Certain lines of the prologue Remember all is but a Poets dreame, The first he had in Phoebus holy bowre, But not the last, unlesse the first displease have not unnaturally been taken to mean that the piece was the first venture of the author; but on investigation this will be seen to be impossible, since the constant reminiscence of Marlowe in the construction of the verse points to 1588 or at earliest to 1587 as the date.

No meanes unlesse we leape downe from the rockes, And that's meare desperation.

Enough, good friend; no more. Had a rude Scythian, ignorant of teares, Unlesse the wind enforcd them from his eyes, Heard this relation, sure he would have wept;