HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY The Riverside Press, Cambridge Copyright, 1858, BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW Copyright, 1883, BY HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO. All rights reserved. The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A. PREFATORY NOTE. IN arranging Longfellow's Courtship of Miles Standish for the amateur stage, the attempt has been made to adhere to the original as closely as possible. We have placed in brackets those portions of the poem which, though not a part of the drama, give Mr. Longfellow's own conceptions of the surroundings and feelings of the actors. We have tried to make our descriptions of costumes historically accurate, and have been actuated throughout by a desire to be truthful to history and to the spirit of the poem. It seems to us that children and grown people are likely to learn more, both from a literary and from an historical standpoint, by becoming familiar with connected portions of a beautiful poem like this than by learning shorter pieces of poetry which, though excellent in themselves, do not form parts of a complete whole. We believe the plot of the play to be so interesting that, for the sake of the story alone, the play will be eagerly listened to at School Exhibitions and Private Theatricals. GIFT OF PROF. V. H. LANE 6-11-32 THE COURTSHIP OF MILES STANDISH. ARRANGED FOR DRAMATIC REPRESENTATION. CHARACTERS. MILES STANDISH, the Captain of Plymouth. JOHN ALDEN, Standish's Secretary. PRISCILLA, a Puritan Maiden. ELDER, MAGISTRATE, MESSENGERS, INDIAN, PILGRIMS IN COUNCIL, WEDDING GUESTS. COSTUMES. In 1620, the time to which this play refers, neck wraps, cloaks, and furs were freely used. Colors were all of domestic dye, butternut, blue, green, black, and gray; white and red were little used. The men wore their hair moderately long, about down to the shoulders. JOHN ALDEN. Short-waisted, full-skirted coat, with broad linen collar and cuffs. Full, loose knee-breeches, long stockings, low, open-sided shoes tied with string or narrow ribbon. Broadbrimmed, high-crowned hat. Ordinary suit to be of domestic dyed serge. Best suit to be of finer stuff, perhaps of velveteen, with bows of silk at knees and on shoes, and broad sash tied under the left shoulder-blade high up under the arms. Collar and cuffs to be trimmed with lace. MILES STANDISH. First suit like that of John Alden's ordinary suit, with the exception of boots in place of shoes. Short cloak. Second suit: buff coat in place of ordinary coat, gloves, lobster-tail helmet or a morion in place of hat. Wears around his shoulders a powder-flask and a baldrick. |