*TWELFTH-NIGHT.] There is great reason to believe, that the ferious part of this Comedy is founded on fome old tranflation of the feventh history in the fourth volume of Belleforeft's Hiftoires Tragiques. Belleforeft took the story, as ufual, from Bandello. The comic fcenes appear to have been entirely the production of Shakspeare. It is not impoffible, however, that the circumftances of the Duke fending his Page to plead his caufe with the Lady, and of the Lady's falling in love with the Page, &c. might be borrowed from the Fifth Eglog of Barnaby Googe, published with his other original Poems in 1563: "A worthy Knyght dyd love her longe, "The panges of love, that happen ftyl By frowning fortune's wheale. "He had a Page, Valerius named, "And to entreate for grace to her "She whan as firft fhe faw his page 66 By hym his futes toke place, "This paffed well, tyll at the length "With many teares befechynge her "He never wolde attempte her more Thus alfo concludes the first scene of the third act of the play before us : "And fo adieu, good madam; never more "Will I my mafter's tears to you deplore," &c. I offer no apology for the length of the foregoing extract, the book from which it is taken, being fo uncommon, that only one copy, except that in my own poffeffion, has hitherto oc curred. Even Dr. Farmer, the late Rev. T. Warton, Mr. Reed, and Mr. Malone, were unacquainted with this Collection of Googe's Poetry. Auguft 6, 1607, a Comedy called What you will, (which is the fecond title of this play,) was entered at Stationers' Hall by Tho. Thorpe. I believe, however, it was Marfton's play with that name, Ben Jonfon, who takes every opportunity to find fault with Shakspeare, feems to ridicule the conduct of Twelfth Night in his Every Man out of his Humour, at the end of Act III. fc. vi. where he makes Mitis fay, "That the argument of his comedy might have been of fome other nature, as of a duke to be in love with a countefs, and that countess to be in love with the duke's fon, and the fon in love with the lady's waiting maid: fome fuch cross wooing, with a clown to their ferving man, better than be thus near and familiarly allied to the time." STEEVENS, I fuppofe this comedy to have been written in 1614. If however the foregoing paffage was levelled at Twelfth Night, my fpeculation falls to the ground. See An Attempt to ascertain the Order of Shakspeare's Plays, Vol. II. MALONE. Orfino, duke of Illyria. Sebaftian, a young gentleman, brother to Viola Valentine, Curio, } gentlemen attending on the duke. Lords, Priefts, Sailors, Officers, Musicians, and other Attendants. SCENE, a city in Illyria; and the fea-coaft near it. Enter DUKE, CURIO, Lords; Muficians attending. DUKE. If mufick be the food of love, play on, Give me excefs of it; that, furfeiting,' The appetite may ficken, and fo die. Give me excess of it; that, furfeiting, &c.] So, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona : "And now excess of it will make me furfeit." 2 That firain again; it had a dying fall: STEEVENS. Stealing, and giving odour.] Milton, in his Paradife Loft, B. IV. has very fuccefsfully introduced the fame image: now gentle gales, "Fanning their odoriferous wings, dispense "Native perfumes, and whifper whence they stole That ftrain again; it had a dying fall:] Hence Pope, in his Ode on Saint Cecilia's Day: |