Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 11.djvu/491

 9* 8. XI. JUNE 20, 1903.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

483

Starkey at the Miter, nere the Middle Temple Gate in Fleet-street. 1659."

Some copies, I understand, have the name of "T. Dring" instead of "John Starkey" as the publisher. The play was originally performed at Denmark House on 8 January, 1633. After carefully going over it, I think I do not exaggerate when I say that any- thing of the kind more ridiculous could scarcely be imagined. It covers 175 small octavo pages of closely printed prose, inter- spersed by scraps of incomprehensible verse, and I am sure the winter day on which the play is said to have been performed must have been all too short to see it finished. How the queen and the fair ladies associated with her could have had any intelligent appreciation of the parts assigned them must for ever remain a mystery. Sir John Suck- ling satirizes it in * A Sessions of the Poets ' (1874, vol. i. p. 10) : Wat Montague now stood forth to his trial, And did not so much as suspect a denial ; But witty Apollo asked him first of all, If he understood his own pastoral. For, if he could do it, 'twould plainly appear, He understood more than any man there, And did merit the bays above all the rest, But the Monsieur was modest, and silence confessed.

Thomas Carew addressed a poem to Aure- lian Townsend, in which he refers to 'The Shepheard's Paradise.' The poet was evi- dently under a misapprehension in ascribing the authorship to his correspondent (ed. 1870, p. 95) :-

Let us of Revels sing, and let thy breath (Which fill'd Fame's trumpet with Gustavus' death, Blowing his name to heaven) gently inspire Thy Pastorall Pipe, till all our Swaines admire Thy song and subject, whilst they both comprise The beauties of the Shepherds Paradise. I should say that Carew has two poems in- scribed to Montagu himself.

A manuscript copy of ' The Shepheard s Paradise ' is preserved in the Sloane Collec- tion. Another manuscript copy was sold in the Tixall library by Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge on 7 November, 1899. I shall transcribe the item exactly as it appears in the catalogue :

"597 Shepheardes Paradise (The) a Play, Manu- script, neatly written (6311) ("the Lady P ear sail s Bootee 1653"), vellum sm. folio. 16." The purchaser had this lot knocked down to him for twelve shillings.

The most interesting feature about the play is that the names of the performers are printed on one of the preliminary leaves. Hard things were said at the time about the queen and her companions engaging in this very play, an interesting account of which will

be found in Miss Aikin's 'Memoirs of the Court of Charles the First' (1833, vol. i. p. 304). In reproducing these names I have ventured to identify them. In this connexion I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to a set of verses of very real historical interest entitled l The Progress,' printed in the late Mr. Henry Huth's volume of 'Inedited Poetical Miscellanies,' 1870. Indeed, so striking and numerous are the allusions in this metrical production, that I am almost inclined to think that its composition was inspired by the popular outcry already indicated. These verses were printed for the first time from 'Henry Oxenden's MS. Common-place Book, 1647.' Here is the list referred to :

The Queen. Henrietta Maria. My Lady Marquess. Lady Mary Feilding, eldest daughter of the first Earl of Denbigh, and niece of the great Duke of Buckingham, married to James, third Marquess of Hamil- ton (afterwards first duke), in 1620, the bridegroom being only fourteen years old. She died on 10 May, 1638. A verse is assigned to her in 'The Progress' not quite compli- mentary.

Mrs. Cecilia Crofts Daughter of Sir John Crofts, of Saxham, Suffolk. She married on 29 June, 1636, Thomas Killigrew, author of ' The Parson's Wedding,' 1663. She died on 1 January, 1638, leaving one son. She and her two sisters all witty and beautiful women were favourites with King James. The whole Court was invited to the repre- sentation of a masque at Saxham in 1620. Charles I. visited that place about 1632. This is how a lady of the name is referred to in ' The Progress ; :

Crofts' tale is easily told,

For she hath servants young and old ;

Some are too grey, some are too green,

The last is still in most esteem.

Mrs. Sophia Carew and Mrs. Victoria Carew. Not identified.

Mrs. Arden. Waller has some lines addressed to "Mrs. Arden," and Fenton, his editor, suggests (ed. 1744, note, p. xcii) :

"I suppose she was either a Maid of Honor, or a Gentlewoman of the bed-chamber to King Charles the First's Queen ; and the same who is mention'd in the list of Court-Ladies, who acted Mr. Montague's 'Shepherd's Paradise,' which is deservedly ridi- cul'd by Sir John Suckling in his *Session[s] of the Poets.'"

The author of 'The Progress' has placed her in iiis gallery, but in language too outspoken for reproduction here.

Mrs. Villiers. I have little doubt that this was Anne (sometimes called Agnes and Eliza- beth), daughter of Sir Edward Villiers and