SOME ACCOUNT OF JOHN WEBSTER AND HIS WRITINGS. SELDOM has the biographer greater cause to lament a deficiency of materials than when engaged on the life of any of our early dramatists. Among that illustrious band JOHN WEBSTER occupies a distinguished place; and yet so scanty is our information concerning him, that in the present essay I can do little more than enumerate his different productions, and adduce proof that he was not the author of certain prose-pieces which have been attributed to him. On the title-page of his Monuments of Honour, &c., 1624, Webster is styled "Merchant-Tailor; and in the Dedication to that pageant he describes himself as one born free of the Merchant-Tailors' Company." Hence Mr. Collier conjectures * "Which favours done to one born free of your company, and your servant," &c. See p. 364. That " 'your company" means the Merchant-Tailors' Company, is certain,-John Gore, whom Webster addresses, being "a right worthy brother" of that "fraternity." It was, of course, desirable that the Court-Books of the Merchant-Tailors' Company should be examined for the present work: and the important information, illustrative of personal history, which is afforded by wills, was too obvious not to cause a search to be made in Doctors'-Commons. But we cannot identify our poet with any of the Websters of whom notices have been there discovered. The following extracts from the Court-Book of Merchant-Tailors'-Company were made for me by the Clerk, 26th Dec. 1828, strangers, by a new regulation of the Company, not being allowed to inspect their documents : From Court-Book, vol. i. fol. 557 ; "Lune X° die decembris 1571. "Item Anne Sylver, Widdowe, pñted and made free John Webster her late Apprentise." From Court-Book, vol. ii. fol. 48; "Lune XX° die Januarij A° dm 1576. "Item John Palmer pñted John Webster his Apprtize and also made the saide Webster free." From Court-Book, vol. vi. fol. 633; "Lune Decimo Septimo die Novemb "Anno Dm 1617. "John Webster made free by Henry Clinckard his Mr." b that he was the son of the John Webster, Merchant-Tailor, to whom John and Edward Alleyn acknowledge themselves debtors in the following terms : "All men shall know by these presents that we, John Allein, cytysen and Inholder, of London, and Edward Allein, of London, gentleman, do owe and ar indebted unto John Webster, cytysen and merchauntayler of London, the somme of fyftene shyllynges of lawfull money of England, to be payed to the sayd John Webster, or his From Index-Book to Freemen ; "Webster Johes- Annam Silver, wid. 10 decembr 1571 There are no other entries about any John Webster between the years 1571 and 1617. The following memoranda are derived from the Prerogative Office : JOHN WEBSTER, clothworker, of London, made his will on the 5th August, 1625. He bequeaths to his sister, Jane Cheney, dwelling within seven miles of Norwich, 107., with remainder, if she died, to her children, and if they died, to his sister Elizabeth Pyssing; to whom he also left 107., with remainder to her children. To his sister, Anne Webstar, of Holand, in Yorkshire, the same sum, with remainder to her children. To his father-in-law, William Hattfield, of Whittington, in Derbyshire, 157., and to his four children 41. each. To his cousin, Peter Webstar, and his wife, dwelling in Doncaster, 40s. each. To his cousin, Peter Webstar, of Whittington, in Derbyshire, he gives 107., and if he died before it was paid, it was to be given to his brother, who was a protestant, "for I hear that one brother of my cousin Peter is a papist." To William Bradbury, of London, shoemaker, 5l. To Richard Matthew, his (the testator's) son-in-law, 167. He mentions his father-in-law, Mr. Thomas Farman. He gives his cousin, Edward Curtice, 17. 2s. To his cousin, Edward Curtis, son of Edward Curtis, senior, 31. He leaves the residue of his property to his brothers and sisters in law, by his wife; specially providing that Elizabeth Walker should be one. He constitutes Mr. Robert Aungel, and his cousin, Mr. Francis Ash, citizens, his executors; and his cousins, Curtis and Tayler, overseers of his will,-which was proved by his executors on the 7th October, 1625. JOHN WEBSTER, of St. Botolph's-without-Aldgate, citizen and tallow-chandler, of London, made his will on the 16th February, 1628, and orders by it, that his body should be buried in the churchyard of that parish, as near to his nephew, John Webster, as might be. To Katherine, his wife, he gives some freehold and copyhold lands in Clavering, in Essex, for life, with remainder to his nephew, James Webster; together with some property in Houndsditch, she paying 50s. quarterly to Mary Lee, wife of James Lee, of London, Merchant-Tailor. To his nephew, James Webster, he bequeaths lands in Sabridgeworth, in Herts, with two-thirds of his printed books, sword, pike, and other arms, when of full age, with reversion, if he died without heirs, to William Webster, alias Wilkinson. To his three sisters, Dorothy Wilkinson, Susan Nettleton, and Alice Brookes, his lands at Clavering, after the decease of his wife; they paying to Mary Wigge, Barbara Brend, Agnes Loveband, widow, and Clement Campe, his wife's four sisters, 41., each yearly. He afterwards describes the beforementioned William Webster, alias Wilkinson, as "the eldest son of my eldest sister, Dorothy Wilkinson, late wife of Richard Wilkinson, of Yorkshire." If the said William died without issue, the property so given him was to go to the testator's nephews, Thomas, son of Thomas Nettleton, and Edmund, son of Robert Brookes. He also mentions his nephew, Henry Wilkinson; his niece, Isabel Nettleton, then under age; his apprentice, John Wigge; his niece, Elizabeth Brend, and her father, George Brende: to the children of John Alderston, of Chelmsford, he gives 107. each; and to his cousin, Benjamin Crabtree, 21. : and directs that the beforementioned James Webster, when of age, shall surrender to Michael Wilkinson a close in Cawood, in Yorkshire, which was the testator's father's, and fell, by descent, to his (the testator's) brother, James Webster, who sold it to Michael Wilkinson. He appoints Mr. Thomas Overman, alderman and leatherseller, of London, the aforesaid John Alderston, and Thomas Santy, citizen and merchant-tailor, of London, overseers, and his wife Katherine, executrix, of his will, who proved it on the 12th Nov., 1641. It is evident that both these persons died without issue. assygnes, on the last day of September next insewinge the date hereof, wherto wee binde us, our heyres and assygnes, by these presentes. Subscrybed this xxvth day of July, 1591, and in the xxxiii of her Maties raygne. JOHN ALLEIN We are told that our poet was clerk of St. Andrew's, Holborn; and it is possible that during some period of his career he may have filled that office: but the statement rests on a comparatively late and questionable authority.+ From the researches of Mr. Collier we learn (presuming the person mentioned to be the dramatist) that he "resided in Holywell Street, among the actors," and that "Alice Webster, his daughter, was baptized at St. Leonard's on the 9th May, 1606." Mr. Collier adds; "If the following, from the same registers, relate to his marriage, it must have occurred when he was very young : 'Married. John Webster and Isabell Sutton, 25 July, 1590.' Our principal reason for thinking that it may refer to him is, that elsewhere in the register he is sometimes called merchant-tailor, a designation himself assumed in his City Pageant of 1624."+ Like several other of his contemporaries, he was perhaps an actor as well as a dramatist; but when, in a tract (hereafter to be mentioned) called Histrio-mastix, &c., Hall and his coadjutor speak of "Webster the quondam player," they appear to have used the word "player" as equivalent to "writer of plays." The following notices of Webster as a dramatist occur in Henslowe's Diary :— "Lent unto Wm Jube, the 3 of novmbr 1601, to bye stamell clothe for a clocke for the Gwisse-Webster "Lent unto the company, to lend the littell tayller, to bye fusthen and lynynge for the clockes for the masaker of France, the some of . "Lent unto the company, the 8 of novmbr 1601, to paye unto the littell tayller, upon his bell for mackyne of sewtes for the gwesse, the some of "Lent unto the companye, the 13 of novmbr 1601, to paye the litell tayllor, Radford, upon his bill for the Gwisse, the some of * The Alleyn Papers, &c., p. 14, ed. Shakespeare Soc. + "This Author [John Webster] was Clerk of St. Andrew's Parish in Holbourne," &c. Gildon`s Lives and Characters of the English Dram. Poets, 1698, p. 146.-I searched the registers of St. Andrew's Church, but the name of Webster did not occur in them; and I examined the MSS. belonging to the Parish-Clerks' Hall, in Wood-street, with as little success. Memoirs of the Principal Actors in the Plays of Shakespeare.—Introd. p. xxxii., ed. Shakespeare Soc. "Pd at the apoyntment of the companye, unto the littell tayller, in fulle payment of his Bille for the Gwisse, the 26 of novmbr 1601, some xxiiijs 60"* The play which Henslowe in the above entries calls The Guise or The Massacre of France, is mentioned by Webster himself, under the first title, as one of his "works."+ It has not come down to us; and therefore we cannot determine whether it was a rifaccimento of Marlowe's Massacre at Paris or an original piece :—I am strongly inclined to believe that it was the latter.-Again : "Lent unto the companye, the 22 of maij 1602, to geve unto Antoney Monday and Mihell Drayton, Webester, Mydelton and the Rest, in earneste of a Boocke called sesers Falle, the some of . yli "+ We are naturally curious to know how these combined poets treated a subject which employed the pen of Shakespeare; but Cæsar's Fall has perished.—Again : "Lent unto Thomas Downton, the 29 of maye 1602, to paye Thomas Dickers, Drayton, Mydellton, and Webester, and Mondaye, in fulle paymente for ther playe called too harpes [?], the some of iijli." § The Two Harpies (if such be the correct title, which is far from certain) no longer exists.-Again : "Lent unto Thomas Hewode and John Webster, the 2 of novmbr 1602, in earneste of a playe called Cyrssmas comes but once a yeare, the some of. iijli.” unto "Lent unto John Dewcke, the 23 of novmbr 1602, to paye harye chettell and Thomas Deckers, in pte of paymente of a playe called Crysmas comes but once a yeare, the some of . "Pd at the apoyntment of Thomas Hawode, the 26 of novmbr 1602, to harey chettell, in fulle paymente of a playe called Cryssmas comes but once a yeare, the some of 66 Layd owt for the companye, the 9 of novmbr [December?] 1602, to bye ij calleco sewtes and ij buckram sewtes, for the playe of Cryssmas comes but once a yeare, the some of . Sowld unto the companye, the 9 of desembr 1602, ij peces of cangable taffetie, to macke a womones gowne and a robe, for the playe of crysmas comes but once a year, some of Christmas comes but once a year is also lost.-In the same Diary, under October * Henslowe's Diary, pp. 202, 203, 204, ed. Shakespeare Soc. + Dedication to The Devil's Law-case,—p. 105. Henslowe's Diary, p. 221. § Id. p. 222. Il Id. pp. 243, 244, 245. |