Recently Recovered "Lost" Tudor Plays with some others

by Unknown

Morrow, "on Sundays, on the morrow" (M[31],c), in the morning.

Moselling, "I fell down moselling" (JE[363],d), original moselynge;? drunk (cf., muzzling, muzzy): the E.E.T.S. editors gloss meselynge = diseaseful, from measle, but the context would bear my own "shot." "In meselynge glotonye, with goode metis and drynkys trye, I norche my syster Lecherye" (Castell of Persev. [E.E.T.S.], 144, 2258).

Mot, mought (passim), might.

Mounsire, "Mounsire authority" (R[197],c)—(also R[224],b), an early corrupted form of "Monsieur": cf. modern Mounseer.

Mumchance (WH[286],a), a game of hazard with cards or dice: see Nares.

Nam, "Nam hæc est mutatio, dexteræ Excelsi: vertit impios, et non sunt" (M[36],d), see Psalm lxxvii. 11, and Prov. xii. 7.

Namnot, nammot (R[267],d), am not: the double negative, ne am not.

Narse (WS[153],b), arse: the transference of the n of the indefinite article, and a similar process in respect to the n of "mine," "thine," etc. is not infrequent in M.E.; cf. "naunt," "nuncle," "nam," "newt," "nickname," etc.

Nature. The text will be found on pages 41-133, together with a reduced facsimile of the title-page of the unique copy now in the British Museum (C34,e54). Bound up with it, at the end of the volume, are two duplicate leaves. In several places (see 105,c; 106,d; 112,d; 114,a) the lower margins have suffered by cutting; otherwise it is a good copy, but without date, place, or printer's name. It is well printed, probably by John Rastell, between 1510-20, and is in excellent preservation. When printing my own text, I was not aware that a fragment comprising two complete and well-preserved pages had been discovered in an album consisting entirely of "Specimens of the English Printers from Caxton to Robert Barker," which Sir John Fenn had collected for the completion of Ames-Herbert's Typographical Antiquities, and which was offered for sale by Mr. Bernard Quaritch in his Catalogue, No. 237 (pp. 97-99), the price affixed being £280. For the foregoing particulars I am indebted to Materialen zur Kunde des alteren Englischen Dramas, so ably edited by Prof. Bang of Louvain University and other well-known English, American, and Continental scholars. I have, so far, been unable to trace the subsequent history of this volume; but I am not without hopes, later on, of being in a position to supply full and detailed particulars. What more nearly concerns the present purpose is the fact that in vol. xii. of Materialen are given facsimiles of parts of each of these two pages, by means of which two out of the four lines cut away, each on different pages, have been restored, viz. at 112,d and 114,a—a fortunate and happy circumstance (see Corrigenda, etc., infra). Another fragment was known to exist at the Bodley. This is mentioned by Mr. Greg in his Handlist of English Plays; but no particulars are furnished, and on enquiry at the Bodley no trace of the fragment could at first be found. I, thereupon, made search, and at last unearthed it, finding it buried in a mass of uncatalogued early printed scraps. This was after delving through a dozen volumes of similar miscellaneous material, so let it now be ear-marked for future reference. The Bodley shelf-mark is Rawl. 4^o 598 (12). It came into the Bodleian with the Rawlinson collection of MSS. and printed books in 1755. The fragment (Aiiii) is small, and is apparently of the same edition as the British Museum copy, and the extra leaves. As the Quaritch fragment is also undoubtedly of similar parentage, it is unlikely that the play was printed more than once. The Bodley fragment comprises (a) "But, if Reason tickle ..." (last line p. 49) down to " ... that from above is sent" (p. 50, 11th line of text from bottom); and (b) "No well-advised body ..." (page 51, 11 lines from top) down to "It shall not skill as for this intent" (p. 52, 2 lines from top). By this it will be seen that this recovery does not serve to restore either of the two missing lines, not restored by the other fragments. Nature was produced before Archbishop Morton in Henry VII.'s reign (see 51,c; 88,b); and Bale states that it was translated into Latin. A period of nearly three days seems to have elapsed between the representation of Parts I. and II. (see 90,d). Other allusions I have dealt with in this Note-Book as they occur. Of the author little is known save what is revealed by the play, and Bale's mention (see Medwall). From the former it is evident, however, as Prof. Gayley first pointed out, that he must have possessed a remarkably vivid imagination, or have enjoyed a closer acquaintance than might be expected of one of his cloth with the seamy side of London life; for there are few racier or more realistic bits of description in our early literature than the account given by Sensuality of Fleyng Kat and Margery, of the perversion of the hero by the latter, and of her retirement when deserted to that house of "Strayt Religyon at the Grene Freres hereby," where "all is open as a gose eye." Dr. Gayley remarks that though "the plot is not remarkable, nor the mechanism of it, for almost the only device availed of is that of feigned names, still the author's insight into the conditions of low life, his common sense, his proverbial philosophy, his humorous exhibition of the morals of the day, and his stray and sudden shafts at the foibles of his own religious class, would alone suffice to attract attention to this work. And even more remarkable than this in the history of comedy is Medwall's literary style; his versification excellent and varied, his conversations witty, idiomatic, and facile. Indeed, he is so far beyond the ordinary convention that he writes the first bit of prose to be found in our drama." Nature has only once before been reprinted in modern times, in Prof. Brandl's admirable Quellen series. The present text is taken direct from the British Museum copy, and has been re-collated with the original in proof: mere misprints I have, as a rule, not noted. It is proper to point out that the "Humility" of the "Names of the Players" (p. 42) appears in the text, except in one instance, as "Meekness"; likewise that "Good Occupation" is the "Good Business" of the text; "Pride" also is occasionally given as "Pry. Co." Corrigenda, Amended Readings, etc.: The Names of the Players ([42],b and c), these are from the end of play—"things here below" ([44],b) by low in original—"To the which end" ([50],b), original ye—"nor yet so furious" ([51],b), original yt—"point oversight" ([51],c), original has point of; my mistake—"use thee as a servant" ([52],b), original servand—"As far as" ([57],d), original for—"And let thy word be cousin to thy deed" ([59],a), original world ... consyn—"See that ye commit" ([59],b), original So—"to every man's guise" ([60],b), original ges—"my chief counsellor" ([60],c), original conselour—"Sens. Lord! ye say well" ([61],b), between this and the previous line Dr. Brandl points out that a line has been dropped, but there is no break in the original copy—"To put himself" ([61],c), in original selse—"[He goeth out....]" ([64],d), considerable confusion exists in the original from this point to the end of the next page. The lines beginning "Worldly Affection," "Come hither!" are assigned to The World, whereas it is clear that The World goes out, and Mankind, calling to Worldly Affection (who comes in), continues his speech, addressing the new comer. From this point the speeches now given, rightly I think, to Worldly Affection are in original to The World, except the last on page 65, which appears as a continuation of Mankind's speech. I may remark that Dr. Brandl differs—"[Pride]. Who dwelleth here" ([66],c), in original Pry. Co.—"worn gilt spurs ... cutted whores" ([66],d), original sperys ... horys—"How say ye, sirs" ([67],a), original syrst: Brandl suggests reading fyrst—"Allez ... vous avant!" ([69],c), original Ale seygniour ale vouse auant"—"judge in common pleas" ([71],c), original, place—"Sir! bid him welcome," etc. ([72],b), in original the catch-cue to "Sens." is repeated here; the present interpolated "direction" makes the action clear—Man. Me?" ([73],a), in original Man. is misprinted as part of text, Man me?—"The world told me" ([73],c), read World—"Where they shall" ([93],b), original misprinted shalbe—"Sirs, God speed ye!" ([112],d), original you—"[A line has been shaved away at the foot of the page]" ([112],d), this is now restored from the Quaritch fragment, "Had I set a done (= adown) my gear." A line similarly shaved off at 114,a is also restored by "I wene he wyll be dede"—"great scorn and disdain" ([120],c), original storn—"mind and good will" ([121],b), Dr. Brandl suggests reading lust—"to the uttermost" ([122],d), Dr. Brandl suggests uttermest—"He speaketh sometime" ([126],a), so in original, Dr. Brandl prints seeketh—"[Help] to reform" ([128],d), this word is cut away at the foot of the page: the same mishap has occurred at "in this case" ([130],a).