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Printed for T. Longman, B. Law and Son, C. Dilly, J. Robfon, J. Johnfon,
T. Vernor, G. G. J. and J. Robinson, T. Cadell, J. Murray, R. Baldwin,
H. L. Gardner, J. Sewell, J. Nicholls, F. and C. Rivington, W. Goldfmith,
T. Payne, Jun. S. Hayes, R. Faulder, W. Lowndes, B. and J. White,
G. and T. Wilkie, J. and J. Taylor, Scatcherd and Whitaker, T. and J.
Egerton, E. Newbery, J. Barker, J. Edwards, Ogilvy and Speare,
J. Cuthell, J. Lackington, J. Deighton, and W. Miller.

M. DCC. XCIII.

BOPLE!

KING JOH N.*

VOL. VIII.

B

KING JOHN.] The Troublefome Reign of King John was written in two parts, by W. Shakspeare and W. Rowley, and printed 1611. But the prefent play is entirely different, and infinitely fuperior to it. POPE.

The edition of 1611 has no mention of Rowley, nor in the. account of Rowley's works is any mention made of his conjunction with Shakspeare in any play. King John was reprinted in two parts in 1622. The first edition that I have found of this play in its prefent form, is that of 1623, in folio. The edition of 1591 I have not feen. JOHNSON.

Dr. Johnson mistakes when he fays there is no mention in Rowley's works of any conjunction with Shakspeare. The Birth of Merlin is afcribed to them jointly; though I cannot believe Shakfpeare had any thing to do with it. Mr. Capell is equally miftaken when he fays (Pref. p. 15.) that Rowley is called his partner in the title-page of The Merry Devil of Edmonton.

There must have been fome tradition, however erroneous, upon which Mr. Pope's account was founded. I make no doubt that Rowley wrote the first King John; and when Shakspeare's play was called for, and could not be procured from the players, a piratical bookfeller reprinted the old one, with W. Sh. in the titlepage. FARMER.

The elder play of King John was first published in 1591. Shakfpeare has preferved the greatest part of the conduct of it, as well as fome of the lines. A few of thefe I have pointed out, and others I have omitted as undeferving notice. The number of quotations from Horace, and fimilar scraps of learning scattered over this motley piece, afcertain it to have been the work of a scholar. It contains likewife a quantity of rhyming Latin, and ballad-metre; and in a scene where the Baftard is reprefented as plundering a monaftery, there are ftrokes of humour, which feem, from their particular turn, to have been moft evidently produced by another hand than that of our author.

Of this hiftorical drama there is a fubfequent edition in 1611, printed for John Helme, whofe name appears before none of the genuine pieces of Shakspeare. I admitted this play fome years ago as our author's own, among the twenty which I published from the old editions; but a more careful perufal of it, and a further conviction of his custom of borrrowing plots, fentiments, &c. difpofes me to recede from that opinion. STEEVENS.

A play entitled The troublefome raigne of John King of England, in two parts, was printed in 1591, without the writer's name. It was written, I believe, either by Robert Greene, or George Peele; and certainly preceded this of our author. Mr. Pope, who is very inaccurate in matters of this kind, fays that the former was printed in 1611, as written by W. Shakspeare and W. Rowley.

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