Ben was naturally proud and indolent, and in the days
of his reputation did so far take upon him the premier
in witt that he could not but look with an evil eye upon
anyone that seemed to stand in competition with him.
And if at times he has affected to commend him, it has
always been with some reserve, insinuating his incorrectness,
a careless manner of writing and a want of judgment;
the praise of seldom altering or blotting out what
he writt which was given him by the players over the first
publish of his works after his death was what Jonson
could not bear...."
The story reads exactly like the story of Goethe and Schiller. It was
Schiller who held aloof and was full of fault-finding criticism: it was
Goethe who made all the advances and did all the kindnesses. It was
Goethe who obtained for Schiller that place as professor of history at
Jena which gave Schiller the leisure needed for his dramatic work. It is
always the greater who gives and forgives.
I believe, of course, too, in the traditional account of the
unforgettable evenings at the Mermaid.
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