Bannatyne Club > Philotus

PREFACE. vii
tus ; but the period at length arrives, and a priest performs the
marriage-ceremony with sufficient formality. Philerno, " fearing-
to be discovered, maketh a brawling that same night with Philo-
tus, and abuseth him vyllie, and to colour the mater the better,
agreetli with a whore to go to bed with Philotus." Flavius,
who had been secretly married to Emily, is struck with astonish-
ment on witnessing the marriage of this old man to a person whom
he supposes to be the real daughter of Alberto ; and, after various
conjurations, he dismisses her as an evil spirit who had assiuned
an earthly shape. She returns to her father's house, and is there
met by Philotus : the one complains of her husband, and the other
of his \vife, and a comic situation is thus produced. The mystery
being at length explained, Emily returns to Flavius, and Brisilla
is married to Philerno. After this arrangement of their domestic
affairs, Philotus expatiates on his own folly, and a person named
the Messenger makes a concluding address to tlie audience.
This comedy, in its plan and execution, discovers a much nearer
approach to the modern drama than Sir David Lindsay's " Satyre
of the three Estaitis." It possesses the merit of easy versification,
but the speeches are frequently too long and declamatory. The
author has not divided his play into acts and scenes. The proba-
bility of the incidents is sometimes impaired by the introduction of
a certain character denominated the Pleasant, who, without any ap-
parent concern in the business of the drama, intrudes himself into