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and even in that of her successor, long after regular dramas had been presented on the scene'; but I suspect that about the year 1570 (the 13th year of Queen Elizabeth) this species of drama began to lose much of its attraction, and gave way to something that had more the appearance of comedy and tragedy. Gammer Gurton's Needle, which was written by Mr. Still, (afterwards Bishop of Bath and Wells,) in the 23d year of his age, and acted at Christ's College Cambridge, in 1566, is pointed out by the ingenious writer of the tract entitled Historia Histrionica, as the first piece "that looks like a regular comedy;" that is, the first play that was neither Mystery nor Morality, and in which some humour and discrimination of character may be found. In 1561-2, Thomas

Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, and Thomas Norton, joined in writing the tragedy of Ferrex and Porrex, which was exhibited on the 18th of January in that

5 The licence granted in 1603 to Shakspeare and his fellowcomedians, authorises them to play comedies, tragedies, histories, interludes, morals, pastorals, &c. See also The Guls Hornbooke, 1609: “ -if in the middle of his play, (bee it pastoral or comedie, morall or tragedie,) you rise with a shrewd and discontented face," &c.

It is not easy to determine in what class we ought to place some of the dramatick compositions of that age. Decker himself wrote a production which perhaps he might have considered as a moral, called "If it be not good the Devil is in it." It is said in the Biographia Dramatica to be taken from Machiavel's Marriage of Belphegor, to which it bears no sort of resemblance. The story is shortly this: Pluto, after a dialogue with Charon, not destitute of broad satirical humour, dispatches several fiends as his emissaries upon earth; one of them seduces a virtuous king, another corrupts a convent of Friars, and a third completes the wickedness of an usurer. At the close of the drama, the king is informed of the infernal character of the person who had given him such bad advice, and is saved by repentance; but the others are carried to hell, which is then displayed to the view of the spectators. What follows is disgustingly horrible. Ravillac and Guy Faux are introduced among others, undergoing torment amidst the laughable and coarse jests of the fiends. This play was printed as it had been lately acted in 1612, after the stage had been in possession of all Shakspeare's dramas. BoswELL.

year by the Students of the Inner Temple, before
Queen Elizabeth at Whitehall. Neither of these
pieces appears to have been acted on a publick theatre,
nor was there at that time, I believe, any building in
London constructed solely for the purpose of repre-
senting plays. Of the latter piece, which, as Mr.
Warton has observed, is perhaps "the first specimen
in our language of an heroick tale written in verse,
and divided into acts and scenes, and cloathed in all
the formalities of a regular tragedy," a correct ana-
lysis may be found in The History of English
Poetry, and the play itself has been accurately re-
printed in Dodsley's collection, 1780, vol. i.

It has been justly remarked by the same judicious
writer, that the early practice of performing plays in
schools and universities' greatly contributed to the
improvement of our drama. "While the people were
amused with Skelton's Trial of Simony, Bale's God's
Promises, and Christ's Descent into Hell, the scho-
lars of the times were composing and acting plays
on historical subjects, and in imitation of Plautus and
Terence. Hence ideas of legitimate fable must have
been imperceptibly derived to the popular and verna-
cular dramas."

In confirmation of what has been suggested, it may
be observed, that the principal dramatick writers,

6 Vol. iii. pp. 355, et seq.

7 Among the memoranda of my lamented friend, Dr. Farmer,
was found what he styles "Index to the Registry of the Univer-
sity of Cambridge [loose papers]." From this I have made the
following extract of theatrical occurrences in our University:

66

"6. 104. Complaint of a riot at the plays at Trinity, 1610.
9. 78. Dominus Pepper at certain interludes, with his habit,
&c. 1600.

"11. 110. Decree against Plays and Games upon Gogmagog
Hills, 1574.

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13. 12. Windows broke during the comedy at Kings, 1595.
“13.51. Letter recommending the Queen of Bohemia's players,

1629.-15. 32. Answer.

13. 117. Players at Chesterton, 1590." STEEVENS.
History of English Poetry, vol. ii. p. 389.

before Shakspeare appeared, were scholars. Greene, Lodge, Peele, Marlowe, Nashe, Lily, and Kyd, had all a regular university education. From whatever cause it may have arisen, the dramatick poetry about this period certainly assumed a better, though still an exceptionable, form. The example which had been furnished by Sackville was at length followed, and a great number of tragedies and historical plays was produced between the years 1570 and 1590; some of which are still extant, though by far the greater part is lost. This, I apprehend, was the great era of those bloody and bombastick pieces, which afforded subsequent writers perpetual topicks of ridicule and during the same period were exhibited many Histories, or historical dramas, formed on our English Chronicles, and representing a series of events simply in the order of time in which they happened. Some have supposed that Shakspeare was the first dramatick poet that introduced this species of drama; but this is an undoubted error. I have elsewhere observed that every one of the subjects on which he constructed his historical plays, appears to have been dramatized, and brought upon the scene, before his time. The his

9 See the Dissertation on the Three Parts of Henry VI.

Gosson, in his Plays confuted in five Actions, printed about the near 1580, says, "In playes either those things are fained that never were, as Cupid and Psyche, plaied at Paules; [he means, in Paul's school,]-or if a true historie be taken in hand, it is made like our shavelings, longest at the rising and falling of the sunne." From the same writer we learn, that many preceding dramatick poets had travelled over the ground in which the subjects of several of Shakspeare's other plays may be found. "I may boldly say it (says Gosson,) because I have seene it, that The Palace of Pleasure, The Golden Asse, The Ethiopian Historie, Amadis of Fraunce, The Round Table, bawdie comedies in Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish, have beene thoroughly ransackt to furnish the playe-houses in London." Signat. D 5. b.

Lodge, his antagonist in this controversy, urges, as Prynne informs us, in defence of plays, that "they dilucidate and well explain many darke obscure histories, imprinting them in men's

torical drama is by an elegant modern writer supposed to have owed its rise to the publication of The Mirrour for Magistrates, in which many of the most distinguished characters in English history are introduced, giving a poetical narrative of their own misfortunes'. Of this book three editions, with various alterations and improvements, were printed between 1563 and 1587.

At length (about the year 1591) the great luminary of the dramatick world blazed out, and our poet produced those plays which have now for two hundred years been the boast and admiration of his countrymen.

Our earliest dramas, as we have seen, were repre

minds in such indelible characters that they can hardly be obliterated" Histriomastix, p. 940. The only copy which I have seen of Lodge's answer to Stephen Gosson's School of Abuse has no title; but, in an old hand, on the first leaf of it, is written, "Here beginneth Mr. Lodge's Replye to Steeven Gosson touchyng playes." It is in small 8vo. and was probably printed in 1580. Prynne (Histriomast. p. 940,) erroneously calls it Lodge's Play of Plays, and led me into the same errour, but the Play of Plays was a moral drama exhibited on the stage about that time, in defence of dramatick compositions, in reply to which, and to Lodge's book, Gosson published his Play confuted in five several Actions. See also Heywood's Apology for Actors, 1612: "Plays have made the ignorant more apprehensive, taught the unlearned the knowledge of many famous histories; instructed such as cannot reade, in the discovery of our English Chronicles: and what man have you now of that weake capacity that cannot discourse of any notable thing recorded even from William the Conqueror, nay, from the landing of Brute, untill this day, being possest of their true use?"-In Florio's dialogues in Italian and English, printed in 1591, we have the following dialogue:

"G. After dinner we will go see a play.

"H. The plaies that they play in England are not right comedies.

"T. Yet they do nothing else but plaie every daye. “H. Yea, but they are neither right comedies, nor right tragedies.

G. How would you name them then?

"H. Representations of histories, without any decorum." Walpole's Royal and Noble Authors, vol. i. p. 166.

sented in churches or near them by ecclesiastics: but at a very early period, I believe, we had regular and established players, who obtained a livelihood by their art. So early as in the year 1378, as has been already noticed, the singing boys of St. Paul's represented to the King, that they had been at a considerable expence in preparing a stage representation at Christmas. These, however, cannot properly be called comedians, nor am I able to point out the time when the profession of a player became common and established. It has been supposed that the license granted by Queen Elizabeth to James Burbage and others, in 1574, was the first regular license ever granted to comedians in England; but this is a mistake, for Heywood informs us that similar licenses had been granted by her father King Henry the Eighth, King Edward the Sixth, and Queen Mary. Stowe records, that "when King Edward the Fourth would shew himself in state to the view of the people, he repaired to his palace at St. John's where he was accustomed to see the City Actors"." In two books in the Remembrancer's-office in the Exchequer, containing an account of the daily expences of King Henry the Seventh, are the following articles; from which it appears, that at that time players, both French and English, made a part of the appendages of the court, and were supported by regal establishment.

"Item, to Hampton of Worcester for making of balades, 20s. Item, to my ladie the kings moders

"Since

2 Apology for Actors, 4to. 1612, Signat. E 1. b. then," adds Heywood," that the house by the prince's free gift hath belonged to the office of the Revels, where our court playes have been in late dayes yearely rehearsed, perfected, and corrected, before they come to the publike view of the prince and the nobility." This house must have been chosen on account of its neighbourhood to Whitehall. It was granted by King James about the time of the publication of Heywood's tract to Lord Aubigny, and an allowance of 50l. a year was granted to the master of the Revels in lieu of this house. In 1612, the office was on St. Peter's Hill, near the Black-friars' playhouse.

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