identify Henry V with The Famous Victories, if the latter had not been printed in 1598 with the name of the Queen's men on its title-page. A Knack to Know an Honest Man was printed, as acted 'about the Citie of London', but without any company name, in 1596 (S. R. 26 November 1595). Stukeley was also printed without a name, as The Famous History of the Life and Death of Captain Thomas Stukeley, in 1605 (S. R. 11 August 1600). 1 Tamar Cham and Frederick and Basilea are extant in 'plots' alone, and Belin Dun, or Bellendon, as Henslowe writes it, was entered in the Stationers' Register on 24 November 1595 as The true tragicall historie of Kinge Rufus the first with the life and deathe of Belyn Dun the first thief that ever was hanged in England, but is not known to be extant. The list also contains two of the early works of George Chapman, The Blind Beggar of Alexandria (1598, Admiral's, S. R. 15 August 1598), and The Comedy of Humours, which can be safely identified with A Humorous Day's Mirth (1599, Admiral's). Ingenious attempts have been made to trace in some of the remaining titles other plays by Chapman, or by Heywood, Dekker, and the like, or presumed early drafts of these, or the English originals of plays or titles preserved in German versions; but in most cases the material available is so scanty as to render the game a hazardous one.[1] It appears, however, from Henslowe's notes of advances during 1596-7 that payment was made to Heywood for a book, from which it may be inferred that his activity as a dramatist for the company had already began. Payments to 'marcum' and 'Mr. porter' perhaps indicate the same of Gervase Markham and Henry Porter.[2]
It is evident that some of the plays marked 'ne' by Henslowe cannot have been new in the fullest sense. This applies to Jeronimo, which had been played by Strange's
- ↑ It has been chiefly played by Fleay and Dr. Greg. The relations suggested are between 1 Caesar and Pompey and Chapman's play of the same name, Disguises and Chapman's May-day, Godfrey of Bulloigne and Heywood's Four Prentices of London, Olympo, 1, 2 Hercules, and Troy and Heywood's Golden, Silver, Brazen, and Iron Ages respectively. Five Plays in One and some of Heywood's Dialogues and Dramas, The Wonder of a Woman and a supposed early version by Heywood of W. Rowley's A New Wonder, or, A Woman Never Vexed, The Venetian Comedy and both the German Josephus Jude von Venedig and Dekker's lost Jew of Venice, Diocletian and Dekker's The Virgin Martyr, A Set at Maw and Dekker's Match Me in London, The Mack and Dekker's The Wonder of a Kingdom, Vortigern and Middleton's The Mayor of Quinborough, Uther Pendragon and W. Rowley's Birth of Merlin, Philipo and Hippolito and both Massinger's lost Philenzo and Hypollita and the German Julio und Hyppolita. Full details will be found in Henslowe, ii. 165 sqq.
- ↑ Henslowe, i. 44, 128.
