Of author's pen, or actor's voice; but suited the vaunt-] i. e, the avaunt, what went before. STEEVENS. PRIAM, GR E EKS. SCENE, Troy, and the Grecian Camp before it. ACT I. SCENE I. Priam's palace. Enter Pandarus and Troilus. TROILUS. That find such cruel battle here within ? Pan. C • The story was originally written by Lollius, an old Lombard author, and since by Chaucer. Pope. Mr. Pope (after Dryden) informs us, that the story of Troilus and Crefda was originally the work of one Lollius, á Lombard. Dryden goes yet further; declares it to have been written in Latin verse, and that Chaucer translated it. Lollius was a historiographer of Urbino in Italy. Shakespeare received the greatest part of his materials for the structure of this play from the Troye Beke of Lydgate. Lydgate was not much more than a translator of Guido of Columpna, who was of Mesina in Sicily, and wrote his Hijtory of Troy in Latin, after Dictys Cretenfis, 1278. Guido's work was published at Cologne in 1477, again in 1480, at Strasburgh 1486, and ibidem 1489. This work appears to have been translated by Raoul le Feure, at Cologne, into French, from whom Caxton rendered it into English in 1471, under the title of his Recuzel, &c. so that there must have been yet some earlier edition of Guido's performance than I have hitherto seen or heard of, unless his first translator had recourse to a manuscript. Guido of Columpna is referred to as an authority by our own chronicler Grafton. Chaucer had made the loves of Troilus and Cressida famous, which very probably might have been Shakespeare's inducement to try their fate on the stage. — Lydgate's Troye Boke was printed by Pynson, 1513. STEEVENS. Troilus A 4 Pan. Will this geer ne'er be mended? strength, . But I am weaker than a woman's tear, Tamer than Neep, 2 fonder than ignorance ; Less valiant than the virgin in the night, 3 And skill-less as unpractis'd infancy. Pan. Well, I have told you enough of this. For my part, I'll not meddle nor make no further. He that will have a cake out of the wheat, must needs tarry the grinding. Trci. Have I not tarried? Pan. Ay, the grinding; but you must tarry the boulting Troi. Have I not tarried ? Pan. Ay, the boulting; but you must tarry the leavening. Troilus and Cressida.] Before this play of Troilus and Creffida, printed in 1609, is a bookseller's preface, shewing that first impression to have been before the play had been acted, and that it was published without Shakespeare's knowledge, from a copy that had fallen into the bookseller's hands. Mr. Dryden thinks this one of the first of our author's plays : but, on the contrary, it may be judged from the fore-mentioned preface that it was one of his last; and the great number of observations, both moral and politic (with which this piece is crowded more than any other of his) seems to confirm my opinion. Pope. We may rather learn from this preface, that the original proprietcrs of Shakespeare's plays thought it their interest to keep them unprinted. The author of it adds, at the con lufion, these words : Thank fortune for the 'scape it hath “ made among you, fince, by the grand possessors will, I be“ lieve you Mould rather have prayed for them, than have “ been prayed,” &c. By the grand polefors, I suppose, were meant, Herning and Condell. STEEVENS. fonder than ignorance ;] Fonder, for more childish. WARBURTON. 3 And kill-lefs, &c.) Mr. Dryden, in his alteration of this play, has taken this speech as it stands, except that he has chaliged fill-lejs to artifs, not for the better, because skill-lefs refers to ikill and hilful. JOHNSON, Troi. Still have I tarried. Pan. Ay, to the leavening: but here's yet in the Troi. Patience herself, what goddess ere she be, Pan. Well, she look'd yesternight fairer than ever Troi. I was about to tell thee, when my heart, Pan. An her hair were not somewhat darker than Troi. O Pandarus! I tell thee, Pandarus, The |
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