a pamphlet, intitled, "A Search for Money: or, The "lamentable Complaint for the Losse of the wandring 66 Knight, Mounsieur l'Argent: or, Come along with "Me, I know thou lovest Money. Dedicated to all "those that lack money." 4to. 1609, and addressed to his entire and deare esteemed friend, Maister THOMAS HOBBS. In the Dramatis Personæ, prefixed to his own play of All's Lost by Lust, the part of Jaques, a simple clownish gentleman, is said to have been personated by the poet; and in Middleton's Inner Temple Masque, 1619, he performed the part of Plumb-porridge. He was the author of the following dramatick pieces: 1. "A New Wonder, A Woman never Vext. A pleasant conceited Comedy: sundry times acted: "never before printed."* 4to. 1632. 66 2. "A Tragedy, called, All's Lost by Lust. Written by William Rowley: divers times acted by the Lady "Elizabeth's servants. And now lately by her Majes"ties servants, with great applause, at the Phoenix in 'Drury Lane." 4to. 1633. 3. "A Match at Midnight. A Pleasant Comœdie : as it hath beene acted by the children of the Revells. "Written by W. R." 4to. 1633. 4. "A Merrie and Pleasant Comedy: never before 7. The Old Law: by Philip Massinger, John Ford, and William Rowley, 1656. 8. The Birth of Merlin, or the Child hath found his Father: by William Shakespeare and William Rowley, 1662. 9. Fortune by Land and Sea: by Thomas Heywood and William Rowley, 1655. 10. The Witch of Edmonton, a known true story: by Thomas Dekkar, William Rowley, and John Ford, 1658. 11. The Cure for a Cuckold: by John Webster and William Rowley, 1661. 12. The Thracian Wonder: by the same authors, 1661. Several of these are very doubtful, and depend solely upon the assertion of Kirkman the bookseller, who is supposed to have availed himself of popular names to assist the sale of the plays he published. C. * This play was successfully revived, with some alterations, in the year 1824, at Covent Garden Theatre. 66 printed, called A Shoo-maker a Gentleman: as it "hath beene sundry times acted at the Red Bull and "other Theatres, with a generall and good applause. "Written by W. R. Gentleman." 4to. 1638. William Rowley wrote other plays, which were never printed. Mr. Malone mentions the following: 1. "The Book of the four honoured Loves." 2. "The Parliament of Love." 3. "The Nonsuch, a Comedy."+ Attempt to ascertain the order in which the plays attributed to Shakspeare were written, p. 468. Edit. 1821. "The Fool without Book," and " A Knave in Print, or One "for Another," have been also assigned to William Rowley on the same authority. C. DRAMATIS PERSONE. SIR MARMADUKE MANY-MINDS. LIEUTENANT BOTTOM. ANCIENT YOUNG. BLOODHOUND, a Usurer. ALEXANDER BLOODHOUND, } his two Sons. TIM. BLOODHOUND, RANDALL, a Welchman. EAR-LACK, a Scrivener. SIM, the Clown. JOHN, Servant to the Widow. JARVIS, the Widow's Husband, disguised like her servant. A SMITH. Busy, a Constable. WATCH. WOMEN. WIDOW WAGGE. MOLL, Bloodhound's Daughter. MRS. COOTE, a Bawd. SUE SHORTHEELS, a Whore. A MATCH AT MIDNIGHT. ACT I. SCENE I. Enter, as making themselves ready, TIM. BLOODHOUND, and SIM the man. Sim. GOOD-MORROW, Master Tim. Tim. Morrow Sim; my father stirring, Sim? Sim. Not yet, I think; he heard some ill news of your brother Alexander last night, that will make him lie an hour extraordinary. Tim. Hum: I'm sorry the old man should lie by the hour; but oh, these wicked elder brothers, that swear refuse them,' and drink nothing but wicked sack; when we swear nothing but niggers noggers, make a meal of a bloat herring, water it with four shillings beer, and then swear we have dined as well as my lord mayor. Šim. Here was goody Fin, the fish-woman, fetch'd home her ring last night. I refuse them.] Refuse me, or God refuse me, appears to have been among the fashionable modes of swearing in our author's time. So in The White Devil, A. 1. S. 1. Flamineo says, God refuse me. Again, in A Dogge of Warre, by Taylor the water poet, folio edition, 1630, p. 229. "Some like Dominicall Letters goe, "In scarlet from the top to toe, "Whose valours talke and smoake all; "Who make (God sink em) their discourse Again in The Gamester, vol. IX. Wilding says, Refuse me, if I "did." Tim. You should have put her money by itself, for fear of wronging of the whole heap. Sim. So I did, sir, and wash'd it first in two waters. Tim. All these petty pawns, sirrah, my father commits to my managing, to instruct me in this craft, that when he dies, the commonwealth may not want a good member. Enter Mistress MARY Sim. Nay, you are curst as much as he already. Mrs. Mary. Now you shall see the dainty widow, the sweet widow, the delicate widow, that to-morrow morning must be our mother-in-law. Tim. What, the widow Wagge? Sim. Yes, yes, she that dwells in Black-fryars, next to the sign of the fool laughing at a feather 2. Mrs. Mary. She, she; good brother, make yourself handsome, for my father will bring her hither presently. Tim. Niggers noggers, I thought he had been sick, and had not been up, Sim. Sim. Why so did I too; but it seems the widow took him at a better hand, and rais'd him so much the sooner. Tim. While I tie my band, pr'ythee stroke up my foretop a little niggers, an' I had but dreamed of this an hour before I wak'd, I would have put on my Sunday clothes. 'Snails, my shoes are pale as the cheek of a stew'd pander; a clout, a clout, Sim. Sim. More haste the worse speed; here's ne'er à clout, now. Tim. What's that lies by the books? Sim. This? 'tis a summer's coats. Tim. Pr'ythee lend's a sleeve of that; he had a noble on't last night, and never paid me my bill-money. • Not is omitted in the quarto. C. the sign of the fool laughing at a feather.] See note 1 to The Muse's Looking-Glass, vol. IX. summer's coat.] See note 5 to The Heir, vol. VIII. |