The title-page bears the name of Robert Greene as author, together with a motto used by him in other works, which suggests that the manuscript may have been in some manner prepared for press before his death in 1592. Three passages from the play are quoted, rather inaccurately, in England’s Parnassus, 1600, above Greene’s name. The title-page also states that the play had been ‘sundrie times publikely plaide’, without, however, mentioning any company.
The plot is entirely unhistorical, and P. A. Daniel and W. Creizenach independently traced its source to the first novel of the third day of the Ecatommiti of Giraldi Cintio, a story in which, however, the identity of the characters is quite different. Whether Greene was also acquainted with Cintio’s play Arrenopia, based on the same story, is not known.
List of Doubtful and Irregular Readings.
The play, evidently printed from a much altered and probably illegible manuscript, abounds in errors of every description. The following list is confined to such readings as are to some extent doubtful in the original and to a few literal misprints which might otherwise perhaps be thought due to the reprint. No irregularities recorded by previous editors are included. No variations of any importance have been found between the two copies collated.
| 3 | plac’st |
| 36 | deele |
| 65 | because |
| 88 | Idy |
| 109 | mifled |
| 120 | Attus |
| 203 | choyseff (ff broken, read choysest) |
| 316 | drie (? read dire) |
| 323 | c.w. X. of S. |
| 334 | Beheld Venns |
| 373 | moaths |
| 440 | autthoritie |
| 482 | bettet, |
| 493 | Steu. |
| 611 | Os |
| 618 | Ba. |
| 643 | part, |
| 646 | theworld, |
| 648 | weele (perhaps we ele) |
| 655 | Simi Ranus, |
| 661 | Simeranus, |
| 675 | king, |
| 691 | wrethednesse: |
| 702 | eate. |
| 742 | loure, |
| 757 | louer |
| 765 | letter. |
| 784 | hath |
| 801 | what |
| 834 | doo shifting, |
| 880 | Ateu. (perhaps Ate u.) |
| 918 | denoũced, it |
| 983 | same.) |
| 988 | to ... too |
| 996 | nye. (perhaps ny e.) |
| 1019 | consider |
| 1026 | tryees |
| 1028 | step (perhaps ste p) |
| 1030 | becauso |
| 1045 | sings. |
| 1048 | loue |
| 1078 | ean (e not absolutely certain, read can) |
| 1094 | Bur |
| 1159 | Thon |
| 1163 | Exennt. |
| 1175 | the |
| 1183 | thee |
| 1190 | Slip. (there is a faint trace of the i in the Dyce copy only) |
| 1192 | Sip. |
| 1205 | viutnerd (original viutnerd) |
| 1213 | Guatoes |
| 1268 | thon (original thon) |
| 1279 | (fe-)re ie. (space not certain) |
| 1292 | the (perhaps th e) |
| 1294 | your (perhaps y our) |
| 1324 | bettet |
| 1332 | yout |
| 1355 | esteemd, (original esteemd‘) |
| 1367 | ic pour. Yea |
| 1370 | mee, |
| 1378 | woman, (comma not quite certain) |
| 1398 | Court,, |
| 1399 | stricknesse |
| 1405 | mstaled: |
| 1411 | preuention you (original preuent ion you) |
| 1423 | Nauo. |
| 1424 | shildish |
| 1433 | appooued |
| 1449 | displac’ff, (ff broken, read displac’st,) |
| 1451 | Auteukin, |
| 1464 | bnt speakie |
| 1497 | are |
| 1504 | Mistresle |
| 1511 | you, drawe a |
| 1546 | Exeuut. |
| 1607 | Prepare (cf. c.w.) |
| 1621 | Hart, |
| 1626 | (indentation doubtful) |
| 1626, 1627 | Deiu, |
| 1637 | (speaker’s name omitted) ditte |
| 1644 | tout, vn |
| 1646 | fllattering |
| 1681 | thee Shoo-maker. |
| 1702 | progenators Cutler. |
| 1706 | edge, |
| 1713 | a (failed to print in the B.M. copy) |
| 1720 | Ohn, o (read Oh, no) |
| 1763 | thing: |
| 1777 | fals |
| 1789 | strumpet, ta Matressa |
| 1790 | foy |
| 1791 | me |
| 1796 | morglay, |
| 1799 | soule, (the comma failed to print in the Dyce copy) |
| 1801 | stay. |
| 1803 | Ie meu |
| 1845 | alreadle |
| 1848 | For |
| 1863 | alosse, |
| 1897 | on |
| 1908 | missed, (ss broken, read misled,) |
| 1917 | ouerthtow. |
| 1924 | slrange (read strange) |
| 1990 | wartes: |
| 1993 | Dambac |
| 2000 | slaine. (sl not quite certain, possibly broken ss) |
| 2002 | but |
| 2007 | Doro, |
| 2019 | effate: (ff broken, read estate:) |
| 2024 | but on the (perhaps buton th e) |
| 2037 | Nana, |
| 2060 | fontre |
| 2092 | purschase |
| 2101 | place (read plow) |
| 2113 | Lyon, (king |
| 2114 | slaine? (sl not certain, perhaps broken ss) |
| 2142 | Exeunt, (original Exeunt, or Fxeunt, apparently the latter, but the letter may be a broken E) |
| 2144 | state, (so the Dyce copy, the B.M. copy apparently has a full point, but this is probably a broken comma) |
| 2162 | sect, |
| 2166 | countriees (first e not quite certain, possibly c) |
| 2169 | toexcept: |
| 2182 | greatmens |
| 2189 | guise, (perhaps gu ise,) |
| 2204 | warre? |
| 2215 | summonies |
| 2241 | ofcontention: |
| 2254 | true, .Exeun.. (what appears like a full point after the n may be the remains of a very broken t) |
| 2260 | sarre Twearde. |
| 2283 | mistresse: |
| 2294-5 | he ... she |
| 2300 | Alhough |
| 2310 | Qeene, |
| 2331 | change, |
| 2355 | these (perhaps th ese) |
| 2370 | wasmisled, (sl not quite certain, possibly broken ss) |
| 2383 | K. of S. (apparently S: in the B.M. copy, but the upper dot is accidental) |
| 2424 | (indentation doubtful) |
| 2426 | for (perhaps fo r) |
| 2438 | ttumpets |
| 2443 | Cutber tohis |
| 2463 | Scortish |
| 2509 | missed: (ss broken, read misled:) |
| 2522 | Thou (original Thou) |
| 2540 | our (perhaps ou r) |
| 2545 | ffaies, (ff broken, read staies,) |
| 2547 | reeoncile |
| 2562 | Auteukin, |
| 2579 | when, |
In ll. 1062, 1090 the speaker’s name is given as ‘8. Atten.’ Whatever this may be meant for it is clear that the speeches belong to the Bishop of St. Andrews. In ll. 2015-6 a complicated error has occurred, the ‘e’ of ‘her’ in the lower line having worked its way up into an accidental space after the ‘d’ of ‘and’ in the upper.
List of Characters
in order of appearance.
In the Induction and Chorus:
Oberon, king of fairies.
Bohan, a Scot.
Slipper } his sons.
Nano }
an antic (dance), fairies, a dancer ‘boy or wench’.