Page:Lives of Poets-Laureate.djvu/129

Rh "The Kinge is pleased to take faith, death, slight, for asseverations and no oathes, to which I doe humbly submit, as my master's judgment; but, under favour, conceive them to be oathes, and enter them here to declare my opinion and submission."

The play which gave rise to this difference of sentiment between his Majesty and Sir Henry must have been "The Wits," as on the following day there is this entry in his journal:

"The 10th Jan., 1633, I returned unto Mr. Davenant his play-booke of 'The Witts,' corrected by the Kinge.

"The King would not take the booke at Mr. Porter's hands, but commanded him to bring it unto mee, which he did, and likewise commanded Davenant to come to me for it as I believe; otherwise he would not have byn so civill"

Davenant doubtless being irate with the keen-eyed Master of the Revels for detecting so much bad language lurking in his seemingly innocent production.

At a later date there is the following entry in the same work:

The Witts' was acted on Tuesday night, the 28 January, 1633, at Court, before the Kinge and Queene. Well likt. It had a various fate on the stage, and at Court, though the Kinge commended the language, but dislikt the plott and characters."

In "Love and Honour" may be traced manifest imitations of the style of Shakespeare; and the care manifested in the composition shows that success had no effect in abating the most strenuous endeavours to deserve it.

Evelyn, writing many years later, after the Restoration, says, "I was so idle as to go see a play called 'Love and Honour.' Dined at Arundel House; and that evening discoursed with his Majestie about shipping, in which he I 2

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