This writer is said to have been sometime a shareholder with Shakespeare in the Blackfriars Theatre; he was an actor, too, like his great contemporary; and besides the plays which carried a wordy bounce in them, wrote a very tender scriptural drama about King David and the fair Bethsabe, with charming quotable things in it. Thus-- “Bright Bethsabe gives earth to my desires, Verdure to earth, and to that verdure--flowers; To flowers--sweet odors, and to odors--wings That carries pleasure to the hearts of Kings!” And again:-- “Now comes my lover tripping like the roe, And brings my longings tangled in her hair To joy her love, I’ll build a Kingly bower Seated in hearing of a hundred streams.” Tom Campbell said--“there is no such sweetness to be found in our blank verse anterior to Shakespeare.” And for his lyrical grace I cannot resist this little show, from his “Arraignment of Paris:”-- _Ænone [singeth and pipeth]._ “Fair and fair, and twice so fair, As fair as any may be; The fairest shepherd on our green, A love for any lady.” _And Paris._ “Fair and fair and twice so fair, As fair as any may be: Thy love is fair for thee alone And for no other lady.” _Then Ænone._ “My love is fair, my love is gay, As fresh as bin the flowers in May, And of my love my roundelay, My merry, merry, merry roundelay, Concludes with Cupid’s curse, They that do change old love for new, Pray Gods, they change for worse!” _Thomas Dekker._