Love Hath Found Out His Eyes

Thomas Jordan (1640)

Historical Records

Fragment in Royal Arbor of Loyal Poesy (1663)

Jordan's own Royal Arbor of Loyal Poesy (1663) reproduces the Prologue and Epilogue from his otherwise lost play:

A Prologue to a Play of mine, call'd, Love hath found his eyes; or Distractions.

I Know ye did expect me, but for what,

To say we have a Play, the Bills shew that;

Why let's begin then, Sound---But some will say

Are there no faults in th' Actors, or the Play

To beg your patience for? Yes faith, there's store,

Yet all we crave is you'l not make 'em more.

A very just petition, and 'tis Single illegible letterit

I think, we bear no more then we commit;

Yet there are some, wise judges, that do seek

To raise their laughter on what you dislike:

The errors of the Actors, and they be

The witty tribe of our own Quality;

Why let them laugh, they paid for't, why should we

Deprive a man of that felicity,

That cannot help nor hurt us; and I pray

How e're it prove, don't call't a Pretty Play:

Let it be good or bad, that slight word pritty

Shews the Play naught, and the depraver witty.

The language is but low, and the invention

No higher then a common apprehension,

And (in a word) the Authours wish is such

You'l not despair, nor yet expect too much. (EEBO-TCP, open access)

The Epilogue spoken by Cupid.

I Hope these mutual Marriages express

My opticks are restor'd for each distress

The Lovers once suppos'd they had by me,

I have converted to a Jubilee.

All's happy but my self, for I poor I

That figure an eternal Deity,

Must quit my glorious supremacy

To stand the censure of mortality:

Be curteous to a God, then whose high laws

Commands all hearts, yet now must beg applause;

For if you censurSingle illegible letter me like rig'rous men,

You spoil the plot and strike me blinde agen:

All our distractions now are out of date,

I would they were so too in Church and State,

That Englands King and People were at rest

Without confounding eithers interest;

That jealousies and fears may never more

Let loyal hearts lie weltring in their gore;

That so the God of Love may often view

This Island and present himself to you. (EEBO-TCP, open access)

Warburton's list

"Duke Humphrey" appears as the 18th play noted by John Warburton (1682-1759) in his list of the unprinted MS plays allegedly in his collection until destroyed by Warburton’s cook (Greg, "The Bakings of Betsy" 231):

The London Marchat (sic) A Com. By Jon Ford.

The King of Swedland

Love hath found out his Eyes by Tho. Jorden

Antonio & Vallia by Phill. Massinger

The Dutches of Fernandina T. Hen. Glapthorn

See the full list from British Library Lansdowne MS. 807 here.

Theatrical Provenance

Unknown.

Probable Genre(s)

Comedy (Harbage)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

<Enter any information about possible or known sources. Summarise these sources where practical/possible, or provide an excerpt from another scholar's discussion of the subject if available.>

References to the Play

<List any known or conjectured references to the lost play here.>

Critical Commentary

<Summarise any critical commentary that may have been published by scholars. Please maintain an objective tone!>

For What It's Worth

<Enter any miscellaneous points that may be relevant, but don't fit into the above categories. This is the best place for highly conjectural thoughts.>

Works Cited

Jordan, Thomas. A royal arbor of loyal poesie consisting of poems and songs digested into triumph, elegy, satyr, love & drollery. London: Printed by R.W. for Eliz. Andrews, 1663. (EEBO-TCP, open access)

Site created and maintained by David McInnis, University of Melbourne; updated 19 Feb 2015.