The Reputation of Christopher Marlowe. 399 



"My father is appeas'd — come dear Mathias, 

 And greet with holy rites, thine anxious love." 

 Ah ! words, that make me surfeit with delight ! 

 What greater bliss can happen to Mathias ? — 

 Sweet girl, I come, for these thy am'rous lines 

 Might have enforced me to have swum from France, 

 And, like Leander, gasp'd upon the sand. 

 So thou would'st smile, and take me to thy arms. 

 The sight of Malta to my exil'd eyes, 

 Is as Elysium, to a new-come soul ; 

 Not that I love the city, or the people, 

 (Save my kind mother, and my trusty friend) 

 But that it harbours her I hold so dear ; 

 Fair Abigail, daughter to Malta's jew [sic]. 

 And tho' my kindred all, with low'ring brow. 

 Forbid the dawning pleasure of our love, 

 I heed them not — in her arms let me lie, 

 And with the world be still at enmity. 

 (Cf. Edivard II, 11. 1-15.) 



A dialogue between IMathias and Lodowick follows, in which 

 it appears that each is secretly in love with Abigail. 



Scene ii opens with the great soliloquy of Barabas (Kean) — 

 the real beginning of Marlowe's play. Lines 121-140 of the 

 original are omitted, as are 11. 413-423, 429-441, and 608-639, 

 the last having been anticipated by the new scene i. Before the 

 entrance of del Bosco (1. 706) a preparatory scene between two 

 Knights is inserted. Lines 752-756, 762-767, and 769-771 are 

 omitted ; and 11. 796-798 are replaced by six lines taken with 

 slight alteration from the omitted scene, 608 ff. The purchase of 

 Ithamore in Act H, scene iii, is considerably altered from the 

 original ; the end of this scene corresponds with line 925 of Mar- 

 lowe. Scene iv (wrongly marked 'Scene iii') opens with more 

 plagiarism from Edward II. in a soliloquy of Abigail : 



The grief his exile gave, was not so much. 



As is the joy of his returning home; 



What need'st thou, love, thus to excuse thyself, 



I knew 'twas not within thy pow'r, again 



So soon to visit me .... 



And yet this argues his entire affection. 



(Cf. Edivard II, 11. 777-7^2) 

 ■ But see my father homeward bends his steps. 

 Once more, FU importune with him my pray'r, [sic] 

 But e'er he shall dissuade me from my love, 



