but much worse with ours; fo now they have made our englishe tongue a gallimaufrey, or hodge-podge "of all other speeches *." Thus that which induced Spenfer to adopt fo much obfolete language in the Paftorals, induced him likewise to do the fame in the FAIRY QUEEN. Hence too it appears, that he was difgufted with the practice of his cotemporary writers, who had adulterated, according to his judgment, the purity of the english tongue by various innovations from the spanish, french, latin, and italian. And that this was a prevailing affectation in the age of queen Elizabeth, may be concluded from the following paffages.

Thus Marfton in his Satires.

I cannot quote a motte italianate;

Or brand my Satires with a Spanish terme †.

Bishop Hall in his Satires, published in 1597.

There if he can with termes italianate,
Big-founding fentences, &c.

"Hi

And Camden having given us a fpecimen of the Lord's prayer in old english has these words. "therto will our sparkfull youth laugh at their great

* Ibid.

+ Proem. b. 2.

<< grand

grand-fathers english, who had more care to do "well, than to fpeak minion-like; and left more

glory to us by their exploiting great actes, than "we fhall by our forging new words, and uncouth

phrases *." A learned gentleman, one R. C. [Carew] who has addreffed a letter to Camden, inferted in that author's REMAINS, thus fpeaks. "So "have our italian travellers brought us acquainted of "their sweet-relifhed phrafes; even we feeke to make

66

our good of our late spanish enemie, and fear as "little the hurt of his tongue, as the dint of his "fword." Again, "We within these fixty years "have incorporated fo many latin and french words, 66 as the third part of our tongue confifteth now in "them." And Afcham in his Schole-mafter informs us, that not only the language, but the manners, of Italy had totally infected his country-men, where he is defcribing the ITALIANIZED ENGLISHMAN †.

*REMAINS. Artic, LANGUAGES.

† The fame author acquaints us, that about this time an infinite number of italian books were tranflated into english: among the reft, were many italian novels, the translations of which, Shakespeare manifeftly made ufe of for fome of his plots. Those who have undertaken to point out the books frem whence Shakespeare borrowed his plots, have not, I think, been able to discover the fource from whence he drew the story of his MERCHANT of VENICE; which, in all probability, is founded upon the following antient ballad, which I met with in a large collection. Muf. Afhmol. Oxon. Cod. impref. A. Wood.

A SONG

Our author's disapprobation of this practice appears more fully from his own words, where he expressly

ASONG, fhewing the crueltie of Gernutus a JEWE, who lending to a marchant an bundred crownes, would have a pound of bis fleshe, because be could not pay bim at the time appointed.

In Venice towne not long agoe,

A cruell JEWE did dwell;
Which lived all on ufurie,

As italian writers tell.

GERNUTUS called was the Jewe, &c.

The whole fong would be too prolix for this place. I fhall tranfcribe only the close of the ftory; having premised, that the cunning and rapacious Jew is represented, in our ballad, to have lent an eminent merchant of Venice an hundred crowns, upon a bond, in which promise of payment is made within a year and a day; under the forfeiture of a pound of the merchant's flesh, in cafe of non-payment: that the merchant, on account of his fhips being detained by contrary winds, was unable to perform his contract at the time appointed: that the affair was referred to a judge; that the friends of the merchant offered ten thousand crowns to abfolve him, but that the Jew obftinately perfifted in his demand of the forfeited pound of flesh.

Then faid the judge, Yet good, my friend,

Let me of you defire,

To take the flesh from fuch a place

As yet you let him live;

Doe fo, and loe an hundred crownes

To thee here I will give.

No, no, quoth he, &c.

*

For I will have my pound of fleshe,
From under his right fide.

The

hints that Chaucer's language, which he fo closely copied, was the pure English.

The bloudie Jewe now readie is,
With whetted blade in hand,
To fpoyle the bloude of innocent,
By forfeit of his bond.

And as he was about to ftrike
In him the deadlie blow,

Stay (quoth the judge) thy crueltie,
I charge thee to do fo.

Sith needs thou wilt thy forfeit have
Which is of fleshe a pound;
See that thou fhed no drop of bloud,
Nor yet the man confound.

For if thou doe, like murderer
Thou here shall hanged bee,
Likewife of flefhe fee that thou cut
No more than longs to thee;

For if thou take or more or leffe
To value of a mite,

Thou shalt be hanged presentlie,
As is both law and right.

Gernutus nowe waxt franticke mad,
And wote not what to say;
Quoth he at laft, ten thousand crownes
I will that he shall pay ;

And fo I grant to fette him free,

The judge doth answer make,

You shall not have a peny given,
Your forfeiture now take.

At the laft he doth demand

But for to have his owne ;

No, (quoth the judge) doe as you lift,
Thy judgment fhall be showne;

Dan Chaucer WELL of ENGLISH UNDEFILDE *.

Either take your pound of fleshe, qd he,

Or cancell me your bond;

O cruel judge! then quoth the Jewe,
That doth against me stand.

And fo with griped grieved mind,
He biddeth them farewell,
All the people prais'd the Lord,
That ever this heard tell.

4. 2. 32.

After which follows a moral exhortation, resulting from the fubject. But the whole may be seen in the CONNOISSEUR, vol. i. No. 16.

It may be objected, that this ballad might have been written after, and copied from, Shakespeare's play. But if that had been the cafe, it is most likely that the author would have preserved Shakespeare's name of Shylock for the Jew; and nothing is more likely, than that Shakespeare in copying from this ballad, should alter the name from Gernutus to one more Jewish; and by the alteration of the name his imitation was the better disguised. Another argument, which would have appeared much more convincing, had the whole song been transcribed, but which perhaps will be allowed from this extract, is, that our ballad has the air of a narrative written before Shakespeare's play; I mean that if it had been written after the play, it would have been much more full and circumftantial: At present, it has too much the naked nefs of an original. Befides, the firft ftanza informs us, that the ftory was taken from fome italian novel. Thus much therefore is certain, that is, Shakespeare either copied from that italian novel, or from this ballad: Now we have

no

* A learned and fagacious lexicographer gives a very different account of the purity of Chaucer's ftyle. "Chaucerus, peffimo exemplo, integris vocum plauftris ex eadem Gallia in noftram linguam invectis; eam, nimis antea a Normannorum victoria adulteratam, omni fere nativa gratia et nitore Spoliavit, pro genuinis coloribus fucum illinens, pro vera facie larvam induens.” Skinner, Præfat, ad Etymolog. Ling. Anglic.