The Moore delighting still in villainy
Did say, to sett my sonnes from prison free
I should unto the king my right hand give,
And then my three imprisoned sonnes should live.

The Moore I caus'd to strike it off with speede,
Whereat I grieved not to see it bleed,
But for my sonnes would willingly impart,
And for their ransome send my bleeding heart.

But as my life did linger thus in paine,
They sent to me my bootlesse hand againe,
And therewithal the heades of my three sonnes,
Which filld my dying heart with fresher moanes.

Then past reliefe I upp and downe did goe,
And with my tears writ in the dust my woe:
I shot my arrowes* towards heaven hie,
And for revenge to hell did often crye.

The empresse then, thinking that I was mad,
Like furies she and both her sonnes were clad,
(She nam❜d Revenge, and Rape and Murder they)
To undermine and heare what I would say.

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I fed their foolish veines+ a certaine space,
Untill my friendes did find a secret place,
Where both her sonnes unto a post were bound,
And just revenge in cruell sort was found.

I cut their throates, my daughter held the pan
Betwixt her stumpes, wherein the bloud it ran :
And then I ground their bones to powder small,
And made a paste for pyes streight therewithall.
Then with their fleshe I made two mighty pyes,
And at a banquet servde in stately wise:
Before the empresse set this loathsome meat;
So of her sonnes own flesh she well did eat.

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*If the ballad was written before the play, I should suppose this to be only a metaphorical expression, taken from that in the Psalms, "They shoot out their arrows, even bitter words." Ps. lxiv. 3.

† i. e. encouraged them in their foolish humours, or fancies.

Myselfe bereav'd my daughter then of life,
The empresse then I slewe with bloudy knife,
And stabb'd the emperour immediatelie,
And then myself: even soe did Titus die.

Then this revenge against the Moore was found,
Alive they sett him halfe into the ground,
Whereas he stood untill such time he starv'd.
And soe God send all murderers may be serv'd.

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XIV.

TAKE THOSE LIPS AWAY.

THE first stanza of this little sonnet, which an eminent critic justly admires for its extreme sweetness, is found in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure," A. iv. sc. i. Both the stanzas are preserved in Beaum. and Fletcher's "Bloody Brother," A. v. sc. ii. Sewel and Gildon have printed it among Shakespeare's smaller poems, but they have done the same by twenty other pieces that were never writ by him, their book being a wretched heap of inaccuracies and mistakes. It is not found in Jaggard's old edition of Shakespeare's "Passionate Pilgrim," &c. †

TAKE, oh take those lips away,

That so sweetlye were forsworne ;

And those eyes, the breake of day,
Lights, that do misleade the morne :

But my kisses bring againe,

Seales of love, but seal'd in vaine.

Dr. Warburton in his Shakesp.

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+ Mr. Malone, in his improved edition of Shakespeare's "Sonnets," &c. hath substituted this instead of Marlow's Madrigal, printed above; for which he hath assigned reasons, which the Reader may see in his Vol. x. p. 340.

Hide, oh hide those hills of snowe,
Which thy frozen bosom beares,
On whose tops the pinkes that growe,
Are of those that April wears:
But first set my poor heart free,
Bound in those icy chains by thee.

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XV.

KING LEIR AND HIS THREE DAUGHTERS.

THE Reader has here an ancient ballad on the subject of King Lear, which (as a sensible female critic has well observed) bears so exact an analogy to the argument of Shakespeare's play, that his having copied it could not be doubted, if it were certain, that it was written before the tragedy. Here is found the hint of Lear's madness, which the old chronicles † do not mention, as also the extravagant cruelty exercised on him by his daughters. In the death of Lear they likewise very exactly coincide.-The misfortune is, that there is nothing to assist us in ascertaining the date of the ballad but what little evidence arises from within; this the Reader must weigh and judge for himself.

It may be proper to observe, that Shakespeare was not the first of our Dramatic Poets who fitted the Story of Leir to the Stage. His first 4to edition is dated 1608; but three years before that had been printed a play intitled, "The true Chronicle History of Leir and his three daughters Gonorill, Ragan, and Cordella, as it hath been divers and sundry times lately acted," 1605, 4to. -This is a very poor and dull performance, but happily excited Shakespeare to undertake the subject, which he has given with very different incidents. It is remarkable, that neither the circumstances of Leir's madness, nor his retinue of a select number of knights, nor the affecting deaths of Cordelia and Leir, are found in that first dramatic piece: in all which Shakespeare concurs with this ballad.

But to form a true judgement of Shakespeare's merit, the curious Reader should cast his eye over that previous sketch;

*Mrs. Lennox. Shakespeare illustrated, Vol. iii. p. 302.

+ See Jeffery of Monmouth, Holingshed, &c. who relate Leir's history in many respects the same as the ballad.

which he will find printed at the end of "the Twenty Plays of Shakespeare," republished from the quarto impressions by George Steevens, Esq. with such elegance and exactness as led us to expect that fine edition of all the works of our great Dramatic Poet, which he hath since published.

The following Ballad is given from an ancient copy in the "Golden Garland," bl. let. intitled, "A lamentable song of the Death of King Lear and his Three Daughters. To the tune of

When flying Fame."

KING Leir once ruled in this land
With princely power and peace;
And had all things with hearts content,
That might his joys increase;
Amongst those things that nature gave,
Three daughters fair had he,
So princely seeming beautiful,
As fairer could not be.

So, on a time, it pleas'd the king
A question thus to move,
Which of his daughters to his grace
Could shew the dearest love:
"For to my age you bring content,"
Quoth he, "then let me hear,
Which of you three in plighted troth
The kindest will appear."

To whom the eldest thus began ;
"Dear father, mind," quoth she,
"Before your face, to do you good,
My blood shall render'd be:
And for your sake my bleeding heart
Shall here be cut in twain,

Ere that I see your reverend age
The smallest grief sustain."

"And so will I," the second said;
"Dear father, for your sake,
The worst of all extremities
I'll gently undertake:

And serve your highness night and day
With diligence and love;

That sweet content and quietness
Discomforts may remove."

"In doing so, you glad my soul," The aged king reply'd ;

"But what sayst thou, my youngest girl, How is thy love ally'd?"

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My love" (quoth young Cordelia then) "Which to your grace

I owe,

Shall be the duty of a child,

And that is all I'll show."

"And wilt thou shew no more," quoth he,

"Than doth thy duty bind ?

I well perceive thy love is small,
When as no more I find.

Henceforth I banish thee my court,
Thou art no child of mine;

Nor any part of this my realm
By favour shall be thine.

Thy elder sisters loves are more
Than well I can demand,

To whom I equally bestow
My kingdome and my land,
My pompal state and all my goods,
That lovingly I may

With those thy sisters be maintain'd
Until my dying day."

Thus flattering speeches won renown,
By these two sisters here;

The third had causeless banishment,
Yet was her love more dear:
For poor Cordelia patiently

Went wandring up and down,
Unhelp'd, unpity'd, gentle maid,

Through many an English town:

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