But Shirley’s, though the most complete, was not the earliest attempt at placing Sir Philip’s romance upon the boards.  As long before as 1605 was acted Day’s Isle of Gulls, a farcical and no doubt highly topical play, which is equally founded on the Arcadia, though it follows the story far less closely.  Day’s title was probably suggested by Nashe’s Isle of Dogs, a satirical play performed in 1597, which brought its author into trouble, but if it deserves Mr. Bullen’s epithet of ‘attractive,’ it must be admitted that it is almost the only part of the play to which that epithet can be applied.  Day was in no wise concerned to maintain the polished and artificial dignity of the original; his satiric purpose indeed called for a very different treatment.  The Isle of Gulls is a comedy of the broadest and lowest description, almost uniformly lacking in charm, notwithstanding a certain skill of dramatization, and the occurrence of passages which are good enough of their kind.  It will easily be conceived that a highly ideal and romantic plot treated in the manner of the realistic farce of low life may offer great opportunities of satiric effect; but it must have made the courtly Sidney turn in his grave to see his gracious puppets debased into the vulgar rogues and trulls of the lower-class London drama.  Day in no wise sought to hide his indebtedness, but on the contrary acknowledged in the Induction that his argument is but ’a little string or Rivolet, drawne from the full streine of the right worthy Gentleman, Sir Phillip Sydneys well knowne Archadea.’  The chief differences between the play and its source are as follows.  Basilius and Gynetia—­as Day writes the name—­are duke and duchess of Arcadia[294]—­near which, apparently, the island is situated—­Philoclea and Pamela become Violetta and Hipolita, Pyrocles and Musidorus appear as Lisander and Demetrius, Philanax and Calander from being lords of the court become captains of the castles guarding the island, and Dametas comes practically to occupy the post of Lord Chamberlain.  Among the more important characters Euarchus disappears and Aminter and Julio, rivals of the princes in the ladies’ loves, are added, as also Manasses, ‘scribe-major’ to Dametas.  When the princes have at last prevailed upon their loves to elope with them, and tricked as before their various guardians into leaving the coast clear, they are in their turn persuaded to leave the ladies in the charge of their disguised rivals, who, of course, secure them as their prizes.  Thus the gulling is singularly complete all round, not least among the gulled being the audience, whose sympathy has been carefully enlisted on the princes’ behalf.  The last scene, in which all the characters forgather from their various ludicrous occupations, is, as might be expected, one of considerable confusion, which is rendered all the more confounded by frequent errors in the speakers’ names, which remain in spite of the labours of Day’s editor.[295]