The Plays and Poems of William Shakspeare, Vol. 8 (Classic Reprint)

Pecorone, by Giovanni Florentine I have lately met with the same story in a very contemptible performance, intitled, The Fortunate, The Deceived, and The Unfortunate Lovers. Of this book, as I am told, there are several impressions; but that in which I read it was published in 1632, quarto. A somewhat similar story occurs in Piacevoli Notti diS traparola, Nott. 4F av. 4T his comedy was first entered at Stationers Hall, Jan. 18, 1601, by John Busby. Steevens. This play should be read between King Henry IV. and King Henry V. Jojtnson. A passage in the first sketch of the merry Wives of Windsor shews, I think, that it ought rather to be read between The First and The Second Part of King Henry IV in the latter of which young Henry becomes king. In the last act, Falstaff says: Heme the hunter, quoth you? Am i a ghost? Is blood, the fairies hath made a ghost of me. What, hunting at this time of night! Tie lay my life the mad prince of Wales is stealing his fathers deare. And in this play, as it now appears, Mr. Page discountenances the addresses of Fenton to his daughter, because he keeps company with the wild prince, and with Poins. The Fishwife is Tale of Brainford in Westward for Smelts, a book whichS hakspeare appears to have read, (having borrowed from it a part of the fable of Cymbeline,) probably led him to lay the scene of Falstaft slove adventures at Windsor. It begins thus: In Windsor not long ago dwelt a sumpterman, who had to wife a very faire but wanton creature, over whom, not without cause, he was something jealous; yet had he never any proof of her inconstancy. The reader who is curious in such matters may find the story of The Lovers of Pisa, mentioned by Dr. Farmer in the following note, at the end of this play. Malone. The adventures of Falstaff in this play seem to have been taken from the story of The Lovers of Pisa, in an old piece, called