n 3tl;aca. ^tm fork FROM THE BENNO LOEWY LIBRARY COLLECTED BY BENNO LOEWY 1854-1919 BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY Cornell University Library PR 2972.M3P95 Life of Edmond Malone, editor of Shal(spea 3 1924 013 156 181 The original of tiiis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 92401 31 561 81 .CO / ; u ^^ ^i n/ l//hgo /^-o-m ,J:y'^ n^t LIFE OF EDMOISTD MALONE, EDITOR OF SHAKSPEARE. WITH SELECTIONS EEOM HIS MANUSCEIPT ANECDOTES. BY SIK JAMES PKIOK, M.E.I.A., F.S.A., &c. ^UTHOB 6p "the LIPE OP EDJIUND BUEKE," WITH A PORTRAIT. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER & CO., 65, CORNHILL. M.DCCC.LX. j. ^ ,;) j; [^ | I [TVifi riyhl of Translation h reserved.^ TO THE ElftHT HON. THE EARL OP DERBY, K.G., SiC S(Q. &c. My Lobdj Amid the unavoidable contentions of political life, it is to be hoped that an hour may be occasionally spared to notice the pursuits of those who are less excitingly, though not unusefuUy, employed—I mean the scholar and literary inquirer, such as the subject of the following sketch. These hom's indeed cannot be many. Through life, the position of an English Statesman is peculiar. He must be, if he hopes to retain his standing in the country, pre-eminently a man of labour. Even removal from power ensures little remission from work. In office, he must originate the policy that distinguishes his country. Out of it, he is called upon to examine or to control the measures introduced by others. But in either case, by the conscientious exer- tion of large powers, he may establish a name that will die only with his country. A 2 IV That your Lordship, whether in or out of office, may receive the honours fairly earned by fearless support of the integrity of the great institutions of the State, is the sincere wish of. My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient And most faithful servant, JAMES PRIOK. — CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. 1741—1765. Family of Malone—Trinity College—Ode on the Nuptials of George III. —Journey to England—Entered at the Middle Temple—Rev. Mr. Chetwood—His Letters 1 CHAPTER H. 1766—1769. Introduction to Dr. Johnson—Letters from Avignon—Promotion of his Father—Called to the Bar—A Love Story—Spa . .18 CHAPTER m. 1769—1777. Law Studies—Irish Duels—Death of his Father—Candidate for the Bepresentation of Trinity College—Edition of Goldsmith—Death of his Uncle—^Literature of the Stage—Removes to London—The Shakspeare Mania—Lord Charlemont—George Steevens—Letter from his Brother , 37 CHAPTER IV. 1778—1781, An Attempt to ascertain the Order in which the Plays of Sliakspeare were written—Irish Politics—Mr. Denis Daly—Sir Joshua Reynolds —Supplement to the Edition of Shakspeare't Plays by Samuel John- son and George Steevens—Hogarth's Widow—Lord Charlemont Rowley's Poems—Jephson's Count o/iVar6onne—Epilogue by Malone 58 — VI CONTENTS. CHAPTEK V. 1781—1783. Horace Walpole—Literary Club—Dr. Johnson—Lord Charlemont— Shakspeare—Steeyens—Eev. Mr. Whalley—Henry Flood . 83 CHAPTER VI. 1783—1786. Correspondence with Flood—Second Appendix to Shakspeare—^Pre- pares to become Editor—Horace Walpole—Bishop Percy—Gold- smith—Steevens—Elevation Of his Brothet to the Peerage—Boswell 108 —John Kemble—Walpole and Rousseau—Lord Charlemont . CHAPTER VH. 1786—1789. Jephson's Julia, or the Italian Lover— Prologue by Malone — Lord Charlemont—Horace Walpole — Correspondence with Rev. Mr. Davenport of Stratford—John Kemble—Pope and Warbnrton— Lady M. Wortley Montague—Visit to Burke 132 CHAPTER Vni. 1789—1791. Revision of Boswell's Johnson—Baretti—Visit to Waller's former man- sion—John Kemble—Publication of Shakspeare—^Burke—Reynolds —Mrs. Piozzi—Relique of Elizabethan Poetry—^Visit to Burke Abbe Raynal—Burke, in allusion to Hastings' Trial . , , 157 CHAPTER IX. 1792—1793. Joseph Warton—Ritson's Criticisms on Malone—Malone's Letter to Dr. Tarmer—Editors of Shakspeare—Death of Reynolds—Letter of the Poet Mason — Lord Edward Fitzgerald and Pamela — Jephson's Roman Portraits—Bishop Douglas's Anecdotes—Davenport, Stee- vens, Lord Charlemont—Prospectus of a new Edition of Shakspeare 184 CHAPTER X. 1794—1797. Jephgon's Poem and Letters—>-AnotheT tender AttacboKnt—I3eatk of BoB7ell-~-Aubrey's Papers—The Irelands Shakspeare Forg^ies— Letter of Burke—Lord Charlemont—New Tragedy by Jq)hson— Lord Otfwd—Reynolds' Mouoir and Works—Death of Burke. so9 — — CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTEE XI. 1797—1799. Correspondence—A Rapt Poet—Excursion to Brighton—Portrait of Malone by Ozias Humphrey—State of Ireland—^Earl of Clare—The Union—Prose of Dryden—^Letter of Lord Hailes—George Canning and the Literary Club—A Visitor from Stratford , . .236 CHAPTEE XII. 1799—1805. Dr. Burney—^Publication of Life and Prose Works of Dryden—R. Bell's late Edition of his Poems—Pope—Visit to Ireland in 1801 Andrew Caldwell—Mr. Wraxall and Lord Whitworth—Disap- pointed in a public appointment—^William Gilford—Sale of part of his Books—Letters to his Sister—Notices by Kev. J. Jephson Letter from GiflTord 259 CHAPTEE XIII. 1805—1810. VeniLs and Adonis (ed. 1593) Life of Shakspeare — Bishop Percy Notices of Malone, by Rev. J. Jephson—Letter to his Sister Pamphlet on the Origin of TTie Tempest—^Parliamentary Logic and Right Hon. W. G. Hamilton—Thomas Moore and Kilkenny Thea- tricals-Right Hon. W, "Windham 283 CHAPTEE XrV. 1810—1812. Proposed Life of Mason—W. Gifford—Notes upon Books—Conversa- tional Memoranda—Illness—Letter to Lady Ailesbury—^Letter to a Lady in Ireland—^Letter to Lady Sunderlin—^His Death—Character —^Person and Manners—Collections—Will—Gift of his Brother to the Bodleian Library—Letters and Papers 307 Maloxiana 333 PREFACE. He who has expended learning and industry in making known the lives and labours of others, deserves the record he bestows. It forms a debt of honour, if not of gratitude, which literary men are bound to bestow upon each other. The neglect of it is injustice to their class. And in this instance, it would be to sin against an eminent literary antiquary and critic, an amiable man, and the intimate personal friend of several of the very first characters of their time. No name is more suggestive than that of Malone whenever we take up a volume of Shakspeare, of Dryden, of the history of the stage, of Boswell, or of biographical sketches of a few eminent contemporary friends who had just passed away. Upon Pope, Aubrey, and others of a previous age, considerable labour had been expended without having its results ushered into light. While to works of more varied general information, such as the BiograpMa Dra- matical he had contributed largely in personal anecdote. Of his own career I found little. The only con- nected sketch was an article in the Gentlemans Magazine afterwards enlarged into a pamphlet, by X PREFACE. the younger Boswell, to whom in his illness he had assigned the duty of completing and issuing the en- larged edition of Shakspeare in twenty-one volumes. But this scant outline was only meant to allay the curiosity of the moment. Had that gentleman lived, no douht we should have bad a fuller account of a round of persevering studies in ancient poetic and dramatic literature by bis friend, such as few other critical antiquaries have achieved. Although I had been often impressed by the want of more satisfactory information respecting Malone, accident led to the present attempt to supply it. While at Brighton in 1856, in conver- sation with an eminent literary friend and likewise with a warm lover of letters, Mr. William Tooke, the latter mentioned having a resident friend there, the Reverend Thomas E. Eooper, a connection of the Malone family,* who possessed several of the books, letters, prints, and memoranda of Edmond, which he deemed worthy of close examination. I remembered that one of the letters of that gentleman to Bishop Percy had been quoted by me in the Life of Goldsmith^ twenty years before, stating that he bad once pos- sessed some manuscript verses of that poet, which had been so carefully folded in one of his books that they could not then or afterward be found. It imme- diately occurred to me that the lost lines might be among these memorials. Mr. Rooper was applied to, who kindly assented to the search, which however piroved vain. But the introduction led to some con- versations on Malone's career and spirit of research, •* Nephew of Lady Sunderlin, wife to the elder brother of Edmond. PREFACE. XI and eventually to the project of his life. Diligent inquiry and indifferent health have, however, post- poned its appearance longer than I had anticipated. In addition to the materials supplied by this gen- tleman, he was good enough to procure from the pre- sent Earl of Charlemont a packet of letters written to Malone by the late lord, and which Mr. Rooper had returned to the family. The letters 6f Malone to that nobleman during a correspondence of twenty years have disappeared—by some said to be lost, by others destroyed. A contingency against which there is no provision, caused the dispersion of many other papers. After the publication of Shakspeare, an agreeable evening spent by the youngier Boswell with the Malone family induced the ladies, at the suggestion of Mr. Rooper, to propose his acceptance of some memorial of their late brother. The most appropriate was deemed to be a box of papers, letters, and notes upon books, men, or miscellaneous subjects which his pursuits might turn to useful public account.