The Plays and Poems of William, Vol. 19 (Classic Reprint)

Life and Death of this Prince, comprizes, at most, but the last eight years of his time; for it opens with George Duke of Clarence being clapped up in the Tower, which happened in the beginning of the year 1477; and closes with the death of Richard at Bosworth field, which battle was fought on the 22d of A ugust, in the year 14S5. Theobald. It appears that several dramas on the present subject had been written before Shakspeare attempted it. See the notes at the conclusion of this play which was first entered atS tationers Hall by Andrew Wise, Oct. 20, 1597, under the title ofT heT ragedie of King Richard the Third, with theD eath of theD uke of Clarence. Before this, viz. A ug. 15th, 1586, was entered, A tragical Report of King Richard the Third, aB allad. It may be necessary to remark that the words, song, ballad, enterludey and play, were often synonymously used. Steevens. The notes referred to by Mr. Steevens, and printed at the end of his edition of the play, I shall here subjoin, for the purpose of bringing what has been said on this subject into one point of view. Malone. The oldest known edition of this tragedy is printed for Andrew Wise, 1597: but Harrington, in his A pologie for Poetrie, written in 1590, and prefixed to the translation of A riosto, says, that a tragedy of Richard the Third had been acted at Cambridge. His words are, For tragedies, to omit other famous tragedies, that which was played atS t. John sin Cambridge, of Richard the Third, would move, I think, Phalaris the tyrant, and terrific all tyrannous minded men, c. He most probably meansS hakspeare s; and if so, we may argue, that there is some more ancient edition of this play than what I have mentioned; at least this shows how earlyS hakspeare splay appeared; or if some other Richard the Third is here alluded to by Harrington, tliat a play on this subject preceded our author s. T.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)