SONGS FROM THE DRAMATISTS. NICHOLAS UDALL. 1505-1556. [NICHOLAS UDALL, descended from Peter Lord Uvedale and Nicholas Udall, constable of Winchester Castle in the reign of Edward III.,* was born in Hampshire in 1505 or 1506, admitted scholar of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 1520, and became probationary fellow 1524, but did not obtain his master's degree for ten years afterwards, in consequence of his known attachment to the doctrines of Luther. His first literary work was a pageant in Latin and English, exhibited by the mayor and citizens of London, to celebrate the entrance of Anne Bullen into the city after her marriage. This was written in 1532, in conjunction with Leland, the antiquary, with whom he had formed a friendship at Oxford. In 1534, having acquired a high reputation for scholarship, he was appointed head master of Eton. His severity in this capacity rendered him odious to the pupils, and has been specially recorded by Tusser, who says that Udall inflicted fifty-three stripes upon him 'for fault but small, or none at all.' Udall continued at Eton till 1541, when he was brought before the council at Westminster, on a charge of having been concerned with two of the scholars and a servant * Communicated to the Gentleman's Magazine, v. lxxx. p. 11. by Robert Uvedale, in reply to the inquiries of Dr. Mavor, then making collections for his edition of Tusser. † See the poetical life added by Tusser to his poems. THE DRAMATISTS. of his own in a robbery of silver images and plate which had taken place at the college. There seems to be little doubt of his guilty knowledge of the transaction, if not of actual complicity in the theft, for he was dismissed from the mastership, and applied in vain to be restored. No further proceedings, however, were taken against him. From this time he devoted himself to literature, and took a leading part in the discussions against Popery. His great learning, and the services he rendered to religion by his controversial writings and his eloquence in the pulpit, were rewarded by his presentation to a stall at Windsor in 1551, and his nomination to the parsonage of Calborne, in the Isle of Wight, two years afterwards. These preferments in the church were not considered inconsistent with the encouragement of his skill as a dramatic writer; and in 1553 and 1554 he was ordered to prepare an entertainment for the feast of the coronation of Queen Mary, -Dialogues and Interludes to be performed at court. About this time he was appointed head master of Westminster school, which he held till 1556, when the monastery was re-established in the November of that year. He died in the following month, and was buried at St. Margaret's.* It had long been supposed that Gammer Gurton's Needle was the first regular English comedy. This supposition rested on the authority of Wright, the author of the Historia Histrionica. But the discovery, in 1818, of a copy of Ralph Roister Doister, printed in 1566 (curiously enough the year in which Gammer Gurton's Needle was acted), transferred the precedence to Nicholas Udall. At what time Udall wrote this play is not known. The earliest reference to it occurs in Wilson's Rule of Reason, printed in 1551. From a contemporary allusion in the play to a certain ballad-maker, also alluded to by Skelton, who died in 1533, *These particulars are chiefly derived from Mr. W. Durrant Cooper's careful memoir prefixed to the edition of Ralph Roister Doister, reprinted by the Shakespeare Society, from the unique copy in Eton College. The memoir may be consulted for a further account of Udall's works. Mr. Collier conjectures that the comedy was a youthful production.* This is extremely probable; although the evidence is not decisive, as the ballad-maker alluded to might have survived, and maintained his notoriety many years after the death of Skelton. However that may be, the claim of this comedy to be considered the first in our language is indisputable. It must have preceded Gammer Gurton's Needle by at least fifteen years; and, being at that period so well known as to be quoted by Wilson, we may reasonably assign it to a much earlier date. The comedy is written in rhyme, and divided into acts and scenes. The action takes place in London, and the plot, constructed with a surprising knowledge of stage art, affords ample opportunity for the development of a variety of characters. The copy discovered in 1818 wants the titlepage, but is presumed to have borne the date of 1566, as in that year Thomas Hackett had a license to print it. In 1818 a limited reprint was made by the Rev. Mr. Briggs, who deposited the original in the library of Eton College. There was a singular propriety,' observes Mr. Collier, 'in presenting it to Eton College, as Udall had been master of the school;' a circumstance which was entirely fortuitous, Mr. Briggs not being acquainted even with the name of the author. It was reprinted in 1821 and 1830, and lastly by the Shakespeare Society in 1847.] RALPH ROISTER DOISTER. THE WORK-GIRLS' SONG.† PIPE, merry Annot; Trilla, Trilla, Trillarie. Work, Tibet; work, Annot; work, Margerie; *His. En. Dram. Poetry, ii. 246. To make this lively round intelligible, the reader should be informed that it is sung by three sewing girls, who are variously em Pipe, merry Annot; What, Tibet! what, Annot! what, Margerie ! Pipe, merry Annot; Trilla, Trilla, Trillarie. Now Tibet, now Annot, now Margerie; Pipe, merry Annot; Trilla, Trilla, Trillarie. When, Tibet? when, Annot? when, Margerie? I will not, I can not, -no more can I; Then give we all over, and there let it lie! ployed, as indicated in the first stanza. The stage directions at the opening of the scene describe their several occupations: 'Madge Mumblecrust spinning on the distaff-Tibet Talkative sewing-Annot Alyface knitting.' After some idle clatter, in which they are joined by the hair-brained Roister Doister, they agree to sing a song, to beguile the time and help them on in their work. Annot. Let all these matters pass, and we three sing a song; Tibet. Sing on then by and by. * Mastery, superior skill. |