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    Midas: 'It is gold, Bacchus, that Midas desireth, let everything that Midas toucheth be turned to gold''
    Midas: 'It is gold, Bacchus, that Midas desireth, let everything that Midas toucheth be turned to gold''
    Midas: 'It is gold, Bacchus, that Midas desireth, let everything that Midas toucheth be turned to gold''
    Ebook99 pages1 hour

    Midas: 'It is gold, Bacchus, that Midas desireth, let everything that Midas toucheth be turned to gold''

    By John Lyly

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    Played beefore the Queenes Majesty on new yeares day at night, by her Majestys Children, and the Children of Paules.

    John Lyly was born in Kent in 1553 or 1554, the eldest of eight children.

    As can be imagined accurate records dating so far back of his early life are few and far between. It is most probable that Canterbury, Kent was his actual birthplace.

    At age sixteen he became a student at Magdalen College, Oxford, and obtained his bachelor's degree in 1573 and his master's two years later.

    Lyly became the private secretary of Lord Burghley's son-in-law, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, himself a playwright (and to whom the second part of ‘Euphues’ is dedicated).

    He began his own literary career with ‘Euphues’, or ‘The Anatomy of Wit’, which was published in the spring of 1579.

    ‘Euphues and his England’ appeared in 1580, and, like the first part of the book, won immediate popularity. For a time Lyly was the most successful and fashionable of English writers, hailed as the author of ‘a new English’.

    After the publication of ‘Euphues’ Lyly changed literary direction; from writing novels to writing plays.

    His ‘Campaspe’ and ‘Sapho and Phao’ were produced at Court in 1582. In total, probably eight Lyly plays were acted before the queen by the Children of the Chapel and by the Children of Paul's between the years 1584 and 1591, and some repeated before a popular audience at the Blackfriars Theatre. Lyly used quick, lively dialogue, classical colour and frequent references to people and events of the day that sustained his popularity with the court which ‘Euphues’ had won.

    Aside from his writing Lyly also sat in parliament as a member for Hindon in Wiltshire in 1580, for Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire in 1593, for Appleby in Westmorland in 1597 and finally for Aylesbury again in 1601.

    After 1590 his works steadily declined in influence and he in reputation although he continued to serve in parliament; in 1598 he served on a parliamentary committee about wine abuse.

    In the early weeks of November 1606, John Lyly passed away from an unknown disease. He was buried in London at St Bartholomew-the-Less on 20th November 1606.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStage Door
    Release dateMar 25, 2019
    ISBN9781787804968
    Midas: 'It is gold, Bacchus, that Midas desireth, let everything that Midas toucheth be turned to gold''

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      Book preview

      Midas - John Lyly

      Midas by John Lyly

      PLAIED BEFORE THE QVEENES MAIESTIE UPON TWELFE DAY AT NIGHT, BY THE CHILDREN OF PAULES.

      John Lyly was born in Kent in 1553 or 1554, the eldest of eight children.

      As can be imagined accurate records dating so far back of his early life are few and far between.  It is most probable that Canterbury, Kent was his actual birthplace.

      At age sixteen he became a student at Magdalen College, Oxford, and obtained his bachelor's degree in 1573 and his master's two years later.

      Lyly became the private secretary of Lord Burghley's son-in-law, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, himself a playwright (and to whom the second part of ‘Euphues’ is dedicated).

      He began his own literary career with ‘Euphues’, or ‘The Anatomy of Wit’, which was published in the spring of 1579.

      ‘Euphues and his England’ appeared in 1580, and, like the first part of the book, won immediate popularity. For a time Lyly was the most successful and fashionable of English writers, hailed as the author of ‘a new English’.

      After the publication of ‘Euphues’ Lyly changed literary direction; from writing novels to writing plays.

      His ‘Campaspe’ and ‘Sapho and Phao’ were produced at Court in 1582. In total, probably eight Lyly plays were acted before the queen by the Children of the Chapel and by the Children of Paul's between the years 1584 and 1591, and some repeated before a popular audience at the Blackfriars Theatre. Lyly used quick, lively dialogue, classical colour and frequent references to people and events of the day that sustained his popularity with the court which ‘Euphues’ had won.

      Aside from his writing Lyly also sat in parliament as a member for Hindon in Wiltshire in 1580, for Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire in 1593, for Appleby in Westmorland in 1597 and finally for Aylesbury again in 1601.

      After 1590 his works steadily declined in influence and he in reputation although he continued to serve in parliament; in 1598 he served on a parliamentary committee about wine abuse.

      In the early weeks of November 1606, John Lyly passed away from an unknown disease. He was buried in London at St Bartholomew-the-Less on 20th November 1606.

      Index of Contents

      DRAMATIS PERSONAE

      SCENE: Phrygia and Delphi.

      THE PROLOGUE IN PAUL'S

      ACT I

      SCENE I

      SCENE II

      ACT II

      SCENE I

      SCENE II

      ACT III

      SCENE I

      SCENE II

      SCENE III

      ACT IV

      SCENE I

      SCENE II

      SCENE III

      SCENE IV

      ACT V

      SCENE I

      SCENE II

      SCENE III

      JOHN LYLY – A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

      JOHN LYLY – A CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY

      DRAMATIS PERSONAE

      Midas, King of Phrygia

      Sophronia, daughter of Midas

      Counselors of Midas:

      Eristus

      Martius

      Mellacrites

      Petulus, Page to Mellacrites

      Celia, daughter of Mellacrites

      Pipenetta, Maid to Celia

      Licio, Page to Celia

      Minutius, another Page

      The gods:

      Bacchus.

      Apollo

      Pan

      Shepherds:

      Menalcas

      Coryn

      Celthus

      Dryapon

      Amyntas

      Motto, a Barber

      Dello, his Boy

      A Huntsman

      Erato, a Nymph

      Other Nymphs

      Ladies of the Court:

      Camilla

      Amerula

      Suavia

      SCENE: Phrygia and Delphi.

      THE PROLOGUE IN PAUL'S

      Gentlemen, so nice is the world, that for apparel there is no fashion, for music no instrument, for diet no delicate, for plays no invention, but breedeth satiety before noon, and contempt before night.

      Come to the tailor, he is gone to the painters, to learn how more cunning may lurk in the fashion, then can be expressed in the making. Ask the musicians, they will say their heads ache with devising notes beyond Ela. Inquire at ordinaries, there must be salads for the Italian; picktooths for the Spaniard; pots for the German; pottage for the Englishman. At our exercises, soldiers call for tragedies, their object is blood: courtiers for comedies, their subject is love; countrymen for pastorals, shepherds are their saints. Traffic and travel hath woven the nature of all nations into ours; and made this land like arras, full of device; which was broad-cloth, full of workmanship.

      Time hath confounded our minds, our minds the matter; but all commeth to this pass, that what heretofore hath been served in several dishes for a feast, is now minced in a charger for a gallimaufrey. If we present a mingle-mangle, our fault is to be excused, because the whole world is become an hodge-podge. We are jealous of your judgments, because you are wise; of our own performance, because we are unperfect; of our author's device, because he is idle. Only this doth encourage us, that presenting our studies before gentlemen, though they receive an inward mislike, we shall not be hissed with an open disgrace.

      Stirps rudis urtica est; stirps generosa, rosa.

      ACT I

      SCENE I

      The gardens before Midas’ palace.

      Enter BACCHUS, MIDAS, ERISTUS, MARTIUS and MELLACRITES.

      BACCHUS

      Midas, where the gods bestow benefits they ask thanks, but where they receive good turns, they give rewards. Thou hast filled my belly with meat, mine ears with music, mine eyes with wonders. Bacchus of all the gods is the best fellow, and Midas amongst men a king of fellows. All thy grounds are vineyards, thy corn grapes; thy chambers cellars, thy household stuff standing cups: and therefore ask anything, it shall be granted. Wouldest thou have the pipes of thy conducts to run wine, the udders of thy beasts to drop nectar, or thy trees to bud ambrosia? Desirest thou to be fortunate in thy love, or in thy victories famous, or to have the years of thy life as many as the hairs on thy head? Nothing shall be denied, so great is Bacchus, so happy is Midas.

      MIDAS

      Bacchus, for

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