NABBES, THOMAS

born 1605, Worcestershire, Eng.buried April 6, 1641, London English dramatist and writer of verse, one of a number of lesser playwrights of the period. He is perhaps best known for his masques. Nabbes attended Exeter College, Oxford, in 1621, but he left the university without taking a degree. He began his writing career in London in about 1630. His first comedy, Covent Garden, was dedicated to Sir John Suckling and was performed in 1632 or 1633. The comedies Totenham Court (perf. 1633) and The Bride (perf. 1638) met with some success, but his tragediesespecially The Unfortunate Mother (1640)were not appreciated and were considered by many to be third-rate. He wrote a number of masques and occasional verses, most of which demonstrate some skill. All of Nabbes' works, with the exception of his continuation of Richard Knolles's Generall Historie of the Turkes (1638), were reprinted in A.H. Bullen's Old English Plays (1887).