ck_, but it was once almost _technically_ so: Gosson
in his _Schoole of Abuse, contayning a pleasaunt inuective against Poets,
Pipers, Players, Jesters, and such like Caterpillars of a Common-wealth_,
1579, mentions "twoo prose _Bookes_ plaied at the Belsauage"; and Hearne
tells us, in a Note at the end of _William of Worcester_, that he had seen
"a MS. in the nature of a _Play_ or _Interlude_, intitled, the _Booke_ of
Sir _Thomas Moore_."

And in fact there is such an old _anonymous_ Play in Mr. Pope's List: "A
pleasant conceited History, called, _The Taming of a Shrew_--sundry times
acted by the Earl of Pembroke his Servants." Which seems to have been
republished by the Remains of that Company in 1607, when Shakespeare's
copy appeared at the Black-Friars or the Globe.--Nor let this seem
derogatory from the character of our Poet. There is no reason to believe
that he wanted to claim the Play as his own; it was not even printed 'till
some years after his death: but he merely revived it on his Stage as a
_Manager_.--Ravenscroft assures us that this was really the case with
_Titus Andronicus_; which, it may be observed, hath not Shakespeare's name
on the Title-page of the only Edition published in his life-time. Indeed,
from every internal mark, I have not the least doubt but this _horrible_
Piece was originally written by the Author of the _Lines_ thrown into the
mouth of the _Player_ in _Hamlet_, and of the Tragedy of _Locrine_: which
likewise, from some assistance perhaps given to his Friend, hath been
unjustly and ignorantly charged upon Shakespeare.

But the _sheet-anchor_ holds fast: Shakespeare himself hath left some
Translations from Ovid. The Epistles, says One, of Paris and Helen give a
sufficient proof of his acquaintance with _that_ poet; and it may be
concluded, says Another, that he was a competent judge of _other_ Authors
who wrote in the same language.

This hath been the universal cry, from Mr. Pope himself to the Criticks of
yesterday. Possibly, however, the Gentlemen will hesitate a moment, if we
tell them that Shakespeare was _not_ the Author of these Translations. Let
them turn to a forgotten book, by Thomas Heywood, called _Britaines Troy_,
printed by W. Jaggard in 1609, Fol. and they will find these identical
Epistles, "which being so pertinent to our Historie," says Heywood, "_I_
thought necessarie to translate."--How then came they ascribed to
Shakespeare? We will tell them that likewise. The sam