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This Author liv'd in the Reign of K. Charles the First, and tho'of mean Extraction (being Servant to the fam'd Ben Johnson) Writ him∣self into much credit. His Subject for the most part was Comedy, according to the usual Motto out of Martial, which he placed before most of his Plays.
Hic totus volo rideat Libellus.
As to his worth in Comick Writing, it is not only asserted by the Testimony of several Poets of that Age, in their commendatory
Verses before many of his Plays, as Shirley, Decker, Ford, Chamberlain, Sr. Aston Cockain, Alexander Brome, and others: but even Ben Johnson himself (who was not over-lavish of of Praise) bestowed the following Copy on his Northern Lass, which will weigh against all the Calumnies of his Enemies.
To my Faithful Servant, and (by his continu'd Virtue) my Loving Friend the Author of this Work, Mr. Richard Brome.
I had you for a Servant, once, Dick Brome; And you perform'd a Servants faithful parts, Now you are got into a nearer Room Of Fellowship, professing my old Arts. And you do do them well, with good Applause, Which you have justly gain'd from the Stage, By observation of those Comick Laws Which I, your Master, first did teach the Age. You learnt it well, and for it serv'd your time A Prentice-ship, which few do now a days: Now each Court Hobbihorse will wince in Rime; Both learned, and unlearned, all write Plays. It was not so, of Old: Men took up Trades That knew the Crafts they had bin bred in right; An honest Bilboe-Smith would make good Blades, And the Physitian teach men spue and sh— The Cobler kept him to his Aul; but now He'll be a Poet, scarce can guide a Plow.
Tho' the later part of this Copy be an imita∣tion of the following Lines of Horace, yet I doubt not but the Reader will pardon Ben for his ingenious Application.
In imitation of his Master Mr. Johnson, he studied Men and Humor, more than Books; and his Genius affecting Comedy, his Province was more observation than Study. His Plots were his own, and he forg'd all his various Characters from the Mint of his own Experi∣ence, and Judgment. 'Tis not therefore to be expected, that I should be able to trace him, who was so excellent an Imitator of his Master, that he might truly pass for an Original: so that all that I can inform my Reader of his Plays, is that he has Fifteen in print, most of which were acted with good Applause, and that several of them have been thought wor∣thy to be revived by the Players, (to their own Profit, and the Author's Honor) in this Critical Age. Nor are several of his other Plays less worthy of Commendation: of which Alphabetically.
Antipodes, a Comedy acted in the year 1638. by the Queen's Majesties Servants, at Salisbury Court in Fleetstreet, printed in quarto 1640. and dedicated to the Right Honourable Wil∣liam Earl of Hertford.
City Wit, or The Woman wears the Breeches, a Comedy printed in octavo Lond. 1653.
Covent-Garden weeded, or The Middlesex Justice of Peace, printed in octavo Lond. 1658.
Court Beggar, a Comedy acted at the Cock-pit by His Majesties Servants, Anno 1632. and printed in octavo, Lond. 1653.
Damoiselle, or The New Ordinary, a Comedy printed in octavo Lond. 1653.
English Moor, or The Mock Marriage, a Co∣medy often acted with general applause, by her Majesties Servants, printed in octavo Lon. 1659.
Jovial Crew, or The Merry Beggars, a Co∣medy presented at the Cock-pit in Drury-lane, in the year 1641, printed in quarto Lond. 1652. and dedicated to the Right Noble, Ingenious and Judicious Gentleman Thomas Stanley Esq This Play was reviv'd by the Actors at the Duke's Theatre, and reprinted 1686.
Love-sick Court, or The Ambitious Politick, a Comedy printed in octavo Lond. 1658. What Opinion the Author himself had of this Co∣medy may be gathered by the following Distick, prefixt in his Title-page.
Nil mea, ceu mos est, comendes carmina curo, Se nisi comendent carmina dispereant.
Mad Couple well Matcht; a Comedy printed in octavo Lond. 1653. This Play was reviv'd on the Stage by the Duke's Actors, under the Title of The Debaunchee, or The Credulous Cuckold; and reprinted in quarto Lond. 1677.
New Academy, or The New Exchange, a Co∣medy printed in octavo Lond. 1658.
Northern Lass, a Comedy acted with great Applause at the Theatre Royal, by His Maje∣sties Servants, printed in quarto Lond. 1663. and dedicated to the Right Worthy, and no less Judicious than Ingenious Gentleman Rich.
Holford Esquire. This Play is commended not only by the above-mentioned Ben Johnson, but by Five other Copies of Verses printed before the Play. This Play was reviv'd by the Play∣ers, since the Union of the Two Houses, and reprinted in quarto Lond. 1684. with a new Prologue and Epilogue, the former written by Jo. Haynes the Comedian.
Novella, a Comedy acted at the Black-friars, by His Majesties Servants Anno 1632. and prin∣ted in octavo Lond. 1653. This I take to ex∣ceed many of our modern Comedies.
Queen and Concubine, a Comedy printed in octavo Lond. 1659.
Queen's Exchange, a Comedy acted with ge∣neral applause at the Black-fryars, by His Ma∣jesties Servants, and printed in quarto 1657.
Sparagus Garden, a Comedy acted in the year 1635. by the then Company of Revels, at Sa∣lisbury-Court, printed in quarto Lond. 1640. and dedicated to the Right Honourable Wil∣liam Earl of Newcastle, &c. Governor to the Prince his Highness. This Comedy is applauded by Two Copies of Verses writ by two of the Author's Friends.
He joyn'd with Thomas Heywood, in a Play called The late Lancashire Witches: an Account of which see in that Author.
Ten of these Plays are printed in two Vo∣lumes in octavo, each under the Title of Five New Plays by Richard Brome.
Mr. Phillips,p 1.1 I know not for what Reason, has omitted several of our Authors Plays, viz.
Damoyselle, New Academy, Queen and Con∣cubine, Queen's Exchange, and Lancashire Witches.
Theatrum Poetarum, pag. 157.