[4] Alleyn, the founder of Dulwich College, was the leading actor of the Lord Admiral’s company; and, after the death of Tarlton in 1588, Kempe, who at a later period was of the same company with Shakespeare, bore the palm as an actor of comic parts.

The play is made up partly of allegorical personages, partly of historical; the chief of the latter being King Edgar, St. Dunstan, Ethenwald, Osrick, and his daughter Alfrida.  From reports of Alfrida’s beauty, Edgar gets so enamoured of her, that he sends Ethenwald, Earl of Cornwall, to court her for him.  The Earl, being already in love with the lady, wants to court her for himself.  Introduced by her father, his passion gets the better of his commission; he woos and wins her, and has her father’s consent.  On his return, he tells Edgar she will do very well for an earl, but not for a king:  Edgar distrusts his report, and goes to see for himself, when Ethenwald tries to pass off the kitchen-maid as Alfrida:  the trick is detected, Dunstan counsels forgiveness, and Edgar generously renounces his claim.  There is but one scene of “Kempe’s applauded merriments,” and this consists merely of a blundering dispute, whether a mock petition touching the consumption of ale shall be presented to the King by a cobbler or a smith.

As to the allegorical persons, it is worth noting that several of these have individual designations, as if the author had some vague ideas of representative character,—­that is, persons standing for classes, yet clothed with individuality,—­but lacked the skill to work them out.  Such is the Bailiff of Hexham, who represents the iniquities of local magistrates.  He has four sons,—­Walter, representing the frauds of farmers; Priest, the sins of the clergy; Coney-catcher, the tricks of cheats; and Perin, the vices of courtiers.  Besides these, we have Honesty, whose business it is to expose crimes and vices.  The Devil makes his appearance several times, and, when the old Bailiff dies, carries him off.  At last, Honesty exposes the crimes of all classes to the King, who has justice done on their representatives.—­The piece is in blank-verse, and in respect of versification shows considerable improvement on the specimens hitherto noticed.

SHAKESPEARE’S CONTEMPORARIES.

* * * * *

Touching the general state of the Drama a few years before Shakespeare took hold of it, our information is full and clear, not only in the specimens that have survived, but in the criticisms of contemporary writers.  A good deal of the criticism, however, is so mixed up with personal and polemical invective, as to be unworthy of much credit.  George Whetstone, in the dedication of his Promos and Cassandra, published in 1578, tells us:  “The Englishman in this quality is most vain, indiscreet, and out of order.  He first grounds his work on impossibilities; then in three hours he runs through the world, marries,