A cram'd third day, what filth drops from his brains.
Malone (Variorum, iii. 157) quotes later evidence for a variation of days, together with Davenant, The Play-house to be Let:
There is an old tradition,
That in the times of mighty Tamberlane,
Of conjuring Faustus and the Beauchamps bold,
You poets used to have the second day.
This shall be ours, sir, and tomorrow yours.
The actual term 'benefit' appears first in connexion with the interest of the Master of the Revels (cf. p. 370), not that of the poet. Nor do we know what exactly the 'overplus' assigned to the poet was calculated upon.
[1051] B. Fair, V. iii. 30, 'What, doe you not know the Author, fellow Filcher? you must take no money of him; he must come in gratis: Mʳ. Littlewit is a voluntary; he is the Author'.
[1052] Henslowe, i. 83, 100, 101, 107, 119 (Admiral's, 1598-1600), 'to disecharge Mʳ. Dicker owt of the cownter in the Powltrey'; 'Harey Chettell to paye his charges in the Marshallsey'; 'to descarge Thomas Dickers frome the areaste of my lord chamberlens men'; 'to descarge Harey Chettell of his areste from Ingrome'; 'Wᵐ Harton to releace hime owt of the Clyncke'; also Henslowe, i. 103, 165 (Admiral's, 1599, 1602), 'Harey Porter ... gaue me his faythfulle promysse that I shold haue alle the boockes which he writte ether him sellfe or with any other'; 'at the sealleynge of H. Chettells band to writte for them'.