Sir Godfrey Plus, brother-in-law to the widow Plus. Edmond, fon to the widow.

Sir Oliver Muckhill, a rich city knight, and fuitor to the widow.

Sir John Pennydub, a country knight, and fuitor to Mary.

Sir Andrew Tipstaff, a courtier, and fuitor to Frances. George Pyeboard, a fcholar.

• The Sheriff of London.

Captain Idle, a highwayman.
Puttock,

Ravenhaw, Sheriff's ferjeants.

Dogfon, a catchpole.

Corporal Oath, a vainglorious fellow.

Nicholas St. Antlings

Simon St. Mary-Overies,

Frailty,

fervants to lady Plus, and

fir Godfrey.

Peter Skirmish, an old foldier.

Sheriff's Officers, Keeper of the Marshalfea Prifon, M

ficians, and Attendants.

SCENE, London.

OR, THE

WIDOW OF WATLING STREET '.

ACT I.

SCENE I.

A Garden behind the widow's house.

Enter the widow Plus, Frances, Mary, Sir Godfrey, and Edmond, all in mourning; the latter in a cyprus hat *: the widow wringing her hands, and bursting out into paffion, as newly come from the burial of her husband.

Wid. O, that ever I was born, that ever I was born!

Sir

"A booke called the Comedie of the Puritan Wydowe" was entered at Stationers' Hall by G. Eld, August 6, 1607; and the play was published by him in the fame year with the following title: The Puritaine, or the Widdow of Watling freete. Acted by the Children of Paules. Written by W. S. This circumftance alone might lead us to fufpect that it was not the compofition of Shakspeare; for it does not appear that any one of his pieces was acted by the children of St. Paul's. But without having recourfe to any argument of that kind, it may be fufficient to fay that there is no authority whatfoever for attributing this comedy to him. The colour of the style is entirely different from that of his plays, and it was, as we fee, not printed under his name in his life-time: it is not mentioned as his production by any contemporary writer, nor was it, I believe, ever attributed to him till Kirkman, a bookfeller, in one of his Catalogues, chofe to interpret the letters W. S. to mean William Shakspeare. The initial letters in the title-pages of this play and the Life and Death of Lord

Mm 3

Crom

Sir God. Nay, good fifter, dear fister, sweet fifter, be of good comfort; fhow yourself a woman now or

never.

Wid.

Cromwell, fo far from furnishing us with any ground for fuppofing them to be our great poet's performances, afford in my opinion a very strong argument to fhow that they were not his compofitions. If the bookfeller could with truth have affixed Shakfpeare's name at length, (a name that certainly would have promoted the fale of his play,) what should have prevented him from doing fo? or why fhould he content himself with annexing initial letters which might belong to others as well as to Shakspeare?

I fuppofe this piece to have been written by William Smith, whofe name has been already mentioned in the preliminary obfervations on Locrine, and who was likewife the author of two other plays, The Palgrave, or the Hector of Germany, printed in the year 161, and the Freeman's Honour, a performance that was, I believe, never published.-From fome expreffions in the prefent comedy (A&t I. Sc. II.) the author (whoever he was) appears to have been bred at the university of Oxford. MALONE.

On August 15, 1597, were enter'd by Richard Jones on the Stationers' Books, "Two ballads, being the first and second parts of the Widowe of Watling Street." Thefe might be the fongs on which the play was founded, or indeed the play itself; as it was not uncommon to feparate a dramatick piece, though defigned for a fingle exhibition, into two parts; and the terms book and ballad were anciently ufed to fignify tragedies and comedies, as well as any other forms of compofition.

Gildon, in a work of his entitled A Comparison between the Two Stages, with an Examen of the Generous Conqueror, and fome Critical Remarks on the Funeral, &c. 8vo. 1702, attributes this comedy to Shakspeare: as I remember 'tis Shakspeare's Puritan, or Widow of Watling-freet, where the diffimulation of these widows is pleasantly defcribed," p. 156. STEEVENS.

"

In the lift of plays, &c. prefixed to the late edition, the Pu ritan is fet down as printed in 1600 and 1607. The former of thefe dates I fufpect to be a mistake, as the play appears evidently to have been written after the peace with Spain, which was not concluded before 1604. See Act I. Sc. II: Since the ceafure of the avars I have spent above a hundred crowns, &c." There is not the fame objection to the other date of 1607, though a paffage in the play itself (if there be no external evidence to the contrary) would induce us to place it rather in 1608. See A&t III. Sc. VI. where - mention is made of a Sunday, the 13th of July; a circumstance, which was true in 1608, but in none of the preceding or fubfequent years between 1603 and 1614. TYRWAITT.

Wid. O, I have loft the dearest man, I have buried the sweetest husband, that ever lay by woman.

Sir God. Nay, give him his due, he was indeed an honeft, virtuous, difcreet, wife man. He was my brother, as right as right 3.

Wid. O, I fhall never forget him, never forget him; he was a man fo well given to a woman. Oh! Sir God. Nay, but kind fifter, I could weep as much as any woman; but alas, our tears cannot call him again. Methinks you are well read, fifter, andknow that death is as common as homo, a common name to all men. A man fhall be taken when he's making water. Nay, did not the learned parson, mafter Pigman, tell us even now,-that all flesh is frail-We are born to die-Man has but a timewith fuch-like deep and profound perfuafions? as he is a rare fellow, you know, and an excellent reader. And for example, (as there are examples abundance,) did not fir Humphrey Bubble die t'other day? There's a lufty widow! why the cry'd not above half an hour. For fhame, for fhame!-Then followed him old master Fulfome, the ufurer: there's a wife widow; why the cry'd ne'er a whit at all.

ر

Wid. O rank not me with thofe wicked women; I had a hufband out-fhin'd 'em all.

In addition to what has been obferved by Mr. Tyrwhitt it may be added that in the third act of this comedy "Britain gold of the laft coining" is mentioned; from whence it may be inferred to have been written after the acceffion of king James, who first affumed the title of King of Great Britain. It certainly was exhibited in or before 1607, for I have a copy in my poffeffion printed in that year. MALONE.

- a cyprus hat :] i. e. a hat with a crape hat band in it. So in the Winter's Tale:

2

"Cyprus black as any crow." STEEVENS.

O, that ever I was born!] Autolycus in the Winter's Tale has exactly the fame exclamation. See that play, last edit. vol. iv. P. 369. STEEVENS.

3 He was my brother, as right as right.] As right as right is an idiom ftill prevalent in Northamptonshire for very right. PERCY.

Sir God. Ay that he did, i'faith; he out-fhin'd em all *.

Wid. Doft thou ftand there, and fee us all weep, and not once fhed a tear for thy father's death? oh thou ungracious fon and heir thou!

Edm. Troth, mother, I should not weep I'm fure, I am past a child, I hope, to make all my old schoolfellows laugh at me; I fhould be mock'd, fo I fhould. Pray let one of my fifters weep for me; I'll laugh as much for her another time.

Wid. O thou paft-grace, thou! Out of my fight, thou graceless imp! thou grieveft me more than the death of thy father. O thou ftubborn only fon! Hadft thou fuch an honest man to thy father-that would deceive all the world to get riches for thee, and canft thou not afford a little falt water? He that fo wifely did quite overthrow the right heir of those lands, which now you refpect not up every morn ing betwixt four and five; fo duly at Westminsterhall every term-time, with all his cards and writings, for thee, thou wicked Abfalon: O dear husband!

Edm. Weep, quoth-a? I proteft I am glad he's church'd; for now he's gone, I fhall spend in quiet. Fran. Dear mother, pray cease; half your tears fuffice;

'Tis time for you to take truce with your eyes: Let me weep now.

Wid. O fuch a dear knight, fuch a fweet hufband have I loft, have I loft! If bleffed be the

4-be out-fhin'd them all.] I fufpect a quibble here. As money, in the cant language of the time, was called Shiners, fo fir Godfrey means to say that his brother had more money than any of the perfons before enumerated. STEEVENS.

and not once feed a tear for thy father's death,-] The behaviour of Edmond on this occafion, exactly refembles that of Launce's dog in the Two Gentlemen of Verona. STEEVENS.

with all his cards and writings,] I fufpect the author wrote charts, i. e. papers. MALONE,

corfe