341. See the excellent edition by W. Bang, Materialien zur Kunde des alteren englischen Dramas, vol. iii, 1903.

342. All necessary apparatns for the study of this literary curiosity will be fonnd in Miss M. L. Lee's edition, 1893. The original is a MS. in the Bodleian.

343. See A. H. Thorndike, Influence of Beaumont and Fletcher on Shakspeare, 1901, p. 32. In Mucedorus (I. i. 51) we find mention of a shepherd's disguise used 'in Lord Julio's masque.' The passage occurs in the additional scenes of 1610, and there are numerous masques of the period that might claim to be that referred to. Fleay conjectures 'The Shepherds' Mask of James I.'s time,' and elsewhere identifies this title, which he gets from Halliwell's Dictionary, with Jonson's masque, Pan's Anniversary, or the Shepherds' Holiday. This, however, was produced at earliest in 1623, and can hardly therefore have been alluded to in 1610. Halliwell took his title from the British Museum MS. Addit. 10,444, in which appears the music for a number of 'masques,' or dances taken from masques, and in which this particular Shepherds' Masque (fol. 34v) is dated 1635.

344. The date here assigned presents obvions difficultes. It would naturally mean that it was performed after March 24, 1625; but as James died after about a fortnight's serious illness on March 27, this can hardly be accepted. Nichols placed the performance conjecturally in August, 1624, for reasons which I am inclined to regard as satisfactory. Fleay pronounces in favour of June 19, 1623, with a confidence not altogether calculated to inspire the like feeling in others.

345. Lives, Oxford, 1898, i. p. 251.

346. 'The Dramatic Works of John Tatham,' 1879. In Maidment and Logan's Dramatists of the Restoration.

347. Another parallel may be found in Shirley's Maid's Revenge, IV. iv, where the wounded Antonio exclaims:

Where art, Berinthia? let me breathe my last
Upon thy lip; make haste, lest I die else.

The situation, however, is different. Shirley's play was licensed in 1626.

348. In a small quarto volume, classed as Addit. MS. 14,047. The piece has hitherto been ascribed to George Wilde, on the authority of Halliwell. There appears to be no reason for this ascription, beyond the fact that the same volume also contains two pieces by Wilde. His name, however, does not occur in connexion with the present play, and the volume, which is in a variety of hands, certainly includes work not by him. Wilde was scholar and fellow of St. John's, chaplain to Laud, and Bishop of Londonderry after the restoration. His plays consist of the two comedies in this volume, viz. the Latin Euphormus, sive Cupido Adultus, acted on Feb. 5, 1634/5, and the Hospital of Lovers, acted before the king and queen on Aug. 29, 1636, both at St. John's. He is also said to have written another Latin play, called Hermophus, though nothing is known of it beyond the record of its being acted. It was most probably the same as Euphormus, the titles being anagrams of each other.