Author: Ben JonsonNot Peer Reviewed
Prefatory Materials (Folio 1, 1663)
264of the decea
sed Authour Mai
ster
266SHake-
speare,
at length thy pious fellowes giue 267The world thy Workes: thy Workes, by which, out-liue 268Thy Tombe, thy name must: when that stone is rent,
269And Time dissolues thy Stratford
Moniment,
270Here we aliue shall view thee still. This Booke,
271When Brasse and Marble fade, shall make thee looke 272Fresh to all Ages: when Posteritie 273Shall loath what's new, thinke all is prodegie 274That is not Shake-
speares;
eu'ry Line, each Verse 275Here shall reuiue, redeeme thee from thy Herse.
276Nor Fire, nor cankring Age, as Na
so
said,
277Of his, thy wit-fraught Booke shall once inuade.
278Nor shall I e're beleeue, or thinke thee dead 279(Though mist) vntill our bankrout Stage be sped 280(Impossible) with some new straine t' out-do 281Passions of Iuliet,
and her Romeo;
282Or till I heare a Scene more nobly take,
283Then when thy half=Sword parlying Romans
spake.
284Till these, till any of thy Volumes rest 285Shall with more fire, more feeling be exprest,
286Be sure, our Shake=
speare,
thou canst neuer dye,
287But crown'd with Lawrell, liue eternally.
289To the memorie of M.
W. Shake-speare.
290VVEE wondred (Shake-
speare)
that thou went'st so soone 291 From the Worlds=Stage, to the Graues-Tyring-roome.
292Wee thought thee dead, but this thy printed worth,
293Tels thy Spectators, that thou went'st but forth 294To enter with applause. An Actors Art,
295Can dye, and liue, to acte a second part.
296That's but an Exit
of Mortalitie;
297This, a Re-entrance to a Plaudite.