. William Shakespere : a biography. t Shakspere was pleased with Jonson, and that Jonson loved and admiredShakspere. They worked upon essentially different principles of art ; theyhad each their admirers and disciples ; but the field in which they laboured waslarge enough for both of them, and they each cultivated it after his own the exception of such occasional quarrels as those between Jonson andDekker, the poets of that time lived as a generous brotherhood, whose cordialintercourse might soften many of the rigours of their worldly lot. Jonson wasby nature proud, perhaps arroga
. William Shakespere : a biography. t Shakspere was pleased with Jonson, and that Jonson loved and admiredShakspere. They worked upon essentially different principles of art ; theyhad each their admirers and disciples ; but the field in which they laboured waslarge enough for both of them, and they each cultivated it after his own the exception of such occasional quarrels as those between Jonson andDekker, the poets of that time lived as a generous brotherhood, whose cordialintercourse might soften many of the rigours of their worldly lot. Jonson wasby nature proud, perhaps arrogant. His struggles with penury had made himproud. He had the inestimable possession of a well-educated boyhood ; he hadthe consciousness of great abilities and great acquirements. He was thrownamongst a band of clever men, some of whom perhaps laughed, as Dekker un-worthily did, at his honest efforts to set himself above the real disgrace of earn- • All thfse passages are extracted fi-oin his convei-satioiis with Di-unimoiifJ. ^^.. [Jniison. ing his bread by corrupt arts; wlio ridiculed his pimpled face, his uue eyelower than tother, and his coat like a coachmans coat, with slips under thearm-pits. So Aubrey describes him who laid down laws of criticism, andmarried music and painting to the most graceful verse. But when the brick-layer had the gratification of seeing bis tirst coniedv performed l)y the LordChamberlains (company, to Sport with human folUes, not with crime?, there was one amongst that company strong enough to receive with kindlinesseven the original prologue, in which the romantic drama, perhaps smne of hisown plays, were declaimed against by one who belonged to another sciiool ofart. Shakspere could not doubt that a man of vigorous understanding hadarisen up to devote himself to the exhibition of popular errors.—humours—passing accidents of life and character. He himself worked upon more endur-ing materials ; but he would nevertheless see that there was one
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookpublisherlondon, booksubjectshakespearewill
