A THOMAS DECKER, Poet who lived in the reign of King James 1. and as he was cotemporary with Ben Johnfon, fo he became more eminent by having a quarrel with that great man, than by all his works. Decker was but an indifferent poet, yet even in those days he wanted not his admirers; he had alfo friends among the poets; one of whom, Mr. Richard Brome, always called him Father; but it is the misfortune of little wits, that their admirers are as inconfiderable as themselves, for Brome's applaufes confer no great honour on those who enjoy them. Our author joined with Webster in writing three plays, and with Rowley and Ford in another; and Langbaine afferts, that these plays in which he only contributed a part, far exceed thofe of his own compofitiHe has been concerned in eleven plays, eight whereof are of his own writing, of all which I fhall give an account in their alphabetical order. on. I. Fortunatus, a comedy, printed originally in 4to. but with what fuccefs, or when acted, I cannot gain any account. II. Honest Whore, the firft part; a comedy, with the humours of the Patient Man, and the Longing Wife, acted by the Queen's Servants, 1635. III. Honeft Whore, the fecond part, a comedy; with the humours of the Patient Man, the Impatient Wife; the Honeft Whore perfuaded by ftrong arguments to turn Courtezan again; her refufing those arguments, and laftly the comical paffage of an Italian bridewel, where the fcene ends. Printed in 4to. London 1630. This play Langbaine thinks was never exhibited, neither is it divided into acts. IV. If this be not a good play the devil is in it; a comedy, acted with great applause by the Queen's majefty's fervants, at the Red-Bull, and dedicated to the actors. The beginning of this play feems to be writ in imitation of Machiavel's novel of Belphegor, where Pluto fummons the Devils to council. Match Match me in London, a Tragi-Comedy, often presented, first at the Bull's-head in St. John's-street, and then at a private house in Drury-lane, called the Phoenix, printed in 4to. in 1631. VI. Northward Ho, a comedy, often acted by the children of Paul's, printed in 4to. London, 1607. This play was writ by our author and John Webster. VII. Satyromaftix, or the untruffing the humourous poet, a comical fatire, prefented publickly by the Lord Chamberlain's fervants, and privately by the children of Paul's, printed in 4t0, 1602, and dedicated to the world. This play was writ on the occafion of Ben Johnson's Poetafter, for fome account of which fee the Life of Johnson. VIII. Weftward Ho, * a comedy, often acted by the children of Paul's, and printed in 4to. 1607; written by our author and Mr. Webster. IX. Whore of Babylon, an history acted by the prince's fervants, and printed in 4to. London 1607. The defign of this play, by feigned names, is to fet forth the admirable virtues of queen Elizabeth; and the dangers the escaped by the happy discovery of those designs against her facred perfon by the Jefuits and bigotted Papifts. X. Wyatt's Hiftory, a play faid to be writ by him and Webster, and printed in 4to. The fubject of this play is Sir Thomas Wyat of Kent, who made an infurrection in the first year of Queen Mary, to prevent her match with Philip of Spain. Befides these plays he joined with Rowley and Ford in a play called, The Witch of Edmonton, of which fee Rowley. There are four other plays afcribed to our author, in which he is faid by Mr. Phillips and Winstanley. to be an affociate with John Webster, viz. Noble Stranger; New Trick to cheat the Devil; Weakest *This was revived in the year 1751, at Drury-lane theatre on the Lord Mayor's day, in the room of the London Cuckolds, which is now difcontinued at that house. H 5 goes goes to the Wall; Woman will have her Will; in all which Langbaine afferts they are mistaken, for the first was written by Lewis Sharp, and the other by anonymous authors. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER WERE ERE two famous dramatists in the reign of James I. These two friends were so closely united as authors, and are so jointly concerned in the applaufes and cenfures bestowed upon their plays, that it cannot be thought improper to connect their lives under one article. Mr. FRANCIS BEAUMONT Was defcended from the ancient family of his name, feated at Grace dieu in Leicesterfhire, * and was born about the year 1585 in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. His grandfather, John Beaumont, was Mafter of the Rolls, and his father Francis Beaumont, one of the Judges of the Common Pleas. Our poet had his education at Cambridge, † but of what college we are not informed, nor is it very material to know. We find him afterwards admitted a student in the Inner-Temple, but we have no account of his making any proficiency in the law, which is a circumstance attending almost all the poets who were bred to that profeffion, which few men of fprightly genius care to be confined to. Before he was thirty years of age he di ed, in 1615, and was buried the ninth of the fame month in the entrance of St. Benedictine's Chapel, *Jacob's Lives of the Poets. † Wood. within within St. Peter's Weftminfter. We meet with no infcription on his tomb, but there are two epitaphs writ on him, one by his elder brother Sir John. Beaumont, and the other by Bishop Corbet. That by his brother is pretty enough, and is as follows: On Death, thy murderer, this revenge I take :. Mifcounted years, and measured age by fame. move. Our poet left behind him one daughter, Mrs. Frances Beaumont, who lived to a great age and died in Leicestershire fince the year 1700. She bad been poffeffed of feveral poems of her father's writing, but they were loft at fea in her voyage from Ireland, where he had lived fometime in the Duke of Ormond's family. Befides the plays in which Beaumont was jointly concerned with Fletcher, he writ a little dramatic pieçe entitled, A Mafque of Grays-Inn Gentlemen, and the Inner-Temple; a poetical epiftle to Ben Johnson; verfes to his friend Mr. John Fletcher, upon his faithful Shepherd, and other poems printed together in 1653, 8vo. That paftoral which was written by Fletcher alone, having met with but an indifferent reception, Beaumont addreffed the following copy of verfes to him on that occafion, in which he reprefents the hazard of writing for the stage, and fatirizes the audience for H 6 want want of judgment, which, in order to fhew his verfification I shall infert. Why fhould the man, whofe wit ne'er had a ftain, Upon the public stage present his vein, One company, knowing thy judgment Jack, 1 Between the acts will censure the whole play; Mr. Beaumont was esteemed fo accurate a judge of plays, that Ben Johnson, while he lived, fubmitted all his writings to his cenfures; and it is thought, ufed his judgment in correcting, if not contriving moft of his plots. Mr. JOHN FLETCHER 7 Was fon of Dr. Richard Fletcher, Lord Bishop of London, and was born in Northamptonshire in the year 1576. He was educated at Cambridge, probably at Burnet-college, to which his father was by his laft will and teftament a benefactor*. He wrote plays jointly with Mr. Beaumont, and Wood Langbaine's Lives of the Poets. fays, |