A Prisoner in Malta (40 page)
Read A Prisoner in Malta Online
Authors: Phillip Depoy
6.   Dr. Rodrigo Lopez (1525â1594) was a Portuguese physician who served Queen Elizabeth. He was the likely inspiration for Marlowe's play
The Jew of Malta,
and Shakespeare's Shylock. At the beginning of 1593, Lopez was a wealthy and respected royal physician. Toward the end of that year Robert Devereux accused Lopez of conspiring with Spanish Catholics to poison the Queen. Lopez was convicted in February of 1594, and subsequently hanged, drawn, and quartered.
7.   Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork (1566â1643) was Lord Treasurer of the Kingdom of Ireland. He was born in Canterbury and went to The King's School with Marlowe and then Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, England, in 1583. Eventually on the Privy Council and a Member of Parliament, Boyle has been called the first colonial millionaire.
8.   Ingram Frizer (exact dates unknown) is primarily known as the man who killed Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe, Frizer, and several others were at a public house owned by Eleanor Bull. There was an argument about who would pay the bill, and Frizer stabbed Marlowe in the eye with Marlowe's own knife. The circumstances of that event, however, remain so greatly suspect (the dead man's face was too bloody to identify; Frizer was never indicted for the crime) that conspiracy theories abound. A favorite insists that Marlowe faked his own death, possibly in service to the Privy Council or even the Queen. It has even been suggested that after this “death” Marlowe began to supply a little-known London newcomer with plays, beginning with
Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream,
and
The Merchant of Venice
.
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Acknowledgment should be made to decades of theatre work with institutions including the Actors and Writers Workshop, the Academy Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, and the Alliance Theatre for continually reminding me that the difference between theatre and life is entirely negligible. Also I acknowledge Lee Nowell's contributions as first reader, best friend, constant companion, great artist, and spiritual cohort. Finally, acknowledgment is made to Keith Kahla and Janet Reid for cooking this up.
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PHILLIP D
E
POY
is a novelist, a playwright, a poet, and a scholar. His work has been widely published and has won numerous awards, including the mystery world's top honor, the Edgar Award. He lives in Decatur, Georgia.
Visit the author's Web site at
www.phillipdepoy.com
. Or sign up for email updates
here
.
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ALSO BY
PHILLIP D
E
POY
THE CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE SERIES
THE FEVER DEVILIN SERIES
The Devil's Hearth
THE FLAP TUCKER SERIES
Easy
Too Easy
Easy as One-Two-Three
Dancing Made Easy
Dead Easy
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CONTENTS
A Few of the Historical Personages
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
A PRISONER IN MALTA
. Copyright © 2016 by Phillip DePoy. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover painting of Christopher Marlowe (Ospringe, 1584âLondon, 1593), oil on canvas, 1585/De Agostini Picture Library/Bridgeman Images
Cover photographs: woman in cloak © Paul Gooney/Arcangel Images; antique book © Brocreative/Shutterstock
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-05842-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-6258-6 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466862586
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at
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First Edition: January 2016
