As duty binds us, for our noble queen let us pray, And for her honourable council, the truth that they may use, To practise justice, and defend her grace each day; To maintain God’s word they may not refuse, To correct all those, that would her grace and grace’s laws abuse; Beseeching God over us she may reign long, To be guided by truth, and defended from wrong. [228] [Like “King Darius’ doleful strain,” in allusion to the old interlude on that subject.] [229] [The play was licenced to John Allde in 1569-70. See Collier’s “Extracts,” i. 205. As that printer continued in business till 1584, and the earliest dated piece with the younger Allde’s name bears the same date, “Cambyses” may have been republished about 1585; but it does not seem to have been licenced.] [230] Shakespeare’s Clowns are genuine successors of the old Vice; and, as an editor of that poet has well observed, Punch still exhibits the entire character. [231] [One of them is printed by Collier.] [232] [Might not this incident have suggested to Shakespeare the leading one in “Measure for Measure”?] [233] [This incident was no doubt suggested by a well-known passage in the earlier play of “Thersites.”] [234] Here is evidently a line omitted, which it is impossible to supply by conjecture. [235] [Old copy, _the_.] [236] [Old copy, _of_.] [237] [Old copy, _the_.] [238] [Greediness or greed.] [239] [Old copy, _want_.] [240] [Old copy, _taste it still_.] [241] [Intention.] [242] [By our lady.] [243] [By my faith; and a little further on we have _bum troth_--by my troth.] [244] [Old copy, _do_.] [245] [Old copy, _in_.] [246] [Old copy, _beautie_.] [247] [Forget. A very rare word.] [248] [This reference to Watling Street as an early emporium for cloth is interesting, and does not seem to have been noticed.] [249] [Here Preston makes Ambidexter refer to Bonner as dead, an event which happened in 1569, and as this play was licenced in 1569-70, it must have been written immediately prior to its entry at Stationers’ Hall.] THE MISFORTUNES OF ARTHUR. _EDITION._ _Certaine Devises and shewes presented to her Majestie by the Gentlemen of Grayes-Inne, at her Highnesse Court in Greenewich, the twenty eighth day of Februarie in the thirtieth yeare of her Majesties most happy Raigne. At London. Printed by Robert Robinson. 1587. 8o. Black-letter._ MR COLLIER’S PREFACE.