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called MARCUS GEMINUS, the Latin tragedy of PROGNE, and an English comedy on the ftory of Chaucer's PALAMON AND ARCITE, all acted by the ftudents of the univerfity. The queen's obfervations on the perfons of the last mentioned piece, deserve notice: as they are at once a curious picture of the romantic pedantry of the times, and of the characteristical turn and predominant propenfities of the queen's mind. When the play was over, fhe fummoned the poet into her prefence, whom the loaded with thanks and compliments: and at the fame time turning to her levee, remarked, that Palamon was so justly drawn as a lover, that he certainly must have been in love indeed: that Arcite was a right martial knight, having a fwart and manly countenance, yet with the aspect of a Venus clad in armour: that the lovely Emilia was a virgin of uncorrupted purity and unblemished fimplicity, and that although she fung fo fweetly, and gathered flowers alone in the garden, fhe preserved her chastity undeflowered. The part of Emilia, the only female part in the play, was acted by a boy of fourteen years of age, a fon of the dean of Christ-Church, habited like a young princefs; whose performance fo captivated her majefty, that she him a prefent of eight guineas". During the exhibition a cry of hounds, belonging to Thefeus, was counterfeited without, in the great fquare of the college: the young ftudents thought it a real chace, and were feized with a fudden transport to join the hunters; at which the queen cried out from her box, "O excellent! Thefe boys, in very "troth, are ready to leap out of the windows to follow the

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begged him to repeat his elegant performance. By Wood he is called, fummæ Spei puer. HIST. ANTIQ. UNIV. OXON. lib. i. p. 287. col. 2. See alfo ATHEN. Oxon.i. 152. And Peck's. DESID. CURIOS. vol. i. lib. vii. Num. xviii. p. 46. feq.

"hounds!"

"hounds *!" In the year 1564, queen Elizabeth honoured the university of Cambridge with a royal vifit'. Here the was present at the exhibition of the AULULARIA of Plautus, and the tragedies of DIDO, and of HEZEKIAH, in English: which were played in the body, or nave, of the chapel of King's college, on a stage extended from fide to fide, by a felect company of scholars, chofen from different colleges at the discretion of five doctors, " especially appointed to fet "forth fuch plays as should be exhibited before her grace." The chapel, on this occafion, was lighted by the royal guards; each of whom bore a staff-torch in his hand. Her majesty's patience was fo fatigued by the fumptuous parade of fhews and fpeeches, with which every moment was occupied, that she could not stay to see the Ajax of Sophocles; in Latin, which was prepared. Having been praised both in Latin and Greek, and in profe and verfe, for her learning. and her chastity, and having received more compliments. than are paid to any of the paftoral princeffes in Sydney's. ARCADIA, fhe was happy to return to the houfes of fome of her nobility in the neighbourhood. In the year 1583, Albertus de Alafco, a Polish prince Palatine, arrived at Oxford". In the midst of a medley of pithy orations, tedious fermons, degrees, dinners, difputations, philosophy, and fire-works, he was invited to the comedy of the RIVALES ̊, and the

* Wood. ATHEN. OXON. ubi fupr.

y For a minute account of which, fee Peck's DESID. CURIOS. ut fupr. p. 25. Num. xv. [MSS. Baker. vol. x. 7037. P. 109. Brit. Muf.] The writer was probably N. Robinfon, domeftic chaplain to archbishop Parker, afterwards bishop of Bangor. See Wood, ATHEN. OXON. i. col. 696. MS. Baker, ut fupr. p. 181: And Parker's ANT. BRIT. ECCLES. p. 14. MATH. Vir fuit prudens, &c. edit. 1572-3. z Peck, ut fupr. p. 36. 39.

2

Peck, ibid. p. 36.

Supposed to be the perfon whom Shakefpeare, in the MERCHANT OF VENICE,

called the Count Palatine. ACT. i. Sc. i.

This was in Latin, and written by William Gager, admitted a ftudent of Chrift-Church in 1572. By the way, he is ftyled by Wood, the best comedian of his time, that is dramatic poet. But he wrote only Latin plays. His Latin MeLEAGER was acted at Chrift-Church before lord Leicester, fir Philip Sydney, and other diftinguished perfons, in 1581. ATH. OXON. i. p. 366. This Gager had a controverfy with doctor John Rainolds, prefident of Corpus, at Oxford, concerning the lawfulness of plays: which produced from the latter a pamphlet, called THE OVER.

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tragedy of DIDO, which were prefented in Chrift-Church hall by fome of the fcholars of that fociety, and of faint John's college. In the latter play, Dido's fupper, and the deftruction of Troy, were reprefented in a marchpane, or rich cake: and the tempeft which drove Dido and Eneas to the fame cave, was counterfeited by a fnow of fugar, a hailftorm of comfits, and a fhower of rofe-water ". In the year 1605, king James the first gratified his pedantry by a visit to the fame univerfity. He was prefent at three plays in Chrift-Church hall: which he seems to have regarded as childish amusements, in comparison of the more folid delights of fcholaftic argumentation. Indeed, if we confider this monarch's infatiable thirft of profound erudition, we fhall not be surprised to find, that he flept at these theatrical performances, and that he fate four hours every morning and afternoon with infinite fatisfaction, to hear fyllogifms in jurifprudence and theology. The first play, during this folemnity, was a paftoral comedy called ALBA: in which five men, almost naked, appearing on the stage as part of the representation, gave great offence to the queen and the maids of honour: while the king, whofe delicacy was not easily shocked at other times, concurred with the ladies, and availing himself of this lucky circumftance, peevishly expreffed his wishes to depart, before the piece was half finished'. The fecond play was VERTUMNUS, which although learnedly penned in Latin, and by a doctor in divinity, could not keep the king awake, who was wearied in confequence of having executed the office of moderator all that day at

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the difputations in faint Mary's church. The third drama was the AJAX of Sophocles, in Latin, at which the stage was varied three times". "The king was very wearie before " he came thither, but much more wearied by it, and spoke

many words of diflike'." But I must not omit, that as the king entered the city from Woodstock, he was faluted at the gate of faint John's college with a fhort interlude, which probably suggested a hint to Shakespeare to write a tragedy on the subject of Macbeth. Three youths of the college, habited like witches, advancing towards the king, declared they were the fame who once met the two chiefs of Scotland, Macbeth and Bancho; prophefying a kingdom to the one, and to the other a generation of monarchs: that they now appeared, a second time, to his majesty, who was defcended from the ftock of Bancho, to fhew the confirmation of that prediction: Immediately afterwards, "Three young youths, in habit and attire like Nymphs, confronted him, reprefenting England, Scotland, and Ireland; and talking dialogue wife, each to the other, of their state, at last con"cluded, yielding themselves up to his gracious government'.'

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The queen was not prefent: but next morning, with her ladies, the young prince, and gallants attending the court, fhe faw an English paftoral, by Daniel, called ARCADIA REFORMED. Ibid. p. 642. Although the anecdote is foreign to our purpofe, I cannot help mentioning the reason, why the queen, during this vifit to Oxford, was more pleased to hear the Oration of the profeffor of Greek, than the king. "The king heard him willingly, and the "Queen much more; because, she fayd, "the never had board Greek." Ibid. 636.

h Towards the end of the hall, was a fcene like a wall, " painted and adorned "with ftately pillars, which pillars would "turn about, by reafon whereof, with the

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help of other painted clothes, their ftage did vary three times in the acting "of one tragedy." LEL APPEND. ut fupr. p. 631. The machinery of thefe plays, and the temporary ftages in St. VOL. II.

Mary's church, were chiefly conducted by "one Mr. Jones, a great traveller, who "undertooke to furnish them with rare de"vices, but performed very little to that "which was expected." Ibid. p. 646. Notwithstanding thefe flighting expreffions, it is highly probable that this was Inigo Jones, afterwards the famous architect. He was now but thirty-three years of age, and juft returned into England. He was the principal Contriver for the mafques at Whitehall. Gerrard, in STRAFFORDE'S LETTERS, defcribing queen Henrietta's popish chapel, fays, "Such a glorious scene

built over the altar! Inigo Jones never "prefented a more curious piece in any of "the mafks at Whitehall. [dat. 1635.] vol. i. pag. 595.

i ibid. p. 639.

* REX PLATONICUS, five MUSE REG NANTES, Oxon. 1607. 4to. p. 18. LEL. APPEND. ut fupr. p. 636,

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It would be unneceffary to trace this practice in our universities to later periods. The position advanced is best illuftrated by proofs most remote in point of time; which, on that account, are alfo lefs obvious, and more curious. I could have added other antient proofs; but I chose to select those which seemed, from concomitant circumstances, most likely to amuse.

Many inftances of this practice in schools, or in feminaries of an inferior nature, may be enumerated. I have before mentioned the play of ROBIN and MARIAN, performed, according to an annual custom, by the school-boys of Angiers in France, in the year 1392". But I do not mean to go abroad for illuftrations of this part of our prefent inquiry. Among the writings of Udal, a celebrated mafter of Eton, about the year 1540, are recited Plures Comedia, and a tragedy de Papatu, on the papacy: written probably to be acted by his scholars. An extract from one of his comedies may be feen in Wilfon's LOGIKE". In the antient CONSUETUDINARY, as it is called, of Eton-School, the following paffage occurs. "Circa feftum divi Andreæ, ludimagifter eligere folet, pro "fuo arbitrio, SCENICAS FABULAS optimas et accommoda

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tiffimas, quas Pueri feriis Natalitiis fubfequentibus, non "fine LUDORUM ELEGANTIA, populo fpectante, publice aliquando peragant. Interdum etiam exhibet Anglico fer"mone contextas fabulas, fiquæ habeant acumen et leporem "." That is, about the feaft of faint Andrew, the thirtieth day of November, the mafter is accuftomed to chufe, according to his own difcretion, fuch Latin ftage-plays as are most excellent and convenient; which the boys are to act in the following Christmas holidays, before a public audience, and with all the elegance of fcenery and ornaments

m Supr. i. 245. See more inftances, ibid.

n Written in 1553, p. 69.

• Supposed to have been drawn up about

the year 1560. But containing all the an→ tient and original cuftoms of the school. MSS. Rawlinf. Bibl. Bodl.

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