Scholar Turned to School Again, The

Anon. (1619)


Historical Records

Cotton MS. Tiberius E. X.

Marcham p10 Scholar.jpeg
Excerpt from p10 of Marcham (out of copyright)

In 1925 Frank Marcham transcribed and published the contents of the then British Museum manuscript, Cotton MS. Tiberius E. X. It contains the History of Richard III by the Master of the Revels, Sir George Buck, written on what appears to be “Revels Office waste,” sometime after 1617 (Chambers, RES 479). Amongst the papers are “four lists of plays, bare lists without any indication of their objects,” which may or may not be all in Buck’s hand (Chambers, RES 479). Chambers believes it “most likely that the lists represent plays which the Revels Office had at some time or times under consideration for performance at court” (RES 484).

The list designated ‘B’ by Chambers (f.197v) contains “[T]he Scholler turnd to schoole againe.”


Theatrical Provenance

Unknown company at court (Harbage); King’s (Bentley).


Probable Genre(s)

Comedy (?) (Harbage)


Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

(Information needed)


References to the Play

(Information needed)


Critical Commentary

Chambers notes of the play, as entered in the Revels Office list, that “[n]othing has previously been known of this” (RES 481).

Bentley attributes the play to the King’s on the balance of probability: “The title is known only from the list of the Revels Office, apparently prepared for consideration for performance at court. Most of the plays on this page belonged to the King’s company, and none certainly belonged to any other company. Probably The Scholar Turned to School Again belonged to the King’s men” (V.1406)


For What It's Worth

(Information needed)


Works Cited

Chambers, E. K. (review author), “The King’s Office of the Revels, 1610-1622. Fragments of Documents in the Department of Manuscripts, British Museum, transcribed by FRANK MARCHAM, with a Preface by J. P. GILSON. London: Frank Marcham, 53, Chalk Farm Road, N.W.1. Pp. 50, including 19 Collotype Plates. £2. 2s. 1925.” Review of English Studies, 1.4 (1925): 479-84. Print.
Marcham, Frank. The King's Office of the Revels 1610-1622: Fragments of Documents in the Department of Manuscripts, British Museum. London: F. Marcham, 1925. Print.


Site created and maintained by David McInnis, University of Melbourne; updated, 24 Feb 2015.