“_Gis._ He is indeed the perfect character
Of a good man, and so his actions speak him.”
This character of Aubrey, and the whole spirit of this and several other
plays of the same authors, are interesting as traits of the morals which
it was fashionable to teach in the reigns of James I. and his successor,
who died a martyr to them. Stage, pulpit, law, fashion,—all conspired to
enslave the realm. Massinger’s plays breathe the opposite spirit;
Shakespeare’s the spirit of wisdom which is for all ages. By the by, the
Spanish dramatists—Calderon, in particular,—had some influence in this
respect, of romantic loyalty to the greatest monsters, as well as in the
busy intrigues of B. and F.’s plays.
“The Wildgoose Chase.”