A Select Collection of Old English Plays Originally Published by Robert Dodsley in the year 1744

[Transcriber’s Note:

This text includes characters that require UTF-8 (Unicode) file
encoding. If the œ ligature or characters in Greek do not display
properly, or if the apostrophes and quotation marks appear as garbage,
make sure your text reader’s “character set” or “file encoding” is set
to Unicode (UTF-8). You may also need to change the default font.

Additional notes are at the end of the book.]




                        A SELECT COLLECTION

                                 OF

                         OLD ENGLISH PLAYS.


              ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY ROBERT DODSLEY
                         IN THE YEAR 1744.


                       _FOURTH EDITION_,

     NOW FIRST CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED, REVISED AND ENLARGED,
              WITH THE NOTES OF ALL THE COMMENTATORS
                           AND NEW NOTES


                                 BY

                         W. CAREW HAZLITT.


                        BENJAMIN BLOM, INC.

                           [Illustration]

                              New York




                               NOTICE.


Since the Preface to this Work appeared, a very important augmentation
of the new matter has been decided on, and the following early Dramas,
never hitherto reprinted, have already been transcribed for insertion
in our series under their respective dates. All are of the greatest
rarity; and each, in its own way, seemed to possess literary and
illustrative value:--

  Life and Death of Jack Straw, 1593.
  ⁂ _The first dramatisation of the story of Wat Tyler._
  Mucedorus, 1598.
  Look About You, 1600.
  The Contention between Liberality and Prodigality, 1602.
  The London Chanticleers, 1659.
  Lady Alimony; or, The Alimony Lady, 1659.
  ⁂ _Both of the two last named are earlier than the period of
     publication._


On the other hand, new collected editions of Randolph and Suckling
have quite recently been announced; and, in consequence, the “Muses’
Looking-Glass,” by the former, and Suckling’s “Goblins,” will be
excluded from the present Collection, agreeably to the principle
explained in our Preface.

                                                 W. C. H.

  KENSINGTON, _May 1, 1874_.




                         DAMON AND PITHIAS.


                            _EDITIONS._

        _For the titles of the two old copies, see Hazlitt’s
                        “Handbook,” p. 177._




                      MR HAZLITT’S PREFACE.[1]


Richard Edwards (the elder), a Somersetshire man, was born about the
year 1523, and is said to have received his education at Corpus
Christi College, Oxford, whence “in youthful years,” as he himself
narrates, in the “Paradise of Dainty Devices,” but not until after
August 1544, “his young desires pricked him forth to serve in court, a
slender, tall young man.” What his service at court may have been,
does not appear, and he relinquished it for a time in 1547, when he
was nominated a Senior Student of Christ Church, Oxford, then newly
founded by Henry VIII., and created M.A. Here, among other studies, he
applied himself to that of music, under George Etheridge, with a view,
probably, to further service at court. On his return to London, he
entered himself of Lincoln’s Inn, and ultimately was constituted by
Queen Elizabeth a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and, in 1561, Master
of the Children or singing boys of that establishment. Warton, after
stating that Edwards “united all those arts and accomplishments which
minister to popular pleasantry,” which may be very true, adds what (as
Collier points out) is unquestionably a mistake, that the children of
the chapel were first formed by him into a company of players; for
they had regularly acted plays long before.

In 1566, Edwards attended the Queen in her visit to Oxford, where he
composed a play called “Palamen and Arcite,” which was acted before
Her Majesty in Christ Church Hall.

Stow, in his “Chronicle,” mentions the name of the play, and adds that
“it had such tragical success as was very lamentable; for at that
time, by the fall of a wall and a paire of staires & great prese
(press) of the multitude, three men were slain.” “At night” (Sept. 2[2]),
writes Anthony Wood, “the Queen heard the first part of an English
play, named Palamon & Arcyte, made by M. Richard Edwards, a gentleman
of her Chapel, acted with very great applause, in Christ Church Hall,
at the beginning of which play, there was, by part of the stage which
fell, three persons slain, besides five that were hurt. Afterwards the
actors performed their parts so well, that the Queen laughed heartily
thereat, and gave the author of the play great thanks for his pains”
(quoted by Collier, “Annals of the Stage,” i., 191). “Her Majesty
also presented eight guineas to one of the young performers who gave
her peculiar satisfaction. It is fair to add, in behalf of good Queen