of Shakspear’s Plays by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens.”
Half the first volume is occupied by what he terms “Supplemental Observations” on the plays, actors, and theatres of the time, with a variety of notes which became afterwards in part embodied in a history of the stage; and a reprint of the scarce old poem Romeus and Juliet, taken from the Italian by Arthur Brooke. The other half contains Venus and Adonis, Rape of Lucrece, Sonnets, The Passionate Pilgrim, A Lover’s Complaint, with notes throwing such lights upon each as he possessed.
The second volume gives us seven doubtful plays—Pericles, Locrine, Sir John Oldcastle, Lord Cromwell, London Prodigal, Puritans, Yorkshire Tragedy. Of these, several he pronounced to be undoubted spurious. Pericles at first was judged to be of the same class. Further consideration induced the belief that, if not wholly, it was in part, a genuine though early production, for which his reasons are assigned; and subsequent editors have agreed that he had at least a share in its composition.
This change of opinion, before being printed, he communicated, like most other of his impressions on such subjects, to Steevens. The latter, in return, detailed his reasons for a contrary belief. Malone prints both in the most amicable spirit, using an apologetical tone for differing from his friend; but to differ with him was not the way to his favour. Their intercourse hitherto had been friendly and frequent. The younger editor poured out freely his thoughts, discoveries, and accumulations to the elder, who in
