1597-9.
The Merry Devil of Edmonton, acted at the Globe, and therefore still on the stage in 1599, was closely connected with the early form of 1 Henry IV., in which Falstaff was called Oldcastle (see supra, p. [33]). Coxeter says that it was ascribed in an old MS. of the play to Michael Drayton. No doubt it was written by him. The character of the Host, and indeed all the play, are so like parts of Sir John Oldcastle, which we know to have been partly written by Drayton, that it is not possible to doubt the identity of authorship. That play was written by Munday (i. 1; v. 2—end), Wilson (? i. 2; ii. 3; iii. 4), Hathaway (? iii. 1; v. 1), and Drayton, who probably was the plotter and chief composer. The Merry Devil was entered S. R. 22d October 1607. The entry on 5th April 1608 refers to the prose history by Thomas Brewer. Nevertheless that entry has been confidently adduced by Mr. Halliwell and others as proof that Drayton did not write the play (see Halliwell's Dictionary of Old Plays under Merry Devil): which as printed is evidently greatly abridged. All the part relating to Smug's taking the place of St. George as the sign of the inn, for instance, which is found in the prose story, must have been cut out, though an allusion to it is left in the end of the play. This alteration was probably made c. 1603-4, as in the Black Book (S. R. 22d March 1604) a revival of the play contemporaneous with The Woman Killed with Kindness is alluded to. It remained popular even to 1616: Jonson's prologue to The Devil is an Ass calls it "your dear delight." That play is of a somewhat similar nature, founded on the adventures of a devil incarnate; so also are Dekker's If this be not a Good Play the Devil's in it, and Haughton's Grim the Cobler of Croydon, or The Devil and his Dame (6th May 1600). In this last, which gives a posterior limit of date, Robin Goodfellow calls himself "merry devil," and is no doubt intended as a satire on Drayton, as is also the Robin Goodfellow of Wily Beguiled, 1597. In Sir Giles Goosecap by Chapman, the continued usage by Goosecap of the phrases "tickle the vanity on't" and "we are all mortal" points to Drayton as the person ridiculed under that name; while in 2 Henry IV., ii. l. 66, Falstaff uses the exact phrase of Smug in scene 3 of "tickling the catastrophe." Another point of connection with Shakespearian satire of this date is found in the term Hungarian, scene 8, which occurs in Merry Wives, i. 3. 23, and nowhere else in Shakespeare. The great similarity of the Hosts in these two plays has been often noted. There is much confusion in the Christian names in our present version of the Merry Devil, an indication of revision. Drayton's first connection with the Chamberlain's company was in my opinion his writing the Induction for The Taming of the Shrew in 1596, afterwards altered by Shakespeare. The Merry Devil was entered as Shakespeare's on S. R. 9th September 1653, probably on account of the similarity of title with The Merry Wives of Windsor; and this similarity does point to a connection, though not of authorship, between these plays. The Oldcastle play, acted 6th March 1600 at Lord Hunsdon's, was probably The Merry Devil.
1594.
The Seven Deadly Sins, an old play plotted for the Queen's company by Tarleton, was revived. I have had already occasion to refer to the plot of this play, which is extant at Dulwich College.
A Warning for Fair Women was entered S. R. 17th November 1599, and printed as "lately divers times acted" by the Chamberlain's men. Its title, so like A Looking-Glass for London and A 'Larum for London, its didactic character, its Induction, with History, Tragedy, and Comedy for actors, so like that to Mucedorus, and its style and metre all point to Thomas Lodge as the author. As a murder-play it should be compared with Arden of Feversham, The Yorkshire Tragedy, and Two Tragedies in One. Plays on similar subjects, such as Page of Plymouth, by Dekker and Jonson, September 1599; The Tragedy of Merry, by Haughton and Day, December 1599; The Tragedy of Orphans, by Chettle, November 1599; and perhaps The Stepmother's Tragedy, by Dekker and Chettle, October 1599, were very abundant just at this time. This seems to be Lodge's final original production for the stage.
1598-9.
Every Man in his Humour in its first form, with the Italian names, in the latter part of 1598, and his Every Man out of his Humour in the spring of 1599, both by Jonson, were acted by the Chamberlain's men. Jonson then left them and wrote for the children of the Chapel.
1601.
Satiromastix was written by Dekker against Jonson's Poetaster for the Chamberlain's men, and acted first by them and afterwards by the Paul's boys.