A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4
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A COLLECTION OF OLD ENGLISH PLAYS, VOL. IV
In Four Volumes
Edited by
A.H. BULLEN
1882-89.
CONTENTS:
Preface
Two Tragedies in One. By Robert Yarington
The Captives, or the Lost Recovered. By Thomas Heywood
The Costlie Whore.
Everie Woman in her Humor.
Appendix
Index
Footnotes
PREFACE.
The fourth and final volume of this Collection of Old Plays ought to
have been issued many months ago. I dare not attempt to offer any
excuses for the wholly unwarrantable delay.
In the preface to the third volume I stated that I hoped to be able to
procure a transcript of an unpublished play (preserved in Eg. MS. 1,994)
of Thomas Heywood. It affords me no slight pleasure to include this play
in the present volume. Mr. JEAVES, of the Manuscript Department of the
British Museum, undertook the labour of transcription and persevered to
the end. As I have elsewhere stated, the play is written in a detestable
hand; and few can appreciate the immense trouble that it cost Mr. JEAVES
to make his transcript. Where Mr. JEAVES' labours ended mine began; I
spent many days in minutely comparing the transcript with the original.
There are still left passages that neither of us could decipher, but
they are not numerous.
I may be pardoned for regarding the Collection with some pride. Six of
the sixteen plays are absolutely new, printed for the first time; and I
am speaking within bounds when I declare that no addition so substantial
has been made to the Jacobean drama since the days of Humphrey Moseley
and Francis Kirkman. _Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt_ has been styled by
Mr. Swinburne a "noble poem." Professor Delius urged that it should be
translated into German; and I understand that an accomplished scholar,
Dr. Gelbeke of St. Petersburg, has just completed an admirable
translation. Meanwhile the English edition[1] has been reproduced in
Holland.
In the original announcement of this Collection I promised a reprint of
_Arden of Feversham_ from the quarto of 1592; I also proposed to include
plays by Davenport, William Rowley, and Nabbes. After I had transcribed
_Arden of Feversham_ I determined not to include it in the present
series. It occurred to me that I should enhance the value of these
volumes by excluding such plays as were already accessible in modern
editions. Accordingly I rejected _Arden of Feversham, Sir John
Oldcastle, Patient Grissel_, and _The Yorkshire Tragedy_. The plays of
Davenport, William Rowley, and Nabbes were excluded on other grounds.
Several correspondents suggested to me that I should issue separately
the complete works of each of these three dramatists; and, not without
some misgivings, I adopted this suggestion.
I acknowledge with regret that the printing has not been as accurate as
I should have desired. There have been too many misprints, especially in
the first two volumes;[2] but in the eyes of generous and competent
readers these blemishes (trivial for the most part) will not detract
from the solid value of the Collection.
It remains that I should thank Mr. BERNARD QUARITCH, the most famous
bibliopole of our age (or any age), for the kind interest that he has
shewn in the progress of my undertaking. Of his own accord Mr. QUARITCH
offered to subscribe for one third of the impression,--an offer which I
gratefully accepted. I have to thank Mr. FLEAY for looking over the
proof-sheets of a great part of the present volume and for aiding me
with suggestions and corrections. To Dr. KÖHLER, librarian to the Grand
Duke of Weimar, I am indebted for the true solution (see _Appendix_) of
the rebus at the end of _The Distracted Emperor_. Mr. EBSWORTH, with his
usual kindness, helped me to identify some of the songs mentioned in
_Everie Woman in Her Humor_ (see _Appendix_).
17, SUMATRA ROAD, WEST HAMPSTEAD, N.W.
_8th October, 1885_.
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