Kupferstich: rechts ein Harfner, neben ihm ein Our great dramatic poet having occasionally quoted many ancient ballads, and even taken the plot of one, if not more, 13 of his plays from among them, it was judged proper to pre[serve 118] serve as many of these as could be recovered, and 10 that they might be the more easily found, to exhibit them in one collective view. This SECOND BOOK is therefore set apart for the reception of such ballads as are quoted by SHAKESPEARE, or contribute in any degree to illustrate his writings: this being the principal point in view, the candid reader will 15 pardon the admission of some pieces, that have no other kind of merit. The design of this BOOK being of a Dramatic tendency, it may not be improperly introduced with a few observations ON THE ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH STAGE, and ON THE CONDUCT OF 20 OUR FIRST DRAMATIC POETS: a subject, which though not unsuccessfully handled by several good writers already*, will yet perhaps admit of some farther illustration. · Pref. to Dodsley's * Bp. Warburton's Shakesp. vol. 5. p. 338. Old Plays. Riccoboni's Acct. of Theat. of Europe. 25 ON THE ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH STAGE, &c. It is well known that dramatic poetry in this and most 5 other nations of Europe owes its origin, or at least its revival, to those religious shows, which in the dark ages were usually exhibited on the more solemn festivals. At those times they were wont to represent in the churches the lives and miracles of the saints, or some of the more important 10 stories of scripture. And as the most mysterious subjects were frequently chosen, such as the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ, &c. these exhibitions acquired the general name of MYSTERIES. At first they were probably a kind of dumb shews, intermingled, it may be, with a few short 15 speeches; at length they grew into a regular series of connected dialogues, formally divided into acts and scenes. Specimens of these in their most improved state (being at best but poor artless compositions) [may 119] may be seen among Dodsley's OLD PLAYS and in Osborne's HARLEYAN MISCEL. 20 How they were exhibited in their most simple form, we may learn from an ancient novel (often quoted by our old dramatic poets*) intitled ... a merye Jest of a man that was called Homleglast, &c. being a translation from the Dutch language, in which he is named Ulenspiegle. Howleglas, whose waggish 25 tricks are the subject of this book, after many adventures comes to live with a priest, who makes him his parish-clark. This priest is described as keeping a LEMAN or concubine, who had but one eye, to whom Howleglas owed a grudge for revealing his rogueries to his master. The story thus pro30 ceeds,. "And than in the meane season, while Howleglas 'was paryshe clarke, at Easter they should play the resur"rection of our lorde: and for because than the men wer not "learned, nor could not read, the priest toke his leman, and "put her in the grave for an Aungell: and this seing Howle35 "glas, toke to hym iij of the symplest persons that were in "the towne, that played the iij Maries; and the Person [i. e. "Parson or Rector] played Christe, with a baner in his hand. * See Ben Jonson's Poetaster, Act. 3. sc. 4. and his Masque of the Fortunate Isles. 40 + Howleglas is said in the Preface to have died in M.CCCC.L, At the end of the book, in M.CCC.L. แ 'Than saide Howleglas to the symple persons, Whan the Aungel asketh you, whome you seke, you may saye, The “parsons leman with ohne iye. Than it fortuned that the "tyme was come that they must playe, and the Angel asked "them whom they sought, and than sayd they, as Howleglas 5 "had shewed and lerned them afore, and than answered they, "We seke the priests leman with one iye. And than the "prieste might heare that he was mocked. And whan the “priestes leman herd that, she arose out of the grave, and "would have smyten with her fist Howleglas upon the cheke, 10 14 “but she missed him and smote one of the simple persons that "played one of ["the 120] the thre Maries; and he gave her "another; and than toke she him by the heare [hair]; and "that seing his wyfe, came running hastely to smite the priestes "leaman; and than the priest seeing this, caste down bys baner 15 "and went to helpe his woman, so that the one gave the other "sore strokes, and made great noyse in the churche. And "than Howleglas seyng them lyinge together by the eares in "the bodi of the churche, went his way out of the village, and "came no more there†." 20 As the old Mysteries frequently required the representation of some allegorical personage, such as Death, Sin, Charity, Faith, and the like, by degrees the rude poets of those unlettered ages began to form compleat dramatic pieces consisting intirely of such personifications. These they intitled 25 MORAL PLAY 8, or MORALITIES. The Mysteries were very inartificial, representing the scripture stories simply according to the letter. But the Moralities are not devoid of invention; they exhibit outlines of the dramatic art; they contain something of a fable or plot, and even attempt to delineate cha- 30 racters and manners. I have now before me two that were printed early in the reign of Henry VIII; in which I think one may plainly discover the seeds of Tragedy and Comedy: for which reason I shall give a short analysis of them both. One of them is intitled Every Man*. The subject of 35 this piece is the summoning of man out of the world by death; and its moral, that nothing will then avail him but a well + C. Imprynted by Wyllyam Copland: without date, in 4to. bl. Let. among Mr. Garrick's Old Plays. K. vol. 10. * See a farther account of this play in Vol. 2. p. 104. 105. 40 where instead of „Wynkyn de Worde" read Rycharde Pynson". spent life and the comforts of religion. This subject and moral are opened in a monologue spoken by the MESSENGER (for that was the name generally given by our ancestors to the prologue on their rude stage :) then GOD is represented, 5 who after some general complaints on the degeneracy of mankind, calls for [DETH 121] DETH and orders him to bring before his tribunal EVERY-MAN, for so is called the personage who represents the human race. EVERY-MAN appears, and receives the summons with all the marks of confusion and terror. 10 When Death is withdrawn, Every-man applies for relief in this distress to FELLOWSHIP, KINDRED, GOODs, or Riches, but they successively renounce and forsake him. In this disconsolate state he betakes himself to GOOD-DEDES, who after upbraiding him with his long neglect of hert, introduces him 15 to her sister KNOWLEDGE, and she leads him to the "holy man CONFESSION" who appoints him penance: this he inflicts upon himself on the stage, and then withdraws to receive the sacraments of the priest. On his return he begins to wax faint, and after STRENGTH, BEAUTY, DISCRETION and FIVE 20 WITS* have all taken their final leave of him, gradually expires on the stage; Good-dedes still accompanying him to the last. Then an AUNGELL descends to sing his requiem: and the epilogue is spoken by a person, called DocTOUR, who recapitulates the whole and delivers the moral, 25 30 "C. This memoriall men may have in mynde, "Ye herers, take it of worth old and yonge, "And forsake pryde, for he disceyveth you in thende, "And remembre Beautè, Five Witts, Strength and Discrecion, "Save his Good Dedes there dothe he take: 'Before God he hath no helpe at all," &c. From this short analysis it may be observed, that Every Man is a grave solemn piece, not without some rude attempts 35 to excite terror and pity, and therefore may not improperly be referred to the class of tragedy. It is remarkable that in this [old 122] old simple drama the fable is conducted upon The second person of the Trinity seems to be meant. † Those above-mentioned are male characters. 40 * i. e. the Five Senses. These are frequently exhibited upon the Spanish stage: (see Riccoboni p. 98.) but our moralist has represented them all by one personage. the strictest model of the Greek tragedy. The action is simply one, the time of action is that of the performance, the scene is never changed, nor the stage ever empty. EVERY MAN the hero of the piece after his first appearance never withdraws, except when he goes out to receive the sacraments, which could 5 not well be exhibited in public; and during his absence KNOWLEDGE discants on the excellence and power of the priesthood, somewhat after the manner of the Greek chorus. And indeed except in the circumstance of Every-man's expiring on the stage, the Sampson Agon. of Milton is hardly 10 formed on a severer plan. The other play is entitled Hick-Scorner* and bears no distant resemblance to comedy: its chief aim seems to be to exhibit characters and manners, its plot being much less regular than the foregoing. The prologue is spoken by PITY 15 represented under the character of an aged pilgrim, he is joyned by CONTEMPLACYON and PERSEVERANCE two holy men, who after lamenting the degeneracy of the age, declare their resolution of stemming the torrent. Pity then is left upon the stage, and presently found by FREWYLL, represen- 20 ting a lewd debauchee, who with his dissolute companion IMAGINACION relate their manner of life, and not without humour describe the stews and other places of base resort. They are presently joined by HICK-SCORNER, who is drawn as a libertine returned from travel, and agreeably to his name 25 scoffs at religion. These three are described as extremely vicious, who glory in every act of wickedness: at length two of them quarrel, and PITY endeavours to part the fray: on this they fall upon him, put him in the stocks, and there leave him. Pity then discants in a kind of lyric measure on the 30 profligacy of the age, and in this situation is found by Perseverance and Contemplacion, who set him at liberty, and advise him to go in search of the delinquents. As soon as he is gone Frewill appears again; and, after relating in a very comic manner some of his rogueries and escapes from justice, 35 is rebuked by the two holy [men, 123] men, who, after a long altercation, at length convert him and his libertine-companion Imaginacion from their vicious course of life: and * Emprynted by me Wynkyn de Worde, no date; in 4to, bl. Let. 40 |