Representative English Comedies, Vol. 3
With Introductory Essays and Notes (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Representative English Comedies, Vol. 3: With Introductory Essays and Notes<br><br>In the second volume of this series the comedy of Jonson and others was considered. In this the history of the type is continued to the closing of the theatres in 1642, and six of the plays written by Shakespeare's later contemporaries are presented and discussed. Those of Dekker, Massinger, and Brome, since they were published during the lifetime of the authors, are reproduced from the original quartos. Those, on the other hand, of Middleton and Rowley, and Fletcher, which found their way into print only after their authors were dead, are, in conformity with the rule adopted for the series, presented in critical texts based upon collation of the quartos with other early editions; and, for reasons set forth by Sir A. W. Ward in his edition of Shirley's Royal Master, the same treatment has been accorded to that play. Neither The Royal Master nor Brome's Antipodes has been more than once before republished. They will, I think, be welcomed by the general reader, for the earlier editions are not always readily obtainable.<br><br>The next volume of this series, now well under way, will present the comedy of the Restoration. In reading the proofs of plays in this volume I have been assisted by my colleague, Dr. G. A. Smithson; and I return my hearty thanks.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.