ammar-School, made this extemporary Verse.

_Persius_ a Crab-staff, Bawdy _Martial_, _Ovid_ a fine Wag.

3. _Plautus_, a most exact Comedian, and yet never any Scholar, as our
_Shakespear_ (if alive) would confess himself; but by keeping company
with Learned persons, and conversing with jocular Wits, whereto he was
naturally inclin'd, he became so famously witty, or wittily famous,
that by his own industry, without the help of Learning, he attained to
an extraordinary height in all strains of Dramatick Poetry, especially
in the Comick part, wherein we may say he outwent himself; yet was he
not so much given to Festivity, but that he could (when so disposed) be
solemn and serious; so that _Heraclitus_ himself might afford to smile
at his Comedies, they were so merry, and _Democritus_ scarce forbear to
sigh at his Tragedies, they were so mournful.

Nor were his Studies altogether confined to the Stage, but had
excursions into other kinds of Poetry, witness his Poem of the _Rape of
Lucrece_, and that of _Venus and Adonis_; wherein, to give you a taste
of the loftiness of his Style, we shall insert some few Lines of the
beginning of the latter.

Even as the Sun with purple-colour'd face
Had tane his last leave of the weeping Morn,
Rose-cheek'd _Adonis_ hy'd him to the Chase,
Hunting he lov'd, but Love he laught to scorn.
Sick thoughted _Venus_ makes amain unto him,
And like a bold-fac'd Suiter 'gins to woo him.
Thrive fairer than my self (thus she begins)
The fields chief flower, sweet above compare,
Stain to all Nymphs, more lovely than a man;
More white and red than Doves or Roses are:
Nature that made thee with herself at strife,
Says that the world hath ending with thy life, &c

He was an eminent instance of the truth of that Rule, _Poeta non fit,
sed nascitur_; one is not made, but born a Poet; so that as _Cornish
Diamonds_ are not polished by any Lapidary, but are pointed and
smoothed even as they are taken out of the Earth, so Nature itself was
all the Art which was used on him.

He was so great a Benefactor to the Stage, that he wrote of himself
eight and forty Plays; whereof 18 Comedies, _viz._ _As you like it_,
_All's well that ends well_, _A Comedy of Errors_, _Gentleman of_
Verona, _Loves Labour lost_, London _Prodigal_, _Merry Wives of_
Windsor, _Measure for measure_, _Much ado about Nothing_, _Midsummer
Nights Dream_, _Merchant of_ Venice, _Merry Devil of_ Edmonton,