The only use of transcribing these things is to shew what absurdities men for ever run into, when they lay down an Hypothesis, and afterward seek for arguments in the support of it. What else could induce this man, by no means a bad scholar, to doubt whether _Truepenny_ might not be derived from Τρύπανον; and quote upon us with much parade an old Scholiast on Aristophanes?—I will not stop to confute him: nor take any notice of two or three more Expressions, in which he was pleased to suppose some learned meaning or other; all which he might have found in every Writer of the time, or still more easily in the vulgar Translation of the Bible, by consulting the Concordance of Alexander Cruden. But whence have we the Plot of _Timon_, except from the Greek of Lucian?—The Editors and Criticks have been never at a greater loss than in their inquiries of this sort; and the source of a Tale hath been often in vain sought abroad, which might easily have been found at home: My good friend, the very ingenious Editor of the _Reliques of ancient English Poetry_, hath shewn our Author to have been sometimes contented with a legendary _Ballad_. The Story of the _Misanthrope_ is told in almost every Collection of the time; and particularly in two books, with which Shakespeare was intimately acquainted; the _Palace of Pleasure_, and the _English Plutarch_. Indeed from a passage in an old Play, called _Jack Drum’s Entertainment_, I conjecture that he had before made his appearance on the Stage. Were this a proper place for such a disquisition, I could give you many cases of this kind. We are sent for instance to Cinthio for the Plot of _Measure for Measure_, and Shakespeare’s judgement hath been attacked for some deviations from him in the conduct of it: when probably all he knew of the matter was from Madam Isabella in the _Heptameron_ of Whetstone. Ariosto is continually quoted for the Fable of _Much ado about Nothing_; but I suspect our Poet to have been satisfied with the _Geneura_ of Turberville. _As you like it_ was _certainly borrowed_, if we believe Dr. Grey, and Mr. Upton, from the _Coke’s Tale of Gamelyn_; which by the way was not _printed_ ’till a century afterward: when in truth the old Bard, who was no hunter of MSS., contented himself solely with Lodge’s _Rosalynd_ or Euphues’ _Golden Legacye_. 4to. 1590. The Story of _All’s well that ends well_, or, as I suppose it to have been sometimes called, _Love’s labour wonne_, is originally indeed the property of Boccace, but it came immediately to Shakespeare from Painter’s _Giletta of Narbon_. Mr. Langbaine could not conceive whence the Story of _Pericles_ could be taken, “not meeting in History with any such _Prince of Tyre_”; yet his legend may be found at large in old Gower, under the name of _Appolynus_.