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Thanks, Helen; this is very useful indeed. Most of the evidence presented in this essay is drawn from plays, though this play is not cited. But these dramatic references further beg the question of whether the playwright is making this up, or has actually seen such a practice. Still, a very valuable reference., Many thanks and best wishes! Bob At 01:58 PM 2/9/2007 -0500, you wrote: >Bob, there is a mention in Jonson's play Epicene -- I think in Act 4 -- >of a portable inkpot and pen that one could carry around easily to write >down quick notes or sketches. But I tend to agree with the view that >says people had memories, and wrote down good quotations when they got home. > >Best, >Helen > >Robert Tittler wrote: > >>Dear Colleagues, >> >> I write to see if you help with the following research question. >> >>>>The query is as follows: >> >> >> >> >>>>In an apparently unpublished paper of which I have the text, the >>>>claim is >>>>made that playgoers to Shakespeare's plays sometimes brought their >>>>quills, paper and ink-horns to performances so that they could wrote >>>>down >>>>on the spot attractive phrases and other bon mots for their >>>>commonplace books. >> >> >> >> >>>> I am skeptical of this on practical grounds--this is a lot to carry to >>>>a playhouse--and I think the documentation is pretty vague. I don't >>>>doubt that people did remember such phrases and write them down >>>>afterwards, much as seems to have been done by, e.g., those who heard >>>>Queen Elizabeth's speech at Tilbury. But has anyone found examples of a >>>>playgoer of writing such things down while seeing the play, as opposed >>>>to remembering it for later recording? I'd love to have some >>>>evidence...or to be sure that there is none. >> >> >> >> >> >>>> Many thanks! >>>> >>>> >>>>Bob Tittler > >-- >Dr H M Ostovich >Professor of English / Editor, EARLY THEATRE >McMaster University >Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4L9 >905 525-9140 x24496 >FAX 905 777-8316 >http://www.earlytheatre.ca >