follows, and only discovers his misadventure at the beginning of Act V.[1] Even if the play was staged as a whole on public theatre methods, it is difficult not to suppose that the two entrances to the cave, at Cirta and in the forest, were shown together. It is to be added that, in a note to the print, Marston apologizes for 'the fashion of the entrances' on the ground that the play was 'presented by youths and after the fashion of the private stage'. Somewhat exceptional also is the arrangement of Eastward Ho!, in which Chapman, Jonson, and Marston collaborated. The first three acts, taken by themselves, are easy enough. They need four houses in London. The most important is Touchstone's shop, which is 'discovered'.[2] The others are the exteriors of Sir Petronel's house and Security's house, with a window or balcony above, and a room in the Blue Anchor tavern at Billingsgate.[3] But throughout most of Act IV the whole stage seems to be devoted to a complicated action, for which only one of these houses, the Blue Anchor, is required. A place above the stage represents Cuckold's Haven, on the Surrey side of the Thames near Rotherhithe, where stood a pole bearing a pair of ox-horns, to which butchers did a folk-observance. Hither climbs Slitgut, and describes the wreck of a boat in the river beneath him.[4] It is the boat in which an elopement was planned from the Blue Anchor in Act III. Slitgut sees; Goulding and Mildred sitting on eyther side of the stall'.]
- ↑ Soph. IV. i, 'Enter Sophonisba and Zanthia, as out of a cave's mouth' . . . (44) 'Through the vaut's mouth, in his night-gown, torch in his hand, Syphax enters just behind Sophonisba'. . . . (126) 'Erichtho enters' . . . (192) 'Infernal music, softly' . . . (202) 'A treble viol and a base lute play softly within the canopy' . . . (212) 'A short song to soft music above' . . . (215) 'Enter Erichtho in the shape of Sophonisba, her face veiled, and hasteth in the bed of Syphax' . . . (216) 'Syphax hasteneth within the canopy, as to Sophonisba's bed' . . . (V. i. 1) 'Syphax draws the curtains, and discovers Erichtho lying with him' . . . (24) 'Erichtho slips into the ground' . . . (29) 'Syphax kneels at the altar' . . . (40) 'Out of the altar the ghost of Asdrubal ariseth'. There is no obvious break in IV. Erichtho promises to bring Sophonisba with music, and says 'I go' (181), although there is no Exit. We must suppose Syphax to return to his chamber through the vault either here or after his soliloquy at 192, when the music begins.
- ↑ E. Ho!, I. i. 1, 'Enter Maister Touch-stone and Quick-silver at severall dores. . . . At the middle dore, enter Golding, discovering a gold-smiths shoppe, and walking short turns before it'; II. i. 1, 'Touchstone, Quick-*silver[cf above and below, but Touchstone diff
- ↑ At the end of II. ii, which is before Security's, with Winifred 'above' (241), Quicksilver remains on the stage, for II. iii, before Petronel's. The tavern is first used in III. iii, after which III. iv, of one 7-line speech only, returns to Security's and ends the act. Billingsgate should be at some little distance from the other houses.
- ↑ E. Ho!, IV. i. 1, 'Enter Slitgut, with a paire of oxe hornes, discovering Cuckolds-Haven above'.
