Hymen's Holiday or Cupid's Vagaries

William Rowley (>1612)

Historical Records

By the Duck of yorks Players. Shroue: munday: A Play Called Himens Haliday. (Revels Accounts, 24 February, 1612; see Streitberger, 48-9).

"Received of Biston, for an ould play called Hymens Holliday, newly revived at their house, being a play given unto him for my use, this 15 Aug. 1633, 3l. 0.0. Received of him for some alterations in it, 1l. 0.0." (Herbert's Office-Book; see Bentley, JCS, 5: 1023; Bawcutt, Control and Censorship, entry 277).

"On Monday night the 16 of December, 1633, at Whitehall was acted before the King and Queen, Hymens Holliday or Cupids Fegarys, an ould play of Rowleys. Likte." (Herbert's Office-Book; see see Bentley, JCS, 5: 1023; Bawcutt, Control and Censorship, entry 277).

"Cupid's Vagaries" appears in a list of plays protected by the Lord Chamberlain for the King and Queen's Young Company (Bentley, JCS, 1:330-1).

Theatrical Provenance

The play is first recorded as having been performed at court in 1612 by the Duke of York's Men (later called Prince Charles's (I) Men).

The 1633 revival noted by Herbert would have been performed by Christopher Beeston's then company, Queen Henrietta's Men, who were then playing at the Phoenix in Drury Lane. The "alterations" made to the old play would likely have been made by James Shirley, the regular dramatist at the Phoenix (Bentlrey, JCS, 5:1024).

What did Herbert mean when he wrote that the play was "given unto him [Beeston] for my use"? Bentley says this implies that Herbert "somehow owned and controlled the manuscript" and charged Beeston £3 to revive it for "a benefit performance like those the King's company gave for him" (JCS 5:1025).

Authorship

The author is most likely William, not Samuel Rowley, since William was a sharer in the Duke of York's Men (Bentley, JCS, 5:1023).

Probable Genre(s)

Comedy.

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

None known.

References to the Play

None known.

Critical Commentary

None known.

For What It's Worth

All that can be guessed about this play's subject matter is that it was likely a comedy about love and marriage.

Works Cited

• Streitberger, W.R. Jacobean and Caroline Revels Accounts, 1603-1642. Malone Society Collections XIII. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986.

Site created and maintained by David Nicol, Dalhousie University; updated 29 June, 2010.