A Select Collection of Old English Plays, vol 1


A Select Collection of Old English Plays,?by R. Dodsley

The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Select Collection of Old English Plays,
Volume I., by R. Dodsley Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****
Title: A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume I.
Author: R. Dodsley
Release Date: October, 2005 [EBook #9050] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on September 1, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COLLECTION OF OLD ENGLISH PLAYS, VOL. I. ***

Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Tapio Riikonen and Distributed Proofreaders

A SELECT COLLECTION OF OLD ENGLISH PLAYS
VOL. I
FOURTH EDITION, NOW FIRST CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED, REVISED AND ENLARGED WITH THE NOTES OF ALL THE COMMENTATORS, AND NEW NOTES
BY W. CAREW HAZLITT.

CONTENTS
Preface Interlude of the Four Elements Calisto and Melibaea Everyman: a Moral Play Hickscorner The Pardoner and the Friar The World and the Child (Mundus and Infans) God's Promises The Four P.P. A New Interlude, called Thersites Footnotes

PREFACE.
After the lapse of about half a century since the issue of the last edition of Dodsley's Select Collection of Old Plays,[1] and the admittance of that work into the honourable rank of scarce and dear books, it seemed a desirable thing to attempt, with such additional improvements as might be practicable or expedient, a revival of a publication which has been a favourite with the lovers of our early drama since its first publication more than a hundred years ago. Between 1744, the date of its original appearance, and 1825, it passed through three editions; and it may be remarked that the tendency in each successive edition has been to remodel the undertaking on the principle of rejecting plays which from time to time have been lifted up (so to speak) into the collected works of their respective authors, and to substitute for them plays which have either suffered unmerited obscurity in original and rare editions, or have lain so far scattered about in various other collections; and in the present instance that principle has been strictly adhered to.[2]
It is desirable that it should be seen precisely in what manner, and to what extent, the edition now offered differs from its predecessors as regards the contents. The points of variation are three: 1. Omissions; 2. Additions of pieces not included in the former editions; 3. Additional plays now first reprinted from the originals. The first division comprises the following productions which, since the last republication of Dodsley, have been taken up into the collected editions of their respective authors:--
Ferrex and Porrex Sackville, &c. Alexander and Campaspe Lyly. Jew of Malta Marlowe. Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay Greene. Edward the First Peele Edward the Second Marlowe. Pinner of Wakefield Greene. Four Prentices of London Heywood. Mayor of Quinborough Middleton. Malcontent Marston, &c. All Fools Chapman. Woman Killed with Kindness Heywood. Honest Whore (two parts) Decker and Middleton. The White Devil Webster. Eastward Hoe Marston, &c. A Mad World, my Masters Middleton. The Roaring Girl Middleton. The Widow's Tears Chapman. The Widow Jonson, &c. The Wits Davenant. The Jovial Crew Brome.
The second and third characteristics of our book are the ADDITIONS, which, as we have stated, are of two kinds. In the first place, we may enumerate the dramas new to Dodsley's collection, though previously edited in a variety of forms:
Interlude of the Four Elements Anon. Disobedient Child Ingelend. Trial of Treasure Anon. Youth Anon. Lusty Juventus Wever. Hickscorner, An Interlude Anon. Everyman, An Interlude Anon. Pardoner and Friar, An Interlude Heywood. Jack Juggler | Anon. Thersites | Interludes Anon. Ralph Roister Doister Udall. Cambyses Preston. Conflict of Conscience Woodes. Three Ladies of London Wilmot. Three Lords and Three Ladies of London Wilmot. Rare Triumphs of Love and Fortune Anon. Knack to Know a Knave Anon. Jeronimo (Part the First) Anon. Two Angry Women of Abingdon Porter. Spanish Tragedy Kyd. Solyman and Perseda Anon. How a Man may choose a Good Wife from a Bad Anon. Englishmen for my Money Haughton. Second Maiden's Tragedy Anon. Wily Beguiled Anon. Return from Parnassus Anon. New