Note 21 — THE COMPLETE PLAYS OF ROBERT GREENE

As to date of the play we can say only that if Greene's it must be the last one of his extant workmanship. It would not be safe to draw conclusions from the mention of George-a-Greene in Tarlton's News out of Purgatory, as Tarlton was probably alluding to the source of the narrative used by Greene. Nor does the mention of "martial Tamburlaine" in the first scene help further than to indicate that the play was written after 1587.