[From Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 4th series, 8 (1868).]
William Hooke (1600-1678) emigrated to New England in 1637 and served as a minister in Cohannet and New Haven. After his return in 1656 he became chaplain to Oliver Cromwell (who was a relative of his wife's). He continued to send letters to his friends in New England, and was forced into hiding in 1663 when one containing domestic news was intercepted.
From a letter by Hooke to the Revd John Davenport in America, 12 October 1661. The subject is a performance based on Bartholomew Fair. The version in question was evidently a much altered one; indeed, as Teague (1985), 69-70, suggests in The Curious History of 'Bartholomew Fair', the two Puritans Hooke mentions may well indicate that the piece incorporated parts of The Alchemist ; it may well have been titled The Play of the Puritan, judging from Hooke's form of words. The production is referred to again in a letter from Robert Newman to Davenport of 28 October 1661 ( Collections, 4th series, 8, 174) ). This or a similar version of the play was put on again in Dublin in 1670: during the performance, the galleries collapsed, a sign of Providence at work, according to the Presbyterian commentator quoted in W. S. Clark (1955), 69-70 . This performance is also mentioned by Richard Baxter in Reliquiae Baxterianae Part iii, p. 84 .
*****************************************You will heere by the bearer of the play of the Puritan before the Highest, where were present (as they say) the Earl Manchester & 3 Bishops, and London one of them. In it were represented 2 Presbiterians under the forme of Mr. Baxter & Mr. Callamy, whose Habitt & actions were sett forth: prayers were made in imitation of the Puritan, with such scripture expressions as I am loath to mention, the matter such as might have beene used by any godly man in a right maner: The case of Syon lying in the dust was spreade before, &c: & God's former deliverances of his people urged in such phraises as would amaze yow if yow heard them, with eyes lifted up to heaven, one representing the Puritan put in the stockes for stealing a pigg, & the stockes found by him unlockt, which he admires at as a wonderfull providence & fruite of prayer, upon which he consults about his call, whether he should come forth or not, & at last perceived it was his way, & forth he comes, lifting up his eyes to heaven, & falls to prayse & thankesgiving; I canot tell yow all of it, being large, but such as that some present, who were farr from liking the Puritan, were greatly astonished, wondring the house did not fall upon there heades. The play I heere, was taken out of one or two of Ben: Johnson's, &c: for which Ben would say, that, if he were damn'd, it would be for those 2 playes. I heere it hath beene acted againe.
(177-8)