Among the Cotton MSS. in the British Museum are four poems by Edwards, one of which is addressed to some court beauties of his time;[7] one of these also is given by Mr Ellis in his “Specimens.” A part of his song “In Commendation of Musick,” in the “Paradise of Dainty Devices,” is given by Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet,” act iv., sc. 5: “Where gripyng grief the hart would wound,” &c. Ritson mentions “An Epytaphe of the lord of Pembroke” by Mr Edwards (1569-70); but this is merely said to be written by a _Mr Edwardes_, and was not, at any rate, from the pen of the author of “Damon and Pithias.”[8] “Among the books of my friend, the late Mr William Collins, of Chichester, now dispersed,” writes Warton,[9] “was a collection of short comic stories in prose, printed in the black letter, and, in the year 1570, ‘Set forth by Maister Richard Edwardes, Mayster of Her Maiesties Revels.’ There is a mistake in assigning this office to Edwards, for Sir Thomas Cawarden and Sir Thomas Benger were successively Masters of the Revels in our author’s time. However, among these tales was that of the ‘Induction of the Tinker’ in Shakespeare’s ‘Taming of the Shrew;’ and perhaps,” writes Warton, “Edwards’ story book was the immediate source from which Shakespeare, or rather, the author of the old ‘Taming of the Shrew’ drew that diverting apologue.” The drama here reprinted from the earliest known edition of 1571,[10] collated with that of 1582, may have been the same as the _tragedy_ performed before Queen Elizabeth by the children of the chapel at Christmas, 1564-5. “Although,” writes Collier, “Edwards continued in this play to employ rhymes, he endeavoured to get rid of some part of its monotony, by varying the length of his lines, and by not preserving the cæsura. It was nearly new, at the date when this piece was written, to bring stories from profane history upon the stage. ‘Damon and Phythias’ was one of the earliest attempts of the kind; and at any other period, and without the Queen’s extraordinary commendation, it may at least be doubted whether Edwards would have acquired an equal degree of notoriety.[11] THE SPEAKERS’ NAMES. ARISTIPPUS, _a Pleasant Gentleman_. CARISOPHUS, _a Parasite_. DAMON, } _Two Gentlemen of Greece_. PITHIAS,} STEPHANO, _Servant to Damon and Pithias_. WILL, _Aristippus’ Lackey_. JACK, _Carisophus’ Lackey_. SNAP, _the Porter_. DIONYSIUS, _the King_. EUBULUS, _the King’s Councillor_. GRONNO, _the Hangman_. GRIM, _the Collier_. THE PROLOGUE.