Actually, the Freemans (on p. 262 of their
John Payne Collier; see my previous e-mail) mention the Middleton epitaph on Burbage as a forgery. Specifically, they mention it as being one of five "novelties" for which Collier gave no location or source in his
New Facts Regarding the Life of Shakespeare (1835), and which have never been seen since then, so that "posterity has judged them to be fabrications". Collier did say that he found the Middleton epitaph on Burbage "in a MS miscellany of poetry belonging to the late Mr. Heber", but such a poem has never been found in the Heber MSS. Nungezer was somewhat credulous, and his "Dictionary of Actors" includes a number of items described by Collier that are now thought to be forgeries.
Dave Kathman
[log in to unmask]On 10/19/2010 7:06 AM, A.J.Gurr wrote:
I believe that Middleton wrote a verse when Burbage and Queen Anne both died, in which he commented that the actor's death evoked more grief than the queen's. That is probably what collier was talking about. I think it's quoted in Nungezer's DICTIONARY.
I hope that's a useful guide.
Andy Gurr.
On Oct 18 2010, Abigail Ann Young wrote:
PLease copy responses to Tanya as well since she is not subscribed to the list. Thanks! Abigail
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: a question for REED-L
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:52:31 -0400
From: Tanya Hagen
<[log in to unmask]>
To:
[log in to unmask] REED's London Theatres Bibliography crew would be most grateful for any assistance in tracking down an original source. In /Memoirs of the Principal Actors in the Plays of Shakespeare/, p 19, Collier refers to a manuscript epitaph entitled 'De Burbagio et Regina,' but provides no further information. As far as we understand, this is not one of Collier's notorious forgeries. Anyone knowing anything will be doing us a huge favour by getting in touch.
Kind thanks,
Tanya Hagen
