alogues, scenes, and characters which have no connexion with the
development of the story; but when we consider how frequently
Shakespeare sinned in this respect, we cannot blame Lyly for introducing
a philosophical discussion between Plato and Aristotle, as in
_Campaspe_, or those merry altercations between his pages which added so
much colour and variety to his plays. However many interruptions there
were, he never allowed his audience to forget the main business, as
Dekker, for example, so frequently did. Nowhere, again, in Lyly's plays
are the motives inadequate to support the action, as they were in the
majority of dramas previous to 1580. Even Alexander's somewhat tame
surrender of Campaspe is quite in accordance with his royal dignity and
magnanimity; and, moreover, we are warned in the third act that the
King's love is slight and will fade away at the first blast of the war
trumpet, for as he tells us he is "not so far in love with Campaspe as
with Bucephalus, if occasion serve either of conflict or of
conquest[129]." In _Endymion_ the motives are perhaps most skilfully
displayed, and lead most naturally on to the action, and in this play,
also, Lyly is perhaps most successful in creating that dramatic
excitement which is caused by working up to an apparent deadlock (due to
the intrigues of Tellus), and which is made to resolve itself and
disappear in the final act. Closely allied with the development of
action by the presentation of motives is the weaving of the plot. And
in this Lyly is not so satisfactory, though, of course, far in advance
of his predecessors. A steady improvement, however, is discernible as he
proceeds. In the earlier plays the page element does little more than
afford comic relief: the encounters between Manes and his friends, and
between Manes and his master, can hardly be dignified by the name of
plot. It is in _Midas_, as I have already suggested, that this farcical
under-current displays incident and action of its own, turning as it
does upon the relations of the pages with Motto and the theft of the
beard. Here again the comic scenes, now connected together for the first
time, are also united with the main story. But the page element by no
means represents Lyly's only attempt at creating an underplot. It will
be seen from the story of _Endymion_ related above that in that play our
author is not contented with a single passion-nexus, if the expression
may be allowed, that of Tellus, Cynth