music which he sang. He may have been the singer, also, as he unquestionably was the composer, of

"Take, O! take those lips away;"

but, according to the folio 1623, in which the play was for the first time printed, it was sung by a boy.

and Boy singing" is the old stage-direction.

"Enter Mariana

The manuscript from which the information is derived that John Wilson was a musical composer, and the composer of the song in "Measure for Measure," was the property of the late Earl Ferrers, and was long preserved at his seat, Staunton Harold; but it has since, if I am correctly informed, become the property of an individual every way qualified to judge of its merits and to appreciate its value. In connection with Shakespeare, I may add, that the same manuscript contains Ariel's song in "The Tempest," act i., sc. 2—

"Full fathom five thy father lies," &c.,

the words tallying precisely with the received text, but unfortunately not accompanied by the music; otherwise, as in the case of "Take O! take those lips away," we might have known the very air to which that exquisite dirge (so to call it) was sung, when "The Tempest was produced, as as I suppose and believe, in the year 1610. Ben Jonson's song

"Still to be neat, still to be drest," &c.,

is in the same manuscript with the music, but without the name of any composer. Beaumont's and Fletcher's musical dialogue, which they used twice over, in "The Knight of the Burning Pestle," act iii., sc. 1, and in "The Captain," act ii., sc. 2

"Tell me, dearest, what is love," &c.,

is also there, and assigned to Robert Jones, the well-known

composer.

As the name of Jack Wilson, however subordinately, must for ever be associated with that of the great dramatist whose songs he was called upon to compose and sing, it will not be out of place here to subjoin a set of words (found likewise in some of the miscellanies of the day) to which he wrote the music, and which is included in the manuscript, formerly the property of Earl Ferrers: they run thus:

SONG.

"Some say my love is but a man,
Yet I can find more odds
Twixt him and others, than I can
Find twixt him and the gods.

"There's in his eye such majesty,
His form is so divine,

That were I owner of the world,
He only should be mine."

Other musical productions in the same interesting volume are by Henry Lawes, Robert Johnson, W. Lawes, Robert Jones, Thomas Atkins, &c., but they are in no way illustrative of Shakespeare.

Kensington, May 17, 1845.

J. PAYNE COLLIER.

ART. VI.—A few words on a mistake made by the Messrs. Chambers in their Cyclopædia of Literature, relating to Damon and Pythias.

My love for our old English drama is the sole reason of my pointing out a trifling mistake which occurs in Messrs. Chambers' recent valuable compilation, "The Cyclopædia of English Literature;" but as it relates to a period when our drama was quite in its infancy, I feel that I may be excused for alluding to it.

At page 164 of the first volume of the Cyclopædia, it is stated that "Damon and Pythias,' the first English tragedy upon a classical subject, was acted before the Queen at Oxford in 1566:" that "Damon and Pythias" was the first tragedy on a classical subject, and that it was produced very shortly after "Ferrex and Porrex," there can be no doubt; but there is hardly sufficient evidence to show that it was performed before the Queen in 1566: in fact, I believe I am justified in asserting that the tragedy of "Damon and Pythias" was not performed upon the occasion of the Queen's visit to Oxford in 1566.

It is true that her Majesty witnessed the performance of a play which was written by Richard Edwards, the author of "Damon and Pythias," during her stay at Oxford, but the play represented was "Palamon and Arcite," a production which Messrs. Chambers have never taken any notice of, and which I think is worthy of being recorded, inasmuch as the circumstances connected with its representation are of a very interesting nature, and which I shall allude to before I close this article.

In the Harleian MS. 7033, f. 139, (Neal's visit of Queen Elizabeth to Oxford) we find that, on the 2nd September, 1566, the first part of "Palamon and Arcite" was performed before the Queen, and the remainder was acted on the 4th:

this is recorded also by Stowe, who adds that the pressure of the crowd to witness the performance of this play being so great, part of the wall fell in, and several persons were killed, which circumstance grieved her Majesty very much. The performance of "Palamon and Arcite" is also mentioned by Miss Strickland in her "Lives of the Queens of England,' vol. 6; and she says, upon the authority of Anthony Wood, that, at the conclusion of the play, her Majesty sent for the author and gave him great praise, analyzing the characters of Palamon, Arcite, Pirithous, Trecotio, Emilia, &c. The performance took place in Christ Church Hall, and at which the following circumstance occurred: the part of the gentle Emilia was played by a handsome youth of about fourteen years old, and he contrived to obtain possession of some part of the dress of her Majesty's late sister and predecessor (Queen Mary); whether Elizabeth recognized the royal apparel or not does not altogether appear, but it is certain she was much pleased with his performance of the doubly-loved Emilia, and in token of her approbation she presented him with gold pieces to the value of eight pounds.

This tragedy was not written till after "Damon and Pythias;" but, according to an old theatrical dictionary, published in 1792, by Thomas Bladon, it was not printed till 1585, nearly twenty years after it had been performed before the Queen. Sir John Harrington, in the "Nuga Antiquæ,” speaks in great praise of the author, who was no less celebrated for his verses than his plays. The story of Palamon

1 This old theatrical dictionary is a work of no authority, and the compiler merely derived his information respecting "Palamon and Arcite," from Chetwood, who asserted what is untrue. "Palamon and Arcite" was never printed, either in 1585 or in any other year. Henslowe's Diary contains various notices of a play founded upon the story of Palamon and Arcite, and this may have been the foundation of "the Two Noble Kinsmen." See Shakesp. Soc. Edit. of Henslowe's Diary, pp. 41, 43, 44, and the notes.—J. P. C.

and Arcite forms one of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, from which doubtless Edwards took the plot of his tragedy; it is rather a curious circumstance that Fletcher should have selected the same subject within a few years after the production of Edwards's tragedy. "The Two Noble Kinsmen," written by Fletcher, who was supposed to have been assisted in its composition by his great master Shakespeare, was professedly taken from the same story; the assertion that Shakespeare was concerned in "The Two Noble Kinsmen," notwithstanding his name appears on the title-page, seems a point which is involved in considerable doubt, for, at the time that this play was written, Shakespeare had composed some of his most beautiful dramas, and [the play of "The Two Noble ! Kinsmen" does not appear to be in any way superior to the other productions of Beaumont and Fletcher, certainly not at all approaching to the divine attributes of our true poet; and it hardly seems likely that Shakespeare should have wished to have his name mixed with one who was in every way inferior to him.

J. H. BAVERSTOCK.