86 CHILDREN OF THE CHAPEL AT BLACKFRIARS 
replication already quoted from,* dates it “in or about the three — 
and ffortieth yeare” of Elizabeth. Her forty-third year ended 
November 16, 1601. The “in or about” might mean,—since Kirk- 
ham is giving purposely a twist to events,—either the closing of 
the forty-third year or opening of the forty-fourth, and therefore 
fit either Michaelmas or Hilary term. Also, the Kirkham docu- 
ments in this suit assign to forty-third Elizabeth certain other 
events closely connected with Clifton’s Complaint and the Star 
Chamber Decree, but belonging in April, 1602.2, It may be there 
is similarly here in Kirkham’s dating the Decree an error of two 
or three months in the regnal year. 
There is strong probability then that the Decree fell in Hilary 
term (Jan.-Feb.) 1602. 
Other considerations are contributive to the same conclusion. 
Tt is not likely that the new arrangements in management were 
held in suspense from October to the following April. The new — 
partners were eager to join Evans,® and Evans himself could not 
openly continue in personal charge. The briefer interval, from 
Hilary to April 20, seems the more probable one for making new 
arrangements. 
Also, the evidences are convincing that the Decree fell after 
Hamlet was on the stage. Both Hamlet and the Decree are an- 
swered from the Blackfriars stage in this order. In his May Day, 
acted in the spring of 1602, Chapman ridiculously parodies some 
of the striking parts of Hamlet, as the “To be” soliloquy, ““Whata 
piece of work is man,” &c., with numerous other scrappy satiric 
drives, all of which sound as if Chapman had heard the new trag- 
edy a time or two while his May Day was in progress and had 
caught just enough to serve as basis for absurd take-offs.¢ May 
Day seems thus Chapman’s and the Children-company’s laughing 
answer to Shakespeare’s and the Globe’s strictures in Hamlet on 
the Blackfriars establishment. But in Chapman’s next play, The 
Widow’s Tears, seen on the Blackfriars stage Sept. 18, 1602,° 
doubtless the opening play of the season, is the sharp satire, as 
already noticed,® apparently aimed at results of the Star Chamber 
* Supra, 814-82". *See infra, 168. 
* Infra, 89. *See infra, 106, 115, 118", 120. 
8 Infra, 87-88". °See infra, 82-83. 
200 
