Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 6.djvu/225

 12 S. VI. MAYS, 1920.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

181

LONDON, M AY S, 19SO

CONTENTS. No. 108.

.NOTES : An Early Heroic Tragedy, 181 The De Gorges of Knight/on Gorges, 182 An English Army List of 1740, 184" Bellum "Dr. Butler's Ale London Innliolders, 186 An Early Automobile" A Nyesse Hawk "The Royal Exchange Statues, 187.

^QUERIES : Old Stained Glass The Irish in Spain- Browning; The Flower's Name Coddington Family, Cheshire Nursery Rime Wanted Elizabeth Castle, 188 Rev. George Barclay Wild Boar in Heraldry John Blake The Turks and the Caliphate Crystal Standing Salts Clerk of the Crown in the Northern Counties

-Griffiths Rhjps Major Nicholl Joseph Lee, 189 Le

Capitaine Blaise 'The Norman People' The Arcist of the 'Antiquarian Itinerary 'Frames Fani Parkas

, Exemptions Edward de Vere's Mother- Henry de Vere's Sponsors Tennyson on Tobacco Lightfoot Marriage Author of Quotation Wanted, 190.

HEPL1ES : The Hawkhurst Gang Maison Rouge, Frank fort, 191 Pharmaceutical Book-PlatesBattle-Bridge Cinders and Moscow Pirie Louisa, spelt Leweezer

-J. Syramons of Paddington House, 192 The Third Troop
 * The Temple of the Muses ' Double Christian Names

of Guards - Stobart Family Prince Charle* in North Devon "Diddykites" and Gipsies, 193 Earliest Clerical Directory. 194 Reference Wanted No Man's Land .Bibliography of Lepers in England, 195 Persistent Error Curious Surnames, .98 Yale and Hobbes Slang Terms : Origin of Master Gunner Grafton, Oxon 'William Thomas Kogers, Sculptor and Church Builder, 197 Win. Hawkins : Anne Walton Urchfont Anathema Cup David Humphreys Grosvenor Place Soaps for Salt Water Finkle Street, 198 General James Ogle-

thorpe Authors of Quotations Wanted, J99.

JJOTES ON BOOKS' A Study of Shakespeare's Versifica- tion ' ' Last Verses.' ^Notices to Correspondents.

AN EARLY HEROIC TRAGEDY.

.AMONG the several investigations into the origin of the heroic tragedy of the seventeenth -century, attention so far has not lighted upon an interesting play by a writer, George Cartwright, of whom the only thing we know is that he lived at Fulham, and was, as the title-page to his one dramatic pro- duction avers, a "gentleman." Yet 'The Heroick-Lover : or, The Infanta of Spain,' printed in 1661, the year following the restoration of Charles II., has many charac- teristics that merit our regard, and, not the least among these, the obvious one that it is written in rime. Rimed plays, of course, existed before ' Mustapha ' or ' The Indian Queen,' and heroic elements are visible as 'far back as Beaumont and Fletcher, but this play connects itself much more intimately with the Drawcansir school than by mere "technical expression alone, and indeed seems .almost, although a closet play at least, there are no evidences that it was ever acted

a precursor of the dramas of Dryden and of Orrery themselves.

Its scene is Poland, and, like many of the early Restoration dramas, it combines with a romantic plot a certain amount of his- torical reference, mainly in that part which deals with the King and the revolt of Zorates and of Selucious, reference that is intensified by the verses appended at the close " Upon Hells High-Commission Court, set to judge the King. Jan. 1648 " and " Upon the horrid, and unheard of Murther, of Charles the First. . . .the 30th of Janu. 1648." Apart from this historical parallel, however, the rest of the play is romantic and heroic. The Prinqe loves Francina, who is beloved by Nonantious, who, in turn, heroically kills himself to make way for his rival. Francina, however, on Nonantious' death, departs to a nunnery. A similar fate befalls Symphrona who loves the brother of Francina, Bellarious, for she had believed him irredeemably captured by the Turks.

Into this plot of romantic passion the author has infused all that easy psychology of conflicting emotions which is one of the typical characteristics of the heroic play. " Do, or not do," soliloquises Nonantious :

Do, or not do, criminal ev'ry way.

Of evils, chuse the lesser of the two,

They are so equal, I know not which to do.

My love to fair Francina, bids me not ;

My duty to my Prince, can't be forgot.

How both, the ballance hold, so just and true,

That willing both, I know not which to do.

Act II., sc. ii.

sentiments which exactly parallel the cry of Aretus in Orrery's ' Tryphon ' (Lincoln's Inn Fields, 1668) :

Love, O Friendship, and O Fatal Vow ! To which shall I pay my Obedience now ?

or that of Tudor in the same author's ' Henry the Fifth ' (Lincoln's Inn Fields, 1664). Nor does the death of Nonantious fail to become his life, for, like his younger brothers, the heroes of 1664-77, he knew the correct code of heroic chivalry. Drawing his dagger, he turns to his Prince :

Yet 'fore I die, here on my bended knee, Do I bequeath Francina, willingly. All, all the interest, which I have in her, Henceforward do I give, unto you Sir. .. .

1 know she is too poor, a gift for you, But I can do no more then I can do. Since that my life to you, is so suspect,

'Tis fit my Death, shoo'd witness my respect.

(Stabs himself.) Act IV., sc. iv.

Francina, however, as I have indicated, refused to be treated as goods and chattels, whereupon the proffered crown is given,