CYRIL TOURNEUR is known only as an Author, none of the Dramatick Biographers giving any account of him. Winstanly quotes the following distich from a contemporary Poet, by which it appears that he was not held in much estimation for his writings:

His fame unto that pitch was only rais'd,

As not to be despis'd, nor over-prais'd.

He was the Author of

(1.) The Revenger's Tragedy. Acted by the King's Servants. 4to, 1607; 4to, 1608.*

(2.) The Atheist's Tragedy: or, Honest Man's Revenge. 4to, 1612.+

A Traji-Comedy, called THE NOBLEMAN, never printed, and which Oldys says was destroyed by igno

rance.

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"A Funeral Poeme upon the Death of the most "worthie and true Souldier Sir Francis Vere, Knight, Captaine of Portsmouth, Lord Governour of his Majestie's cautionarie Towne of Briell in Holland, &c." 4to, 1609.

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*The Revenger's Tragedy, was entered on the Stationers' Books, with A trick to catch the Old One, on the 7th October, 1607.

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+ An edition_dated 1611, with the following title, was in the collection of Mr. Rhodes before its dispersion: "The Atheist's Tragedie, or the Honest Man's Revenge. As in divers places it "hath been acted. Written by Cyril Tourneur. At London. "Printed for John Stepneth and Richard Redmer, and are to be "sold at their shop, at the West end of Paules, 1611." There are some good passages in this play, but upon the whole it is considerably inferior to The Revenger's Tragedy. The plot is unnatural, and the manner in which the catastrophe is brought about ludicrous. C.

It is very probable that Tourneur was concerned in other dramatic productions, which are either anonymous or have been lost : he is mentioned in the following terms by Robert Daborne in a letter to P. Henslowe, dated 5th June, 1613. I have not only laboured my own play, which shall be ready before they (the Company) come over, but given Cyrill Tourneur an act of the Arraignment of London to write, yt we may have that likewise ready for them." C.

"A Griefe on the Death of Prince Henrie. Ex"pressed in a broken Elegie, according to the nature "of such a sorrow." 4to, 1613.*

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* After the title comes a prose dedication, "To my noble "maister George Carie," and four lines" to the Reader." At the end of the Griefe are verses on the representation of the "Prince at his funeralle," and " on the succession" each in eight lines. The tract consists of 20 pages. O. G.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.1

DUKE.

DUTCHESS.

VENDICE, disguised as Piato,

HIPPOLITO, also called Carlo, Brothers to Castiza.

LUSSURIOSO, the Duke's Son.

SPURIO, a bastard.

AMBITIOSO, the Dutchess's eldest Son.

SUPERVACUO, second Son to the Dutchess.

A third Son to the Dutchess.

ANTONIO.

PIERO.

DONDOLO.

JUDGES.

CASTIZA.

GRATIANA, mother of Castiza.

The Scene Italy.

THE

REVENGER'S TRAGEDY.

ACTUS I. SCENA I.

Enter VENDICE. The DUKE, DUTCHESS, LUSSURIOSO, the Duke's son, SPURIO the bastard, with a train, pass over the stage with torch-light.

Vendice. DUKE! royal letcher! go, grey-hair'd adultery!

And thou his son, as impious steep'd as he:

And thou his bastard, true begot in evil :

And thou his dutchess, that will do with devil:

Four exc'llent characters.-O that marrowless age
Should stuff the hollow bones with damn'd desires!
And, 'stead of heat, kindle infernal fires
Within the spendthrift veins of a dry duke,
'A parch'd and juiceless luxur.
O God! one
That has scarce blood enough to live
And he to riot it, like a son and heir!
O, the thought of that

upon;

Turns my abused heart-strings into fret.
Thou sallow picture of my poison'd love,
My study's ornament, thou shell of death,
Once the bright face of my betrothed lady,
When life and beauty naturally fill'd out

* With a skull in his hand. That he has the skull of his mistress is evident from the whole of the scene. He makes use of it afterwards in Act III. C.

1 A parch'd and juiceless luxur.] Luxury was the ancient appropriate term for incontinence. Hence this wanton old Duke is called a luxur. See Mr. Collins's Note on Troilus and Cressida, edit.

1778, vol. IX. p. 166. S.

These ragged imperfections;

When two heaven-pointed diamonds were set
In those unsightly rings,-then 'twas a face
So far beyond the artificial shine

Of any woman's bought complexion,
That the uprightest man, (if such there be,
That sin but seven times a day) broke custom,
And made up eight with looking after her.
Oh, she was able to ha' made a usurer's son
Melt all his patrimony in a kiss;

And what his father fifty years told,

To have consum'd, and yet his suit been cold.
But oh, accursed palace!

Thee, when thou wert apparel'd in thy flesh,
The old duke poison'd,

Because thy purer part would not consent
Unto his palsy lust; for old men lustful
Do shew like young men angry; eager, violent,
Out-bid, like their limited performances.

O 'ware an old man hot and vicious!
"Age, as in gold, in lust is covetous."
Vengeance thou murder's quit-rent, and whereby
Thou shew'st thyself tenant to tragedy;

Oh keep thy day, hour, minute, I beseech,

For those thou hast determin'd. Hum-who e'er knew
Murder unpaid? faith, give revenge her due,
Sh' as kept touch hitherto :-be merry, merry,
Advance thee, O thou terror to fat folks!
To have their costly three-pil'd flesh worn off
As bare as this for banquets, ease, and laughter,
Can make great men, as greatness goes by clay;
But wise men little are more great than they.
Enter HIPPOLITO.

Hippolito. Still sighing o'er death's vizard?
Vendice. Brother, welcome!

What comfort bring'st thou? how go things at court?
Hippolito. In silk and silver, brother: never braver.
Vendice. Puh!

Thou play'st upon my meaning. Pr'ythee say,
Has that bald madman, opportunity,

Yet thought upon's? speak, are we happy yet?
Thy wrongs and mine are for one scabbard fit.
Hippolito. It may prove happiness.
Vendice. What is't may prove?

Give me to taste.

Hippolito. Give me your hearing then. You know my place at court?

Vendice. Ay, the duke's chamber:

But 'tis a marvel thou'rt not turn'd out yet!
Hippolito. Faith, I have been shov'd at; but 'twas
still my hap

To hold by th' dutchess' skirt: you guess at that:
Whom such a coat keeps up, can ne'er fall flat.
But to the purpose :

Last evening, predecessor unto this,
The duke's son warily enquir'd for me,
Whose pleasure I attended: he began
By policy to open and unhusk me,
About the time and common rumour:
But I had so much wit to keep my thoughts
Up in their built houses; yet afforded him
An idle satisfaction without danger.

But the whole aim and scope of his intent
Ended in this; conjuring me in private
To seek some strange digested fellow forth,
Of ill-contented nature, either disgrac'd
In former times, or by new grooms displac'd,
Since his step-mother's nuptials; such a blood,
A man that were for evil only good;

To give you the true word, some base-coin'd pander.
Vendice. I reach you; for I know his heat is such,
Were there as many concubines as ladies,
He would not be contain'd; he must fly out.
I wonder how ill-featur'd, vile-proportion'd,
That one should be, if she were made for woman,
Whom, at the insurrection of his lust,

He would refuse for once. Heart, I think none:
Next to a skull, tho' more unsound than one,
Each face he meets he strongly doats upon.