Gutes Ex. - Handschriften-Faksimile. - The author of Mercurius Rusticans is not known, but from the internal evidence of the play, which is set in the University of Oxford and deals with the escapades of students from that University, it seems certain that the author was a member of Oxford University. The date of the play may likewise be arrived at within approximate limits from internal evidence. A terminus ante quem is provided by the English lines on the play on the last page of the MS. by "Mr Sellar of C.C.C." (i.e., of Corpus Christi College). Joseph Foster's Alumni Oxonienses: The Members of the University of Oxford 1 SOP-1714 (Oxford, 1891-T) lists only four people of this name at Corpus Christi College, Oxford: John Sellar (1568-1581), his son John Sellar (1608-1614), Henry Sellar (1611-1618), and George Sellar (1577-1587). This would suggest a terminal date of not later than 1618, if the third of the above were the author of the English lines. Another bit of evidence is the allusion to Simon Forman, the Astrologer and Doctor, in Act V, scene 1 (1339) . The fact that Forman was a figure of public note from the time when he started to practice necromancy in 1588 until his death in 1611 would suggest a date later than say about 1587 for the play, and thus rule out the first and last of the Sellars listed above as the author of the English verses listed on the last page of the MS. Furthermore, the name "Dulcinea" mentioned by Nichades in Act III, scene 5 (868) was probably inspired by the Dulcinea of Don Quixote, of which the first part was published in 1605 and translated into English in 1612. Finally, in Act III, scene 1, there is a discussion about the evils of tobacco. The controversy about the use of tobacco, which was not introduced to England until 1586, reached its peak with the Counter-blaste to Tobacco (1604) by King James. The inference from the internal evidence would then suggest a date of between 1610 and 1618 . The Latin of Mercurius Rusticans is racy and colloquial. The "low" characters, such as Dawson and Cullie, speak in a free and easy Plautine manner. The students scatter classical tags, learned quotations, and academic jargon throughout their speeches. The author makes frequent use of medieval Latin words, words derived from Greek, words of his own coinage, and interjections in English. There are also many rare and unusual words from the ante- and post-classical periods. The syntax of the play is likewise relaxed and easy, and this, combined with the vocabulary, successfully reinforces the carefree and informal atmosphere. The play opens with the entrance of an allegorical figure, the Genius of the University, who says that the theme of the play will be one of light-hearted merriment and that the play will be presented in a free fashion, with scant regard for the laws of comedy (1-32). … (Seite 5) ISBN 9783487072074
