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46-573: The play was entered into the Stationers' Register on 20 May 1607, and was published later that year in quarto by the bookseller John Hodgets. A second imprint of the first quarto was issued in the same year. The title page offers no assignment of authorship. A few critics have suggested a 1605 date for the play, but most favor a date of 1606. A second quarto was issued in 1648 by Humphrey Moseley , with an attribution to Fletcher. The second imprint of this second quarto, issued in 1649 , assigned

92-460: A merchant whilst acting in various matters as agent for King Henry VIII . The Dead Christ, one of the most important surviving works of late English Catholic sculpture prior to the iconoclasm of the Reformation was secretly preserved in a sand-filled pit under the chapel floor, only being found during repairs after the bomb damage of World War Two . Inigo Jones was admitted as

138-575: A Maid's Head for their common seal and in 1568 the Heralds registered the seal as the company's arms. In 1911, the College of Arms confirmed the arms and granted the company a crest and motto, 'Honor Deo' (Honour to God). The grant blazons the arms: Gules, issuant from a bank of clouds a figure of the Virgin couped at the shoulders proper vested in a crimson robe adorned with gold the neck encircled by

184-508: A Member for a term of about seven years but in exchange the member was required to teach the apprentice such that he was worthy of membership by the end of the term, when he became a 'Freeman', for he was no longer bound. Freemen of a Livery Company can apply to become Freemen of the City of London , which used to carry certain privileges, such as the right to drive a flock of sheep without charge over London Bridge. The word "mercer" derives from

230-418: A count, and brother to Oriana. Gondarino - a general, the woman hater. Lazarillo - a courtier and gourmand Oriana - Valore's sister Julia - a prostitute Mercer Panderer The Duke of Milan cannot sleep. As he walks with his courtiers , Arrigo and Lucio, he explains that the cause of his insomnia is not some heavy matter of state, or the welfare of his people, but a woman. This particular woman

276-575: A fee of four to six pence , a bookseller could register his right to publish a given work. One example: the Stationers' Register reveals that on 26 November 1607, the stationers John Busby and Nathaniel Butter claimed the right to print " A booke called Master William Shakespeare his historye of Kinge Lear, as yt was played before the Kinges maiestie at Whitehall vppon Sainct Stephens night at Christmas Last, by his maiesties servantes playinge vsually at

322-548: A jeweled necklace crined or and wreathed about the temples with a chaplet of roses alternately argent and of the first and crowned with a celestial crown the whole within a bordure of clouds also proper . Every year the Mercers' Company publishes an annual review of their activities. The property portfolio includes 90 residential flats in Covent Garden . In an average year they might give away £7 million, about one-sixth of

368-721: A member in 1620. The building was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The second Hall, designed by Edward Jarman and John Oliver, opened in May 1676. Following the Napoleonic Wars the first Viscount Hill , the Peninsular general, a relative (via his uncle, Ralph Hill) of the Lord Mayor of the same name was admitted to the company honouring his soldiering. The Hall was extensively refurbished during

414-543: A new academy school , Hammersmith Academy , specialising in creative and digital media and information technology, located in Hammersmith . The school was established in a new building, with support from the Mercers and the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists . The origin of the "Mercers' Maiden", the heraldic emblem of the company, is not known. Unlike most of the City livery companies,

460-463: A particular printed work in the register, which thus constituted an early form of copyright law. For the study of English literature of the later 16th and the 17th centuries (covering the Elizabethan , Jacobean , and Caroline eras ), and especially for English Renaissance theatre , the Stationers' Register is a crucial and essential resource: it provides factual information and hard data that

506-520: A play when publication was not in their interest. In 1710, the Copyright Act or Statute of Anne entered into force, superseding company provisions pertaining to the Register. The company continued to offer some form of registration of works until February 2000. Worshipful Company of Mercers The Mercers' Company , or the Worshipful Company of Mercers , is a livery company of

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552-399: A proposition. He tells her that, as punishment for her transgression, it has been decided that she will be put to death. He goes on to say that the only way she might avoid execution is through Arrigo's intervention, which comes at a price: she must sleep with him. Oriana refuses, and in doing so proves her virtue. The Duke reveals himself and claims Oriana as his bride. As punishment, Gondarino

598-483: A really nice piece of fish. "Beaumont juggles four plots with considerable ease, offering a bit of something for everyone: farce, bawdy wit, court satire, and a 'high' romantic plot." This play has the earliest attested usage of a number of words and phrases in the Oxford English Dictionary , including: Stationers%27 Register The Stationers' Register was a record book maintained by

644-492: A sum of money called a 'fine'. Other people can also become Members by Redemption. Membership is sometimes granted because the Company wishes to honour the individual. Notable Members who joined the company by Redemption are Thomas More and Winston Churchill . One other route to membership is by apprenticeship, but this has not happened recently. In the early days this was a very usual route; an apprentice would be 'bound' to

690-494: A woman hater, hoping to amuse herself by aggravating him. Suddenly, the Duke and his two courtiers, having also been caught in the streets by the hailstorm, appear at Gondarino's door. While Gondarino rails against the presence of a woman in his house, the Duke begins to suspect his protests are a ruse designed to conceal an illicit love affair with his beloved Oriana. As he shares his suspicions with Lucio, Valore and Lazarillo appear,

736-400: Is Oriana, sister to Count Valore, whom the Duke has seen but never spoken to; yet is so enticing to the Duke that he laments he would give up his rule for her and kneel at her feet. That same evening, a very special fish has come to Milan. Specifically, the head of an umbrannes fish delivered to the Duke of Milan and passed on to his friend, the general Gondarino. This rare delicacy has attracted

782-616: Is available nowhere else. Together with the records of the Master of the Revels (which relate to dramatic performance rather than publication), the Stationers' Register supplies many of the certain facts scholars possess on the works of William Shakespeare , Ben Jonson , and all of their immediate predecessors, contemporaries, and successors. It is also an invaluable source of information about ephemeral publications, such as popular broadside ballads, of which no printed copies survive. By paying

828-546: Is bound to a chair and is made to suffer as Oriana directs the ladies of the court to fondle him. Lazarillo is pardoned by Valore and immediately sets out to the brothel. He keeps his vow, marries Julia, and finally gets to feast on the umbrannes. Critics have commented on the play's curious juxtaposition of two unrelated portrayals of obsessive psychology. In the main plot, Gondarino is a dedicated misogynist who strives to avoid any and all contact with women. The primary subplot traces Lazarello's obsessive quest for, of all things,

874-439: Is dragged away, he vows to marry Julia if she will only save the fish until he returns. When the Duke, Gondarino, and Valore arrive, they see Oriana at the brothel, and the Duke is convinced of her crimes. Back at court, the Duke, Gondarino, and Valore argue over Oriana's fate. It is decided that her virtue will be put to the test, her life forfeit should she fail. While the three noblemen secretly watch, Arrigo comes to Oriana with

920-480: Is glad at the approach of Lazarillo, hoping the gourmand will provide him some distraction. There is none to be had though, as Lazarillo, determined in his quest for the umbrannes, refuses Valore's request to dine with him, instead pleading the Count to present him to the Duke, in hopes of wrangling an invitation to the Duke's dinner. Valore acquiesces, but for his own amusement orders his spies to accompany Lazarillo, in

966-405: Is no longer in the general's possession. When first presented with the fish head, Gondarino assumes it is sent by a woman. He, therefore, refuses it, as he believes that all women are "whores." When his servant informs him that the umbrannes is, in fact, a gift from the Duke, Gondarino has it sent to his mercer , as remuneration for a previous unpaid shipment of silks. In truth, Gondarino barely pays

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1012-626: The City of London in the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. Today, the Company exists primarily as a charitable institution, supporting a variety of causes. The company's motto is Honor Deo , ( Latin , 'Honour to God'). The Mercers' Company is based at Mercers' Hall, 6 Frederick's Place in the City of London. The city block upon which it stands contains

1058-431: The Stationers' Company of London. This was a trade guild given a royal charter in 1557 to regulate the various professions associated with England 's publishing industry, including printers, bookbinders, booksellers, and publishers. The company's charter gave it the right to seize illicit editions of published works and to bar the publication of unlicensed books, and allowed publishers to document their right to produce

1104-598: The 14th century onwards the Company held its meetings in the Hospital of St. Thomas of Acon on Cheapside . Around 1438, William Caxton was apprenticed into the Mercers, under Robert Large, becoming a full member in 1452: his work took him into the Low Countries . Between 1517 and 1524, the Company built the Mercer's Chapel on this land, with the first Mercers' Hall above it, fronting Cheapside. A member of

1150-459: The Duke and Valore to see her transgressions with their own eyes. Thus they set out for the panderer's brothel. Also en route is the mercer, looking for his promised bride, and Lazarillo, hunting down his prized fish. The mercer arrives first and enters the brothel. Following him is Lazarillo, who secures an invitation to dinner from Julia, a prostitute. He enters the brothel but is promptly arrested for treason by Valore's spies before he can eat. As he

1196-473: The Duke rushes out. Oriana enters, and Gondarino, feigning love for her, confesses his slanders. He then vows to repair the damage he has done and requests Oriana retire to his country house while he does so. Beguiled by his seeming honesty, Oriana agrees, unaware that Gondarino has sent her to a brothel. As Lazarillo heads to the mercer's house, Valore's spies met with Lucio, having cobbled together enough random snatches of Lazarillo's statements as to manufacture

1242-516: The Globe on the Banksyde. " (They paid sixpence.) Enforcement of regulations in this historical era was never as thorough as in the modern world; books were sometimes published without registration, and other irregularities also occurred. In some cases, the companies of actors appear to have registered plays through co-operative stationers, with the express purpose of forestalling the publication of

1288-938: The Latin merx, mercis , "merchandise" from which root the word "merchant" is also derived. The words mercero and mercier , still used in Spanish and French respectively, have meanings similar to haberdasher , although the medieval mercers would not have recognised any relationship to that trade which was covered by the separate Worshipful Company of Haberdashers . In education, the company has administered St Paul's School since 1509 (and its prep school St Paul's Juniors ), St Paul's Girls' School since 1904, two prep schools in London, The Hall School and Bute House , and retains close links with Collyer's College , Dauntsey's School , Abingdon School , Peter Symonds College and Gresham College , all founded by mercers. In recent times

1334-530: The Mercers had no early grant of arms but the 1425 charter granted a common seal. A few impressions of the early seal survive showing a greatly simplified version of the present coat of arms. The fifteenth century Wardens' Accounts reveal that, even then, the Company required the device of the Maid's Head to be displayed on its property. In 1530 the Company stated to the College of Heralds that they had no arms but only

1380-425: The Mercers, Robert Packington , was murdered on 13 November 1536, the first recorded death by shooting with a handgun; Rose Hickman, a Protestant, recalled how he used to bring English bybles from beyond sea. and it is thought this may be connected to the murder. The entrance appears to have been on to Ironmonger Lane, and an interconnecting mansion house was secured by Sir Rowland Hill in 1546, which he later put at

1426-668: The Midsummer Marchers that would become the Lord Mayor's Show from the loggia of the hall. Around this time Francis Wren, grandfather of Christopher Wren was a member of the company Sir Thomas Gresham , founder of the Royal Exchange, was a member of the mercers. He was admitted in 1543 aged 24 as a liveryman , and later that year he left England for the Low Countries , where, either on his own account or that of his father or uncle, he carried on business as

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1472-401: The appearance of treason. Lazarillo arrives at the mercer's house too late, as the mercer has already traded the fish to a panderer in exchange for a bride. Learning this, Lazarillo sets out to the panderer's brothel, the same location to which Oriana has been sent. At court, Valore defends his sister to the Duke while Gondarino stands by his lies. To settle the issue, Gondarino proposes to take

1518-462: The archaeology of a Roman-British temple known today as Gresham Temple. Its corporate existence began in the form of a fraternity at least by the reign of King Henry II , in the mid 1100s if not before. From 1210 to 1214, the first two Mayors of London, Henry FitzAlwyn and Robert FitzAlwyn were claimed to be members, and branch of the company was established at this time, the Company of Merchant Adventurers, who established themselves at Antwerp,

1564-539: The attention of the courtier Lazarillo, a gourmand who spends his days hunting down the best dishes in Milan and securing invitations to events where they are served. Meanwhile, Valore is at odds with his sister, determined to shield her from the corrupting influence of court. Though a mere fifteen years old, Oriana is determined to experience all the outside world has to offer, and against her brother's wishes, sets out to court. Though distressed by his sister's actions, Valore

1610-457: The centre of the cloth trade. Serlo le Mercer was a member of the company and was one of the negotiators of Magna Carta . Although of even older origin, the company was incorporated under a Royal Charter in 1394, the company's earliest extant Charter. The company's aim was to act as a trade association for general merchants, and especially for exporters of wool and importers of velvet, silk and other luxurious fabrics ( mercers ). From

1656-515: The company has founded a City Technology College ( Thomas Telford School ) and two City Academies ( Walsall Academy and Sandwell Academy ). There was also a Mercers' School which was granted its first charter in 1447, and closed in 1959 when pupil numbers fell. The school was most recently based in Barnard's Inn in Holborn , now the home of Gresham College . In 2011, the Mercers co-sponsored

1702-491: The delicacy any notice, as he is preoccupied with bemoaning the degenerate nature of women. As if on cue, Oriana arrives at his door, seeking shelter from a sudden hailstorm. Though denied sanctuary by Gondarino on account of her sex, the obstinate Oriana barges in any way. Though the general flings insults at her, Oriana responds with nothing but pleasantries; that is, up until the point that she informs Gondarino that she sought out his house specifically because of his reputation as

1748-492: The first quarto states that the play was acted by the Children of Paul's , a company of child actors that is thought to have ceased activity after the summer of 1606 . The consensus of critical judgement accepts the play as a Beaumont and Fletcher collaboration in which Beaumont's is the dominant hand. Cyrus Hoy , in his survey of authorship problems in the canon of Fletcher and his collaborators, provided this breakdown of

1794-528: The latter still on the hunt for the umbrannes head. Valore, as promised, provides Lazarillo with an introduction to the Duke, who receives him warmly and extends an invitation to dinner, which Lazarillo, not to be distracted from his quest, denies. Upon hearing his prize is no longer in Gondarino's possession, he sets out after it with Valore in tow. Oriana, determined to torment Gondarino "into madness," insists on dining with him, resolved that "the more he hates,

1840-409: The more I'll seem to love." Oriana uses every tool at her disposal to convince Gondarino of her love, up to and including serenading him. Later, the Duke questions Gondarino as to the nature of his relationship with the girl. Sensing his chance to avenge himself, Gondarino slanders Oriana by not only confirming the Duke's suspicions but by denouncing her as an "arrant whore." Anguished and disbelieving,

1886-409: The off chance the gourmand make some sort of treasonous comment. While Lazarillo has been busy soliciting an introduction from Valore, his boy has discovered that the umbrannes is no longer in the Duke's possession, but has been sent to the general Gondarino. Agreeing to meet Valore later, Lazarillo heads off in pursuit of an invitation to the general's dinner. Unfortunately for Lazarillo, the umbrannes

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1932-522: The old Hall, including some 17th-century woodwork and Victorian stained glass. The Mercers' Company is the only City Livery Company to have its own private chapel. Children whose father or mother was a member of the Company at the time of their birth have an automatic right to become Mercers by 'patrimony'. Most other members have a family connection to the company and obtain their Freedom by Redemption. Under this process applicants are recommended for membership after an interview and, if approved, they pay

1978-526: The period 1877 to 1881 (the porch of the 1676 building is now incorporated into the facade of Swanage Town Hall ). The frontage was remodelled by George Barnes Williams and the interiors were redesigned by John Gregory Crace, the renowned Victorian designer. The Hall was destroyed by fire in 1941 during the Blitz . The third and present Mercers' Hall was opened in May 1958. The architect was E. Noel Clifton of Gunton and Gunton. The Hall incorporates fittings from

2024-479: The play to both Beaumont and Fletcher and added a subtitle to the play, calling it The Woman Hater, or The Hungry Courtier. Like other previously published plays, The Woman Hater was omitted from the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647 . The play was later included in the second Beaumont/Fletcher folio in 1679 . The song "Come, Sleep" from Act III has been anthologized under the title "Sleep" and often set to music by later composers. The title page of

2070-492: The two authors' respective shares: Fletcher revised five scenes in Beaumont's play, scenes that deal with the chastity test. This dramaturgic element was a preoccupation with Fletcher, and recurs in his plays with Beaumont and other collaborators and his solo works as well. Other critics have agreed in substance, though not in all particulars, with Hoy's division. The Duke of Milan Arrigo and Lucio - his courtiers. Valore -

2116-616: The use of his protégée and heir (via his niece) Sir Thomas Leigh . Hill is associated with the publication of the Geneva Bible , and is considered a possible inspiration for the character Old Sir Rowland in Shakespeare's As You Like It . There are accounts of the Mercer's buildings being the focus of London state pageantry in the mid- 16th century. For instance Sir Rowland Hill and Sir Thomas Gresham together with Henry VIII and Jane Seymour , are recording as watching

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