"'Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more
cakes and ale ... nor ginger hot i' the mouth?' Or knowest not that
while man, casting the dice with Fate and Mistress Grundy, imagineth a
new luck, there shall be new comedy? Why, then, reprint these old?"
In part, because the comedies of a nation are for literature as well
as for the footlights, and literature, in most cases, begins after
the footlights are out. In part, because old comedies make good
reading, not only for lovers of fiction and the stage, but for the
student of society and the historian. Until rival forms of literary
art began to usurp their function, comedies were--in England, not to
speak of other and older lands--the recognized and cherished exponent
of the successive phases of contemporary life. For us they still are
living sketches of the social manners, morals, vanities, and ideals
of generations of our ancestors; history "unbeknownst" as written
by contemporaries. Unfortunately, many of these old comedies are
inaccessible to the public; and, therefore, we venture to hope that the
general reader may find such a collection as the present acceptable,
whether he care to enter upon a historical and technical study of the
subject or not.
To the student of literary history, however, this series will, we
trust, justify its existence for quite another reason. For the
aim of this volume and those which will follow is to indicate the
development of a literary type by a selection of its representative
specimens, arranged in the order of their production and accompanied
by critical and historical studies. So little has been scientifically
determined concerning evolution or permutation in literature that
the more specific the field of inquiry, the more trustworthy are the
results attained,--hence the limitation of this research not merely
to a genus like the drama, but to one of its species. What is here
presented to the public differs from histories of the drama in that it
is more restricted in scope and that it substantiates the narrative of
a literary growth by reproducing the data necessary to an induction;
it differs from editions of individual plays and dramatists, on the
other hand, because it attempts to concatenate its texts by a running
commentary upon the characteristics of the species under consideration
as they successively appear. It is an illustrated, if not certified,
history of English comedy.
The plays, in this series called representative, have been chosen
primarily for their importance in the history of comedy, generally also
for their literary quality, and, when possible, for their practical,
dramatic, or histrionic value. Of the studies accompanying them, some
are special, such as those dealing with the several authors and plays;
some general, the monographs upon groups or movements, and the sketch
introductory to the volume. The essay prefatory to a play includes,
when possible, an outline of the dramatist's life, a concise history
of his contribution to comedy, with reference, when appropriate, to
his productions in other fields, an estimate of his output in its
relation to the national, social, literary, and technical development
of the type in question, and to such foreign movements and influences
as may be cognate, and, finally, an exposition and criticism of the
play presented. By the insertion in proper chronological position of
occasional monographs, it is intended to represent minor dramatists
or groups of the same school, period, or movement,--sometimes,
indeed, an author of exceptional importance,--in such a way that the
historical continuity of the species may be as evident in its minor
manifestations as in the better known. The general introductions to
these volumes will usually attempt to discuss matters of historical
interest not covered by the editors of special portions of the work.
It has been necessary, therefore, to open the series, in this book,
with an historical view of the beginnings of comedy in England. While
the various contributors to the enterprise have exercised their
individual preferences in matters of literary treatment, judgment, and
style, the general editor has attempted to secure the requisite degree
of uniformity by requesting each to conform so far as his taste and
historical conscience might permit to a common but elastic outline
of method previously prepared. If the attempt has succeeded, there
has been gained something of continuity and scientific value for the
series. The presence, at the same time, of an occasional personal
element in the several articles of the history will enhance its value
for our dear friend, the good old-fashioned reader, who sets no store
by literary science, but judges books by his liking, and likes to read
such judgments of them.
The texts of the comedies presented are, to the best ability of their
respective editors, faithful reprints of the best originals; where
possible, those published during the authors' lives. Spelling and
language have been preserved as they were; but for the convenience of
readers, the punctuation and the style of capitals and letters, such
as _i_, _j_, _u_, _v_, _s_, have been, unless otherwise specified,
conformed to the modern custom.
The general editor regrets that it has not been feasible to preface
the series with some of the still earlier experiments in comedy, but
he indulges the hope that such a volume may later be added, and, also,
that it may soon be possible to publish in its proper proportions the
materials which have been condensed into the _Historical View_ here
submitted. He takes this opportunity to express his appreciation
of the courtesy of the scholars who have engaged with him in this
undertaking, and especially to thank Mr. Pollard of the British
Museum, and Mr. E. W. B. Nicholson of the Bodleian Library, Professor
Gummere, Professor Dowden, and the Master of Peterhouse for assistance,
encouragement, and counsel which have contributed to make this labour
a delight. Other volumes of this series are well under way, and will
follow with all reasonable celerity.