show, then, the performance is deserving of all praise,
its fresh pastoralism confirming the hold upon the stage of unaffected
country scenes. It must have followed not long after Greene's _Friar
Bacon and Friar Bungay_. It makes no claim to belong to regular drama,
so that we need waste no words in uninvited criticism of its weakness in
plot, action and character. Approving mention must be made of Will
Summer--no relation to Summer, the season of the year, who is referred
to in the title--Henry the Eighth's Court Jester, who plays the part of
'presenter' and general critic, standing apart from the main action but
thrusting in his remarks as the spirit moves him. He is responsible for
the description of the performance as a show. His purpose is fully
declared at the start, when he announces that he will 'sit as a chorus
and flout the actors and him (_the author_) at the end of every scene'.
Forthwith he proceeds to offer advice to the actors about their
behaviour: 'And this I bar, over and besides, that none of you stroke
your beards to make action, play with your cod-piece points, or stand
fumbling on your buttons, when you know not how to bestow your fingers.
Serve God, and act cleanly.' Always his honesty exceeds his
consideration for the feelings of others. Three clowns and three maids
have barely ended their rustic jig when he calls out, 'Beshrew my heart,
of a number of ill legs I never saw worse dancers. How bless'd are you
that the wenches of the parish do not see you!' And his yawn carries a
world of disgust with it as he murmurs, over one of Summer's lectures,
'I promise you truly I was almost asleep; I thought I had been at a
sermon.' Historically he is interesting as being another example of the
attempts made at this time, as in _James the Fourth_ and _The Old Wives'
Tale_, to provide a means of entertainment, more popular than formal
prologues, epilogues or choruses, to fill up unavoidable pauses between
scenes.

Far more than most plays _Summer's Last Will and Testament_ contains
references to contemporary events,--the recent plague, drought, flood,
and short harvests are all mentioned. Satire, too, enlivens some of the
longest speeches; for the writer was primarily and by profession a
satirist. Although the finer graces of poetry are not his, his verse
indicates the gradual advance that was being made to greater ease and
freedom; his lines are not weighted with sounding words, nor is the
'privilege of met