CHAPTER VÍIÍ.

Richard goes to Ireland. Scene of Nor thumberland, &c. applied to modern politics. - War with Spain difliked by Sir Robert Walpole.—His dread of Jacobites, and dying prognoftication. — Particular lines of Shakspeare vehemently applauded on account of fuppofed refemblance. Richard marries an infant. His great indifcretion. — Meaning of defpised arms. — Why Prince Edward was called the Black Prince.

Shakspeare's conduct of

bis plot. Refemblance between Richard and Agamemnon. Delane's Richard. Who was the first anointed king in Europe.→ Feigned fubmiffion of Hereford, and treachery of Northumberland. Savage manners of our ancestors. Fifty challenges in parliament. Bishop of Carlife's integrity, -Warburton makes Shakspeare a Whig.Paffive obedience. Tom Chapman's abfur

dities and real merit.

Farquhar, Rowe, Sir Godfrey Kneller, and Hogarth.

S

his

As foon as Richard, intent upon Irish expedition, had left the stage, the

author

author introduces a political scene between the earl of Northumberland and the lords. Willoughby and Rofs, full of fevere reflections upon the king's mifconduct. The writing is not fingularly good, but it was greatly diftinguished by the particular behaviour of the audience, on the revival of this play, who applied almost every line that was spoken to the occurrences of the time, and to the measures and character of the ministry.

During a long peace of twenty-five years, the people, who feldom know their own happiness, were eager for a war with Spain. Provocations, it must be owned, had been given by the court of Madrid. The depredations committed by the Spanish guardda-coftas on our merchant-ships roused the attention and refentment of the merchants, who addreffed the parliament on the occafion; and the amiable Mr. Glover, then a member of parliament, feconded their petition with an animated speech. Sir Robert Walpole dreaded the confequences

L 4

confequences of a war with the Spaniards, and feared it would unite the elder branch of the house of Bourbon in the fame quarrel. He forefaw too that a rebellion in Scotland would be fomented by the high Tories and Jacobites in both kingdoms, He had always entertained a fecret dread of those gentlemen, who affembled in clubs to toast the king over the water. Nay, fome time before his death, which happened in 1744, this great minifter, as I was then informed by a nobleman, predicted that the king would be reduced to the neceffity of fighting for his crown.

The more reluctant Walpole appeared to fecond the wifhes of the merchants in commencing hoftilities, the more clamorous the people were for letting loose the vengeance of the nation against the Spaniards. When this tragedy was, after being long forgotten, revived, the cry for war was at the highest, and the spectators were ready to apply all that was uttered in the theatre to the transactions of the

day

day and to the miniftry. The dialogue of Northumberland and his friends furnished ample materials for political innuendo and application. There was in Bridgewater, who perfonated Northumberland, a most grave and folemn manner of delivering a fentiment, which dwelt fully upon the attentive hearer. When he pronounced the

following words,

The king is not himself, but bafely led
By flatterers,

the noise from the clapping of hands and clattering of sticks was loud and boisteAnd when Rofs faid,

rous.

The earl of Wiltshire hath the ftate in farm,→→

it was immediately applied to Walpole, with the loudeft fhouts and huzzas I ever heard. Likewife the following obfervation of Northumberland, that the king's revenue was not diminished by war, was met, by the audience, with redoubled fhouts

War

War hath not wafted it; for warr'd he hath not. More hath he fpent in peace than they * in war. The two following remarkable lines, fpoken by Willoughby and Northumberland, were heard with a dead and respectful filence :

WILLOUGHBY.

The king's grown bankrupt, like a broken man.

NORTHUMBERLAND,

Reproach, and diffolution, hangeth over him.

And now, if Mr. Hume had read over this fcene with attention, he would not have charged Shakspeare with deferting the civil rights of mankind: for what are the accufations of the fpeakers, in this dialogue, but fo many vindications of the natural and legal claims of the fubject ?

A&II. Scene II. The

queen, Bufhy, &c.

BUSHY.

Madam, your majefty is much too fad.

Though Shakspeare thought it for his

pur

pofe to have a queen in his tragedy, to

* His ancestors.

heighten