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Cominius, in the panegyrick which he pronounces on Coriolanus, ſays,
“In the brunt of ſeventeen battles ſince
“He lurch’d all ſwords of the garland.”
In Ben Jonſon’s Silent Woman, Act V. Sc. laſt, we meet (as Mr. Steevens has obſerved) the ſame uncommon phraſeology: “You have lurch’d your friends of the better half of the garland.”
Whether this was a ſneer at Shakſpeare, or a new phraſe of that day, it adds ſome degree of probability to the date here aſſigned to Coriolanus; for The Silent Woman alſo made its firſt appearance in 1609.
There is a Mſ. comedy now extant, on the ſubject of Timon, which, from the hand-writing and the ſtyle, appears to be of the age of Shakſpeare. In this piece a ſteward is introduced, under the name of Laches, who, like Flavius in that of our author, endeavours to reſtrain his maſter’s profuſion, and faithfully attends him when he is forſaken by all his other followers.Here too a mock-banquet is given by Timon to his falſe friends; but, inſtead of warm water, ſtones painted like artichokes are ſerved up, which he throws at his gueſts.From a line in Shakſpeare’s play, one might be tempted to think that ſomething of this ſort was introduced by him; though, through the omiſſion of a marginal direction in the only ancient copy of this piece, it has not been cuſtomary to exhibit it:
“Second Senator. Lord Timon’s mad.
“3d Sen. I feel it on my bones.
“4th Sen. One day he gives us diamonds, next day ſtones.”
This comedy, (which is evidently the production of a ſcholar, many lines of Greek being introduced into it,) appears to have been written after Ben Jonſon’s Every Man out of his Humour, (1599) to which it contains a reference; but I have not diſcovered the preciſe time when it was compoſed. If it were aſcertained, it might beſome guide to us in fixing the date of our author’s Timon, which, on the grounds that have been already ſtated[1], I ſuppoſe to have been poſterior to this anonymous play.
NOTE.
- ↑ Ante p. 324.
Dr.
