of Shakespeare was known to
Daniel."

This position is, indeed, established by Mr. Knight, who arrives
satisfactorily enough for his own conclusion, that of fixing the date
of the composition of Shakespeare's play to 1597; adding, candidly
enough, that "the exact date is really of very little importance; and
we should not have dwelt upon it had it not been pleasant to trace
resemblances between contemporary poets, who were themselves personal
friends."

Now, with regard to dates, and the disputed dates of the composition
of the 'Tempest,' it is important to ascertain who John Florio and
Samuel Daniel were.

We know that Florio was the Italian scholar of his day, and the Court
favourite. We know that Daniel, whose name is now scarcely popularly
remembered, was helped into the office of poet-laureat by his
connection with Florio as his brother-in-law, by Florio's
recommendations to be the successor of "that poor poet, Edmund
Spenser." Here, at once, by admitting Shakespeare's personal
intimacy with Florio and Daniel, with his knowledge of their
writings, there can be no question; and supposing that he had seen
Florio's translation of Montaigne in MS., much difficulty about dates
is got rid of, and we can account for Shakespeare's acquaintance with
Italian literature.

And allow me to add to this the fact noticed by Mr. Collier, in his
memoirs of the principal actors in the plays of Shakespeare, printed
for the Shakespeare Society, that Shakespeare's fellow-player, Henry
Condell, did some time sojourn at Fulham; for a tract printed in
1625, entitled 'The Runaway's Answer to a book "A Rod for Runaways,"'
in reply to a pamphlet published by Decker, is inscribed "to our much
respected and very worthy friend, Mr. H. Condell, at his country
house at Fulham." Again, couple with the name of Condell that of
Burbadge, in 1625, at Fulham; is not the association most
extraordinary, although there is no further agreement in the
Christian name than the first letter, Robert being that in the Fulham
assessment of poor-rates, Richard that of Shakespeare's fellow-actor.
The family name of Burbadge, however, belongs not to Middlesex, but
to Warwickshire. Alas! for the credit sake of 'Robert Burbadge, of
Northend, Fulham,' in the place in the poor-rate assessment of 1625,
where the