A "potboiler" (c.f. Wharton's phrase about the masterpieces of literature) that is disguised only by occasional, powerful strokes. Undine is one of the great heroines--and one you can believe in. But its "potboiler" origin manifests itself in the rather "cheap" suicide of Ralph (perhaps I am sore because I love him). More importantly, the shifting-perspective narration, which could have made this a great novel, instead exposes a lack of unity (when for instance Ralph is erased, and so with him a good half of the novel's characters--never to return. Ah, but I dwell...). Too many of the players, therefor, seem like tools. Here is a lightweight James plus Howells, and perhaps prefigures Fitzgerald. Still, a great read and splendid prose.

"A New Way to Pay Old Debts" is a typical Renaissance comedy. The young hero, tellingly named Welborne, has lost his fortune thanks in part to an evil old uncle. Machinations, engagements, and quarrels follow. This is supposedly Massinger's masterpiece, but it has never been a special favorite of mine. I think that Ben Jonson and others pull off similar stories in a more amusing way.

I am a fan of the New Mermaid series. I like the commentary and introductions provided. However, the language is more modernized than it is in most editions os such literature, and if you insist on reading the original spelling, another edition is better for you.