because you can doe nothing else.. Thirdly you mightily dif‐ relish the audience, and difgrace the author: marry, you take up (though it be at the worft hand) a strong opinion of your owne judgement, and inforce the poet to take pity of your weakeneffe, and by fome dedicated fonnet to bring you into a better paradice, onely to ftop your mouth.

If you can (either for love or money) provide your felfe a lodging by the water fide: for above the conveniencie it brings to fhun fhoulder-clapping, and to fhip away your cockatrice betimes in the morning, it addes a kind of ftate unto you, to be carried from thence to the ftaires of your play-houfe: hate a fculler (remember that) worse then to be acquainted with one ath' fcullery. No, your oares are your onely fea-crabs, boord them, and take heed you never go twice together with one paire: often fhifting is a great credit to gentlemen: and that dividing of your fare wil make the poore waterfnaks be ready to pul you in peeces to enjoy your custome. No matter whether upon landing you have money or no; you may fwim in twentie of their boates over the river upon ticket: mary, when filver comes in, remember to pay trebble their fare, and it will make your flounder-catchers to fend more thankes after you, when you doe not draw, then when you doe: for they know, it will be their owne another daic.

Before the play begins, fall to cardes; you may win or loofe (as fencers doe in a prize) and beate one another by confederacie, yet fhare the money when you mecte at fupper: notwithstanding, to gul the ragga-muffins that ftand a locfe gaping at you, throw the cards (having first torne foure or five of them) round about the ftage, juft upon the third found, as though you had left: it fkils not if the foure knaves ly on their backs, and outface the audience, there's none fuch fooles as dare take exceptions at them, becaufe ere the play go off, better knaves than they, will fall into the company.

Now, Sir, if the writer be a fellow that hath either epigram'd you, or hath had a flirt at your miftris, or hath brought either your feather, or your red beard, or your litthe legs, &c. on the flage, you fhall difgrace him worfe then by toffing him in a blanket, or giving him the baftinado in a taverne, if in the middle of his play, (bee it pastorall or comedy, morall or tragedie) you rife with a fkreud and difcontented face from your floole to be gone: no matter whether the scenes be good or no; the better they are, the

worfe doe you diftaft them: and beeing on your feete, fneake not away like a coward, but falute all your gentle acquaintance that are fpred either on the rushes or on stooles about you, and draw what troope you can from the stage after you: the mimicks are beholden to you, for allowing them elbow roome: their poet cries perhaps, a pox go with you, but care not you for that; there's no mufick without frets.

Mary, if either the company, or indifpofition of the weather binde you to fit it out, my counfell is then that you turne plaine ape: take up a rush and tickle the earnest eares of your fellow gallants, to make other fooles fall a laughing: mewe at the paflionate fpeeches, blare at merrie, finde fault with the muficke, whewe at the children's action, whistle at the fongs; and above all, curfe the sharers, that whereas the fame day you had beftowed forty fhillings on an embroidered felt and feather (Scotch-fashion) for your miftres in the court, or your punck in the cittie, within two houres after, you encounter with the very fame block on the ftage, when the haberdafher fwore to you the impreflion was extant but that morning.

To conclude, hoord up the finest play-fcraps you can get, upon which your leane wit may most favourly feede, for want of other stuffe, when the Arcadian and Euphuis'd gentlewomen have their tongues fharpened to fet upon you: that qualitie (next to your fhittlecocke) is the only furniture to a courtier that's but a new beginner, and is but in his ABC of complement. The next places that are fil'd after the play-houfes bee emptied, are (or ought to be) tavernes: into a taverne then let us next march, where the braines of one hogshead must be beaten out to make up another."

I should have attempted on the prefent occafion to enumerate all other pamphlets, &c. from whence particulars relative to the conduct of our early theatres might be collected, but that Dr. Percy, in his firft volume of the Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, (third edit. p. 128, &c.) has extracted fuch paffages from them as tend to the illustration of this subject; to which he has added more accurate remarks than my experience in these matters would have enabled me to supply.

The.

The GLOBE on the BANCKE SIDE, where SHAKESPEARE acted.

From the long Antwerp View of London in the Pepyfian Library.

With the drawing from which this cut was made, I was favoured by the Reverend Mr. Henley, of Harrow on the Hill.

STEEVENS.

ANCIENT TRANSLATIONS

FROM

CLASSIC AUTHOR S.

HOMER.

EN Bookes of the Iliades into English out of French,

Tby Arthur Hall, Efquire. Lond. imprinted by Ralph

Newberie, 4to*.

1581

The Shield of Achilles, from the 18th Book of Homer, by

Geo. Chapman, to. Lond.

Seven Books of the Iliades, by ditto, 4to t. Lond.

Do.

Fifteen Books of ditto, thin folio.

1596

1596

1598

1600

The whole Works of Homer, by d°. printed for Nath. But

ter

no date

The Crowne of all Homer's Workes, Batrachomymachia, &c. thin fol. printed by John Bill

no date

In the first vol. of the books of entries belonging to the Stationers' company is the following:

Henry By nneman] Nov 180, lycenfed unto him under the wardens' hands tenne bookes of the Iliades of Homer.' Again, Nov. 14, 105. "Seven bookes of Homer's Iliades tranflated into Englfh by Geo. Chapman." Again, April 8, 1611, "A booke called Homer's Iliades in Englishe, containing 24 Bookes." Again, Nov. 2, 1014," Homer's Odiffes 24 bookes tranflated by George Chapinan."

66

Meres, in his Second part of Wit's Common-wealth, 1598, fays that Chapman is "of good note for his inchoate Homer."

In the first volume of the entries of the Stationers' company is the following:

"T. Purtoote.] The Battell of the Frogges and Myce, and certain orations of Ifocrates. Jan. 4th 1579,'

MU.

MUSEU S.

Marloe's Hero and Leander, with the firft Book of Lucan, 4to.

1600 There must have been a former Edition*, as a fecond Part was published by Henry Petowe

1598 Mufæus's Poem of Hero and Leander, imitated by Chriftopher Marlow, and finished by Geo. Chapman, 8vo. Lond.

EURIPIDES.

1606

Jocafta, a Tragedy, from the Phoeniffa of Euripides, by Geo. Gascoigne, and Mr. Francis Kinwelmerfhe, 4to. Lond.

PLATO.

1556

Axiochus, a Dialogue, attributed to Plato, by Edm. Spenfer, 4to t.

DEMOSTHEN E S.

1592

The Three Orations of Demofthenes, chiefe Orator among the Grecians, in Favour of the Olynthians, with thofe

* This tranflation, or at least Marlow's part in it, must have been published before 1599, being twice mentioned in Nath's Lenten Stuff, &c. which bears that date. "Leander and Hero of whom divine Mufæus fung, and a diviner mufe than him, Kit Marlow." Again, "She fprung after him, and fo refigned up her priesthood, and left worke for Mufus and Kit Marlow."

Among the entries at Stationers' hall I find the following made by John Wolfe in 1593, Sept. 8th, "A booke entitled Hero and Leander, being an amorous poem devifed by Chriftopher MarMarlow."

At the fame time, "Lucan's first booke of the famous Cyvill Warr betwixt Pompey and Cæfar. Englifhed by Christopher Marlow."

Again, in 1597, "A booke in English called Hero and Leander."

Again, April 1598, "The feconde Parte of Hero and Leander by Henry Petowe." Andrew Harris enter'd it.

Again, in 1600, "Hero and Leander by Marlowe."

In 1614 an entire tranflation of Lucan was publifhed by Sir Arthur Gorges, and enter'd as fuch on the fame books.

This book was entered in May 1592, at Stationers' hall.

[F4]

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