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In Four Volumes
Edited by
1882-89.
Preface
Two Tragedies in One. By Robert Yarington
The Captives, or the Lost Recovered. By Thomas Heywood
The Costlie Whore.
Everie Woman in her Humor.
Appendix
Index
Footnotes
The fourth and final volume of this Collection of Old Plays ought tohave been issued many months ago. I dare not attempt to offer anyexcuses for the wholly unwarrantable delay.
In the preface to the third volume I stated that I hoped to be able toprocure a transcript of an unpublished play (preserved in Eg. MS. 1,994)of Thomas Heywood. It affords me no slight pleasure to include this playin the present volume. Mr. JEAVES, of the Manuscript Department of theBritish Museum, undertook the labour of transcription and persevered tothe end. As I have elsewhere stated, the play is written in a detestablehand; and few can appreciate the immense trouble that it cost Mr. JEAVESto make his transcript. Where Mr. JEAVES' labours ended mine began; Ispent many days in minutely comparing the transcript with the original.There are still left passages that neither of us could decipher, butthey are not numerous.
I may be pardoned for regarding the Collection with some pride. Six ofthe sixteen plays are absolutely new, printed for the first time; and Iam speaking within bounds when I declare that no addition so substantialhas been made to the Jacobean drama since the days of Humphrey Moseleyand Francis Kirkman. Sir John Van Olden Barnavelt has been styled byMr. Swinburne a "noble poem." Professor Delius urged that it should betranslated into German; and I understand that an accomplished scholar,Dr. Gelbeke of St. Petersburg, has just completed an admirabletranslation. Meanwhile the English edition[1] has been reproduced inHolland.
In the original announcement of this Collection I promised a reprint ofArden of Feversham from the quarto of 1592; I also proposed to includeplays by Davenport, William Rowley, and Nabbes. After I had transcribedArden of Feversham I determined not to include it in the presentseries. It occurred to me that I should enhance the value of thesevolumes by excluding such plays as were already accessible in moderneditions. Accordingly I rejected Arden of Feversham, Sir JohnOldcastle, Patient Grissel, and The Yorkshire Tragedy. The plays ofDavenport, William Rowley, and Nabbes were excluded on other grounds.Several correspondents suggested to me that I should issue separatelythe complete works of each of these three dramatists; and, not withoutsome misgivings, I adopted this suggestion.
I acknowledge with regret that the printing has not been as accurate asI should have desired. There have been too many misprints, especially inthe first two volumes;[2] but in the eyes of generous and competentreaders these blemishes (trivial for the most part) will not detractfrom the solid value of the Collection.
It remains that I should thank Mr. BERNARD QUARITCH, the most famousbibliopole of our age (or any age), for the kind interest that he hasshewn in the progress of my undertaking. Of his own accord Mr. QUARITCHoffered to subscribe for one third of the impression,—an offer which Igratefully accepted. I have to th