The evening skie is purpled with his beames:

Her lookes fir'd all things with her love's extreames.
Her necke a chaine of orient pearle did decke,
The pearles were faire, but fairer was her necke:
Her breasts (laid out) show'd all enflamed sights
Love, lie a sunning, twixt two Crysolites:
Her naked wrists showde, as if through the skie,
A hand were thrust, to signe the Deitie.
Her hands, the confines, and digestions were
Of beauties' world; Love fixt his pillars there.

ANDROMEDA LIBERATA,

By George Chapman.

Printed for Laurence Lisle, and are to be sold at his shop in St. Paule's Church-yard, at the signe of the Tiger's-head. 1614.

On a matter so purely incidental, I do not chuse to occupy more space; I therefore close my remarks with the declaration, that George Chapman, in my opinion, was the author of the verses on Shakspeare, subscribed, "The friendly Admirer of his Endowments." As a slight coincidence, still to be noted, when, in 1594, he dedicated his two hymns to his worthy friend Master Matthew Roydon, he closes by terming himself, "The true Admirer of his Virtues."

ADDITIONAL REMARKS,

AS TO THE PORTRAIT BY CORNELIUS JANSEN.

In the Critical Review for December 1770, the print by Earlom is thus noticed:

King Lear, 8vo. price 38.-A mezzotinto of the author, by the ingenious Mr. Earlom, (whose industry and abilities do honour to the rising arts of Great Britain), is placed at the head of it. We should have been glad indeed, to have some better proofs concerning the authenticity of the original, than a bare assertion that it was painted by Cornelius Jansen*, and is to be found in a

* Walpole says, Jansen's first works are dated in England about 1618; this picture bears date in 1610. The only true picture of Shakspeare supposed to be now extant, was painted either by Richard Burbage, or John Taylor the player, the latter of whom left it by will to Davenant. After his death, Betterton bought it; and

private collection, which we are not easily inclined to treat with much respect, especially as we hear it is filled with the performances of one of the most contemptible daubers of the age.

These kind observations were from the pen of Mr. Steevens himself, who being then engaged with Dr. Johnson in preparing the edition of 1773, seized the opportunity, readily afforded to such a writer, of defeating a rival editor. I cannot but lament that he should stoop to this sort of warfare; but I shall prove immediately, what Mr. Jennens could only suspect, that he actually wrote the review of the new edition of King Lear. Let us look at the sort of pleasantry with which the editor of the obnoxious work is assailed.

"Though for the service of his author he might have been tempted, like Prince Harry, to have robbed an

when he died, Mr. Keck of the Temple, gave 40 guineas for it to Mrs. Barry the actress. From him it descended to Mr. Nicholl of Southgate, by whose daughter it afterwards came to the present Marquis of Caernarvon, in whose possession we believe it still remains.-Note of the Reviewer.

Exchequer, or fleeced a King's collectors, or even to have stolen with Dumain, an egg out of a cloister; yet he should not with Bardolph have descended to filch a lute-case; with Pistol to murder a poor whore's ruff; or with Falstaff to make a bankrupt of Mrs. Quickly."

The preceding is a favourite illustration of Mr. Steevens; and as the life of a review is not unreasonably long, he was perhaps justified in repeating himself more than twenty years afterwards. In the supplement to Richardson's Proposals, December 1794, our friend Bardolph again makes his appearance. "The artist," says Mr. Steevens, "who could have filched from Droeshout, like Bardolph, might have 'stolen a lute-case, carried it twelve leagues, and sold it for three halfpence." "

The writer in the Critical Review, again notices Earlom's print in the month of January following:

"Concerning this print we will have no controversy; but we still adhere to our former opinion, that the soul of the mezzotinto is not the soul of Shakspeare. · It has been the fate of Shakspeare to have many mistakes committed both about his soul and body: Pope exhibited him under the form of James the First."

Having already considered what respects Jansen's residence in this country, and proved certainly that he might have painted Shakspeare, the preceding extracts furnish little to call for additional remark, unless it be that we gather by implication, that Mr. Steevens believed in 1770 the Chandos Head to be a true picture of the poet.

But it may be gratifying a reasonable curiosity, as the pamphlet is before me, to let the reader see something of the reply made by Mr. Jennens to the Reviewer: the passage which I shall select, touches also upon the picture:

66

There are three sorts of people that these reviewers seem to bear a mortal antipathy to, viz. the old, the fat, and the industrious: from which we have great reason to conclude, that none of them are either old, or fat, or industrious. Young, unfledged críticks, we think they have sufficiently proved themselves to be; and criticism in such hands, especially when unaccompanied by industry, is not likely either to thrive itself, or to fatten its owners.

"But they think, contrary to all the philosophers that went before them, that age is not the proper period for criticism. It is their opinion that long experience does