Appendix XVIII. Alliteration In Massinger

The art with which Massinger employs alliteration escapes all but the most careful perusal; but once noticed, it attracts attention as one of his favourite expedients. Perhaps the best way to exemplify its use is to give a complete collection of instances from one of the plays: I take for this purpose The Unnatural Combat.

Appendix XIX

By the kindness of Mr. Edmund Gosse I have been enabled to examine and collate the manuscript notes in copies of the first quartos of the following plays in his possession: The Duke of Milan, The Bondman, The Roman Actor, The Renegado, The Picture, The Fatal Dowry, The Emperor of the East, The Maid of Honour. The dates of these quartos range from 1623 to 1632. The poet Swinburne had no doubt that the manuscript notes were due to Massinger himself; the resemblance of the handwriting is certainly indubitable, but as we have no other evidence than that of the corrections themselves, we are forced to be content with the conclusion that the insertions are of a contemporary date. I take the plays in the above order.

The Duke of Milan

V., 2, 203.—Forza. S. inserted before F. (So infra, 218, 234, 256.)

At the end of the play occurs a symbol M which might represent the poet's initial.

All these corrections are manifestly right, except possibly III., 3, 135 and IV., 1, 21. The addition in IV., 2, 140, though not especially appropriate to the situation, presents us with a type of line much favoured by Massinger.

I have compared the Malone quarto in the Bodleian Library and find that the mistakes are identical. In other words, The Roman Actor was carelessly printed. Nearly all the corrections made, alike of sense and punctuation, are improvements. The emendation at IV., 2, 28 reads like one made by the author. On the other hand, a careful study of IV., 2, 127 will reveal the fact that the writer's sense has been mistaken, and the omission of “grim” in IV., 2, 242 spoils the rhythm. The curious thing is that the play is full of misprints, which have not been corrected—e.g., III., 2, 143, Anaxerete (and in several other lines); line 154, “Epethite,” for “epithet”; 258, Heccuba. Take again IV., 2, 181: An e is inverted and not corrected; 188, “bttchered” stands for “butchered”; and 189, “lacriledge” for “sacrilege.”

III., 3, 89 reads like an author's emendation. On the other hand, the alteration in IV., 1, 114 is not in Massinger's style.

Here it will be noted that two good emendations are made—I., 1, 53 and II., 2, 103. On the other hand, no notes are made on the last three acts: such a misprint as “ijgobobs” in V., 3, 161 escaping comment.

The corrections in this play are nearly all good: thus the metre is restored at I., 2, 178, and III., 2, 93, and improved in III., 4, 132. V., 3, 85 is an excellent emendation. On the other hand, I do not think the author would have made such a stupid mistake as the one found at IV., 1, 14, for Chrysapius is there addressing the Empress, about Pulcheria.

The Maid of Honour

Nil.

Note by Mr. Edmund Gosse.