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 PLAYS

''The Blind Beggar of Alexandria. 1596''

S. R. 1598, Aug. 15. 'A booke intituled The blynde begger of Alexandrya, vppon Condicon thatt yt belonge to noe other man.' William Jones (Arber, iii. 124). 1598. The Blinde begger of Alexandria, most pleasantly discoursing his variable humours in disguised shapes full of conceite and pleasure. As it hath beene sundry times publickly acted in London, by the right honorable the Earle of Nottingham, Lord high Admirall his seruantes. By George Chapman: Gentleman. For William Jones.

The play was produced by the Admiral's on 12 Feb. 1596; properties were bought for a revival in May and June 1601. P. A. Daniel shows in Academy (1888), ii. 224, that five of the six passages under the head of Irus in Edward Pudsey's Notebook, taken in error by R. Savage, Stratford upon Avon Notebooks, i. 7 (1888) to be from an unknown play of Shakespeare, appear with slight variants in the 1598 text. This, which is very short, probably represents a 'cut' stage copy. Pudsey is traceable as an actor (cf. ch. xv) in 1626. ''An Humorous Day's Mirth. 1597''

1599. A pleasant Comedy entituled: An Numerous dayes Myrth. As it hath beene sundrie times publikely acted by the right honourable the Earle of Nottingham Lord high Admirall his seruants. By G. C. Valentine Syms. The 1598 inventories of the Admiral's (Greg, Henslowe Papers, 115, 119) include Verone's son's hose and Labesha's cloak, which justifies Fleay, i. 55, in identifying the play with the comedy of Humours produced by that company on 1 May 1597. It is doubtless also the play of which John Chamberlain wrote to Dudley Carleton (Chamberlain, 4) on 11 June 1597, 'We have here a new play of humors in very great request, and I was drawne along to it by the common applause, but my opinion of it is (as the fellow saide of the shearing of hogges), that there was a great crie for so litle wolle.' ''The Gentleman Usher. 1602 (?) [MS.''] For an unverified MS. cf. s.v. Monsieur D'Olive.

S. R. 1605, Nov. 26 (Harsnett). 'A book called Vincentio and Margaret.' Valentine Syms (iii. 305). 1606. The Gentleman Usher. By George Chapman. V. S. for Thomas Thorpe.

Edition by T. M. Parrott (1907, B. L.).—Dissertation: O. Cohn, Zu den Quellen von C.'s G. U. (1912, Frankfort Festschrift, 229).

There is no indication of a company, but the use of a mask and songs confirm the general probability that the play was written for the Chapel or Revels. It was later than Sir Giles Goosecap (q.v.), to the title-rôle of which i. 81 alludes, but of this also the date is uncertain. Parrott's '1602' is plausible enough, but 1604 is also possible.