A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12Dodsley, Robert
General
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 12
Dodsley, Robert
English drama
[201] This was Dr _Matthew Sutcliff_, Dean of Exeter, in the reign
of King James I.; a person who had been one of the opponents of
Parsons the Jesuit, in defence of the Reformed Religion. In the year
1616 he procured an Act of Parliament for incorporating himself and
other divines to be provost and fellows of a college then founded at
Chelsea, for promoting the study of polemic divinity, and vindicating
the doctrines of the Reformation against all Popish writers. To carry
this design into execution, he settled on the college four farms in
Devonshire, of the value of £300 per annum, and the benefit of an
extent on a statute, acknowledged by Sir Lewis Stukely, for £4000. By
the Act of Parliament, the college was empowered to bring a stream of
water from the river Lee for the use of the city of London a scheme
similar to that then lately executed by Sir Hugh Middleton. This
foundation, although patronised both by King James and his sons,
Prince Henry and Charles I., yet fell to decay. One range of building
only, scarce an eighth of the intended edifice, was erected by Dr
Sutcliff, at the expense of £3000. After lingering some time, suits
were commenced about the title to the very ground on which the college
stood, and by a decree of the Court of Chancery, in the time of Lord
Coventry, three of the four farms were returned to Dr Sutcliff's heir.
See "The Glory of Chelsey Colledge Revived," by John Darly, 4o, 1662.
_Sutcliff's wit_ seems almost to have been proverbial. Beaumont, in his
letter to Ben Jonson, says--
"'Tis liquor that will find out _Sutcliff's wit_,
Lie where he will, and make him write worse yet."
ACT IV., SCENE I.
CREDULOUS, HEARSAY, SLICER.
CRE. _My name's not Tribulation,_
_Nor holy Ananias:_
_I was baptiz'd in fashion,_
_Our vicar did hold bias._
HEAR. What! how now, Master Credulous? so merry?
CRE. Come, let's be mad: by yea and nay, my son
Shall have the Turkish monarchy; he shall
Have it directly. The twelve companies
Shall be his kickshaws.
HEAR. Bashaws, sir, you mean.
CRE. Well, sir, what if I do? Andrew the Great Turk?
I would I were a pepper-corn,[202] if that
It sounds not well. Does't not?
SLICER. Yes, very well.
CRE. I'll make it else great Andrew Mahomet,
Imperious Andrew Mahomet Credulous--
Tell me which name sounds best.
HEAR. That's as you speak 'em.
CRE. Oatmealman Andrew! Andrew Oatmealman.
HEAR. Ottoman, sir, you mean.
CRE. Yes, Ottoman.
Then, Mistress Jane, Sir Thomas Bitefig's daughter,
That may be the She-Great-Turk, if she please me.
SLICER. The sign o' th' half-moon, that hangs at your door
Is not for nought.
CRE. That's the Turk's arms, they say;
The empire's destin'd to our house directly.
Hang shop-books; give us some wine! Hey for a noise[203]
Of fiddlers now!
HEAR. The Great Turk loves no music.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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