He was buried in the New Churchyard near Bedlam on the 4th of September.* Of his personal appearance we are enabled to form some idea. Chettle thus describes him: "With him was the fifth, a man of indifferent yeares, of face amible, of body well proportioned, his attire after the habite of a schollerlike Gentleman, onely his haire was somewhat long, whome I supposed to be Robert Greene, maister of Artes."-Kindharts Dreame, n. d. [1592] Sig. B 3. Harvey notices "his fonde disguisinge of a Master of Arte with ruffianly haire."+ -Fovre Letters and Certaine Sonnets, &c. 1592.—And Nash informs us, that " a iolly long red peake like the spire of a steeple hee cherisht continually without cutting, whereat a man might hang a lewell, it was so sharpe and pendant." -Strange Newes, &c. 1592, Sig. E 4. Soon after Greene's decease, appeared his celebrated tract, A Groatsworth of Wit bought with a million of Repentance, 1592; and that it is a genuine production admits of no doubt. Large specimens of this interesting piece, as illustrative of our author's life, have been already given (see p. xxiv. et sq.): and I now extract the very striking and impressive Address to his brother play-wrights, with which it concludes: See the extract from Harvey (note p. lxxiv.) where mention is made of" hys buriall yesterday:" Harvey's letter is dated Sept. 5th. + Harvey taunts Nash with wearing the same unseemly superfluity; "Methinkes the raunging Eyes vnder that long haire, (which some would call ruffianly haire) should scarsely yet be bathed in the heauenly Teares of Christ, or washed in the diuine Teares of Penitence." A New Letter of Notable Contents, 1593. Sig C 4. There is an allusion in this sentence to a work by Nash entitled Christ's Teares ouer Ierusalem, 1593. Henry Chettle (a fertile dramatic writer, though very few of his plays have come down to us, or were perhaps ever printed) in the Address to the Gentlemen Readers, prefixed to his KindHarts Dreame. Conteining fiue Apparitions, with their Inuectiues against abuses raigning. Deliuered by seuerall Ghosts vnto him to be publisht, after Piers Penilesse Post had refused the carriage. n. d. [1592.] says; "To those Gentlemen his Quondam acquaintaince, that spend their wits in making Playes, R. G. wisheth a better exercise, and wisedome to preuent his extremities. "If wofull experience may mooue you (Gentlemen) to beware, or vnheard of wretchednes intreat you to take heed: I doubt not but you will look backe with sorrow on your time past, and endeuour with repentance to spend that which is to come. Wonder not, (for with thee will I first beginne) thou famous gracer + of Tragedians, that Green, who hath said with thee like the foole in his heart, There is no God, should now giue glorie vnto his greatnesse: for penetrating is his power, his hand lyes heauy vpon me, he hath spoken vnto me with a voyce of thunder, and I haue left, [felt] he is a God that can punish enemies. Why should thy excellent wit, his gift be so blinded, that thou shouldest giue no glory to the Giuer? Is it pestilent Machiuilian policie that thou hast studied? O punish [qy. brutish] follie! What are his rules but meere confused mockeries, able to extirpate in small time, the generation of mankinde. For if Sic volo, sic iubeo, holde in those that are able to commaund: and if it be lawfull Fas et Nefas, to doo any thing that is beneficiall; onely Tyrants should possesse the Earth, and they striuing "I had onely in the copy this share, it [the Groatsworth of Wit] was il written, as sometime Greenes hand was none of the best, licensd it must be, ere it could bee printed, which could neuer be if it might not be read. To be briefe I writ it ouer, and as neare as I could, followed the copy, onely in that letter [-to his brother poets-] I put something out, but in the whole booke not a worde in, for I protest it was all Greenes, not mine nor Maister Nashes, as some uniustly haue affirmed.” Nash was very angry at the report of its being written by him: "Other Newes I am aduertised of, that a scald triuiall lying pamphlet, cald Greens Groats-worth of wit, is giuen out to be of my doing. God neuer haue care of my soule, but vtterly renounce me if the least word or sillable in it proceeded from my pen, or if I were any way priuie to the writing or printing of it."-Epistle from the Author to the Printer, before Pierce Pennilesse his Supplication to the Diuell, ed. 1595. * I quote from the edition of 1617. + Christopher Marlowe. to exceed in tiranny, should ech to other be a slaughter man till the mightyest out-liuing all, one stroke were left for Death, that in one age mans life should end. The Brother [qy. broacher] of this Dyabolicall Atheisme* is dead, and in his life had neuer the felicitie he aymed at: but as he beganne in craft, liued in feare, and ended in dispaire. Quam inscrutabilia sunt Dei iudicia! This murderer of many Brethren, had his conscience seared like Cayne: this betrayer of him that gaue his life for him, inherited the portion of Judas: this Apostata perished as ill as Julian: and wilt thou my Friend, be his Disciple? Looke vnto mee, by him persuaded to that Libertie, and thou shalt finde it an Infernall-bondage. I know the least of my demerits merit this miserable death, but wilfull striuing against knowne truth, exceedeth all the terrors of my soule. Deferre not (with mee) till this last point of extremitie: for little knowest thou how in the end thou shalt be visited. “With thee I ioyne young Juuenall,† that byting Satyrist, that lastly with mee together writ a Comedie. Sweet Boy, might I aduise thee, be aduised, and get not many enemies by bitter words: inueigh against vaine men, for thou canst doo it, no man better, no man so well: thou hast a libertie to reproue all, and name none : for one being spoken to, all are offended, none beeing blamed, no man is iniuried. Stop shallow water still running, it will rage, tread on a worme, and it will turne: then blame not Schollers who are vexed with sharpe and bitter Lines, if they reprooue thy too much liberty of reproofe. "And thou no lesse deseruing then the other two, in some things rarer, in nothing inferiour, driuen (as myselfe) to extreame shifts, a little haue I to say to thee: and were it not an idolatrous oath, I would sweare by sweet S. George, thou art vnworthy better hap, sith thou dependest on so meane a stay. Base minded men all three of you, if by my * Probably Francis Kett, A. M. of Wimondham in Norfolk, who was bred at Bennet College in Cambridge, and was chosen fellow 1573. In February 1589 he was burnt at Norwich for holding detestable opinions against Christ.”—MS. note by Malone. + Thomas Lodge. George Peele. misery yee bee not warned: for vnto none of you (like me) sought those burs to cleaue; those Puppits (I meane) that speake from our mouths, those Anticks garnisht in our colours. Is it not strange that I to whome they all have bin beholding is it not like that you, to whom they all haue bin beholding, shall (were yee in that case that I am now) be both of them at once forsaken? Yes trust them not: for there is an vpstart Crow* beautified with our Feathers, that with his Tygres heart, wrapt in a Players hyde, supposes hee is as well able to bombast out a Blanke verse, as the best of you and beeing an absolute Iohannes fac totum, is in his owne conceyt the onely Shake-scene in a Countrey. Oh that I might intreat your rare wittes to bee imployed in more profitable courses: and let these Apes imitate your past By the "Crow beautified with our Feathers," and "the only Shake-scene in a Countrey," it is evident that Greene alludes to Shakespeare, whose earliest works, alterations of the dramas of his predecessors, were now attracting the attention of the public, and exciting the jealousy of the established play-wrights. It is well known that The Second and Third Parts of his Henry VIth are founded on two old pieces entitled The First Part of the Contention of the Two famous Houses of Yorke and Lancaster, &c. and The true Tragedie of Richarde Duke of Yorke, &c. and that in the First Part of the Contention, &c. and also in the Third Part of Henry VIth occurs the line "O tiger's heart, wrapt in a woman's hide," which Greene here parodies" with his Tygres heart, wrapt in a Players hyde." It has been therefore concluded that Greene or some of the friends whom he now addresses, must have had a share in the composition of The First Part of the Contention, &c., and The true Tragedie, &c. In Greene's Funerals, by R. B. 1594, are the following lines, which seem to have been suggested by the passage in the Address which we are now considering; "Greene is the pleasing Obiect of an eie : Greene pleasde the eies of all that lookt vppon him. Purloynde his Plumes, can they deny the same?" Sig. C. It has been already shewn by a quotation from the preface to Kind-harts Dreame (see p. lxxix. note) that Chettle was the VOL. I. Excellence, and neuer more acquaynte them with your admyred Inuentions. I knowe the best husband of you all will neuer prooue an Usurer, and the kindest of them all will neuer proove a kinde Nurse: yet whilst you may, seeke you better Maisters: for it is pitty men of such rare wits should bee subiect to the pleasures of such rude groomes. "In this I might insert two more, that both haue writte against these buckram Gentlemen: but let their owne worke serue to witnesse against theyr owne wickednesse, if they perseuer to maintaine any more such peasants. For other new commers, I leaue them to the mercie of these painted monsters, who (I doubt not) will driue the best minded to despise them for the rest, it skils not though they make a ieast at them. "But now returne I again to you three, knowing my miserie is to you no newes: and let me heartilie intreate you to be warned by my harmes. Delight not (as I haue done) in irreligious oaths, for from the blasphemers house, a curse shall not depart: Despise drunkennes, which wasteth the wit, and making [maketh] men all equall vnto beasts: Flie editor of the Groats-Worth of Wit, which, as Greene's handwriting was bad, he had copied out for the press, his only deviation from the original MS. being the omission of something in this Address. From the same preface it appears that "one or two" of the persons pointed at in the Address were offended by the allusions to them, and suspected that they were the forgeries of Greene's editor. There can be no doubt that in the following passage Chettle is speaking of Marlowe and Shakespeare. With neither of them that take offence was I acquainted, and with one of them [Marlowe] I care not if I neuer be: The other [Shakespeare] whome at that time I did not so much spare, as since I wish I had, for that as I haue moderated the heate of liuing writers, and might haue vsde my owne discretion (especially in such a case) the Author beeing dead, that I did not, I am as sory, as if the originall fault had beene my fault, because my selfe haue seene his demeanour no lesse ciuill than he exclent in the qualitie he professes: Besides, diuers of worship haue reported, his vprightnes of dealing, which argues his honesty, and his facetious grace in writting, that approoues his Art. For the first, whose learning I reuerence, and at the perusing of Greenes Booke, stroke out what then in conscience I thought he in some displeasure writ: or had it beene true, yet to publish it, was intollerable: him I would wish to vse me no worse than I deserue." |