passes in this authentic document between Gammer Gurton and her gossip Dame Chat; Diccon, the bedlam (the causer of these harms); Hodge, Gammer Gurton's servant; Tib, her maid; Cock, her prentice boy; Doll; Scapethrift; Master Baillie, his master; Doctor Rat, the curate; and Gib the cat, who may be fairly reckoned one of the _dramatis personæ_, and performs no mean part." "Such," observes the same critic, further on, characterising the comedy, "Such was the wit, such was the mirth of our ancestors--homely, but hearty; coarse, perhaps, but kindly; let no man despise it; for "evil to him that evil thinks." To think it poor and beneath notice, because it is not just like ours, is the same sort of hypercriticism that was exercised by the person who refused to read some old books because they were "such very poor spelling." The meagreness of their literary or their bodily fare was at least relished by themselves; and this is better than a surfeit or an indigestion. It is refreshing to look out of ourselves sometimes, not to be always holding the glass to our own peerless perfections; and as there is a dead wall which always intercepts the prospect of the future from our view (all that we can see beyond it is the heavens), it is as well to direct our eyes now and then without scorn to the page of history; and repulsed in our attempts to penetrate the secrets of the next six thousand years, not to turn our backs on old long syne."[183] This entertaining old piece is mentioned in "Histriomastix," 1610, act ii. (sign. C. 3), under the title of "Mother Gurton's Needle," and in burlesque it is there called "a Tragedy." The present edition of "Gammer Gurton's Needle" is printed from that of 1575. THE NAMES OF THE SPEAKERS IN THIS COMEDY. DICCON[184], _the Bedlam_.[185] HODGE, _Gammer Gurton's Servant_. TIB, _Gammer Gurton's Maid_. GAMMER GURTON. COCK, _Gammer Gurton's Boy_. DAME CHAT. DOCTOR RAT, _the Curate_. MASTER BAILY. DOLL, _Dame Chat's Maid_ SCAPETHRIFT, _Master Baily's Servant_. _Mutes._ FOOTNOTES: [181] ["Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute," iii., 130.] [182] "Annals of the Stage," ii. 463. [183] "Lectures on the Dramatic Literature of the Age of Elizabeth," 1820, p. 208. [184] The ancient abbreviation of Richard. [185] After the dissolution of the religious houses where the poor of every denomination were provided for, there was for many years no settled or fixed provision made to supply the want of that care, which those bodies appear always to have taken of their distressed brethren. In consequence of this neglect, the idle and dissolute were suffered to wander about the country, assuming such characters as they imagined were most likely to insure success to their frauds, and security from detection. Among other disguises, many affected madness, and were distinguished by the name of _Bedlam Beggars_. These are mentioned by Edgar in "King Lear:"--