FOUR PLAYS,

OR

MORAL REPRESENTATIONS, IN ONE.

THIS very singular composition was first printed in the folio of 1647, and, though we have no data to determine positively whether it was the production of both our authors, we may with considerable confidence decide that it was. There is a disparity between the two first of the short plays introduced and the two last, too obvious to require to be pointed out to an attentive reader; and the latter have such strong points of resemblance (particularly in the flowing versification, and the great multiplicity of female terminations of the lines) to those plays which are known to have been produced by Fletcher solely, that we need not hesitate to ascribe them to him; the two first Triumphs, with the Induction, were therefore probably the work of Beaumont. As to the time of its production, nothing can be decided on; but the dumb shows, the processions, &c. seem to indicate that the piece was of an early date; and if the allusion to a disease which was described by a contemporary glossarist in 1611, as one which had made its appearance shortly before, has any weight, the play was probably produced about that time.

The compiler of the Biographica Dramatica observes, "whether this medley of dramatic pieces was ever performed or not does not plainly appear." There is, however, no good reason to doubt that it was brought on the stage at the time it was written, though since that period it has probably never been acted.

Our authors were not the first who conceived the idea of collecting a number of short pieces, and joining them into one by means of a fictitious audience, before whom they are supposed to be represented. On the 6th of March, 1591, a drama was performed, entitled, Four Plays in One, and another the 7th of Oc

tober, 1597, with the title of Five Plays in One. About 1605, a piece called All's One, or Four Plays in One, was produced; one of the short pieces being Shakspeare's Yorkshire Tragedy. The same design was afterwards adopted by Sir William Davenant in his Playhouse to be Let, and by Motteux in The Novelty, or Every Act a Play. The idea, however, was not a very happy one, as few audiences could relish an entertainment so miscellaneous as the present, in which they are regaled with two tragi-comedies, a tragedy, and a moral masque, and behold a fictitious audience concluding every piece with a moralisation, which had much better have been left to the real spectators.

The idea of introducing the Triumphs of Honour, Love, Death, and Time, was probably suggested by the Trionfi of Petrarch, which had been translated shortly before; and which, with other Italian poetry, seems to have obtained great popularity in England.

The Triumph of Honour is by no means the most happily conceived, nor the best executed among the four. It has a good deal of bombast and false conceit; the classical allusions are not happily introduced, and the mock deification of Valerius is extremely puerile. The hint of the plot is taken, as Langbaine observes, from Boccaccio's Decameron, (Giornata X. Nov. V.) of which the following is the substance: Dianora, the wife of Gilberto, in order to get rid of the importunities of her lover Ansaldo, promised to gratify his desires if he would present her with a garden bearing flowers and fruit in the month of January. Ansaldo realised her wish by the assistance of a magician, who, to the astonishment of the whole city of Udine, produced the desired miracle. Dianora, in despair, mentioned the bargain she had made with Ansaldo to her husband, who, notwithstanding his extreme love for her, commanded her to fulfil the pledge. When the lover came to obtain the promise, beheld the despair of Dianora, and heard the consent of Gilberto, he was so touched by the generosity of the latter, that he released the lady from her promise. The necromancer, not to be behind hand with him, refused to accept any remuneration for his enchanted garden." Manni observes, that Boccaccio probably founded his novel on a relation in Tritemius of a Jew physician, who, in the year 876, in the middle of winter, caused, by enchantment, a garden,

'One of Calderon's plays, Los tres mayores prodigios, is formed on a similar plan, every one of the three jornadas, or acts, forming a separate play. The subjects are the adventures of Jason, Hercules, and Theseus, They are not, however, connected together as the present drama.

2 Another old comedy, entitled, The two Merry Milkmaids, or The best Words wear the Garland, by J. C. Lond. 1620, is partly founded on the same novel.

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with trees and flowers in bloom, to appear before a numerous and splendid company.

The Triumph of Love is far superior to the former, and contains some exquisite touches of nature. The story is interesting, and in general well told. Indeed, this short piece contains the stamina of a very interesting regular tragi-comedy, for which it Is far better fitted than many other plots in these volumes. This fable also is taken from a novel of Boccaccio, (Giorn. V. Nov. VII.) "In the reign of William, King of Sicily, Amerigo, a rich and noble gentleman, dwelt at Trapani, and one day a Genoese vessel coming to port with slaves, which they had captured in a Turkish galley, he purchased a youth, who was supposed to be a Turk, and whom he caused to be baptized Pietro. When he grew up, a strong attachment took place between him and Violante, the daughter of Amerigo. One day the whole family had proceeded on an excursion from a country villa, when a thunder-storm forced them to make all possible haste homewards. The young slave and Violante outstripped the rest in speed, and being forced into an old ruinous mansion by a shower of hail, they took the opportunity to consummate their wishes. The effect of this soon became apparent, and Pietro wished to avoid the impending danger by flight; but Violante promising not to betray him as the author of her shame, and threatening to kill herself if he left her, he consented to remain. When the time of parturition arrived, she feigned a tale to her mother, who promised to conceal her condition from Amerigo. Unfortunately the latter, hearing her cries, rushed into the room, and putting his sword to her breast, extorted the truth. Pietro was apprehended, sent for judgment to Trapani, and being put to the torture by Currado the governor, confessed his guilt. Amerigo then gave a phial of poison and a dagger to a servant, bidding him carry them to his daughter, who should choose one of the two deaths, and threatening to burn her alive in case of refusal. The infant he ordered to be put to death, and its carcase to be given to the dogs. When Pietro was led to the gallows to be executed, a crimson spot upon his breast led to his recognition by Fineo, (then on an embassy from the king of Arminia to Rome,) as his son Teodoro, who, fifteen years before, had been made prisoner by pirates. Fineo immediately made the circumstance known to Amerigo, and offered his son in marriage to his daughter. The latter hastened to his country-house, and fortunately arrived before the servant had compelled Violante to make choice of dying by the poison or the dagger. The marriage was then concluded and solemnized to the content of all parties."

The Triumph of Death is deserving of fully as much commendation as the former; and, notwithstanding the brevity of this drama, there are few tragedies of the usual length so pathetic. The

plot is interesting without being too intricate; the versification exquisitely harmonious; no scenes of low buffoonery are introduced, and recourse is not had to under-plots and transactions foreign to the main design. This is evidently the result of the shortness of the piece; but it proves that, contrary to the usual practice, a tragic drama may be produced, confined within very narrow limits, without weakening the intended effect upon the audience. The plot is founded, as Langbaine observes, " on a novel in The Fortunate, Deceived, and Unfortunate Lovers, part iii. vol. iii. See besides, Palace of Pleasure, Nov. 40, Belleforest, &c." The original, however, is the first novel of Bandello, which seems to have been founded on fact. Buondelmonte, of one of the principal families in Florence, is betrothed to one of the Amadei. A widow of the family of the Donati, ambitious to match her daughter to him, puts her in his way, and he is immediately so struck with her beauty, as to forget his pre-contract, and to marry her; in consequence of which he is murdered by the two great families, the Uberti and Amadei.

The Triumph of Time is a moral masque, which was a favourite species of composition in the reign of James I. It may claim as much encomium as most pieces of a similar description, while it participates in their absolute want of interest, and the other defects which such personifications of the virtues and vices uniformly exhibit.

Dorigen, Sophocles's wife, the example of chastity. Florence, wife to Cornelius.

SCENE-Athens and the adjoining Country.

The Triumph of Love.

Cupid.

Rinaldo, duke of Milan.

Benvoglio,

Randulpho, } brothers, lords of Milan.

Alphonso,

Ascanio,

disguised under the names of Gerrard, Ferdinand, sons of the duke, supposed to be lost.

Friar, Secretary, Guard, States, Executioners.