382 Tucker Brooke, 



the management of Green, acted Faustus and the Jczl' at Dresden 

 in 1626." In 1651 Prague also saw performances of 'die Trag5die 

 von dem Erzzauberer Doctor J. Faust.' 



A curious contamination of Shakespeare's MercJiant of Venice 

 with traces of The Jczv of Malta exists in a late seventeenth-century 

 Austrian manuscript entitled 'Comoedia Genandt Dass Wohl 

 Gesprochene Uhrtheil Eynes Weiblichen Studenten oder Der Jud 

 von Venedig.'"*^ In the main this is a corruption of Shakespeare's 

 comedy, with elements possibly from the lost English play of The 

 French Doctor;''-^ but a reminiscence of Marlowe remains in the 

 name of the Jew, 'Jud Barrabas, hernach Joseph, '^° while a distinct 

 allusion to The Jew of Malta occurs in the first scene : 'Alan Weiss 

 wass sie (;". c., the Jews) neulich Zu Malta Vorgenohmen haben. 

 Sie di-irlTten wohl dermahleins diesses gantzes Konigreich den 

 Tiircken verrathen.' Meissner appears to be correct in identifying 

 this comedy with one mentioned by the xA.rchduchess ]\Iagdalena 

 as acted on Shrove Monday, 1608, 'Von einem Konig von Cypern 

 und einem Herzog von Venedig' ; with a 'Teutsche Komedia des 

 Jud von Venedig auss dem engelandischen', acted at Halle in 161 1 ; 

 with a 'Comodia von Josepho Juden von Venedigk'. acted by 

 Green's company at Dresden, July 13 and November 5. 1626; 

 with the play 'Von dem Konig aus Cypern u. dem Fiirsten aus 

 Venetia', performed jjy the Dresden Court Company at Prague 

 in 1651 ; and finally with the 'Josephus Juden von Venedig'. which 

 'English Comedians' acted in Dresden in 1674. The date at which 

 the existing text was put together can be fixed by an internal 

 allusion as shortly after 1605.'^^ 



"The Dresden entries read (Meissner, pp. 90, 93) : 



'Julius 7 — 1st eine Tragodia von Dr. Faust gespielt worden. 



Julius 31 — 1st eine Tragodia von Barrabas Juden von Malta gespielt 



worden. 

 Augustus 29— 1st eine Tragodia von Barrabas Juden von Malta gespielt 

 worden.' 

 "Printed in f ull^ by Meissner, pp. 131 ff. An abstract in English is given 

 in the Furness Variorum edition of The Merchant of Venice. 

 ™ See Greg, Henslowe's Diary, ii. 170, 171. 



*" The latter part of the name possibly refers to Juan Miqucs, who 

 became Josef Nassi. 



" See Meissner, pp. 108 ff. 



