(January 1602–3); and with ‘his fellow-poets’ (of whom Hathway was one) he wrote in March 1602–3 a play called (21) ‘The Boast of Billingsgate.’ The ‘Diary’ also records that Day was employed with Chettle (seemingly in 1603 and earlier) to write or revise a play on the subject of (22) ‘Shore's Wife.’ Of these twenty-two plays, the titles of which are here given in modern orthography (as Henslowe's spelling is perplexingly erratic), only one has come down, namely, ‘The Blind Beggar of Bednal Green,’ printed in 1659 with the name of John Day on the title-page. In August 1610 there was entered on the Stationers' Registers (23) ‘A Booke [probably a play] called the Madde Prancks of Merry Moll of the Bankside, with her Walks in Man's Apparel, and to what Purpose. Written by John Day.’ Nine years later another entry records (24) ‘A Play called the Life and Death of Guy of Warwicke, written by John Day and Thomas Dekkers,’ which is probably not to be identified with the poor play published in 1661 under the title of ‘Guy, Earl of Warwick, by B. J.’ Day was again associated with Dekker in the composition of a play called (25) ‘The Bellman of Paris,’ to which reference is made in Sir Henry Herbert's ‘Office-Book,’ under date 30 July 1623: ‘For the Prince's Players a French tragedy of the Bellman of Paris, written by Thomas Dekkers and John Day for the Company of the Red Bull.’ In September 1623 the ‘Office-Book’ has another entry (26) relating to Day—‘For a company of strangers a new comedy, Come See a Wonder, written by John Daye.’ In the intervals of writing for the stage Day found time to compose a poem on (27) ‘The Miracles of Christ.’ The poem has perished, but there is extant an undated letter (first printed in the Shakespeare Society ‘Papers’) which he sent, with a copy of the poem, to an unnamed patron. Another relic has descended in the shape of some ‘Acrostic Verses upon the name of his worthie friende Maister Thomas Dowton,’ a successful actor, which were intended (it would seem) as a delicate appeal for pecuniary assistance. Henslowe constantly lent Day trifling sums of money, and it is to be feared that the poet was seldom free from financial difficulties. Few allusions to Day are to be found among his contemporaries. Ben Jonson, on the occasion of his memorable visit to Hawthornden in 1618–19, told William Drummond that ‘Sharpham, Day, Dicker were all rogues,’ and again ‘That Markham (who added his “English Arcadia”) was not of the number of the Faithful, i.e. Poets, but a base fellow. That such were Day and Middleton.’ Twenty-one years later, in John Tatham's ‘Fancies Theater,’ 1640, was published a wretched elegy ‘On his loving friend M. John Day.’ Tatham belonged to a younger generation, and his elegy cannot have been written much earlier than 1640.
The first of Day's plays in order of publication is ‘The Ile of Gvls,’ 1606, 4to, acted at the Black Friars by the children of the Revels; reprinted in 1633. Probably the title was suggested by Nashe's lost play ‘The Isle of Dogs.’ Day drew his plot from Sir Philip Sidney's ‘Arcadia,’ and occasionally he borrows the very words of the romance. The ‘Ile of Gvls’ is a very attractive play, full of diverting situations and sparkling dialogue. In 1607 was published ‘The Travailes of the three English Brothers, Sir Thomas, Sir Anthony, Mr. Robert Sherley.’ Prefixed is a dedicatory epistle headed ‘To honours fauourites, and the intire friends to the familie of the Sherleys, health,’ and subscribed with the authors' names—John Day, William Rowley, and George Wilkins. It is a play of little merit; but the character of Zariph the Jew, which was unmistakably modelled on Shylock, is drawn with some vigour. Two of Day's plays were published in 1608: ‘Law-Trickes, or Who would have thought it,’ licensed for the press in March 1607–8; and ‘Humour out of Breath,’ licensed in April 1608. ‘Law-Trickes’ contains abundance of graceful and witty writing, nor are there wanting touches of quiet pathos. The interest is well sustained, and the dénouement skilfully contrived. There is a curious resemblance, too close to be accidental, between some passages of this play and passages of ‘Pericles.’ ‘Humour out of Breath,’ which is written mainly in rhyme, is a delightful comedy. The dialogue is vivacious and brilliant; it has the polish without the tiresomeness of euphuism. Day had evidently made a close study of Shakespeare's early comedies, and studied them with profit. No earlier edition than the 4to of 1641 is known to exist of ‘The Parliament of Bees, with their proper Characters. Or A Bee-hive furnisht with twelve Honycombes, as Pleasant as Profitable. Being an Allegoricall description of the actions of good and bad men in these our daies.’ But in Gildon's edition of Langbaine's ‘Dramatick Poets,’ 1699, in Giles Jacob's ‘Poetical Register,’ 1719, and in Baker's ‘Companion to the Play-house,’ 1764, mention is made of a quarto of 1607. Charles Lamb, too, in his ‘Extracts from the Garrick Plays’ makes his quotations from ‘The Parliament of Bees: Masque. By John Day. Printed 1607;’ but there is no copy of the 1607 edition at present among the Garrick plays, and not improbably Lamb merely followed tradition in assigning
