Play of Thieves and a Gullible Tapster

Anon. (c.1605?)
NB. "Play of Thieves and a Gullible Tapster" is a recent assignation (from Wiggins 1470) for this untitled play. The name is used here for convenience.

Historical Records

Schøyen MS 1627

A fragment preserved in the binding of a copy of the 1586 Geneva edition of Homer's Odyssey was found by Patrick King in 1988. It is now MS 1627 in the Schøyen Collection in Oslo:

Schøyen MS 1627, recto © The Schøyen Collection, Oslo and London	Schøyen MS 1627, verso © The Schøyen Collection, Oslo and London

Transcription

The following transcription is derived from Freeman's in conjunction with fresh readings of the digitised fragment above.

[recto]
Tapst	There is a man that lodged in our house
	last night that thath hath 3 hundred markes in [   ]
	he carries yt vnto the kings exchequer
	for certaine lands was latelye forfeited
	& that same man must needes go ore the [   ]
	where you may very well goe meete wth [   ]
	there is not anye beares him companye
2	Thankes good my boy but art thou sure of th[   ]
Tapst	I ame sure of yt for I did see the gold
	last night when as he gaue my master yt
	to lay vp tyll he calld for yt today
2	[                      ] of the in fayth
	comm lett us supp this licour [      ]
	he drinkes
	The other takes Tobac
	Ist good tobacco pray the guie me some
1	My thinkes tis verye good I like yt well
	The 2d drinkes Tobbacco
2	Now by this pipe yt is exceedinge maing[  ]
	but yet tis good enough to make a smoake
	here wilt thou some Tobacco
Tapst	Noe I thanke you sir
2	I praye the nowe
Tapst	I pray you pardon me good mr George for [I]
	neuer tooke anye in all my life
1	I pray the trye howe thou canst take yt th[  ]
Tapst	To full fill your mind sir I will
	he takes Tobacco & choakes
2	Howe nowe my youth, tis good tis good
	twill cleare the well

Theatrical Provenance

Unknown.

Probable Genre(s)

History? (see Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues below)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

The 'Tapster fragment' imitates the tavern scenes from Shakespeare's 1 Henry IV: it features a tapster speaking to two thieves (one named George) about a man carrying 300 marks to the king's exchequer.

References to the Play

Information welcome.

Critical Commentary

Freeman

See also Wiggins 1470, who assigns a general date range of 1600-1620 and for Catalogue purposes places the play within c.1605.

For What It's Worth

Information welcome.

Works Cited

Freeman, Arthur. "The 'Tapster Manuscript': An Analogue of Shakespeare's Henry the Fourth Part One". English Manuscript Studies 1100-1700 6 (1997): 93-105.

Site created and maintained by David McInnis, University of Melbourne; updated 19 May 2016.