The date of the play I take to be circ. 1640 or 1642. In I. 1 there is a mention of the "league at _Barwick_ and the late expeditions," where the reference can only be to Charles I.'s march into Scotland in the spring of 1639, and to the so-called Pacification of _Berwick_. Again, in III. 3, there is an allusion to the Newmarket Cup. Historians of the Turf say that Newmarket races date from 1640; but this statement is incorrect, for in Shirley's _Hyde Park_ (V. 1),--a play licensed in 1632 and printed in 1637,--mention is made of a certain "Bay _Tarrall_ that won the Cup at Newmarket." We find also an allusion to the "great ship" (III. 3), which was built in 1637. Of Mr. Adson's "new ayres" (IV. 1) I know very little. He brought out in 1621 a volume of "Courtly Masquing Ayres," but published nothing later,--although, of course, he may have continued writing long afterwards. Hawkins and Mr. Chappell are altogether silent about Adson's achievements. Gerard Langbaine tells us that Shirley left at his death some plays in manuscript: I have little doubt, or rather no doubt at all, that Captain _Underwit_ is one of them. In the notes I have pointed out several parallelisms to passages in Shirley's plays; and occasionally we find actual repetitions, word for word. But apart from these strong proofs, it would be plain from internal evidence that the present piece is a domestic comedy of Shirley's, written in close imitation of Ben Jonson. All the characters are old acquaintances. Sir Richard Huntlove, who longs to be among his own tenants and eat his own beef in the country; his lady, who loves the pleasures of the town, balls in the Strand, and masques; Device, the fantastic gallant,--these are well-known figures in Shirley's plays. No other playwright of that day could have given us such exquisite poetry as we find in Captain _Underwit_. The briskness, too, and cleverness of the dialogue closely recall Shirley; but it must be owned that there are few plays of Shirley's written with such freedom, not to say grossness. [CAPTAIN UNDERWIT, A COMEDY.] _Act the First_. _Enter Captaine Underwit and his man Thomas_. _Un_. Come, my man _Thomas_, and my fathers old man _Thomas_; reioyce, I say, and triumph: thy Master is honourable. _Tho_. Then wee are all made. _Un_. No, tis only I am made. _Tho_. What, and please your worship? _Un_. I am made a Captaine of the traind band,[214] _Thomas_, and this is my Commission, this very paper hath made me a Captaine. _Tho_. Are you a paper Captaine, Sir? I thought more had gone to the makeing up of a Captaine. _Un_. They are fooles that thinke so, provided he have the favour of the Livetenant of the County. _Tho_. Which it seemes you have. _Un_. The honour of it is more then the thing, _Thomas_, since I did not bribe the Secretarys steward or what servant else so ever hath the government of his Lordship therein. _Tho_. This is very strange.