DAVENPORT

davenport, robert (fl. 1623-1639), english dramatist, is mentioned as the author of a play licensed in 1624 under the title of _henry i._ in 1653 _henry i. and henry ii._ was entered at stationers' hall by humphrey moseley with a second part said to be the work of davenport and shakespeare. of this play or plays nothing has been discovered, but _king john and matilda_ (printed 1655), which probably dates from about the same time, has survived. throughout the play, as in its closing scene quoted by charles lamb in his _dramatic specimens_, there is much "passion and poetry" which saves the piece from being classed as pure melodrama. _the city-night-cap_ was licensed in 1624, but not printed until 1661. the underplot of this unsavoury play was borrowed from cervantes and boccaccio, and mrs aphra behn's _amorous prince_ (1671) is an adaptation from it. _a new tricke to cheat the divell_ (printed 1639) is a farcical comedy, which contains among other things the idea of the popular supper story which reappears in hans andersen's _little claus and big claus_. as told by davenport the story closely resembles the _scottish freires of berwick_, which was printed in 1603. three other plays entered in the stationers' register as davenport's are lost, and he collaborated in two plays with thomas drue. davenport's plays were reprinted by a. h. bullen in _old english plays_ (new series, 1890). the volume includes two didactic poems, which first saw the light in 1623.