The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

WOODSTOCK. 211
Scotland, Will Shakspeare became godfather to Will D'Avenant; and not
contented with this spiritual affinity, the younger Will is for establishing
some claim to a natural one, alleging that his mother was a great admirer
of wit, and there were no bounds to her complaisance for men of genius."*
"Out upon the hound!" said Colonel Everard; "would he purchase the
reputation of descending from poet, or from prince, at the expense of his
mother's good fame?-his nose ought to be slit."
" That would be difficult," answered the disguised Prince, recollecting the
peculiarity of the bard's countenance.t
"Will D'Avenant the son of Will Shakspeare?" said the knight, who had
not yet recovered his surprise at the enormity of the pretension; "why, it
reminds me of a verse in the Puppet-show of Phaeton, where the hero complains to his mother-'Besides, by all the village boys I am sham'd,
You the Sun's son, you rascal, you be d-d!'t
I never heard such unblushing assurance in my life!-Will D'Avenant the
son of the brightest and best poet that ever was, is, or will be?-But I crave
your pardon, nephew-You, I believe, love no stage plays."
" Nay, I am not altogether so precise as you would make me, uncle. I
have loved them perhaps too well in my time, and now I condemn them not
altogether, or in gross, though I approve not their excesses and extravagances.-I cannot, even in Shakspeare, but see many things both scandalous to decency and prejudicial to good manners-many things which tend
to ridicule virtue, or to recommend vice,- at least to mitigate the hideousness of its features. I cannot think these fine poems are an useful study,
and especially for the youth of either sex, in which bloodshed is pointed
out as the chief occupation of the men, and intrigue as the sole employment
of the women."
In making these observations, Everard was simple enough to think that
he was only giving his uncle an opportunity of defending a favourite opinion,
without offending him by a contradiction, which was so limited and mitigated. But here, as on other occasions, he forgot how obstinate his uncle was
in his views, whether of religion, policy, or taste, and that it would be as
easy to convert him to the Presbyterian form of government, or engage him
to take the abjuration oath, as to shake his belief in Shakspeare. There
was another peculiarity in the good knight's mode of arguing, which
Everard, being himself of a plain and downright character, and one whose,
religious tenets were in some degree unfavourable to the suppressions and
simulations often used in society, could never perfectly understand. Sir
Henry, sensible of his natural heat of temper, was wont scrupulously to
guard against it, and would for some time, when in fact much offended,
conduct a debate with all the external appearance of composure, till the
violence of his feelings would rise so high as to overcome and bear away the
artificial barriers opposed to it, and rush down upon the adversary with
accumulating wrath. It thus frequently happened, that, like a wily old
general, he retreated in the face of his disputant in good order and by
degrees, with so moderate a degree of resistance, as to draw on his antagonist's pursuit to the spot, where, at length, making a sudden and unexpected
attack, with horse, foot, and artillery at once, he seldom failed to confound
the enemy, though he might not overthrow him.
It was on this principle, therefore, that, hearing Everard's last observation,
he disguised his angry feelings, and answered, with a tone where politeness
This gossiping tale is to be found in the variorum Shakspeare. D'Avenant did not much mind throwing
out hints, in which he sacrificed his mother's character to his desire of being held a descendant from the
admirable Shakspeare.
t D'Avenant actually wnnted the nose, the foundation of many a jest of the day.
t We observe this couplet in Fielding's farce of Tumble-down-Dick, founded on the same classical story
As it was current in the time of the Commonwealth, it must have reached the author of Tom Jones by tradition-for no one will suspect the present author of making the anachronism.