Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 10.djvu/217

 and Chettle. 20. 'Patient Grisel,' December 1599, by Dekker, Haughton, and Chettle. 21. 'The Arcadian Virgin,' December 1599, by Chettle and Haughton. 22. 'The Seven Wise Masters,'March 1599-1600, by Dekker, Chettle, Haughton, and Day. 23. 'The Golden Ass and Cupid and Psyche,' April 1600, by Dekker, Day, and Chettle. 24. 'The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green,' May 1600, by Chett& and Day. 25. ' Sebastian, King of Portugal,' April 1601, by Chettle and Dekker. 26. 'The First Part of Cardinal Wolsey,' October 1601, by Chettle, Monday, Drayton, and Wentworth Smith. Some entries in the diary refer to a play called 'The Rising of Cardinal Wokey,' which is doubtless to be identified with 'The First Part of Cardinal Wolsey.' 27. 'The Second Part of Cardinal Wolsey,' 1602, probably by the same authors. 28. 'Too good to be True,' November 1601, by Chettle, Hathwaye, and Wentworth Smith. 29. 'The Proud Woman of Antwerp,' January 1601-2, by Day and Haughton. On 15 May 1602, Chettle was paid twenty shillings for 'mending' this play' 30. 'Love parts Friendship,' May 1602, by Chettle and Wentworth Smith. 31. 'Femelanco,' September 1602, by Chettle and Robinson. 32. 'Lady Jane,' part i. October 1602, by Chettle, Dekker, Heywood, Wentworth Smith, and Webster. Dekker received an advance of five shillings for 'The Second Part of Lady Jane, but there is no entry to show whether Chettle was concerned in the second part. 33. 'Christmas comes but once a Year, November 1602, by Heywood, Webster, Dekker, and Chettle. 34. 'London Florentine,' part i. December 1602, by Heywood and Chettle. The second part was written wholly by Chettle. 35. 'Jane Shore,' May 1603, by' Chettle and Day. In the diary, under date 9 May 1603, is an entry recording the advance of forty shillings ' unto harey Chettell and John Daye, in eameste of a playe wherein Shore's wiffe is writen;' and from an undated entry we learn that Chettle received forty shillings to his own use 'in earnest of the Booke of Shoare.' Both entries undoubtedly refer to the same play. Only four out of these thirty-six plays found their way into print. 'The First Part of Robin Hood' (No. 1) was published anonymously in 1601, 4to, b.L, under the title of 'The Downfall of Robert, Earle of Huntingon;' and the second part (No. 2) appeared in the same year under the title of 'The Death of Robert, Earle of Huntington,' 4to, b.l. Both plays were reprinted in Collier's ' Supplement to Dodsley's Old Plays,' 1828, and are included in the eighth volume of Hazlitt's 'Dodsley.' They are well written, and contain some pleasing pictures of greenwood life. 'The Pleasant Comedie of Patient Grissill' (No. 20), one of the most charming of old plays, was printed in 1603, 4to ; it was reprinted by the Shakespeare Society in 1841. 'The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green ' (No. 24) was printed in 1659, 4to, and reprinted in Mr. A. H. Bullen's edition of 'The Works of John Day,' 1880. It is highly probable that 'The Famous History of Sir Thomas Wyat. . . written by Thomas Dickers and John Webster,' 4to, 1607 (2nd edit. 1612), is a corrupt copy of ' Lady Jane' (No. 32). In January 1598-9 Chettle spent some time in the Marshalsea prison, and Henslowe advanced thirty shillmgs to 'paye his charges' during his confinement. He was never free from pecuniary troubles, and was constantly needing Henslowe's aid. In February 1601-1602, on receipt of three pounds, he signed a bond to write exclusively for the Earl of Nottingham's players.

Chettle published in 1603 'Englande's Mourning Garment.' The title-page of the first edition has neither the author's name nor the date of publication ; but the address to the reader, immediately before the colophon, bears the signature 'Hen. Chettle,' and internal evidence shows that the tract must have been printed very soon after the death of Queen Elizabeth. A second edition, which differs in no important respect from the first edition, is dated 1603. The book appears to have been received with applause, for, besides these two authorised editions (which were published by Thomas Millington), a pirated edition was issued by Matthew Lawe, who was fined for his offence and was compelled to recall the unauthorised copies. 'Englande's Mourning Garment' is interesting to modern readers as containing a copy of verses in which Chettle alludes to the chief contemporary poets under fictitious names. One stanza is supposed to refer to Shakespeare, who (under the title of 'Silver-tonged Melicert') is entreated to 'remember our Elizabeth, and sing her rape done by that Tarquin, Death.' Chettle died not later than 1607, for in Dekker's 'Knight's Conjuring,' published in that year, he is mentioned as newly arrived at the limbo of the poets. From Dekker's description it may be gathered that Chettle was a man of a mil habit of body. A 'Mary Chettle, the daughter of Henry Chettle,' who died in September 1695, and was buried in the church of St. John's, New Windsor, is conjectured to have been the daughter of the dramatist. Ritson ascribes to Chettle : 1. 'The Pope's Pitifull Lamentation for the death of his deere darling Don Joan of Austria ... translated after the