Shakspeare and His Times [Vol. 2 of 2] Including the Biography of the Poet; criticisms on his genius and writings; a new chronology of his plays; a disquisition on the on the object of his sonnets; and a history of the manners, customs, and amusements, superstitions, poetry, and elegant literature of his age

scene 3., ii. 275.

Chapter 501,230 wordsPublic domain

_Periwigs_, when introduced into England, ii. 93.

_Petowe_ (Henry), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 696.

_Pett_ (Peter), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 696.

_Pewter_, a costly article in the age of Shakspeare, ii. 118.

_Phillip_ (John), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 696.

_Phiston_ (William), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 697.

"_Phœnix Nest_," a collection of poems, in the time of Elizabeth, critical notice of, i. 718-720.

_Pictures_, an article of furniture in the age of Shakspeare, ii. 119.

_Pilgrimages_ made to wells, i. 393.

_Pilpay_, notice of the fables of, i. 533, 534.

_Pipe and Tabor_, the ancient accompaniment of the Morris-dance and May-games, i. 164, 165.

_Plautus_, the Menæchmi of, the basis of Shakspeare's Comedy of Errors, ii. 286-288.

_Pits_ (John), the biographer, character of, i. 482.

_Plague_, ravages of, at Stratford, i. 24.

_Plantain roots_, why dug up on Midsummer Eve, i. 333.

_Plat_ (Hugh), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 697.

_Players_ (strolling), state of, in the sixteenth century, i. 248-250. Difference between them and licensed performers, 250. Exhibited at country fairs, 251. Companies of players, when first licensed, ii. 202. Placed under the direction of the Master of the Revels, 203. Patronized by the court, and also by private individuals, 205, 206. The amount of their remuneration, 204. Days and hours of their performance, 215. Concluded their performances always with prayers, 222, 223. How remunerated, 223, 224.

_Play-bills_, notice of, in the age of Shakspeare, ii. 214, 215.

_Plays_, number of, performed in one day, ii. 217. Amusements of the audience, prior to their commencement, 217-219. Disapprobation of them, how testified, 221, 222. Authors of, how rewarded, 224, 225. List of anonymous plays extant previously to the time of Shakspeare, 252, 253. Chronological list of his genuine plays, 261, 262. Observations on each, 263-534. (_And see their respective titles in this Index._) Humorous remark of Mr. Steevens on the value and high price of the first edition of Shakspeare's plays, 535. _note_. Remarks on the spurious plays attributed to him, 536, 537.

_Plough Monday_, festival of, i. 136. Sports and customs usual at that season, 137.

"_Poetical Rapsodie_," a collection of poems of the age of Shakspeare, account of, i. 728-730.

_Poets_, list of, who were rewarded by English sovereigns, i. 514, 515. Table of English poets, classed according to the subjects of their muses, 734.

_Poetry_ (English), notice of treatises on, during the age of Shakspeare, i. 461-470. Allusions to or quotations from the poetry of the minstrels, with remarks, 574-593. State of poetry (with the exception of the drama) during the time of Shakspeare, 594, _et seq._ Influence of superstition, literature, and romance on poetical genius, 595, 596. Versification, economy, and sentiment of the Elizabethan poetry, 597-599. Defects in the larger poems of this period, 599-601. Biographical and critical notices of the more eminent poets, 601-674. Table of miscellaneous minor poets, exhibiting their respective degrees of excellence, mediocrity, or worthlessness, 676-707. Critical notices of the collections of poetry, and poetical miscellanies, published during this period, 708-731. Brief view of dramatic poetry from the birth of Shakspeare to the year 1590, ii. 227-255.

_Police_ of London, neglected in the time of Elizabeth, ii. 165. Regulations for it, 166.

"_Polimanteia_," or the means to judge of the fall of a commonwealth, bibliographical notice of, ii. 39. _note_ [39:B].

_Porta_ (Luigi da), the "Giuletta" of, the source of Romeo and Juliet, ii. 360-362.

_Portuguese_ romances, account of, i. 545-548.

_Possessed_, charm for, i. 364.

_Possets_, prevalence of, in Shakspeare's time, i. 82.

_Powder_ (sympathetic), marvellous effects ascribed to, i. 375, 376.

_Powell_ (Thomas), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 697.

_Prayer Book_ of Queen Elizabeth, i. 432.

_Pregnant women_, supposed influence of fairies on, ii. 324.

_Presents_, anciently made on New-Year's Day, i. 124. Account of those made to Queen Elizabeth, 125, 126.

_Preston_ (Thomas), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 697. Character of his dramatic pieces, ii. 236, 237.

_Prices_ of admission to the theatre, ii. 216, 217.

_Pricket_ (Robert), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 697.

_Primero_, a fashionable game of cards in Shakspeare's time, how played, ii. 169.

_Printing_, observations on the style of, in Queen Elizabeth's reign, i. 437, 438.

_Proctor_ (Thomas), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 697. Notice of his "Gorgeous Gallery of Gallant Inventions," 715-717.

_Prologues_, how delivered in the time of Shakspeare, ii. 219.

_Prose writers_ of the age of Shakspeare, observations on, i. 439-447. Causes of their defects, 448.

_Prospero_, analysis of the character of, ii. 505. 515.

_Provisions_, annual stock of, anciently laid in at fairs, i. 215.

_Prudentius_, passage of, supposed to have been imitated by Shakspeare, ii. 415.

_Puck_, or Robin Goodfellow, analysis of the character of, ii. 347. Probable source of it, 348-350. Description of his functions, 349, 350. Resemblance between Puck and the Cobali or benevolent elves of the Germans, 350. And to the Brownie of the Scotch, 351. Other functions of Puck, 352, 353.

_Puppet-shows_, origin of, i. 253.

_Purchas_'s "Pilgrimage," critical notice of, i. 477.

_Purgatory_, Popish doctrine of, ii. 415, 416. Seized and employed by Shakspeare with admirable success, 416, 417. 455, 456.

_Puritans_ opposition to May-games, ridiculed by Shakspeare, i. 171. By Ben Jonson, 172, 173. _note_. And Beaumont and Fletcher, 172.

_Puttenham_ (George), remarks of, on the corruptions of the English language, i. 441. Critical notice of his "Arte of English Poesie," 465, 466. And of his smaller poems, 697. and _note_.

_Quarrelling_ reduced to a system in the age of Shakspeare, ii. 159.

_Quiney_ (Mr. Thomas), married to Shakspeare's daughter Judith, ii. 609. Their issue, 610.

_Quintaine_, a rural sport in the sixteenth century, i. 300. Its origin, 301. Description of, 301-304.

"_Quippes for upstart newfangled Gentlewomen_," cited and illustrated, ii. 95, 98.

_Race-horses_, breeds of, highly esteemed, i. 298.

_Raleigh_ (Sir Walter), improved the English language, i. 416, 417. Character of his "History of the World," 476. His "Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd," cited by Shakspeare, 578. Notice of his poetical pieces, 639. Remarks on them, _ibid._ 640. Estimate of his poetical character, 640-642.

_Ramsey_ (Laurence), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 698.

_Rankins_ (William), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 698.

_Rape of Lucrece_, a poem of Shakspeare's, when first printed, ii. 32. Dedicated to the Earl of Southampton, 3. Construction of its versification, 33. Probable sources whence Shakspeare derived his fable, _ibid._ Exquisite specimens of this poem, for their versification, descriptive, pathetic, and sublime excellences, 34-38. Complimentary notices of this poem by contemporaries of the poet, 38-40. Notice of its principal editions, 41.

_Rapiers_, extraordinary length of, in the age of Shakspeare, ii. 108, 109.

_Ravenscroft_ (Thomas), hunting song preserved by, i. 277.

_Reynolds_ (John), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 698.

_Reed_ (Mr.), his Illustrations of Shakspeare cited, _passim_.

_Register_ (parochial), of Stratford-upon-Avon, extracts from, i. 4. Births, marriages, and deaths of Shakspeare's children recorded there, 414, 415. _note_.

_Remuneration_ of actors and dramatic poets in the time of Shakspeare, ii. 223-225.

_Repartees_ of Shakspeare and Tarleton the comedian, i. 66. Ascribed to Shakspeare and Ben Jonson, ii. 593. _note_.

_Rice_ (Richard), a minor poet of the age of Shakspeare, i. 698.

_Richard_ I. (King), why surnamed _Cœur de Lion_, i. 566, 567.

_Richard_ II., probable date of, ii. 375, 376. Analysis of his character, 377, 378. Remarks on the secondary characters of this play, 378. Performed before the Earl of Southampton in 1601, ii. 10, 11. Illustration of act ii. scene 4. of this drama, i. 384.

_Richard_ of Gloucester, exquisite portrait of, in Shakspeare's Henry VI. Part II., ii. 297.

_Richard_ III., date of, ii. 370-372. Analysis of Richard's character, 373-375.

_Illustrations of passages of this drama in the present work._