Massinger, Philip, 1583-1640 -- Criticism and interpretation
_ 550 Cf._ Appendix VIII.: I., 1, 60; I., 2, 67; I., 2, 72; II., 2, 52;
II., 2, 56; III., 3, 151; III., 3, 234; IV., 1, 7.
_ 551 Cf._ Appendix VIII.: II., 2, 285; IV., 1, 5; IV., 3, 44.
_ 552 Cf._ Appendix VIII.: II., 2, 98; II., 2, 240; III., 3, 166; IV., 4,
45.
_ 553 Cf._ p. 15, n. 1.
554 Koeppel (_Quellen-Studien_) traces the story to P. V. P. Cayet’s
_Chronologie Septenaire_, Paris, 1605. He does not seem to have
consulted _The Strangest Adventure_, a copy of which may be seen in
the British Museum. _The True History of the Late and Lamentable
Adventures of D. S._ (London, 1602) begins with the imprisonment at
Naples, and agrees with Cayet almost verbally until the latter part.
_The Continuation of the Lamentable Adventures_ (London, 1603) is
very dull, and contributes nothing except the advice of an old man
to Sebastian, which may have suggested the first scene of the play.
The two tracts are to be found in Harleian Miscellany (iv., 403; v.,
443). _Cf._ also Scott-Saintsbury’s _Dryden_, vii., p. 309, _n._ The
English pamphlets are based on the _Aventure Amirable_, published in
1601. (_Cf._ Bullen’s _Peele_, i, 227.) Massinger must have used
Cayet for the incidents in the latter part of the play.
555 After Berecinthius says “His stature! speech!” in I., 2, 186.
556 I., 2, 187.
557 I., 2, 188.
558 I., 2, 189.
559 The “Austrian lip” is one of the features Mistress Carol ascribes to
Fairfield in Shirley’s _Hyde Park_ (III., 2).
560 I., 2, 186.
561 I., 1, 64.
562 I., 1, 135.
_ 563 Shakespeare Society’s Papers_, vol. iv., art. xiv.
_ 564 Shakespeare Society’s Papers_, p. 138.
565 Famous names. “Taylor acted Hamlet incomparably well.” Colley
Cibber’s _Apology_, 2, 142
566 V., 2, 139.
567 See p. 180, n. 1, and _cf._ _The Alchemist_, IV., 1.
_ 568 Cf._ _The Sea Voyage_, III. 1.
_ 569 Cf._ 178, n. 6.
570 For repetition of a word _cf._ II., 3, 51; III., 2, 31; III., 3,
105; IV., 5, 27, 45, 85, 98, 142.
571 The line would make better sense if it were emended thus:
I’ll have no other penance _than_ to practise,
To find some means that he deserves thee best.
572 Mr. Bullen (vol. iv., App., p. 381) shows that the play was produced
in August, 1619, after some objections had been raised to it by the
Bishop of London.
_ 573 Old Plays_, vol. ii., App. 2, contains much information from Boyle
about Massinger’s style. _Inter alia_, he says, “Fletcher as usual
spoiled Massinger’s fine conception of Barnavelt, and made him whine
like Buckingham in _Henry VIII_.”
574 It is also to be found in Dodsley’s _Old English Plays_, ed. W. C.
Hazlitt, 1875, vol. x.
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