Winchester (October), 1 and 2 Civil Wars of France (October and November), The Fount of New Fashions (November), 2 Angry Women of Abingdon (February), 2 Conquest of Brute (March), The Four Kings (March), The Spencers (April), and Agamemnon (June). Probably, in view of the extant fragment of a 'plot' Troilus and Cressida should be added. The production of Troy's Revenge was deferred until the following October. No one of this year's new plays is extant, unless, as is possible, All Fools but the Fool was an early form of Chapman's All Fools.[1] Earnests were paid in the course of 1598-9 for Catiline's Conspiracy (Chettle), Tis no Deceit to Deceive the Deceiver (Chettle), William Longsword[2] (Drayton), Two Merry Women of Abingdon (Porter), and an unnamed pastoral tragedy by Chapman, but there is no reason to suppose that any one of these was ever finished. On 9 August 1598 Munday had 10s. in earnest of an unnamed comedy 'for the corte' and Drayton gave his word for the book to be done in a fortnight, but the project must have been dropped, as the entry was cancelled. Of old plays the company revived in August Vayvode, in November The Massacre at Paris, in which Bird played the Guise,[3] in December 1 The Conquest of Brute, bought from John Day, and in March Alexander and Lodowick, bought from Martin Slater in the preceding year. As to Vayvode, the entries are rather puzzling. In August Chettle received £1 'for his playe of Vayvode', and the purchase of properties show that the production took place. But in the following January there was a payment of £2 to Alleyn 'for the playe of Vayvod for the company'. Possibly Alleyn had some rights in the manuscript, which were at first overlooked. On 25 November Chettle had 10s. 'for mendinge of Roben Hood for the corte'. Either 1 or 2 Robin Hood was therefore probably the play given on 6 January 1599. At the beginning of the year the company bought Mulmutius Dunwallow from William Rankins and another old play called Tristram of Lyons, but it must be uncertain whether they played them. A reference in Guilpin's Skialetheia suggests that The Spanish Tragedy may have been on the boards of the Rose not long before September 1598.[4]
- ↑ No importance can be attached to Mr. Fleay's childish identifications of War without Blows and Love without Suit, Joan as Good as my Lady, and The Four Kings with The Thracian Wonder, Heywood's A Maidenhead well Lost, and Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes respectively.
- ↑ So called in Drayton's autograph receipt, but Henslowe calls it William Longbeard.
- ↑ Henslowe, i. 72, 78.
- ↑ Cf. ch. xv, s.v. Alleyn.
