Inchbald' (2: 83), refers to this connexion: "The crowd at a manager's door electrically attracts upon the publishers, and a play that draws is already destined to the press. I have therefore accepted the indications of editions as given on the title-pages, but have also made notes of similarity in letterpress. The arrangement of the following Bibliography is chronological, by first editions; later editions are listed with the first, and not in chronological sequence. The references to volumes are in Arabic figures followed by a colon. ? (Early, certainly before October, 1777.) Some 1779. A Rondeau. articles in Whitehall Evening Post. VideMemoirs,' 1902, Waller-Glover ed., 1777. "Elegies. I. On the death of Samuel Foote, Esq. II. On Age. By Thomas Holcroft, of the Theatre-Royal, Drury-Lane. 4to. 18. London: Bew. 1777." This was probably published in November. Samuel Foote died 21 Oct. As the book was reviewed in The Monthly Review for December, 1777 (57: 489), and listed as published in November in the November, 1777, number of The London Magazine (46: 575), and the same month in The Universal Magazine (61: 279), we date it within the month, and obviously not “in the spring of the following year," as Hazlitt says (Memoirs,' p. 87). Written by Mr. Holcroft.' This begins "Tell me when, inconstant rover." Universal Magazine, August, 1779 (65: 98). 1779. (Written during the summer, 'Memoirs,' p. 86.) 'The Shepherdess of the Alps, a conic opera.' Not acted and not printed. Indisputable evidence that Holcroft did a piece of this title is to be found in direct mention of it, and of his work on it, in a letter to Mrs. Sheridan (' Memoirs,' p. 86). "The Shepherdess of the Alps: a comic opera in three acts as it is performed at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. London: Printed for G. Kearsley, No. 46, Fleet Street. 1780." this title, acted at Covent Garden, 18 Jan., The anonymous publication of a play of 1780, would seem to settle the question of acting and printing, and so the 1902, WallerGlover, edition of the Memoirs' in a note indicates this as the play mentioned by Holcroft to Mrs. Sheridan when he was begging production. But the note is wrong. 'The Thespian Dictionary' of 1800, the Biographia Dramatica' in 1812, and the 'English Stage' of Genest, in 1832, all give it to Charles Dibdin (1745-1814). Oulton, in 1796, gives no author; but there is quite an array of evidence for the Dibdin ascription, as is shown by MR. F. RIMBAULT DIBDIN, who includes the title in the Bibliography of his great-grandfather (N. & Q.,' 9 S. viii. 279), and who, answering a lengthy claim 1778. The Crisis, or Love and Fear,' a musical for the piece as Holcroft's, which I preafterpiece. sented to him by letter, writes to me, style of the songs and dialogue is almost certainly Dibdin's "-a stronger claim than I can make for Holcroft. ? (Before 1779.) Maid of the Vale,' an opera, The MR. E. R. DIBDIN also submits the follow Written 1777-8, not printed. Produced at Drury Lane, 1 May, 1778, for the benefit of Miss Hopkins and ill-received. Played but once. Memoirs,' pp. 83-4; Oulton, 'History of the Theatres of London,' 2: 188; Genest; Biographia ing facts (cf. ' N. & Q.,' 11 S. ix. 68) :— Dramatica,' 1: 1, 353; 2: 142. It is as 'Love and Famine' that the sub-title that time. appears in the Memoirs (p. 83), though Genest, Oulton, and the 'Biographia Kearsley was Dibdin's usual publisher at In his Professional Life' (1803) Dibdin refers to the production of this piece in terms In the Collected Songs' (5 vols., 1790, &c.) Dibdin gives some of the lyrics, and the 1842 edition gives twelve. than his friends undertook to publish the In addition, I myself can bring forward the following: The introductory memoir (by Hogarth) to the 1842 edition refers to 'The Shepherdess of the Alps ' in no uncertain How many of these Characters, if any, are terms as the work of Dibdin. The West- to be ascribed to Sir Thomas, and whether minster Magazine, in the issue of January, he forestalled or imitated Joseph Hall in 1780, speaks of Dibdin as the author; and this line of literature, is out of the question The European Magazine in 1792 (22: 403) here. In my own opinion, the style in does not include it in the list of Holcroft's these short essays is altogether different works, and some years later (55: 177) gives from, and superior to, the prose writings it as Dibdin's. subsequently printed under the name of Overbury. The Characters portrayed are:A good woman. A wise man. A very woman. A noble spirit. An old man. A dissembler. A fine gentleman. An elder brother. 66 MR. DIBDIN has what he calls a contemporary news-cutting " which says: "Mr. Dibdin is author as well as composer of the new comic opera The Shepherdess of the Alps.' I have not yet verified or dated this quotation, but am now certain in my own mind that Holcroft and Dibdin each did an opera of this title, and that Dibdin's was presented on 18 Jan., 1780, and later printed, whereas Holcroft's was not. Both writers did comic operas, and both took stories from the French-Dibdin at this time especially, as he had just returned from France. The British Museum designates the piece as "From the French," and The Westminster Magazine, January, 1780, says that it is based on a tale of Marmontel. I have not traced the matter further, though there is probably some relation to ‘La Bergère des Alpes of Nougaret, played in the French provinces. ELBRIDGE COLBY. Columbia University, New York City. (To be continued.) JOHN WEBSTER A CONTRIBUTOR 'CHARACTERS.' A courtier. A Welshman. A pedant. A servingman. The vogue of the book, far from decreasing,. proved so persistent that a sixth edition was called forth, which was published in 1615, with the following title-page :— New and Choice Characters, of severall authors, together with that exquisite and unmatcht poeme,. The Wife, written by Sir Thomas Overburie, with the former characters and conceited Newes, all in one volume. With many other things added to this sixt impression. Mar.-Non norunt hæc monumenta mori. London. Printed by Thomas Creede, for Laurence L'isle, at the Tygers head in Pauls Church-yard. 1615. IT cannot be denied that the popularity of Sir Thomas Overbury as a writer was largely owing to the extraordinary circumstances connected with his death. No In this volume we find, besides the mattersooner had he passed away (13 Sept., 1613) | contained in the former edition, a new set of Characters thus heralded on a new title- to enable us to ascribe these 42 Characters page: An arrant horse-courser. A sexton. A drunken Dutchman A Jesuit. An excellent actor. A purveyor of tobacco. This new contribution of 42 essays thus more than doubled the former set, and brought to public inspection a wider survey of social characteristics. However, in the seventh edition, published in 1616, and in the eleven reprints of the book from that date to 1664, this separate collection was mixed up with the former one, and, several additional Characters having been given, no external sign of its independent origin was left; and the modern editors of Overbury's Characters,' E. F. Rimbault (1856) and Prof. Morley (1891), having referred to no early impressions, made no mention of these successive instalments, though the latter, in his Introduction, stated that Overbury's Characters' was but a general title for a miscellaneous collection. to no other author than the great dramatist John Webster, whose prose work seemed to consist solely of his prefaces, apart from passages in his plays. Many students (among them Mr. Charles Crawford in 'N. & Q.') have illustrated the fact that John Webster repeatedly borrowed phrases, lines, and sentences, not only from ་ Arcadia contemporary books (Sidney's and Florio's 'Montaigne'), but from his own works. Thus fragments of The White Devil' and A Monumental Column' were used again in 'The Duchess of Malfi,''The Devil's Law Case,'' Appius and Virginia,' and A Cure for a Cuckold.' Of course, if only a few quotations from The White Devil' and the Column' (both published before 1615) occurred in the Characters,' we could hardly surmise that Webster was responsible for this prose work. The number of parallel passages, however, has proved so considerable as to convince me that nobody but John Webster could have written this; for not only are several passages from his two printed works found in it, but numerous phrases were obviously borrowed from The Duchess of Malfi,' which (though it never appeared in print till 1623) must have been acted before December, 1614;* and from these 'Characters,' again, Webster took many a phrase when writing 'The Devil's Law Case' at a later date.t The very motto affixed to the title-page in this sixth edition (never after reproduced) was especially familiar to Webster, the quotation from Martial, Non norunt hæc monumenta mori, occurring in the preface to The White Devil' (1612) as well as in the title of Monuments of Honour' (1624). I append parallels, placing those from the Characters' of 1615 second in each case : White Devil (1612). Vittoria. Your strict combined heads, III. ii. meetes him as if Glasse should encounter the Dramatis Persona, was the original Antonio, died in December, 1814, as the documents printed by Prof. C. W. Wallace in The Times (2 and 4 Oct., 1909) show. The actor William Ostler, who, according to Three of the Characters in the third set (namely a Tinker, an Apparator, and an Almanac-Maker) had been claimed, in the very year of their publication, by a certain J. Cocke. Of this writer I shall have more + Prof. C. E. Gough, in his dissertation on Overto say hereafter. No attempt, however, has bury's Characters,' Norwich, 1909, pointed out previously been made to ascertain the author-six parallel passages from 'The Duchess of Malfi'; however, he failed to recognize Webster's authorship. Let him find here an acknowledgment of the courteous assistance he has given me in my work. ship of the rest, though a study of the style in the fourth set affords sufficient evidence Monumental Column (1613). His rewards follow'd reason, ne'er were plac'd Duchess. For know, whether I am doom'd to live or die Who found weak numbers conquer, arm'd with I can do both like a prince. Who knew his humble shadow spread no more Never is he knowen to slight the weakest enemy that comes arm'd against him in the hand of Justice....He doth not think his body yeelds a more spreading shadowe after a victory then before. A Worthy Commander.' III. ii. Whether his time call him to live or die, he can do both nobly.-' A Noble Housekeeper.' Bosola. A politician is the devil's quilted anvil; No place holdes him....so securely as a Bosola. For thou fall'st faster of thyself than calamity Can drive thee. V. v. When he is falling, he goes of himselfe faster than misery can drive him.-' An Intruder into Favour.' The Devil's Law Case (acted before 1623). I married, that I might have children, I. ii. For her childrens sake she first marries, for shee married that shee might have children, and for their sakes shee marries no more.- A Vertuous Widdow.' who, he says, "in countenancing Susannah's story for Susannah's sake," will through all generations" her name. perpetuate The only edition of this book in the British Museum Library is that bequeathed by the late Alfred H. Huth, which is dated 1638, so, unless there was a previous edition, it was published after Lady Northumberland's death, which took place in December, 1637. There is an interesting suit in the Court of Chancery (Chancery Proceedings, Series II., Bundle 395, No. 42), dated 1636, relating to its publication. It is the "Complaint of Richard Ballard, of London, who states that Esquire, his brother, George Ballard, Gentleman," has "with great paines and studie made and written a book entitled the historie of Suzanna in verse," which, having dedicated the same to the Right Hon. Ann, Countess of Northumberland, he left with the plaintiff to get printed at the best rate he could. 66 The plaintiff, conceyving and soe being enformed that the said booke was well and schollerlike written, and in that respect a great number of them printed would be easily vented," entered into communication with "one Crispiano. For the smallness of the kitchen, Thomas Harpur, Citizen and Stacon of without question, Makes many noblemen... Build the rest of the house the bigger. II. i. Hee is the prime cause why Noblemen build their houses so great, for the smalnesse of the Kitchin, makes the house the bigger.- A French Cooke.' Romelio. III. iii. The court is or should be As a bright crystal mirror to the world To dress itself. She ought to be a mirrour for our yongest Dames, to dresse themselves by.- A Vertuous Widdow.' London," for the printing of the said book. And it was agreed that Harpur "should print fifteene hundred of the said books, and should finde paper for the doeing thereof to and for your orator's only use and dispose, and should delyver that number to your said orator or where hee should appointe ymeadiately after the same should be printed, and should not printe or cause to be printed any more of the saide books, nor anie of greater or lesser number than fifteene hundred, nor should sell or cause to be putt to sale anie o the said books to be printed." Complainant further agreed to pay 11. for the paper and printing. Now we come to the cause of the action, which was the refusal of Harpur to deliver the books without the payment of 187. 108., which the plaintiff was forced to pay in order to obtain, not the 1,500 copies agreed upon, but only "fowerteene hundred and odd books, much short of the number." Moreover, the said Harpur "pretended himself verie willing" to assist the plaintiff "in the selling and venting of the said books, and for that purpose recommended one George Cleaver," to whom the plaintiff delivered twenty-five copies, and who disposed of them, together with |