1671,” he ays, that although there were, at that time, but eight hundred and ix plays in print, yet many more had been written and acted, and that “ he himelf had ome quantity in manucript.”—The reemblance between Macbeth and this newly dicovered piece by Middleton, naturally uggets a wih, that if any of the unpublihed plays, above enumerated, be yet in being, (beides Timon and Sir Thomas More'', which are known to be extant) their poSS undefinedeSS undefinedors would condecend to examine them with attention; as hence, perhaps, new lights might be thrown on others of our author’s plays.

The Taming of the Shrew, which, together with Romeo and Juliet, and Love’s Labour Lot was entered at Stationers’ hall by Nich. Ling, Jan. 22, 1606—7, was not, I believe, Shakpeare’s play, but the old comedy of the ame name, on which our author’s piece was manifetly formed. Nich. Ling never printed either Romeo and Juliet, or Love’s Labour Lot; though in the books of the Stationers’ company they were entered by him. The old Taming of the Shrew, which