FIELD

field, nathan (1587-1633), english dramatist and actor, was baptized on the 17th of october 1587. his father, the rector of cripplegate, was a puritan divine, author of a _godly exhortation_ directed against play-acting, and his brother theophilus became bishop of hereford. nat. field early became one of the children of queen elizabeth's chapel, and in that capacity he played leading parts in ben jonson's _cynthia's revels_ (in 1600), in the _poetaster_ (in 1601), and in _epicoene_ (in 1608), and the title role in chapman's _bussy d'ambois_ (in 1606). ben jonson was his dramatic model, and may have helped his career. the two plays of which he was author were probably both written before 1611. they are boisterous, but well-constructed comedies of contemporary london life; the earlier one, _a woman is a weathercock_ (printed 1612), dealing with the inconstancy of woman, while the second, _amends for ladies_ (printed 1618), was written with the intention, as the title indicates, of retracting the charge. from henslowe's papers it appears that field collaborated with robert daborne and with philip massinger, one letter from all three authors being a joint appeal for money to free them from prison. in 1614 field received l10 for playing before the king in _bartholomew fair_, a play in which jonson records his reputation as an actor in the words "which is your burbadge now?... your best actor, your field?" he joined the king's players some time before 1619, and his name comes seventeenth on the list prefixed to the shakespeare folio of 1623 of the "principal actors in all these plays." he retired from the stage before 1625, and died on the 20th of february 1633. field was part author with massinger in the _fatal dowry_ (printed 1632), and he prefixed commendatory verses to fletcher's _faithful shepherdess_. his two plays were reprinted in j.p. collier's _five old plays_ (1833), in hazlitt's edition of _dodsley's old plays_, and in _nero and other plays_ (mermaid series, 1888), with an introduction by mr a.w. verity.