Page:The Plays of William Shakspeare (1778).djvu/46

34 knowledge as books did not upply. He that will undertand Shakepeare, mut not be content to tudy him in the cloet, he mut look for his meaning ometimes among the ports of the field, and ometimes among the manufactures of the hop.

There is however proof enough that he was a very diligent reader, nor was our language then o indigent of books, but that he might very liberally indulge his curioity without excurion into foreign literature. Many of the Roman authors were tranlated, and ome of the Greek; the Reformation had filled the kingdom with theological learning; mot of the topicks of human diquiition had found Englih writers; and poetry had been cultivated, not only with diligence, but ucces. This was a tock of knowledge ufficient for a mind o capable of appropriating and improving it.

But the greater part of his excellence was the product of his own genius. He found the Englih tage in a tate of the utmot rudenes; no eays either in tragedy or comedy had appeared, from which it could be dicovercd to what degree of delight either one or other might be carried. Neither character nor dialogue were yet undertood. Shakepeare may be truly aid to have introduced them both amongt us, and in ome of his happier cenes to have carried them both to the utmot height.

By what gradations of improvement he proceeded, is not eaily known; for the chronology of his works is yet unettled. Rowe is of opinion, that perhaps we