Hengist the King of Kent is a historical play by Middleton, one of his few historical plays, and it was an odd mix of tragedy and comedy. One would be hard-pressed to classify this play. It starts off somewhat funny and then King Constantius is betrayed and killed offstage for the new king. Interspersed in the royal tragedy are the comedic scenes of Simon, the mayor of Queenborough, which chronicles the rise of an inept and gullible mayor who uses his power to solve his own petty quarrels. These scenes are apparently satirizing the collapse of the cloth trade in Middleton's own day.
The titular character Hengist is apparently well known in English history, and I am ashamed I have never heard of him before. I guess I should read more.
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