raordinary success. While
Shakespeare's drama was not printed, either in authentic or pirated
shape, before the appearance of the 1623 folio, the prose story had a
number of editions throughout the seventeenth century and even, under
one shape or another, throughout the eighteenth. It was printed as a
chap-book during this last period, and in this costume began a new life.
It was turned into verse in 1672, under the title, "Fortune's tennis
ball: or the most excellent history of Dorastus and Fawnia, rendred into
delightful english verse";[138] it begins with this "delightful"
invocation:

"Inspire me gentle love and jealousie,
Give me thy passion and thy extasie,
While to a pleasant ayr I strik the strings
Singing the fates of lovers and of kings."

But the highest and most extraordinary compliment to Greene's
performance was its translation into French, not only once, as has been
said, but twice. The first time was at a moment when the English
language and literature were practically unknown and as good as
non-extant to French readers. It appeared in 1615, and was dedicated to
"tres haute and tres illustre princesse, Madame Christine Soeur du
Roy."[139] The second translation, that has never yet been noticed, was
made at a time when France had a novel literature of its own well worth
reading, and when Boileau had utterly routed and discomfited the writers
of romantic and improbable tales. Nevertheless, it was thought that a
public would be found in Paris for Greene's novel, and it was printed
accordingly in French in 1722, this time adorned with engravings.[140]
They show "Doraste" dressed as a marquis of Louis XV.'s time; while
"Pandolphe" wears a flowing wig under his cocked hat, and sits on a
throne in rococo style. A copy of the book was purchased for the royal
library, and is still to be seen at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris,
with the crown and cipher of his Most Christian Majesty on the cover.

Greene's story of "Menaphon"[141] is hardly more probable, but it takes
place in the country of Arcadia, a fact that predisposes us to treat
with indulgence any lack of reality; moreover, it contains touches of
true poetry, and is perhaps, all considered, the best of Greene's
romantic novels. In common with most of this author's tales it abounds
in monologues and dialogues; heroes think aloud and let us into their
secret thoughts, a device adapted from the classic drama and very common
in all t