222
NOTES AND QUERIES, [ii s. vm. SEPT. 20, ma
prefixed to the first edition of the play as the
creator of the part of Antonio Bologna,
occurred on 16 Dec., 1614. It has naturally
been concluded that this discovery fixes the
date of the play beyond any further question.
MB. CBAWFOBD had shown that it contained
passages derived from works of Donne and
Chapman first published in 1612, and the
proof of William Ostler's death in 1614 con-
firmed his conjecture that the play was
written in or about 1613.
The surprising feature of the evidence with which I am about to deal is that it reveals the fact that the text of the first edition of ' The Duchess of Malfy,' published in 1623, shows unmistakable traces of in- debtedness to writings of, or attributed to, Sir Thomas Overbury not published until 1615. There are evidences of indebtedness to the poem * A Wife,' first published in 1614, but the bulk of Webster's borrowings are from the ' Characters, 4 and these not from the ' Characters l printed with the second, third, fourth, and fifth impressions of ' A Wife,' all of which were published in 1614, but from the sixth impression of 1615, entitled :
" New | and choise | Characters, | of severall Authors ; \ Together with that exquisite and | unmatcht Poeme, \ the | WIFE, | Written by Syr Thomas Ouerburie, I With -the former Characters and concei- | ted Newes, All in one volume. I With many other things added to this ] sixt Impression. | Mar non norunt hcec monu- menia mori. \ London | Printed by Thomas Creede, for Lawrence \ L'isle, at the Tygers head in Pauls | Church-yard. 1615."
The contents of this " Sixt Impression n are as follows :
1. A Wife (the poem).
2. Characters, or Wittie Descriptions of the properties of sundrie Persons. These are 31 in number, ending with " A Meere Common Lawyer.'
3. The Character of a happie life. By Sr. H[enry] W[otton].
4. Newes from Any whence, or Old Truth, under a Supposall of Noveltie. Occasioned by divers Essayes, and private passages of Wit, betweene sundry Gentlemen upon that subject. These pieces of " news " are arranged under eighteen titles.
5. An Addition of other characters or lively descriptions of persons. 10 more ' Characters ' are here added. The last is * A meere Fellow of an House,' and, sandwiched between the fourth and fifth (' An Almanack-maker ' and 1 A Hypocrite '), appears " Certain Edicts from a Parliament in Eutopia ; Written by Lady Southwell."
6. [Fresh title-page.] New | Characters | (Draume to the \ life) of severall persons in | severall qualities [device] London | Printed for L. L'isle | 1615. These are 32 in number, the last being ' A Rimer.' The penultimate cha- racter, ' A Purveiour of Tobacco,' occurs only in this edition.
It is from these ' New Characters,* which
made their first appearance in print in the
sixth impression, that most of Webster's bor-
rowings are derived, although the " Newes **
are also laid under contribution. There
seems little doubt that none of these addi-
tional characters of 1615 were actually
written by Sir Thomas Overbury, although
they are always associated with his name.
The fact that none of them appear in the
first five editions seems to warrant the
supposition that all are the work of the
other authors referred to in the principal
title-page, and the wording of the pub-
lisher's address " To the Header," which
immediately follows the title-page, confirms-
this view :
" The generall acceptance of this most un- imitable Poem of The Wife, together with the Characters hereunto annexed ; is sufficiently approu'd, in that they have now past the sixt Impression. To these are added diuers others of like weight and fashion, and not much under- valuable. Howsoever ; they are now exposed,, not onely to the ludicious, but to all that carry the least scruple of mother wit about them."
It should be noted also that the Preface to the fifth edition discloses the fact that Sir Thomas was not even responsible for the Characters then added, i.e., the last 8 of the 31 appearing second in the above list :
" The surplusage, that now exceeds the last Edition [says the publisher], was (that I may bee honestly impartiall) in some things onely to be- challenged by the first Author, but others now added, (little inferiour to the residue) being in nature answerable and first transcribed by Gentle- men of the same qualitie, I have upon good in- ducements, made publike with warrantie of theyr and my owne credit."
In the seventh edition, published in 161 6 r the poem and ' Characters ' are for the first time accompanied by ' New Elegies ' upon Sir Thomas Overbury 's " (now known) un- timely death " (he died by poison in the Tower on 15 Sept., 1613), and here, also for the first time, the ' Characters ? follow straight on without a break, 72 in all. The only modern edition, that of Dr. E. F. Kimbault in the " Library of Old Authors," pub- lished by Messrs. Reeves & Turner in 1890, is a reprint of the ninth edition. It contains eight more characters, bringing the total up to 80. Although the quotations that follow are from the original text of the sixth edition, I have added references to this modern edition (cited as " Kimbault ") as being more accessible.
There is no indication, at least so far a
- The Duchess of Malfy ' is concerned, of any
