Jean Pierre Simon 'John Peter Simon, the Younger' & Reverend Matthew William Peters

Shakspeare. Much Ado About Nothing. Act III, Scene I. Published June 4th. 1790. by John & Josiah Boydell, at the Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall & at No. 90. Cheapside. Engraved by Peter Simon. Painted by the Revd. Wm. Peters.

Hero. Now, Ursula, when Beatrice doth come,
As we do trace this alley up and down,
Our talk must only be of Benedick:
When I do name him, let it be thy part
To praise him more than ever man did merit:
My talk to thee must be, how Benedick
Is sick in love with Beatrice; Of this matter
Is little Cupid’s crafty arrow made,
That only wounds by hearsay. Now begin;

[Enter Beatrice, behind]

For look where Beatrice, like a lapwing, runs
Close by the ground, to hear our conference.

Ursula. The pleasantest angling is too see the fish
Cut with golden oars the silver stream,
And greedily devour the treacherous bait:
So angle we for Beatrice; who even now
Is couched in the woodbine coverture:
Fear you not my part in the dialogue.

Hero. Then go we near her, that her ear lose nothing
Of the false sweet bait that we lay for it. --
[They advance to the bower.]
No, truly, Ursula, she is too disdainful;
I know, her spirits are as coy and wild
As haggards of the rock. * Shakespeare

A scene inspired from a play by William Shakespeare, "Much Ado About Nothing", where the three finely dressed women stroll in the garden. Hero and Ursula are deep in conversation while Beatrice hides in the background and eavesdrops. This Shakespeare play includes such interesting characters as, Hero, a quiet, and dutiful girl. She is the daughter of Leonato who is the Governor of Messina, a kind and wise gentleman. Leonato with instructions from Don Pedro, the Prince of Aragon has chosen Benedick, then switches him for Claudio to be Hero's future husband. Claudio is from Florence and a Count of Don Pedro's suite. Although Claudio is of a jealous nature and not very bright he is young, very handsome and has distinguished himself in war. On her wedding day, Hero is falsely accused by Claudio of being unfaithful, causing much grief, and ending the ceremony. In the end, she is absolved of misconduct and the wedding plans resume. Hero and her friend (a waiting-gentlewoman) plot to make Beatrice, her cousin fall in love with Benedick. Beatrice has been brought up by her uncle Leonato since she was orphaned. She is candid and witty, but has a quick tongue for ridicule, a talent she enjoys exercising on Benedick, the gentleman of Padua who also serves in Don Pedro's army. Benedick professes great distaste for women and marriage, but enjoys his witty and fervent conversations with Beatrice, however, when he is tested, he acknowledges his love for her. In the end it is discovered that the evil Don Juan, the half brother of Don Pedro was the culprit responsible for the transgressions. He had planned to kill Hero, hurt Claudio, and dishonour Don Pedro. When he failed do do so, he fled, but was caught and punished. Other characters include Antonio, Leonato's brother, Balthasar, Borachio, Friar Francis, Dogberry, Vergas Sexton, Margaret, etc.

This original engraving is an 'Open Letter Proof Impression'. 3. ‘Open Letter Proofs’. These impressions bear the title of the play. The heading, ‘Shakespeare’, is yet to be filled in with stippling. These impressions were printed before the publication of the first edition and were probably struck from the plate at a customer’s request. Perhaps ten to twenty Open Letter Proofs exist for each engraving. The text below the image of this proof impression reads;

"Shakspeare. Much Ado About Nothing. Act III, Scene I. Published June 4th. 1790. by John & Josiah Boydell, at the Shakspeare Gallery, Pall Mall & at No. 90. Cheapside. Engraved by Peter Simon. Painted by the Revd. Wm. Peters."

Note: As this is an original proof impression, it lacks the following text that appears in later impressions.

__Hero, Ursula, and Beatrice listening.__
Hero. Then go we near her, that her ear lose nothing,
Of the false sweet bait that we lay for it.-,
[They advance to the Bower.
No, truly, Ursula, she is too Disdainful;
I know, her spirits are as coy and wild
As haggards of the rock.
Urs. But are you sure
That Benedick loves Beatrice so entirely?

An Important Note on Boydell States and Editions: Proof impressions and true first edition impressions are easily identified by their fine lines and strong contrasts of black and white tones. Later more common editions print in a more overall grey tone and contain areas of re-working. Briefly, the publishing history of these great engravings can be categorized into five states or editions:

1. 'Artist's Proofs'. These are the earliest of states and were printed in only a handful of impressions. They are identified not only by their vibrant lines and tones but by the fact that they lack any letters along the lower margin.
2. 'Proofs Before Title'. These impressions usually contain the names of the artist, publisher and engraver along the lower margin. They lack the title of the specific play depicted and usually the heading -- 'Shakspeare' -- is smaller than in the published edition. Once again, this state was printed in a very small numbers.
3. 'Open Letter Proofs'. These impressions bear the title of the play. the heading, 'Shakspeare' (Shakespeare), is yet to be filled in with stippling. These impressions were printed before the publication of the first edition and were probably struck from the plate at a customer's request. Perhaps ten to twenty Open Letter Proofs exist for each engraving.
4. 'First Edition Impressions'. The completed set of Boydell's Shakespeare engravings was published in London in 1803. The full publisher's address appears along the lower margin as well as the text for the play. The heading, 'Shakspeare', is now filled in with stippling. Both first edition impressions and proofs were most often printed on either hand-made, laid paper or wove paper bearing the 'J. Whatman' watermark.
5. 'Posthumous Impressions and Restrikes' As early as 1807, John Stockdale of London issued a second edition of the Shakespeare prints. They continued to be published throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Finally, in 1852, an enterprising dentist in New York City (with the delightful name of Shearjashub Spooner) acquired the plates, restored them and produced the last edition. These prints are most commonly offered for sale.

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