Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 3.djvu/469

 ioa-s.ni.MAY2o.i9QR] NOTES AND QUERIES.

385

"After Antonio's going out, enter Muly Hamet with victory." The scene of Antonio's capture was therefore immediately followed by that containing Muly's triumph.

That this play, like most of the political plays of the period (written, it may be pre- sumed, to order), is a joint production is fairly evident. The principal author (let me call him A) was the writer of the whole of the first act, with the exception of the small Fletcher portion. He also penned the three scenes of the second act in which Stukeley appears, three scenes of the third act, the portion of the first chorus prefacing the dumb show, and the closing act of the drama. He is a meritorious writer, his verse having a fine manly ring and an easy run, and his grasp and presentment of character being mucli above the average. Three of the scenes of the second act are by a writer (B) of regular but much stiffer verse, and I am not at all sure that the alternative version of the first scene is not from the same pen, though Simpson supposed it to be of earlier date. The second, third, and fourth scenes of the third act, the latter por- tion of the first chorus, and probably IV. iii. (to Muly's entry) are by yet another author (C), who wrote a regular but jolting verse, and framed sentences that promise to be interminable. The final scene of Act III. (containing Sebastian's first appearance) and the remainder of the play with the excep- tion of the first chorus, the first part of IV. iii., and the closing scene have been "lifted" from a play on the subject of Sebastian and Antonio, and fitted in very badly. This, too, must have been a joint production, for, while the first, second, and fourth scenes of the fourth act are by a writer in the old-fashioned ' Tamburlaine ' vein, the remaining portions are by an author who, while also high-flown in his language, is much more spasmodic and awkward in the construction of his verse, and resembles C in his fondness for long and complex sentences. Hardly any effort has been made to fit the extracts from this play into the 'Stukeley' drama, though in IV. i. there is a seven-line speech put into Stukeley's mouth that is certainly an inser- tion (probably by A). It may be noted, by the way, that the finish of I. vi. is apparently missing.

As for the date, Peele mentions a "Tom Stukeley" as on the stage in 1589, but that date is too early for any of the scenes of this play in which Stukeley is a leading character. On 11 December, 1596, the Admiral's men acted a new play called by Henslowe

'Stewtley.' This was probably a first version of our play; for, as Simpson pointed out, a drama showing the supposed death of Sebastian, and giving no hint of his escape, would not be later than 1598, when news of his " return " reached England. In Feb- ruary, 1591/2, a play (not then new) called ' Mulomorco ' was acted by Strange's men, but this was probably Peele's 'Battle of Alcazar,' in which also Stukeley is a character. Finally, in April and May, 1601, Dekker and Chettle wrote a 'Sebastian, King of Portugal,* for the Admiral's company. The play of which I am treating would seem to be mainly the 'Stewtley' play of 1596, with a great hiatus (due probably to shortening), with the substitution (for some incomprehensible- reason) of scenes from a much older drama, on a kindred subject for the bulk of the latter part of the play, and with a revision of one scene which (in the opinion of the manager of the company the play belonged to) needed strengthening. How or why the mixing-up of the two plays was effected I do> pretend to be able to guess. E. H. C. (X New South Wales.

THE REV. JAMES STERLING.

(See8">S.ix. 24, 196,286.) THE Mrs. Sterling for whom the James Sterling wrote the Farewell Epilogue given in his ' Poetical Works ' (1734) was none other than his wife. She was for some time a principal actress at the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin, and made her last appear- ance on the stage at that house on 22 May, 1732. A year later her husband proceeded M.A. at Trinity College. Mrs. Sterling was the original Polly in Ireland in ' The Beggar's Opera,' and took her farewell of her friends in that character. She was noted for her rendering of medley epilogues of a topical nature, half in song, half in recitation. Many of these were published as broadsides, and xamples of most of them are to be found bound up among the Irish pamphlets of the

Eeriod in Trinity College. They are indif- jrent productions, and were probably written by the actress's husband.

Mrs. Sterling came of a theatrical family,, and was born a Lyddal. Henry Giffard, the actor-manager who first introduced Garrick to the public, married one, if not two, of her sisters. Chetwood, on this point, is very confusing. Speaking of Giffard's visit to Ireland (which occurred at least four years before the date implied in his record), the old Drury Lane prompter says :

' During his Stay there, he marry'd the Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lydal Persons that made very