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The Impression of this Book is limited to Thirty Copies.

1

PRINTED FOR THE EDITOR

BY WHITTINGHAM AND WILKINS, AT THE

CHISWICK PRESS,

TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LAne.

THE MERRY CONCEITED HUMOURS OF

BOTTOM THE WEAVER,

A DROLL COMPOSED OUT OF THE

COMIC SCENES OF THE

MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

ABOUT A.D. 1646.

EDITED BY

J. O. HALLIWELL, ESQ., F.R.S.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR THE EDITOR.

1860.

PREFACE.

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FTER the suppression of the English theatres in 1643, the actors

were compelled, for the most part, to content themselves with the representation of small farces, usually known as drolls. A very interesting account of these is given by Kirkman, in the Preface to the Second Part of the Wits or Sport upon Sport, 1672, in the course of which he says, speaking of the drolls formed from known plays," the most part of these pieces were written by such penmen as were known to be the ablest artists that ever this nation produced, by

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