תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

SE C T. XXXVIII.

TH

HE first poem which presents itself at the commencement of the reign of queen Elifabeth, is the play of GORDOBUC, written by Thomas Sackville lord Buckhurst, the original contriver of the MIRROUR OF MAGISTRATES. Thomas Norton, already mentioned as an affociate with Sternhold and Hopkins in the metrical verfion of David's Pfalms, is faid to have been his coadjutor ‘.

It is no part of my plan, accurately to mark the progress of our drama, much lefs to examine the merit of particular plays. But as this piece is perhaps the firft fpecimen in our language of an heroic tale, written in blank verfe, divided into acts and fcenes, and cloathed in all the formalities of a regular tragedy,

It is fcarcely worth obferving, that one Thomas Brice, at the acceffion of Elifabeth, printed in English metre a Register of the Martyrs and Confeffors under queen Mary, Lond. for R. Adams, 1559. 8vo. I know not how far Fox might profit by this work. I think he has not mentioned it. In the Stationers regifters, in 1567, were entered to Henry Binneman, SONGES and SONNETTS by Thomas Brice. REGISTR. A. fol. 164. a. I have never feen the book. In 1570, an elegy, called " An "epitaph on Mr. Bryce preacher" occurs, licenced to John Alde. Ibid. fol. 205. b. Again, we have the COURT OF VENUS, I fuppofe a ballad, MORALISED, in 1566, by Thomas Bryce, for Hugh Singleton. Ibid. fol. 156. a.

See fupr. p. 169. See Preface to GORDOBUC, edit. 1571. Strype says, that

Thomas Norton was a clergyman, a puritan, a man of parts and learning, well known to fecretary Cecil and archbishop Parker, and that he was fufpected, but without foundation, of writing an answer to Whitgift's book against the puritans, published in 1572. LIFE OF PARKER, P. 364. LIFE OF WHITGIFT, p. 28. I forgot to mention before, that Norton has a copy of recommendatory verfes prefixed to Turner's PRESERVATIVE, a tract against the Pelagians, dedicated to Hugh Latimer, printed Lond. 1551. 12mo. In the Conferences in the Tower with Campion the Jefuit, in 1581, one Norton, but not our author, feems to have been employed as a notary. See "A TRUE REPORTE OF

[blocks in formation]

Y y 2

it

it seems justly to deferve a more minute and a diftinct difcuffion in this general view of our poetry.

[ocr errors]

It was first exhibited in the great Hall of the Inner Temple, by the students of that Society, as part of the entertainment of a grand Christmas, and afterwards before queen Elifabeth at Whitehall, on the eighteenth day of January in 1561. It was never intended for the prefs. But being furreptitiously and very carelefily printed in 1565, an exact edition, with the confent and under the inspection of the authors, appeared in 1571, in black letter, thus entitled. "The TRAGIDIE OF FERREX AND "PORREX, fet forth without addition or alteration, but altogether as the fame was fhowed on stage before the queenes Majestie about nine yeare past, viz. The xviij day of Januarie, "1561. By the gentlemen of the Inner Temple. Seen and "allowed, &c. Imprinted at London by John Daye dwelling "ouer Alderfgate." It has no date, nor notation of pages, and contains only thirty-one leaves in small octavo. In the edition of 1565, it is called the TRAGEDIE OF GORDOBUC. The whole title of that edition runs thus. "The Tragedie of Gor"dobuc, whereof three actes were wrytten by Thomas Nor"tone and the two lafte by Thomas Sackvyle. Sett forthe as "the fame was shewed before the queenes most excellent ma"ieftie in her highnes court of Whitehall, the 18 Jan. 1561. By the gentlemen of thynner Temple in London. Sept. 22. 1565." Printed by William Griffith at the sign of the falcon in Fleet-street, in quarto. I have a most incorrect black lettered

66

66

e For the benefit of thofe who wish to gain a full and exact information about this edition, fo as to diftinguish it from all the reft, I will here exhibit the arrangement of the lines of the title page.

The Tragidie of Ferrex | and Porrex, "fet forth without addition or alte- | "ration but altogether as the fame was "fewed on ftage before the queenes "maieftie, about nine yeares past, vz. "the xviij daie of Januarie. 1561. by "the Gentlemen of the Inner Temple.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

copy in duodecimo, without title, but with the printer's monogram in the last page, I suspect of 1569, which once belonged to Pope, and from which the late Mr. Spence most faithfully printed a modern edition of the tragedy, in the year 1736. I believe it was printed before that of 1571, for it retains all the errors of Griffith's firft or fpurious edition of 1565. In the Preface prefixed to the edition of 1571, is the following paffage. "Where [whereas] this tragedy was for furniture of part of the grand Christmaffe in the Inner-temple, firft written about nine years ago by the right honourable Thomas now lord Buck"hurst, and by T. Norton; and afterwards showed before her "maiestie, and neuer intended by the authors thereof to be published: Yet one W. G. getting a copie thereof at some young mans hand, that lacked a little money and much dif"cretion, in the last great plague anno 1565, about fiue yeares past, while the said lord was out of England, and T. Norton "far out of London, and neither of them both made priuy, put "it forth exceedingly corrupted, &c." W. G. is William Griffith, the printer in Fleet ftreet, abovementioned. Mr. Garrick had another old quarto edition, printed by Alde, in 1590.

[ocr errors]

66

66

These are the circumstances of the fable of this tragedy. Gordobuc, a king of Britain about fix hundred years before Christ, made in his life-time a divifion of his kingdom to his fons Ferrex and Porrex. The two young princes within five years quarrelled for univerfal fovereignty. A civil war enfued, and Porrex flew his elder brother Ferrex. Their mother Viden, who loved Ferrex beft, revenged his death by entering Porrex's chamber in the night, and murthering him in his fleep. The people, exasperated at the cruelty and treachery of this murther, rofe in rebellion, and killed both Viden and Gordobuc. The nobility then affembled, collected an army, and deftroyed the

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

rebels. An inteftine war commenced between the chief lords: the fucceffion of the crown became uncertain and arbitrary, for want of the lineal royal iffue: and the country, deftitute of a king, and wafted by domeftic flaughter, was reduced to a state of the most miferable defolation.

In the dramatic conduct of this tale, the unities of time and place are eminently and visibly violated: a defect which Shakefpeare fo frequently commits, but which he covers by the magic of his poetry. The greater part of this long and eventful hiftory is included in the representation. But in a story so fertile of bloodshed, no murther is committed on the ftage. It is worthy of remark, that the death of Porrex in the bed-chamber is only related. Perhaps the players had not yet learned to die, nor was the ponyard fo effential an article as at present among the implements of the property-room. Nor is it improbable, that to kill a man on the stage was not now avoided as a spectacle fhocking to humanity, but because it was difficult and inconvenient to be reprefented. The writer has followed the series of facts related in the chronicles without any material variation, or fictitious embarrafiments, and with the addition only of a few neceffary and obvious characters.

There is a Chorus of Four Antient and Sage Men of Britain, who regularly close every Act, the laft excepted, with an ode in long-lined ftanzas, drawing back the attention of the audience to the fubftance of what has juft paffed, and illuftrating it by recapitulatory moral reflections, and poetical or hiftorical allufions. Of these the best is that which terminates the fourth Act, in which prince Porrex is murthered by his mother Viden. These are the two first stanzas.

When greedie luft in royall feat to reigne,
Hath reft all care of goddes, and eke of men,
And Cruell Heart, Wrath, Treafon, and Disdaine,
Within th' ambicious breast are lodged, then

Behold

Behold howe MISCHIEFE wide herselfe difplaies,
And with the brothers hand the brother flaies!

When blood thus shed doth staine the heauens face,
Crying to Joue for vengeaunce of the deede,

The mightie god euen moueth from his place,
With wrath to wreak. Then fendes he forth with spede
The dreadful Furies, daughters of the night,

With ferpents girt, carrying the whip of ire,

With haire of stinging fnakes, and fhining bright
With flames and blood, and with a brande of fire.
These for reuenge of wretched murder done
Do make the mother kill her onelie fon!

Blood asketh blood, and death muft death requite :
Joue, by his iuft and euerlasting doom,

Justly hath euer so required it, &c '.

In the imagery of these verfes, we difcern no faint traces of the hand which drew the terrible guardians of hell-gate, in the INDUCTION to the MIRROUR of MAGISTRATES.

The moral beauties and the spirit of the following ode, which closes the third act, will perhaps be more pleafing to many

readers.

The luft of kingdom knowes no facred faithe,
No rule of reafon, no regarde of right,
No kindlie loue, no feare of heauens wrathe:
But with contempt of goddes, and man's defpight,
Through blodie flaughter doth prepare the waies
To fatall scepter, and accurfed reigne :

The fonne fo lothes the fathers lingerynge daies,
Ne dreads his hande in brothers blode to staine !

f A&t iv. Sc. ult.

Kingdoms, edit. 1565.

O wretched

« הקודםהמשך »