random Ricardiana
From the diary of Simon Forman, Jacobethan man-about-town and general whackjob, an account of a now-lost play.
In Richard the 2 at the Glob 1611 the 30 of Aprill Tuesday
Remember therein howe Jack Straw by his overmoch boldnes, not being pollitick nor suspecting Anye thinge: was Soddenly at Smithfield Bars stabbed by Walworth the maior of London, & soe he and his wholle Army was overthrowen. Therfore in such a case or the like, never admit any party, without a bar betwen, for A man cannot be to wise, nor kepe him selfe to safe.
Also remember howe the duke of Gloster, the Erell of Arundell, Oxford and others, crossing the kinge in his humor, about the duke of Erland [i.e. Ireland] and Bushy, wer glad to fly and Raise an hoste of men, and beinge in his Castell, howe the d. of Erland cam by nighte to betray him with 300 men, but hauing pryuie warninge thereof kept his gates faste, And wold not suffer the Enimie to Enter, which went back Again with a flie in his eare, and after was slainte by the Errell of Arundell in the battell.
Remember also, when the duke and Arundell cam to London with their Army, king Richard came forth to them and met them and gaue them fair wordes, and promised them pardon and that all should be well yf they wold discharge their Army, vpon whose promises and faier Speaches they did yt, and Affter the king byd them all to A banket and soe betraid them And Cut of their heades, &c, because they had not his pardon vnder his hand & sealle before but his worde.
Remember therin Also howe the ducke of Lankaster pryuily contryed all villany, to set them all together by the ears, and to make the nobilyty to Envy the kinge and mislyke of him and his gouernmentes, by which meanes he made his own sonn king, which was Henry Bullinbrocke.
Remember also howe the duke of Lankaster asked A wise man, wher him self should ever be kinge, And he told him no, but his sonn should be a kinge. And when he had told him, he hanged him vp for his labor, because he should not brute yt abrod or speke therof to others. This was a pollicie in the common wealthes opinion. But I sai yt was a villaines parte, and a Judas kisse to hange the man for telling him the truth. Beware by this Example of noble men, and of their fair wordes, & sai lyttle to them, lest they doe the like by thee for thy good will.
While this play doesn't sound nearly as cool as Shakespeare's, I do so wish it had survived! It sounds like fun. The bit about Evil!Gaunt amuses me especially. ;)
Since this was a King's Men play, there's a possibility Shakespeare may actually have acted in it (I'm not sure, based on the date; 1611 was around the time of his retirement). Can't you just picture him muttering "I did this so much better fifteen years ago"?
Forman has a lot of accounts of plays like this -- I xeroxed this one out of E.K. Chambers' William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems, and Chambers reproduces Forman's descriptions of plays by Shakespeare and related to Shakespeare. On the pages I copied there's also discussion of Macbeth, Cymbeline, and The Winter's Tale (iirc). In the Macbeth bit, "Macduff" is consistently spelled "MackDove," which makes me giggle. Though not as much as the bit about "the ducke of Lankaster" from the quote above. Naughty northern waterfowl!
And now I think I am off to attempt to find an Arden edition of King John. I need to reread that and Richard II this weekend for dissertatory purposes. Fun! :D
In Richard the 2 at the Glob 1611 the 30 of Aprill Tuesday
Remember therein howe Jack Straw by his overmoch boldnes, not being pollitick nor suspecting Anye thinge: was Soddenly at Smithfield Bars stabbed by Walworth the maior of London, & soe he and his wholle Army was overthrowen. Therfore in such a case or the like, never admit any party, without a bar betwen, for A man cannot be to wise, nor kepe him selfe to safe.
Also remember howe the duke of Gloster, the Erell of Arundell, Oxford and others, crossing the kinge in his humor, about the duke of Erland [i.e. Ireland] and Bushy, wer glad to fly and Raise an hoste of men, and beinge in his Castell, howe the d. of Erland cam by nighte to betray him with 300 men, but hauing pryuie warninge thereof kept his gates faste, And wold not suffer the Enimie to Enter, which went back Again with a flie in his eare, and after was slainte by the Errell of Arundell in the battell.
Remember also, when the duke and Arundell cam to London with their Army, king Richard came forth to them and met them and gaue them fair wordes, and promised them pardon and that all should be well yf they wold discharge their Army, vpon whose promises and faier Speaches they did yt, and Affter the king byd them all to A banket and soe betraid them And Cut of their heades, &c, because they had not his pardon vnder his hand & sealle before but his worde.
Remember therin Also howe the ducke of Lankaster pryuily contryed all villany, to set them all together by the ears, and to make the nobilyty to Envy the kinge and mislyke of him and his gouernmentes, by which meanes he made his own sonn king, which was Henry Bullinbrocke.
Remember also howe the duke of Lankaster asked A wise man, wher him self should ever be kinge, And he told him no, but his sonn should be a kinge. And when he had told him, he hanged him vp for his labor, because he should not brute yt abrod or speke therof to others. This was a pollicie in the common wealthes opinion. But I sai yt was a villaines parte, and a Judas kisse to hange the man for telling him the truth. Beware by this Example of noble men, and of their fair wordes, & sai lyttle to them, lest they doe the like by thee for thy good will.
While this play doesn't sound nearly as cool as Shakespeare's, I do so wish it had survived! It sounds like fun. The bit about Evil!Gaunt amuses me especially. ;)
Since this was a King's Men play, there's a possibility Shakespeare may actually have acted in it (I'm not sure, based on the date; 1611 was around the time of his retirement). Can't you just picture him muttering "I did this so much better fifteen years ago"?
Forman has a lot of accounts of plays like this -- I xeroxed this one out of E.K. Chambers' William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems, and Chambers reproduces Forman's descriptions of plays by Shakespeare and related to Shakespeare. On the pages I copied there's also discussion of Macbeth, Cymbeline, and The Winter's Tale (iirc). In the Macbeth bit, "Macduff" is consistently spelled "MackDove," which makes me giggle. Though not as much as the bit about "the ducke of Lankaster" from the quote above. Naughty northern waterfowl!
And now I think I am off to attempt to find an Arden edition of King John. I need to reread that and Richard II this weekend for dissertatory purposes. Fun! :D