THIS Dramatic Piece is the first performance which appeared in England under the name of a Comedy*. As a former Editor of it (Mr. Hawkins) observes, "There is a vein of familiar humour in this play, and

a kind of grotesque imagery not unlike some parts "of Aristophanes, but without those graces of language "and metre for which the Greek Comedian was emi"nently distinguished." The present edition is from a copy printed in the year 1575†.

* There are reasons sufficiently conclusive to induce a belief, that John Still was the author of " Gammer Gurton's Needle."

'

He was the son of William Still of Grantham in Lincolnshire, was rector of Hadleigh in Suffolk, and was commissioned one of the Deans of Bocking in 1572; was installed canon of the 7th stall in the church of Westminster, and archdeacon of Sudbury, Mar. 28, 1576. He was first master of St. John's, then of Trinity College, Cambridge. While master of the latter he was promoted to the see of Bath and Wells, and was consecrated in Feb. 1592. He died Feb, 26, and was buried in the Cathedral Church of his diocese, 1607, leaving by testament 500l. to the alms-house in Wells. He was twice married, and left behind him several children.

O. G.

+ Although Gammer Gurton's Needle may be the first performance which appeared in England under the name of a comedy, yet it is in all probability not the first comedy, properly so called, in our language. Not long since a copy, unfortunately without a titlepage, of the play of "Rauf Roister Doister" was discovered, and it is now in the library of Eton College. In 1566 Thomas Hacket had a licence for "a play entitled Rauf Ruyster Duster," but as this was the only notice of its existence, it has been supposed that it was never printed. We have now, however, the play itself, and we are able to furnish the name of its author-Nicholas Udall. They are both matters of considerable curiosity, as Udall's performance is not only older than Gammer Gurton's Needle, but it is not a comedy of low country life, but the adventures of a rake frequently gulled and laughed at by his friend Matthew Merry Greek.

The evidence to prove that it was written by Nicholas Udall is very conclusive, and it serves also to show the age of his work. The play contains, in A. III. S. 3. a long letter from Ralph Roister Doister to his mistress, which is quoted by T. Wilson in his Art of Logic, printed by Grafton in 1551, as "an example of doubtful writing, taken from an enterlude made by Nicolas Vdall." Udall died about the year 1557, and Bishop Still, the author of Gammer Gurton's Needle, was then only fourteen years old, having been born in 1543. Hence we may decide, almost with certainty, that "Rauf Roister Doister" is older than Gammer Gurton's Needle. The former is a regular comedy divided into acts and scenes, and interspersed with songs. C.

THE

NAMES OF THE SPEAKERS OF THIS COMEDIE.

DICCON1, the Bedlem2.

HODGE, Gammer Gurton's Servante.

TYB, Gammer Gurton's Mayde.

Gammer GURTON.

Cock, Gammer Gurton's Boye.

Dame CHATTE.

Doctor RAT, the Curate.

Mayster BAILYE.

DOLL, Dame Chat's Mayde.

SCAPETHRYFT, Mayster Bailye's servante.

MUTES.

1 Diccon, the Bedlam.] Diccon is the ancient abbreviation of Richard. See Mr. Steevens's Note on Richard III. A. 5. S. 3.

2 the Bedlam.] After the dissolution of the religious houses where the poor of every denomination were provided for, there was for many years no settled or fixed provision made to supply the want of that care which those bodies appear always to have taken of their distressed brethren. In consequence of this neglect, the idle and dissolute were suffered to wander about the country, assuming such characters as they imagined were most likely to insure success to their frauds, and security from detection. Among other disguises many affected madness, and were distinguished by the name of Bedlam Beggars. These are mentioned by Edgar, in King Lear:

"The country gives me proof and precedent,
"Of Bedlam beggars who, with roaring voices,
"Stick in their numb'd and mortify'd bare arms

Pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary,
"And with this horrible object from low farms,
"Poor pelting villages, sheep-cotes, and mills,
"Sometime with lunatic bans, sometime with prayer,
"Inforce their charity."

In Dekker's Bellman of London, 1616, all the different species of beggars are enumerated. Amongst the rest are mentioned Tom of Bedlam's band of mad caps, otherwise called Poor Tom's flock of. wild geese (whom here thou seest by his black and blue naked arms to be a man beaten to the world), and those wild geese,

5

or hair brains, are called Abraham men. An Abraham man is afterwards described in this manner: " Of all the mad rascals (that are of this wing) the Abraham-man is the most fantastick. "The fellow (quoth this old Lady of the Lake unto me) that sate "half naked (at table to-day) from the girdle upward, is the best "Abraham-man that ever came to my house, and the notablest " villain: he swears he hath been in Bedlam, and will talk frantickly of purpose: you see pins stuck in sundry places of his "naked flesh, especially in his arms, which pain he gladly puts "himself to (being indeed no torment at all, his skin is either so "dead with some foul disease, or so hardened with weather, only "to make you believe he is out of his wits): he calls himself by "the name of Poor Tom, and coming near any body cries out, "Poor Tom is a cold. Of these Abraham-men, some be exceeding merry, and do nothing but sing songs, fashioned out of their own "brains, some will dance; others will do nothing but either laugh "or weep; others are dogged, and are sullen both in look and speech, that, spying but a small company in a house, they boldly " and bluntly enter, compelling the servants through fear to give "them what they demand, which is commonly Bacon, or something "that will yield ready money.'

Of this respectable fraternity Diccon seems to have been a member.

Massinger mentions them in A new way to pay old Debts, A. 2 S. 1.-"Are they padders, or Abraham-men, that are your consorts?'

PROLOGUE.

As Gammer Gurton, with manye a wyde styche,
Sat pesynge and patching of Hodg her man's briche
By chance or misfortune, as shee her geare tost,
In Hodge lether bryches her needle shee lost.
When Diccon the bedlam had hard by report,
That good Gammer Gurton was robde in thys sorte,
He quyetly perswaded with her in that stound,
Dame Chat her deare gossyp this needle had found.
Yet knew shee no more of this matter (alas)

Then knoeth Tom our clarke what the priest saith at

masse.

Hereof there ensued so fearfull a fraye,

Mas Doctor was sent for, these gossyps to staye;
Because he was curate, and estemed full wyse,
Who found that he sought not, by Diccon's device.
When all thinges were tombled and cleane out of fassion,
Whether it were by fortune, or some other constellacion,
Sodenlye the neele Hodge found by the prickynge,
And drew out of his bottocke, where he found it
stickynge.

Theyr hartes then at rest with perfect securytie,

With a pot of good nale they stroake up theyr plauditie.

GAMMER GURTON'S NEEDLE.

THE FYRST ACTE.

THE FYRST SCEANE.

Diccon. MANY a myle have I walked, divers and sundry waies,

And many a good man's house have I bin at in my dais. Many a gossip's cup in my tyme have I tasted,

And many a broche and spyt have I both turned and

basted,

Many a peece of bacon have I had out of thir balkes 3, In ronnyng over the countrey, with long and were

walkes.

Yet came my foote never within those doore cheekes, To seek flesh or fysh, garlyke, onyons or leekes, That ever I saw a sorte in such a plyght*,

As here within this house appereth to my syght,

3-out of thir balkes,] The summer beam or dorman. Poles laid over a stable, or other building. Ray's Collection of English Words, p. 167.

That ever I saw a sorte in such a plyght,] A sort is a company. So, in Johnson's Every Man out of his Humour, A. 2. S. 3. "I speek it not gloriously, nor out of affectation, but there's he " and the count Frugale, signior Illustre, signior Luculento, and a "sort of them," &c.

Also, in Pierce Pennilesse's Supplication to the Devil, 1592, p. 6, "I know a great sort of good fellows that would venture," &c. Again, in the Vocacyon of Johan Bale, 1533: "-in parell of pyrates, robbers, and murthirors, and a great sort more."

66

And, in Skelton's Works, edit. 1736, p. 136.

"Another sorte of sluttes

"Some brought walnutes."

See also Dr. Johnson and Mr. Steevens's Notes on Shakspeare, vol. III. p. 69.