SHAKESPEARE AND GREENE

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 752, 26 February 1910, Page 9

SHAKESPEARE AND GREENE

.'.The.'British .'.'Musenmy.recently .had .the goddifp'rtunq, to of.; tlia hitherto ; nil traced;, fir jt .'edition.' of -the; book in which appears the earliest priute'd reference to; Shakespeare. .JJo'wit is on. View in:thd King's, Library,, open.'at the page where occurs, tho 'famous attack. 1 .The-book, '-'as-:students 'do not need ,lo be told, is Eobert Greene's /'Grbatsworth of .Witt*, bought.;..}vith .a'.Milliqn : ance,''..'.■''writfeir>sli6rtly; Ijefdro' his "'death, which: .occurred on September; 3, '.1592., r ■.'

.■.'.'iSWng: by. 'jealousy :by" the'triumphant performance of.:'"Henry:'Vl".; at the Kosc Theatre'in the'spring.of 1592,' Greene,.immediately' prior to his 'death—which his detractors say was-due to a. surfeit of pickled, herrings . and,'Kheiuish wine—in-, veighed' , against "an ;upstai't crow, beautified'with our feathers, 1 that 'with his' Tyger's,: heart., wrapt in a Player's ! hide, supposes he'is as. able to bunibastout ■a lilanke :vorse/as: the .best:6f..you,-.and being an: absolute -Johannes factotum,, is; iii his:owne cbiiceit; , the.only Shako-scene in a.countries" ■ "Never 'more" .(Greens: counsels .Marlowe- and the; elder, dramatists), "acquaint: (these apes)', 'with ■ your admired'inventions, for- it is pity men .of. siiph. rare, wits should: be subject to. the pleasures- of,'.sucl\ rude;groqmes," ;; "■■ : )'\ .-■. That this -.■ rancorous ; and attack was; actually'.printed during .the :'year 'it was'-written, is;'-certain. - /licensed ;' by tho Stationers"Company, on /September ,20, : ' 1592, Henry Chettle',; the publisher, prefixed an .apology : .for Greene's /words'-to "King HarteslDreame,"-...issued later in. : "I am so sorry" (wrote Chettle), "as if the. originall; fault : had ■ beene :my fault, because hiyselfe have- seene :his, (Shakespeare's)' demeanour no';lesse;.civill -than he (is).excelont : iri the qualitie; he-pro-fesses, ' besides divers 'of worship' have reported' his 1 uprightness of dealing, ■ which argues his honesty,-and hia 'facetious grace ■■ in writing -that aprodves'his. art." , It■ is- not'surprising,- perhaps,-. considering,,: the. , ephemeral, nature 'of Bobert Greene's Tracti' that' no copy of the first . edition, 'printed by AVillih'm Wright, has till now ' been traced.. ..Even -the . second edition;of 1556 is- very-rare;:perhaps, indeed-, it is known only through the example in'the Kuth Library, which-caind from 'the : Corser sale four decades • ago at':.£26. The Tra3t ,v;as. rep:iuted frequently "■ after the : interest of its allusion to Shakespeare bcamo recognised... But not till now has any Shakespeare'student, so far.as is recorded; read.as originally printed thosd , often quoted and. bittor words of Eobert Greene. The allusion to the "tyger's -.heart," .'which,: by the' way, is printed in roman type, ;not in black letter'like the lest of. the test, travesties a'-, well-known. line in the. third . part or , "Henry YI." .'•■• ;". 'l.j .'■.",■'■••■.■'■