A Select Collection of Old English Plays Volume Vi Part 107

[13] We quote from Mr Utterson's, on all accounts, valuable reprint of Guilpin's collection of Epigrams and Satires, which was limited to sixteen copies. The same gentleman has conferred many other disinterested favours of the same kind on the lovers of our ancient literature.

[14] Percy's Reliques, i. 226, edit. 1812. There are copies in the Roxburghe, Pepys, and Ashmole collections.

[15] In his "Jew of Malta" reprinted in the Rev. A. Dyce's edit. of "The Works of Christopher Marlowe," i. 227.

[16] This quotation will appear in the next, the third, volume of "Extracts from the Registers of the Stationers' Company," which is now in the press of the Shakespeare Society. [This third volume never appeared.]

[17] The question when blank verse was first employed in our public theatres is considered and discussed in the "History of English Dramatic Poetry and the Stage," iii. 107, and the whole of Marlowe's Prologue, in which he may be said to claim the credit of its introduction, is quoted on p. 116.

[18] This practice of addressing the audience was continued to a comparatively late date, and Thomas Heywood's Plays, as reprinted by the Shakespeare Society, afford various instances of it.

[19] Besides "1 day," in the body of the entry ("Henslowe's Diary," p.

28), the letters _ne_ are inserted in the margin, by which also the manager indicated that the piece performed was a _new_ play. Both these circ.u.mstances were unnoticed by, because unknown to, Malone when he had the original MS. from Dulwich College for some years in his hands.

[20] See "Memoirs of Edward Alleyn," founder of Dulwich College (printed for the Shakespeare Society), p. 29, &c.

[21] This memorandum, securing the right of publication to Richard Jones, is also contained in the forthcoming volume of "Extracts from the Registers of the Stationers' Company," to be issued by the Shakespeare Society.

[22] See his "Diary," pp. 43-48, 50, 51, 54, 55, 57, 62, and 82.

[23] "Elfrid," afterwards remodelled under the t.i.tle of "Athelwold," by Aaron Hill; and "Elfrida," by William Mason. At an earlier date the story, more or less altered, furnished a subject to Rymer and Ravenscroft.

[24] See vol. viii. of the former edition of Dodsley's "Old Plays," p.

165; and Rev. A. Dyce's edition of Robert Greene's Works, i. 14.

[25] Commune.

[26] [The Pope.]

[27] [Nimrod.]

[28] [Because.]

[29] This and the other marginalia are Hypocrisy's _asides_. By _Ambo_ he seems to signify, You knaves, the two of you!

[30] [Until.]

[31] [Fellow.]

[32] [Query, _logic_.]

[33] [Thus.]

[34] [Good.]

[35] [Old copy, _wynde_.]

[36] [See Hazlitt's "Proverbs," 1869, p. 103. The origin of the term there suggested seems to be supported by the words put into the mouth of _Hypocrisy_ here.]

[37] [Old copy, _myne_.]

[38] [There is a proverb: "The devil is good when he is pleased."]

[39] [Tenor.]

[40] The priest is made to speak what the author seems to have taken for the Scotish dialect.

[41] [The writer should have written _requhair_, if anything of the kind; but his Scotish is deplorably imperfect.]

[42] The usual style in which priests and clergymen were anciently addressed. Instances are too numerous to require citation.

[43] [St. Rock.]

[44] [This pa.s.sage was unknown to Brand and his editors.]

[45] Quiet.

[46] [f.a.got.]

[47] [i.e., Tyranny, who disguises his ident.i.ty, and goes under the name of _Zeal_.]

[48] [This word, to complete the metre, was suggested by Mr Collier.]

[49] Tyranny had made his _exit_, in order to bring back with him Sensual Suggestion: here he returns, but his re-entrance is not noted.

Sensual Suggestion follows him, but not immediately, and what he first says was perhaps off the stage, and out of sight of the audience; for Hypocrisy, five speeches afterwards, informs the Cardinal that Sensual Suggestion is coming.

[50] i.e., Convicted of heresy. This use of the verb "to convince" was not unusual at a considerably later date: thus in Beaumont and Fletcher's "Lover's Progress," act v. sc. 3, edit. Dyce--

"You bring no witness here that may convince you," &c.

It was also often employed as synonymous with "to overcome." See Shakespeare, ii. 377; vi. 49, &e., edit. Collier.

[51] [Old copy, _former_.]

[52] [Old copy, _demeanour_.]

[53] [Old copy, _myne_.]

[54] [Old copy, _line_.]

[55] [3, in the old copy.]

[56] [This and the next line but one have occurred before at the close of the speech of Spirit.]

[57] [Old copy, _me_.]

[58] [a.s.sure.]

[59] [Old copy, _his_.]