His Reason' dangerous seducer, Folly:

Then shall, like four straight pillars, the four Elements
Support the goodly structure of mortality;
Then shall the four Complexions, like four heads
Of a clear river, streaming in his body,
Nourish and comfort every vein and sinew.
No sickness of contagion, no grim death
Or' deprivation of Health's real blessings,
Shall then affright the creature built by Heaven,
Reserv'd to immortality. Henceforth
In peace go to our altars, and no more
Question the power of supernal greatness,
But give us leave to govern as we please
Nature and her dominion, who from us
And from our gracious influence, hath both being
And preservation; no replies, but reverence!
Men hath a double guard, if time can win him,
Heaven's power above him, his own peace within

him.

1 Or,] Old copy of.

[Exeunt.

THE WITCH OF EDMONTON.

BY ROWLEY, DEKKER, FORD, &c.

THE WITCH OF EDMONTON.

THIS tragedy, which is founded upon the history of an unfortunate old woman, who was condemned and executed for witchcraft in the year 1622, was not published till 1658, when it appeared in quarto, with the following title: "The Witch of Edmonton. A known True Story. Composed into a TragiComedy by divers well esteemed poets, William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, John Ford, &c. Acted by the Prince's Servants often, at the Cock-pit in Drury-Lane, once at Court, with singular applause. Never printed till now. London, printed by J. Cottrel for Edward Blackmore, at the Angel in Paul's Churchyard." A curious wooden cut is placed on the title-page. To the right an old woman is pourtrayed, with the following words on a label out of her mouth, "Sanctabecetur nomen tuum," and over her head, "Mother Sawyer;" to the left a black dog uttering these words, which are also on a label, "Ho, haue I found thee cursing.", Below, the clown Cuddy Banks in the water, crying out, "Help, help, I am drownd," and his name over his head.

This performance, which, on many accounts, is a very sin gular one, was probably produced while the remembrance of the superstitious trial which gave rise to it was yet fresh in the remembrance of the audience, and appears to have been the produce of a very extensive partnership of dramatic talents. Some conjectures respecting the part which Ford took in the composition have been already hazarded in the Introduction; and some account of Dekker, another copartner, has been given in the preliminary observations prefixed to The Sun's Darling. William Rowley, who stands at the head of the trio (for as to the number and names of the poets included in the et cætera, we cannot form any conjecture) was a player and a poet of considerable reputation. Oldys thus notices him in his MS. notes on Langbaine: "Maister Rowley was once a rare scholar of learned Pembroke Hall, in Cambridge, says Meres in his second part of Wit's Commonwealth, 12. 1598, p. 283, where he mentions him among the best writers of come

dies in those days. There was one William Rowley was head of the Prince's company of comedians in 1613 to 1616. See the office-books of the Lord Stanhope, treasurer of the chambers in those years, in Dr Rawlinson's possession." It has been doubted, upon very slight grounds however, whether the Rowley mentioned by Meres was one and the same with the poet we are speaking of. Many authors of those days continued their poetical career fully as long. His comedy, entitled The Match at Midnight, has very considerable merit, and he had a share in one of the best comedies produced by the third class of dramatic authors in those days, The Fair Quarrel, which he wrote in conjunction with Thomas Middleton. The beautiful play of The Parliament of Love, which has been lately printed in Mr Gifford's edition of Massinger, was, in the manuscript of it destroyed by the servant of Mr Warburton, attributed to him, which makes it probable that he had at least some share in the composition. The date of his death is entirely unknown.