THE

BUST AT STRATFORD UPON AVON.

IN point of time, rather preceding Droeshout's print, is the bust on our poet's monument at his native Stratford. With the accompaniments to this effigy of Shakspeare I have nothing to do. The death's head, as in this case it indicates only the common dissolution of the frame, is no object of terror; and the two cherubs with the spade and inverted torch, only demonstrate the ambition of the artist to display the emblematic stores of his art. In the bust itself we have a deep interest, because it was no doubt erected at the charge of his sonin-law, Dr. Hall, a learned physician; and it is to be presumed that he would take care it should offer more than a general resemblance to his illustrious relation.

The bust was coloured; and though we

should now look upon such a style of art to be barbarous, there is plenty of proof that such a practice was not unknown to the great sculptors of antiquity. Tradition conveys to us the knowledge, that the eyes were of a light hazel colour, the hair and beard auburn. The doublet in which he was dressed was of scarlet cloth, over which was thrown a loose black gown without sleeves, such as our students of law wear at dinner in the Middle Temple Hall. Perhaps the scarlet might be chosen for the doublet as it was the regular uniform of the king's comedians, or the whole dress refer to some office in the corporation of Stratford.

At what precise date the monument was erected is not known but in the year 1623 we find it thus alluded to by LEONARD DIGGES*, in

* I find in Wood's Athene Oxonienses, that Leonard Digges was about this time returned from his travels, and a resident in University College, but writing for the booksellers. Besides his translation of Claudian's Rape of Proserpine, he had published, the year preceding the appearance of the folio Shakspeare, a romance, from the Spanish of Cespedes, called Gerardo, or the Unfor