ANDRONICUS. A TRAGEDY [PUBLISHED 1661]. BY
PHILONAX LOVEKIN [AUTHOR UNKNOWN]
Effect of Religious Structures on different minds.
Crato. I grieve the chapel was defaced: 'twas stately.
Cleobulus. I love no such triumphant Churches-
They scatter my devotion; whilst my sight

Is courted to observe their sumptuous cost,
I find my heart lost in my eyes ;

Whilst that a holy horror seems to dwell
Within a dark obscure and humble cell.

Crato. But I love Churches, mount up to the skies,
For my devotion rises with their roof:
Therein my soul doth heav'n anticipate.

Song for Sleep.

[Act v., Sc. 6.2]

Come, Somnus, with thy potent charms,
And seize this Captive in thy arms;
And sweetly drop on every sense
Thy soul-refreshing influence.

His sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste,
Unto the peace do thou bind fast.

On working brains, at school all day,

At night thou dost bestow a play,

And troubled minds thou dost set free;

Thou mak'st both friends and foes agree:
All are alike, who live by breath,

In thee, and in thy brother Death.

[Act v., Sc. 7.]

A

[THE COMICAL HISTORY OF] DON QUIXOTE. COMEDY, IN THREE PARTS [PUBLISHED 1694-6]. BY THOMAS D'URFEY [1653-1723]

Dirge, at the hearse of Chrysostom.

Sleep, poor Youth, sleep in peace,
Relieved from love and mortal care;
Whilst we, that pine in life's disease,
Uncertain-bless'd, less happy are.

1["I grieve more that the chapel was defaced.”]

2

[Edition of 1661.]

Couch'd in the dark and silent grave,
No ills of fate thou now canst fear;
In vain would tyrant Power enslave,
Or scornful Beauty be severe.

Wars, that do fatal storms disperse,
Far from thy happy mansion keep;
Earthquakes, that shake the universe,
Can't rock thee into sounder sleep.

With all the charms of peace possest,
Secure from life's torment or pain,
Sleep, and indulge thyself with rest;
Nor dream thou e'er shalt rise again.1

[Act ii., Sc. 2.2]

RAM ALLEY. A COMEDY [PUBLISHED 1611]. BY LODOWICK BARRY 3

In the Prologue the Poet protests the innocence of his Play, and gives a promise of better things.

Home bred mirth our Muse doth sing;
The Satyr's tooth, and waspish sting,
Which most do hurt when least suspected,
By this Play are not affected.

But if conceit, with quick-turn'd scenes,
Observing all those ancient streams

Which from the Horse-foot fount do flow-
As time, place, person-and to show
Things never done, with that true life,

That thoughts and wits shall stand at strife,
Whether the things now shewn be true:
Or whether we ourselves now do
The things we but present: if these,
Free from the loathsome Stage-disease,
So over-worn, so tired and stale;
Not satyrising, but to rail;—

May win your favors, and inherit

1i.e. "may thy sleep be so profound, as not even by dreams of a resurrection to be disturbed:" the language of passion, not of sincere profaneness.

[Ed. of 1727, p. 25. For further extracts from D’Ùrfey see pp. 564, 561, 562 and Appendix, 579.]

[See Dodsley, vol. x

But calm acceptance of his merit,—
He vows by paper, pen, and ink,
And by the Learned Sisters' drink,
To spend his time, his lamps, his oil,
And never cease his brain to toil,
Till from the silent hours of night
He doth produce, for your delight,
Conceits so new, so harmless free,
That Puritans themselves may see
A Play; yet not in public preach,
That Players such lewd doctrine teach,
That their pure joints do quake and tremble,
When they do see a man resemble
The picture of a villain.-This,
As he a friend to Muses is,

To you by me he gives his word,

Is all his Play does now afford.

[Prologue.]

THE ROYAL KING AND THE LOYAL SUBJECT. A TRAGI-COMEDY. BY T. HEYWOOD [See page 88]1

In the Prologue to this Play, Heywood descants upon the variety of topics, which had been introduced upon the English stage in that age,-the rich Shakspearian epoch.

To give content to this most curious age,

The Gods themselves we've brought down to the stage,
And figured them in Planets; made ev'n Hell

Deliver up the Furies, by no spell

Saving the Muses' raptures: further we
Have traffickt by their help; no History
We've left unrifled; our pens have been dipt
As well in opening each hid manuscript,
As tracts more vulgar, whether read or sung,
In our domestic or more foreign tongue.
Of Fairy elves, Nymphs of the Sea and Land,
The Lawns and Groves, no number can be scann'd,
Which we've not given feet to. Nay, 'tis known
That when our Chronicles have barren grown

Of story, we have all Invention stretcht;

[See Heywood's Works, ed. 1874, vol. vi. The Prologue.] VOL. IV.-34

Dived low as to the center, and then reacht
Unto the Primum Mobile above,

(Nor 'scaped Things Intermediate), for your love
These have been acted often; all have past
Censure of which some live, and some are cast.
For this in agitation, stay the end;
Tho' nothing please, yet nothing can offend.2

A CHALLENGE FOR BEAUTY.

A TRAGI-COMEDY

[See page 84]. BY T. HEYWOOD

In the Prologue to this Play, Heywood commends the English Plays; not without a censure of some writers, who in his time had begun to degenerate.

The Roman and Athenian Dramas far
Differ from us: and those that frequent are
In Italy and France, ev'n in these days,
Compared with ours, are rather Jiggs than Plays.
Like of the Spanish may be said, and Dutch;
None, versed in language, but confess them such.
They do not build their projects on that ground;
Nor have their phrases half the weight and sound,
Our labour'd Scenes have had. And yet our nation
(Already too much tax'd for imitation,

In seeking to ape others) cannot 'quit

Some of our Poets, who have sinn'd in it.

For where, before, great Patriots, Dukes, and Kings,
Presented for some high facinorous things,*
Were the stage subject; now we strive to fly
In their low pitch, who never could soar high:
For now the common argument entreats
Of puling Lovers, crafty Bawds, or Cheats.

1 His own Play.

2[See also "Serious Fragments," page 573.] 3[Works, vol. v., Prologue. See also page 546.]

The foundations of the English Drama were laid deep in tragedy by Marlowe, and others-Marlowe especially-while our comedy was yet in its lisping state. To this tragic preponderance (forgetting his own sweet Comedies, and Shakspeare's), Heywood seems to refer with regret; as in the "Roscian Strain" he evidently alludes to Alleyn, who was great in the "Jew of Malta," as Heywood elsewhere testifies, and in the principal tragic parts both of Marlowe and Shakspeare.

HOFFMAN'S TRAGEDY; OR REVENGE FOR A FATHER [PUBLISHED 1631: ACTED 1602].1 AUTHOR UNKNOWN. [BY HENRY CHETTLE]

The Sons of the Duke of Saxony run away with Lucibel, the Duke of Austria's Daughter.-The two Dukes, in separate pursuit of their children, meet at the Cell of a Hermit: in which Hermit, Saxony recognizes a banished Brother; at which surprised, all three are reconciled.

Aust. That should be Saxon's tongue.

Sax. Indeed I am the Duke of Saxony.
Aust. Then thou art father to lascivious sons,
That have made Austria childless.

Sax. Oh subtle Duke,

Thy craft appears in framing the excuse.
Thou dost accuse my young sons' innocence.
I sent them to get knowledge, learn the tongues,
Not to be metamorphosed with the view
Of flattering Beauty-peradventure painted.
Aust. No, I defy thee, John of Saxony.
My Lucibel for beauty needs no art;
Nor, do I think, the beauties of her mind
Ever inclin'd to this ignoble course,

But by the charms and forcings of thy sons.

Sax. O would thou would'st maintain thy words, proud Duke! Her. I hope, great princes, neither of you dare

Commit a deed so sacrilegious.

This holy Cell

Is dedicated to the Prince 2 of Peace.

The foot of man never profan'd this floor ;

Nor doth wrath here with his consuming voice
Affright these buildings. Charity with Prayer,
Humility with Abstinence combined,

Are here the guardians of a grieved mind.
Aust. Father, we obey thy holy voice.
Duke John of Saxony, receive my faith;
Till our ears hear the true course, which thy sons
Have taken with my fond and misled child,

I proclaim truce. Why dost thou sullen stand?

If thou mean peace, give me thy princely hand.

Sax. Thus do I plight thee truth, and promise peace.
Aust. Nay, but thy eyes agree not with thy heart.

["The Tragedy of Hoffman or A Revenge," etc. Not divided into Acts. See ed. of 1631.]

"["Prince" should be "Son".]