The new plays completed during 1599-1600, twenty in all, were:
The Gentle Craft (Dekker).[1]
Bear a Brain (Dekker).[2]
Page of Plymouth (Dekker and Jonson).
Robert II, or, The Scot's Tragedy (Chettle, Dekker, Jonson, and Marston).[3]
The Stepmother's Tragedy (Chettle and Dekker).
1 Sir John Oldcastle (Drayton, Hathway, Munday, and Wilson).
Cox of Collumpton (Day and Haughton).
2 Henry Richmond (Wilson).
2 Sir John Oldcastle (Drayton, Hathway, Munday, and Wilson).
Patient Grissell (Chettle, Dekker, and Haughton).
The Whole History of Fortunatus (Dekker).
Thomas Merry, or, Beech's Tragedy (Day and Haughton).
Jugurtha (Boyle).[4]
The Seven Wise Masters (Chettle, Day, Dekker, and Haughton).
Ferrex and Porrex (Haughton).
Cupid and Psyche, or, The Golden Ass (Chettle, Day, and Dekker).
Damon and Pythias (Chettle).
Strange News out of Poland (Haughton and Pett).
1 Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green (Chettle and Day).
1 Fair Constance of Rome (Dekker, Drayton, Hathway, Munday, and Wilson).
'. Dr. Greg resists the
fairly reasonable identification of 'M^r Maxton the new poete' with the 'other Jentellman'. All the payments are called earnests, but the total is £6 10s. and therefore the play probably existed.]
- ↑ The only entry is of 15 July 'to bye a boocke', but the hiatus in the
manuscript probably conceals earlier payments. - ↑ Here also the hiatus has only left an entry of £2 'in full payment'
on 1 Aug. Dr. Greg, however, would identify Bear a Brain and The
Gentle Craft. - ↑ The entries are as follows: 2 Sept., 'Thomas Deckers Bengemen
Johnson Hary Chettell & other Jentellman in earneste of a playe calle
Robart the second kinge of Scottes tragedie'; 15 Sept., 'in earneste
of a boocke called the Scottes tragedi vnto Thomas Dickers & Harey
Chettell'; 16 Sept., 'Hary Chettell . . . in earneste of a boocke called
the Scottes tragedie'; 27 Sept., 'Bengemen Johnsone in earneste of
a boocke called the Scottes tragedie'; 28 Sept., 'vnto M^r Maxton the
new poete in earneste of a boocke called [blank - ↑ 'Lent vnto me W Birde the 9 of Februarye to paye for a new booke
to Will Boyle cald Jugurth xxx^s which if you dislike Ile repaye it back.'
The price is the lowest ever entered for a 'new' book. Mr. Fleay's suggestion
that Will Bird, who already had one alias in Will Borne, was also
himself Will Boyle, is one of those irresponsible guesses by which he has
done so much to make hay of theatrical history.
