Presented  to  the 

LIBRARY  o/tfie 

UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO 


Sidney  Fisher 


ROSCIUS  ANGLICANUS 


THIS  EDITION,  PRINTED  BY  THE 
WHTTEFRIARS  PRESS,  IS  LIMITED 
TO  50  COPIES  ON  ALTON  MILL 
HAND-MADE  PAPER,  NUMBERED 
1-50  J  AND  600  COPIES  ON 
ARNOLD  UNBLEACHED  HAND 
MADE  PAPER,  NUMBERED  5  1-650; 
OF  WHICH  THIS  IS  NUMBER 


ROSCIUS 

ANGLICANUS 

*r 

JOHN  DOWNES 

Edited  by 
THE  REV.  MONTAGUE  SUMMERS 


THE  FORTUNE  PRESS 

12,  Buckingham  Pakce  Road, 

LONDON 


TO 

W.  J.  LAWRENCE 

This  small  token  of  an  old  and  much-valued 
friendship 


INTRODUCTION 

7OHN"  DOWNES,  ax  be  himself  tells  us  in  the 
J  address  "  To  the  Reader "  which  prefaces  the 
"  Koscius  Anglicanus,"  was  "  Bookkeeper  and  Promp 
ter  "  to  the  Company  whereof  Better  fan  shone  as  the  mo  ft 
brilliant  ornament,  from  the  opening  by  Sir  William 
Davenant  of  the  theatre  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  June, 
1 66 1,  through  their  several  migrations,  for  the  Space  of 
five  and  forty  years  until  Oftober,  1706.  Upon  his 
retirement  he  conceived  the  happy  thought  of  committing 
to  paper  a  record  of  that  lengthy  period,  well-nigh  half  a 
century,  during  which  he  had  so  faithfully  served  the 
theatre,  together  with  some  few  recollections  of  the  great 
aftors  he  had  so  intimately  known.  It  would  appear  that 
in  his  narrative  he  was  fruiting  largely  to  memory,  and 
that  he  had  at  hand  few,  if  any,  attual  manuscript  notes 
by  which  to  check  his  chronicle.  He  was  obviously  aware 
that  errors  mutt  inevitably  creep  in,  and  more  than  once 
he  apologises  very  humbly  for  any  such  inexactitude. 
Had  he  but  kept  some  diary,  however  Sparse,  what 
ample  and  detailed  annals  might  he  not  have  left  us  ! 
As  it  is  the  "  Rjoscius  Anglicanus  "  comprises  but  two 
and  fifty  pages,  which,  even  were  they  co-ordinately 
apportioned — and  such  is  far  from  being  the  case — 
assigns  barely  one  little  page  to  each  crowded  year.  But 
we  must  gratefully  accept  the  old  prompter's  tale  as  he 
chose  to  give  it  to  us,  and  with  all  its  brevities  and  blunders, 
its  deficiencies  and  omissions,  the  "  Rjoscius  Anglicanus  " 
remains  for  students  of  dramatic  literature  a  document 

vii 


Vlll  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

of  incalculable  value.  Moreover ',  John  Downes  had  a 
Style  of  his  own,  often  awkward  and  abrupt,  no  doubt, 
jet  not  without  a  serious  quaintness  that  smacks  of  a 
flavour  and  a  charm  long  laid  up  in  lavender.  He  is 
scarcely  to  be  envied  who  cannot  relish  such  phrases  as : 
"  //  has  since  been  Disputable  among  the  Judicious,  whether 
any  Woman  that  succeeded  him  so  Sensibly  touch* d  the 
Audience  as  he  "  ;  "  //  Rais'd  her  from  her  Bed  on  the 
Cold  Ground,  to  a  Bed  Roja/"  ;  "  the  three  lafi  by 
force  of  Love  were  Erept  the  Stage  "  ;  *'  //  took  pro 
digiously"  ;  "the  Ladies,  by  their  daily  charming 
presence,  gave  it  great  Encouragement " ;  "  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle,  by  a  Potent  and  Magnetick  Charm  in 
performing  a  Song  in't,  caused  the  Stones  of  the 
Streets  to  fly  in  the  Men's  Faces." 

With  regard  to  the  historical  value  of  this  chronicle- 1 
cannot  do  better  than  quote  a  leading  authority,  Mr.  W.  J. 
Lawrence,  who  in  his  "  The  Elizabethan  Playhouse  " 
admirably  describes  the  "  JLoscius  Anglicanus"  of  John 
Downes  as :  "A  rambling  Stage  record  published  in 
1708,  when  the  quondam  prompter  who  penned  it  was 
in  the  decline  of  his  years  and  his  intellect.  Having  little 
or  no  documentary  evidence  to  rely  upon,  and  fully  conscious 
of  the  defeftiveness  of  his  memory,  Downes  takes  shelter 
behind  the  hope  that  '  he  is  not  very  erroneous  in  his 
relation?  In  the  face  of  this  warning,  and  owing  to  the 
difficulty  of  obtaining  tefting  data,  later  historians  have 
taken  his  statements  largely  on  truSt,  and  thereby  per 
petuated  many  a  falsity.  It  cannot  be  too  Strongly 
emphasised  that  through  slovenliness  of  arrangement  the 
'  Rjoscius  Anglicanus '  is  positively  honeycombed  with 
error.  It  is  the  perspective  of  the  thing  that  is  wholly 
wrong.  In  other  words,  the  events  related  moStly  took 
place,  but  seldom  in  the  sequence  indicated.  It  is  the  old 
Story  of  a  senile  memory  with  nothing  to  check  its  vagaries. 


INTRODUCTION  IX 

One  takes  it  that  Downes  is  lea  ft  likely  to  have  erred  in 
dealing  with  matters  which  came  directly  under  his  own 
notice,  when  he  was  prompter  at  the  old  Duke's  Theatre 
in  Dorset  Gardens" 

At  fir  ft  sight  this  may  seem  a  little  severe,  yet  such 
indeed  is  not  altogether  the  case.  What  is  here  insisted 
upon,  and  very  rightly  insisted  upon  with  emphasis  and 
warning,  is  that  the  chronology  of  John  Downes  muft  be 
regarded  as  utterly  unreliable  and  uncertain.  If  this  one 
proviso  be  kept  in  mind  all  other  Statements  in  the  "  Rosctus 
Anglicanus"  may  be  accepted,  unless  indeed  we  have 
positive  evidence  to  the  contrary  from  strictly  contem 
porary  sources  of  weight  and  recognised  repute.  Mr. 
Lawrence  himself  has  in  other  places  on  more  than  one 
occasion  borne  witness  to  the  unique  value  of  Downes* 
record.  It  was  solely  the  evidence  ofDownes,for  example, 
which  enabled  our  great  scholar  to  unravel  the  many 
difficulties  and  contradictions  that  involved  the  various 
versions  of  "  The  Tempeft,"  the  adaptation  by  Dryden 
and  Davenant,  as  distinguished  from  the  Opera  by  Shadwell, 
a  problem  of  no  little  importance  and  complexity. 

Fortunately  we  are  often  able  to  correEt  the  one  grievous 
weakness  of  Downes,  the  chronology,  and  errors  of  this 
kind  I  have  endeavoured  to  amend,  as  far  as  possible,  in 
the  present  edition  of  the  "  Koscius  Anglicanus"  The 
date  of  production  or  of  revival  of  each  play  mentioned  by 
Downes  will  be  found  in  the  notes,  save  when  in  some  few 
cases  of  revivals,  e.g.,  Middleton's  "  A  Trick  to  Catch 
the  Old  One "  and  Brome's  "  The  Sparagus  Garden," 
these  are  not  ascertainable.  In  some  ways  it  would, 
perhaps,  have  been  convenient  for  the  Student  had  such 
emendations  been  given  at  the  bottom  of  each  page  in  the 
shape  of  footnotes,  but  as  I  felt  that  a  page  facsimile  of 
the  original  edition  was  essential  such  an  arrangement, 
however  useful,  proved  unpratticable. 


X  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

I  have  further  appended  a  note  upon  each  one  of  the  very 
large  number  of  names  of  actors  and  actresses  mentioned  by 
Downes.  It  is,  I  hope,  superfluous  to  point  out  that  these 
notes  muff  not,  of  course,  be  taken  as  exhauftive  biographies 
of  the  subject.  Such  a  treatment  would  require  many 
volumes.  It  has  not  even  been  possible  to  give  a  complete 
lift  of  the  roles  played  by  each  performer,  and  accordingly 
I  found  myself  obliged  to  record  mainly  the  leadingcharacters 
which  an  actor  sustained  in  his  career,  those  parts  in  fine 
be  ft  calculated  to  give  a  fair  idea  of  his  importance  in  the 
theatre  as  of  the  line  he  usually  created  on  the  boards.  To 
have  attempted  any  complete  lifts  of  the  roles  suftained 
by  Hart,  Mohun,  Betterton,  Underbill,  James  Nokes, 
An^nny Leigh,  Wilks,  Booth,  Cibber,  Mrs.  Barry,  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle,  Mrs.  Leigh,  Mrs.  Mountfort,  Mrs.  Oldfield, 
and  the  reft,  mu ft  have  swelled  the  excursus  to  an  inordinate 
and  wholly  disproportionate  length.  Moreover,  in  my 
forthcoming  "  History  of  the  Ejeftoration  Stage  "  it  is  my 
intention  to  supply  as  far  as  possible  such  complete  lifts  of 
the  characters  suftained  by  the  many  actors  and  actresses  of 
that  period. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  essential  importance  of 
Downes'  record  to  students  of  the  drama,  and  it  were 
impertinent  to  labour  so  recognised  and  self-evident  a 
point. 

The  original  edition  of  the  "  HLoscius  Anglicanus," 
1708,  here  given  in  facsimile,  is  a  piece  of  the  laft  rarity. 
There  were  various  issues,  and  in  certain  of  these  the 
author  corrected  some  few  of  the  more  patent  errors  due  to 
the  printer's  carelessness  or  hafte.  I  have  introduced  into 
the  body  of  the  work  the  eight  Errata  to  which  attention  is 
directed  on  the  verso  of  the  title  in  the  exemplar  used  for 
this  present  edition,  but  in  no  other  inftance  have  I  ventured 
to  alter  the  tenor  of  the  text,  however  faulty  it  may  appear. 
Any  such  correction  will  be  found  in  the  Notes. 


INTRODUCTION  XI 

In  1789  F.  G.  Waldron  printed  an  edition  of  the 
"  Roscius  Anglicanus,"  an  issue  which  presents  a  very 
indifferent  and  slovenly  text.  None  the  less  it  has  become 
an  uncommon  and  expensive  book.  In  his  advertisement 
Waldron  draws  attention  to  the  fatt  that  the  "  Roscius 
Anglicanus  "  was  then  "  extremely  scarce."  He  has  fur 
nished  a  few  notes,  some  of  which  are  due  to  his  own  pen, 
whilft  others  were  collected  from  the  remains  of  Thomas 
DavieSy  the  aflor,  publisher,  and  miscellaneous  writer ;  who 
had  died  four  years  previously,  in  1785.  //  cannot  be  said 
that  these  inadequate  illustrations  contain  anything  of 
value  ;  in  fa£t  they  are  disfigured  by  endless  inaccuracies 
and  impertinences. 

In  1886  was  issued  a  facsimile  of  the  "  Roscius  Angli 
canus  "  with  an  historical  preface  by  Joseph  Knight.  One 
hundred  and  thirty -five  copies  were  printed,  of  which  only 
one  hundred  and  twenty- five  were  for  sale.  That  so  limited 
an  edition  muft  soon  become  almott  unobtainable  was  evi 
dent,  and  such  has  indeed  proved  the  case. 

Knight's  introduction,  is  as  we  should  expeff,  eminently 
readable  and  well-informed,  but  it  would  have  been  better, 
perhaps,  had  it  been  a  little  more  particular  and  less  dis 
cursive.  Mr.  Robert  W.  Lowe,  the  author  of  an  excellent 
monograph  on  Betterton,  indicated  various  passages  in  the 
"  Roscius  Anglicanus  "  which  needed  attention,  but  these 
only  amount  to  a  bare  fourteen  in  number,  and  the  comments 
thereon  are  for  the  mofipart  corrections  of  errors  made  by 
Waldron  and  Davies  in  dealing  with  these  points.  A  few 
additional  notes  jotted  down  by  IsaacReedin  his  interleaved 
copy  ofDownes  are  also  reproduced,  but  I  do  not  find  that 
these  supply  anything  very  material. 

Of  recent  years  considerable,  although  by  no  means 
undue,  interefi  has  been  concentrated  upon  the  theatre  of  the 
Restoration,  a  period  all  too  long  neglected  and  traduced. 
Definitive  editions  are  being  issued  of  Reparation  authors  ; 


Xll 


ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 


the  plays  of  "Restoration  dramatists  have  been  revived  with 
popularity  and  applause.  The  diligence  of  students  is  being 
directed  to  this  era  in  a  very  large  number  of  ways,  and  it  is 
safe  to  prophesy  that  never  again  will  these  full-blooded 
and  important  years  be  allowed  to  fall  into  a  background 
of  disregard.  To  lovers  of  the  drama  and  to  dramatic 
scholars  the  "  Roscius  Anglicanus  "  cannot  fail  to  be  a 
work  of  supreme  interest ;  nay,  more,  a  book  of  reference 
which  mutt  always  be  at  hand.  It  is  necessary  that  an 
edition  ofDownes  should  be  readily  accessible. 

When  I  fir  Si  considered  the  issue  of  a  reprint  a  link 
reflection  showed  me  that  it  was  a  work  of  no  small  labour 
and  many  difficulties.  If  there  were  to  be  notes — and 
without  notes  any  reprint  were  worthless,  or  what  is  worse 
actually  detrimental  as  leading  to  a  multiplicity  of  per 
sistent  error — such  annotation  muSt  be  very  full.  Yet,  in 
one  sense  it  could  not  be  complete,  for  as  Joseph  Knight  has 
aptly  said :  "  A.  completely  annotated  edition  of  the 
'  Roscius  Anglicanus?  such  as  Davies  and  Waldron 
dreamed  of  supplying,  would  be  in  fact  a  history  of  the 
revival  of  the  Stage."  The  editor  is  then  confronted  with 
the  toilsome  problems  of  selection,  and  accordingly  I  found 
myself  obliged  to  sift  the  results  of  researches  extending 
over  well-nigh  forty  years.  The  nice  ft judgement  is  here 
required.  A  fact  which  is  to  a  scholar  a  commonplace  will 
need  to  be  set  out  for  the  advantage  of  the  student.  Again, 
I  have  not  hesitated  to  quote  from  Pepys  and  from  Gibber's 
" Apology"  although  it  may  be  argued  that  these  two 
authorities  will  certainly  be  in  the  hands  of  all  interested  in 
this  period.  Yet  it  is  surely  necessary  that  a  reader  should 
have  the  pertinent  passage  immediately  before  him,  and  not 
be  obliged  to  resort  to  his  shelves  to  turn  it  up  in  one  of 
many  volumes.  At  the  same  time  I  have  been  faring  in  my 
citations,  and  I  have  often  indicated  rather  than  transcribed 
at  length.  In  each  case  the  appropriate  reference  is  given. 


INTRODUCTION  Xlll 

Lately  our  Dulcimaras  of  literature  who  are  beginning  to 
essay  their  prentice  wits  upon  the  editing  of  Restoration 
poets  and  dramatists,  have  bethought  them  of  a  trick  to 
paraphrase  Pepys,  Cibber,  and  others  in  their  own  jejune 
words  which  they  throw  to  the  world  as  something  wondrous 
original.  Itwouldhave beenaneasy  matter  almostindefinitely 
to  write  excursuses  upon  Downes.  There  will,  I  think,  be 
found  in  my  annotations  something  that  is  new  and  not  a 
little  which  has  not  before  been  brought  together. 

As  a  useful  appendix  to  the  "  Roscius  Anglicanus  " 
I  give  "A.  Satyr  upon  the  flayers"  a  piece  of  great 
and  intimate  interest,  now  for  the  first  time  printed  from 
the  contemporary  MS.,  mordant  lines  which  hitherto  have 
remained  practically  unknown. 

It  only  remains  for  me  most  heartily  to  thank  my  old 
friend,  our  most  eminent  dramatic  authority,  Mr.  W.  J. 
Lawrence,  for  the  kindly  interest  he  has  taken  in  my  work, 
an  interest  which  has  often  proved  a  source  of  inspiration 
and  strength  during  the  long  and  arduous  task  of  glossing 
and  commentary.  To  his  writings  I  am  in  common  with  all 
who  study  the  theatre  continually  indebted. 

MONTAGUE  SUMMERS, 
i 

Quis  liber  a  mendis  liber  ?  uix  ullus  in  orbe. 

Semper  habent  mcndas  deuia  prela  suas. 
Quas  ergo  inuenies  hie  mendas,  candide  lector, 

Emenda,  et  mendis  disce  cauere  tuis. 


R  oscius   Anglic  anus  y 

OR    AN 

HISTORICAL 

REVIEW    OF    THE 

STAGE: 

After  it  had  been  Suppres'd  by  means 
of  the  late  Unhappy  Civil  War, 
begun  in  1641,  till  the  Time  of  King 
Charles  the  IIs.  Restoration  in  May 
1660.  Giving  an  Account  of  its  Rise 
again ;  of  the  Time  and  Places  the 
Governours  of  both  the  Companies 
first  Erected  their  Theatres. 

The  Names  of  the  Principal  A&ors  and 
Aftresses,  who  Perform'd  in  the  Chiefest 
Plays  in  each  House.  With  the  Names 
of  the  moSt  taking  Plays ;  and  Modern 
Poets.  For  the  space  of  46  Years,  and 
during  the  Reign  of  Three  Kings,  and 
part  of  our  present  Sovereign  Lady 
Queen  ANNE,  from  1660,  to  1706. 

Non  Audita  narro,  sed  Comperta. 

London,  Printed  and  sold  by  H.  Playford,  at  his  House  in 
Arundel-ttreet,  near  the  Water-side,  1708. 


ERRATA. 

~pA.ge  2,  Read  Reeves,  for  Knight.  P.  9  r.  Cidaria,  for  Cidu- 
ria.  P.  19,  line  33,  r.  Four  for  Three.  P.  12,  r.  Aquilius, 
for  Aquitius.  P.  28  line  17,  r.  Moleire,  for  Moleiro.  P.  31  lint 
20,  leave  out  John,  and  r.  Wife  of  Mr.  Antony  Leigh.  P.  3  5  lint 
2,  leave  out  was,  between  all  and  things.  P.  32,  line  15  r.  Sir 
Symon  Softhead,  for  Simeon  Lofthcad. 


TO    THE 

READER. 

THE  Editor  of  the  ensuing  Rela 
tion,  being  long  Conversant 
with  the  Plays  and  Atfors  of  the  Ori 
ginal  Company,  under  the  Patent  of 
Sir  William  Davenant,  at  his  Thea 
tre  in  Lincolns  -  Inn  -  Fields,  Open'd 
there  1662.  And  as  Book-keeper  and 
Prompter,  continu'd  so,  till  Odober 
1706.  He  Writing  out  all  the  Parts 
in  each  Play;  and  Attending  every 
Morning  the  Aflors  Rehearsals,  and 
their  Performances  in  Afternoons;  Em 
boldens  him  to  affirm,  he  is  not  very 
Erronious  in  his  Relation.  But  as  to 
the  Atfors  of  Drury-Lane  Company, 

under 


To  the  Reader. 

under  Mr.  Thomas  Killigrew,  be 
having  the  Account  from  Mr.  Charles 
Booth  sometimes  Book-keeper  there  \ 
If  be  a  little  Deviates,  as  to  the  Suc 
cessive  Order,  and  exaft  time  of  their 
Plays  Performances,  He  begs  Pardon 
of  the  Reader,  and  Subscribes  himself, 

His  very  Humble  Servant, 

John  Downes. 


Rostius 


(I) 


Roscius  Anglicanus, 

OR  AN 

HISTORICAL    REVIEW 

OF    THE 

STAGE. 


I 


'N  the  Reign  of  King  Charles  the  First, 
there  were  Six  Pky  Houses  allow'd  in 
Town :  The  Black  -  Ftyars  Company, 
His  Majefty's  Servants ;  The  Bull  in  St.  Johfs- 
ftreet;  another  in  Salisbury  Court ;  another  call'd 
the  Fortune  ;  another  at  the  Globe ;  and  the  Sixth 
at  the  Cock-Pit  in  Drury-Latie ;  all  which  con- 
tinu'd  Afting  till  the  beginning  of  the  said  Ci 
vil  Wars.  The  scattered  Remnant  of  several 
of  these  Houses,  upon  King  Charles's  Restoration, 
Fram'd  a  Company  who  A&ed  again  at  the 
Bull,  and  Built  them  a  New  House  in  Gibbon's 
Tennis  Court  in  Clare-Market;  in  which  Two 
Places  they  continu'd  Ading  all  1660,  1661, 
1662  and  part  of  1663.  In  this  time  they  Built 
them  a  New  Theatre  in  Drury  Lane :  Mr.  T6o- 
mas  Kittigrew  gaining  a  Patent  from  the  King  in 

B  order 


(*) 

order  to  Create  them  the  King's  Servants;  and 
from  that  time,  they  call'd  themselves  his  Ma- 
jeslty's  Company  of  Comedians  in  Drury-Lane. 


Whose  Names  were, 


Mr.  Tbeophilus  Bird. 

Mr.  Hart. 

Mr.  Mohun. 

Mr.  Lacy. 

Mr.  Burt. 

Mr.  Cartwrigbt. 

Mr.  Clm. 

Mr.  Baxter. 


Mr.  Robert  Shatterel. 
Mr.  William  Sbatterel. 
Mr.  Duke. 
Mr.  Hancock. 
Mr.  Kynatfon. 
Mr.  Wintersel. 
Mr.  Bateman. 
Mr.  Blagden. 


Note,  these  following  came  not  into  the  Com 
pany,  till  after  they  had  begun  in  Druty-Lane. 


Mr.  Hains. 
Mr.  Griffin. 
Mr.  Goodman. 
Mr.  Ly<£&#. 
Mr.  Charleton 
Mr.  Sberly. 
Mr.  Beetfon. 


These  Four  were  Bred 
up  from  Boys,  under  the 
Master  ACTORS. 


Mr. 
Mr.  Reeves. 
Mr.  Hughs. 
Mr.  Harris. 


Women. 


Mrs. 

Mrs.  ./1»«  Marshall. 

Mrs.  Eaftland. 

Mrs. 

Mrs. 

Mrs. 

Mrs.  Hughs. 


NOTE,  these  follow 
ing  came  into  the  Com 
pany  some  few  Years  after. 

Mrs.  Boutel. 
Mrs.  jE#/«  G»>;». 
Mrs.  James. 

Mrs.  Rfbecca. 


(3) 


Mrs.  Rebecca  Marshall. 
Mrs.  Rutter. 


Mrs.  Verjuice. 
Mrs.  Reeves. 


The  Company  being  thus  Compleat,  they 
open'd  the  New  Theatre  in  Drarj-Lane,  on 
Thursday  in  Batter  Week,  being  the  8//&,  Day  of 
April  1663,  With  the  Humorous  Lieutenant. 

Note,  this  Comedy  was  Afted  Twelve  Days 

Successively. 

.-  > 

I. 
The  Humorous  Lieutenant. 


King, 

Demetrius, 

Seleucus, 

Leontius, 

Lieutenant, 

Celia, 


Mr.  Wintersel. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Burt. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Clun. 
Mr[s].  Marshal. 


II. 
Rule  a  Wife,  and  have  a  Wife. 


Don  Leon, 

Don  John  Decastrio, 

Michael  Perez, 

Cacafago, 

Margareta, 

EsTifania, 


Major  Mohun. 

Mr.  Burt. 

Mr.  Hart. 

Mr.  Clun. 

Mrs.  Ann  Marshal. 

Mrs.  Boutell. 


III. 
The  Fox. 


Volpone 


Volpone, 

Mosca, 

Corbachio, 

Voltore, 

Corvino, 

Sir  Politique 

Would-be, 

Peregrine, 

Lady  Woud-be, 

Celia, 


(4) 

Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Cartwrigbt. 
Mr.  Shattered 
Mr.  Burt. 

Mr.  Lacy. 

Mr.  Kynafton. 
Mrs.  Corey. 
Mrs.  Marshal. 

IV. 


The  Silent  Woman. 


Morose, 
True-Wit, 
Cleremont, 
Dauphin, 
Sir  Amorous, 
Sir  John  Daw, 
Captain  Otter, 
Epicene, 
Lady  Haughty, 
Mrs.  Otter. 


Mr.  Cartwrigbt. 
Major  Mobun. 
Mr.  Burt. 
Mr.  Kynafton. 
Mr.  Wintersel. 
Mr.  Shattered 
Mr.  Lacy, 
Mrs.  Knep. 
Mrs.  Rutter. 
Mrs.  Corey. 


V. 
The   Alchemist. 


Subtil, 

Face, 

Sir  Ep.  Mammon, 

Surly, 

Ananias, 


Mr.  Wintersel. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  CartTvright. 
Mr.  Burt. 
Mr.  Lacy. 

Wholesome 


Wholesome, 
Dol.  Common, 
Dame  Plyant, 


(  5  ) 

Mr.  Bateman. 
Mrs.  Corey. 
Mrs.  Rutter. 


King, 

Melantius, 

Amintor, 

Calianax, 

Evadne, 

Aspatia, 


Arbaces, 

Tygranes, 

Mardonius, 

Gobrias, 

Lygones, 

Bessus, 

Arane, 

Panthea. 


VI. 
The  Maids  Tragedy. 

Mr.  Wintersel. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Shatterel. 
Mrs.  Marshal. 
Mrs.  Route  I. 

VII. 
King  and  no  King. 

Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Bttrt. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Wintersel. 
Mr.  Cartwright. 
Mr.  Shotterel. 
Mrs.  Corey. 
Madam  Gmn. 


VIII. 
Rollo,  Duke  of  Normandy. 


Rollo, 

Otto, 

Aubrey, 


Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Kynafton. 
Major  Mohun. 


La  Torch 


(6) 

La  Torch,  Mr.  Burt. 

Dutchess,  Mrs.  Corey. 

Edith,  Mrs.  Marshal. 

X. 

The  Scornful  Lady. 


Elder  Loveless, 

Younger  Loveless, 

Welford, 

Sir  Roger, 

The  Lady, 

Martha, 

Abigail, 


Mr.  Burt. 
Mr.  Kynafion. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  "Lacy. 
Mrs.  Marshal. 
Mrs.  Rxtter. 
Mrs.  Corey. 


XI. 


The  Elder   Brother. 


Charles, 

Eustace, 

Their  Father, 

The  Uncle, 

Charles's  Man, 

Lady, 

Lilia  Bianca, 


Mr.  Burt. 
Mr.  KynaRon. 
Mr.  Loveday. 
Mr.  Gradml. 
Mr.  Shotterel. 
Mrs.  Rutter. 
Mrs.  Boutel. 


Brabantio, 

Moor, 

Cassio, 


XII. 
The  Moor  of  Venice. 


Mr.  Cartwright. 
Mr.  Burt. 
Mr.  H</r/. 


Jag°> 


Jago, 
Roderigo, 
Desdemona, 
Emilia, 


(7) 

Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Beetfon. 
Mrs.  Hughs. 
Mrs.  Gutter. 


King, 

Prince, 

Hotspur, 

FalSlaff, 

Poyns, 


XIII. 
King  Henry  the   Fourth. 

Mr.  Wintersel. 
Mr.  Burt. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Cartwright. 
Mr.  Shotterel. 

XIV. 

The  Maiden  Queen. 


Lysimantes, 

Philocles, 

Celadon, 

Queen, 

AsTteria, 

Florimel, 

Melissa, 


Don  Alonzo, 
Don  Lopez, 
Belamy, 
Wildblood, 


Mr.  Burf. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mrs.  Marshal. 
Mr[sj.  Knep. 
Mrs.  Elen.  Gwin. 
Mrs.  Corey. 


XV. 
Mock  Astrologer. 

Mr.  Wintersel. 
Mr.  5//r/. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr. 


Maskal, 


Maskal, 
Theodosia, 
Jacyntha, 
Aurelia, 


Julius  Caesar, 

Cassius, 

Brutus, 

Anthony, 

Calphurnia, 

Portia, 


(8) 

Mr.  Shatterel. 
Mrs.  Hughs. 
Mrs.  Elen.  Gwin. 
Mrs.  Quyn. 

XV. 
Julius  Caesar. 

Mr.  Bell. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Kynatfon. 
Mrs.  Marshal. 
Mrs.  Corbet. 


Note,  That  these  being  their  Principal  Old 
Stock  Pkys ;  yet  in  this  Interval  from  the 
Day  they  begun,  there  were  divers  others  Ac 
ted, 

Cataline's  Conspiracy. 
The  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor. 
The  Opportunity. 
The  Example. 
The  Jovial  Crew. 
Philafter. 
The  Cardinal. 
As         Bartholomew-Fair. 
The  Chances. 
The  Widow. 
The  Devil's  an  Ass. 
Argulus  and  Parthenia. 
Every  Man  in  his  Humour. 
Every  Man  out  of  Humour. 
The  Carnival. 
Sejanus.  The 


As 


(9) 

The  Merry  Devil  of  Edmunton. 
Vittoria  Corumbona. 
The  Beggars  Bush. 
The  Traytor. 
Titus  A.ndronicus. 


These  being  Old  Plays,  were  A£ted  but  now 
and  then ;  yet  being  well  Perform'd,  were  ve 
ry  Satisfactory  to  the  Town. 


Next    follow  the    Plays,    Writ   by    the 

then  Modern  Poets,   As, 

The  Indian  Emperour. 

Emperour,  Major  Mohun. 

Odmar,  Mr.  Wintersel. 

Guymor,  Mr.  Kynaflon. 

Priest,  Mr.  Cartwright. 

Cortez,  Mr.  Hart. 

Vasquez,  Mr.  Burt. 

Cidaria,  Mrs.  El/en  Gwin. 

Almeria,  Mrs.  Marshall. 


Plain  Dealer. 


Manly, 
Freeman, 
Vernish, 
Novel, 

Major  Oldfox, 
Lord  Plausible, 


Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Kynafion. 
Mr.  Griffin. 
Mr.  Clark. 
Mr.  Cartwright. 
Mr.  Haines. 


Jerry 


Blackacre, 


Mr.  Cbarleton. 


Women. 


Olivia, 

Fidelia, 

Eliza, 

Widow  Blackacre, 


Mrs.  Marshall. 
Mrs.  Boutel. 
Mrs.  Knep. 
Mrs.  Corey. 


Tyrannick  Love. 


Maximin, 

Porphyrius, 

Placidius, 

Nigrinus, 

Amariel, 

Charinus, 

Valerius, 

Albinus, 

Apollonius, 


Empress, 

Valeria, 

St.  Catherine, 

Nacur, 

Damilcar, 


Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Kynafton. 
Mr.  Beefton. 
Mr.  Bell. 
Mr.  Harris. 
Mr.  Lydaf. 
Mr.  L,ittlewood. 
Mr.  Cartwright. 


Women. 


Mrs.  Marshall. 
Mrs.  Ellin  Gwin. 
Mrs.  Boutel. 
Mrs.  -£»*/>. 
Mrs.  James. 


Aureng  Zeb. 


O/</  Emperour, 
Aureng  Zeb  >& 
Moral  the  Younger  Son, 
Arimant. 


Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Kynafton. 
Mr.  Wintersel. 


Women. 


(II ) 

Women. 


Nourmahal  the  Empress, 

Indamora, 

Melesinda, 


Mrs.  Marsha/. 
Mrs.  Cox. 
Mrs.  Corbet. 


Alexander  the  Great. 


Alexander, 

Clytus, 

Lysimachus, 

Hephestion, 

Cassander, 

Polyperchon. 


Sysigambis, 

Statyra, 

Roxana, 


Mr.  Hart. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Griffin. 
Mr.  Clark. 
Mr.  Kynafton. 
Mr.  Goodman. 


Women. 


Mrs.  Corey. 
Mrs.  BoutelL 
Mrs.  Marshal/. 


All  for  Love,  or  the  World  well  Loft. 


Marc  Anthony, 
Ventidius  his  General, 
Dolabella  his  Friend, 
Alexas  the  Queens  Enuch, 
Seraphion, 


Mr.  Hart. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Clark. 
Mr.  Goodman. 
Mr.  Griffin. 


Women. 


Cleopatra, 
Odavia, 


Mrs.  Boutell. 
Mrs.  Corey. 


The 


The  Assignation,   or  Love  in  a  Nun 
nery. 


Duke  o/"  Mantua, 
Prince  Frederick, 
Aurelian, 
Camillo  bis  Friend, 
Mario, 

Ascanio  Page, 
Benito, 


Sophronia, 
Lucretia, 
Hyppolita  a  Nun, 
Laura, 
Violetta, 


Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Kynatfon. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Burt. 
Mr.  Cartwright. 
Mr.  Reeves. 
Mr.  Haines. 


Women. 


Mrs.  James. 
Mrs.  Marshall. 
Mrs.  Knep. 
Mrs.  Boutel. 
Mrs.  Cox. 


Mythridates  King  of  Pontus. 


Mythridates, 

Ziphares, 

Pharnaces, 

Archelaus, 

Pelopidus, 

Aquilius, 


Monima, 
Semandra, 


Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Goodman. 
Mr.  Griffin. 
Mr.  Wintersel. 
Mr.  Clark. 


Women. 


Mrs.  Corbet. 
Mrs.  Boutel. 


The 


The  DeSlrudion  of  Jerusalem. 


Titus  Vespasian, 
Phraartes, 
Matthias  high  Prietf. 
]ohny 


Mr.  Kynaflon. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Major  Mobun. 
Mr.  Cartwright. 


Women. 


Ckrona  D.to  Matthias, 
Queen  Berenice, 


Mrs.  Boufelt. 
Mrs  Marsha//. 


Marriage  Alamode. 


Polydamus, 

Leonidas, 

Harmogenes, 

Rhodophil, 

Pakmede, 


Palmira, 
Amathea, 
Doralice, 
Mekntha, 


Mr.  WinterseL 
Mr.  Kynafion. 
Mr.  Cartivright. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Barf. 


Women. 


Mrs  Cox. 
Mrs  James. 
Mrs  Marshall. 
Mrs  Boutett. 


The    Unhappy    Favourite,    or   the   Earl 
of  Essex. 


The  Earl  of  Essex, 
The  E.  0/"  Southampton, 
Lord  Burleigh, 


Mr.  Clark. 
Mr  Griffin. 
Major  Mohun. 


Women 


(14) 


Women. 


Queen  Elisabeth, 
Countess  of  Rutland, 
Countess  ^/Nottingham, 


Mrs.  Gwin. 
Mrs.  Cook. 
Mrs.  Corbet. 


The  Black  Prince. 


King  Edward  the  $dt 
King  John  o/"  France, 
The  Black  Prince, 
Lord  Delaware, 
Count  Gueselin, 
Lord  Latimer, 


Major  Mobun. 
Mr.  Wintersel. 
Mr.  Kynatfon. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Burt. 
Mr.  Cartwrigbt. 


Women. 


Alizia, 
Plantagenet, 
Cleorin, 

Valeria  Disgutfd, 
A  Lady, 


Mrs.  Gwin. 
Mrs.  Marshall. 
Mrs.  Corey. 
F.  Damport. 
Betty  Damport. 


The    Conquest    of    Granada,    2    Parts. 


Mahomet  Boabdelm 
la  ft  King  of  Granada, 
Prince  Abdalla, 
Abdemelech, 
Abenamar, 
Almanzer, 

Ferdinand  K.  of  Spain, 
Duke  o/Arcos. 


Mr.  Kynafton. 

Mr.  Lydal. 
Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  Cartwright. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Uttlewood. 
Mr.  Bel/. 


Women. 


(15  ) 


Women. 


Almahide,  Q.  0/"Gran. 
Lindaraxa, 
Benzaida, 
Esperanza, 
Isabella  Q_.  of  Spain, 


Mrs.  Ellen  Gwin. 
Mrs.  Marshall. 
Mrs.  Boutell. 
Mrs.  Reeves. 
Mrs.  James. 


Sophonisba,    or    Hanibal's   Overthrow. 


Hannibal, 

Maherbal, 

Bomilcar, 

Scinio, 

Lelius, 

Massinissa, 

Massina, 


Major  Mohun. 
Mr.  ~£>urt. 
Mr.  Wintersel. 
Mr.  Kynaflon. 
Mr.  Lydall. 
Mr.  Hart. 
Mr.  Clark. 


Sophonisba, 
Rosalnida. 


Women. 


Mrs.  Cox. 
Mrs.  Boute/. 


Note,  All  the  foregoing,  both  Old  and  Mo 
dern  Plays  being  the  Principal  in  their  Stock 
and  moSt  taking,  yet,  they  A&ed  divers  others, 
which  to  Enumerate  in  order,  wou'd  tire  the 
Patience  of  the  Reader.  As  Country  Wife ; 
Love  in  a  Wood ;  St.  Jame's-Park  ;  A.mboina ;  The 
Cheats  ;  Selindra  ;  The  Surpri^al ;  Vefial  Virgin  ;  The 
Committee  ;  Love  in  a  Ma^e  ;  The  Rehearsal :  In 
which  last,  Mr.  Lacy, 

For 


For  his  Juft  Afting,  aU  gave  him  due  Praise,  j 

His  Part  in  the  Cheats,  Jony  Thump,  Teg  and  Bayes,  K 
In  these  Four  Excelling",    The  Court  gave  him  the  Bays.) 

And  many  others  were  Afted  by  the  Old 
Company  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  from  the  time 
they  begun,  till  the  Patent  descended  to  Mr. 
Charles  KiUigrew,  which  in  1682,  he  join'd  it  to 
Dr.  Davenant's  Patent,  whose  Company  A&ed 
then  in  Dorset  Garden,  which  upon  the  Union, 
were  Created  the  King's  Company :  After 
which,  Mr.  Hart  A&ed  no  more,  having  a  Pen 
sion  to  the  Day  of  his  Death,  from  the  United 
Company. 

I  musi:  not  Omit  to  mention  the  Parts  in  se 
veral  Plays  of  some  of  the  Aftors ;  wherein 
they  ExcelTd  in  the  Performance  of  them.  First, 
Mr.  Hart,  in  the  Part  of  Arbaces,  in  King  and 
no  King ;  Amintor,  in  the  Maids  Tragedy ;  O- 
tbeUo  ;  Roffo  ;  Brutus,  in  Julius  Casar ;  Alexander, 
towards  the  latter  End  of  his  Adding ;  if  he 
A6ted  in  any  one  of  these  but  once  in  a  Fort 
night,  the  House  was  fill'd  as  at  a  New  Play, 
especially  Alexander,  he  Adting  that  with  such 
Grandeur  and  Agreeable  Majesty,  That  one  of 
the  Court  was  pleas'd  to  Honour  him  with 
this  Commendation ;  That  Hart  might  Teach 
any  King  on  Earth  how  to  Comport  himself: 
He  was  no  less  Inferior  in  Comedy ;  as  Mosca 
in  the  Fox ;  Don  John  in  the  Chances,  Wildblood 
in  the  Mock  Astrologer ;  with  sundry  other 
Parts.  In  all  the  Comedies  and  Tragedies,  he 
was  concern'd  he  Performed  with  that  Exactness 
and  Perfe&ion,  that  not  any  of  his  Successors 
have  Equall'd  him. 

Major 


(I?) 

Major  Mohan,  he  was  Eminent  for  Volpone ; 
Face  in  the  Alchymift',  Melantius  in  the  Maids 
Tragedy ;  Mardonius,  in  King  and  no  King ; 
Caisius,  in  Julius  Casar ;  Clytus,  in  Alexander ;  Mi- 
thridates,  &c.  An  Eminent  Poet  seeing  him 
Aft  this  laSt,  vented  suddenly  this  Saying ;  Oh 
Mohun,  Mobun  !  Thou  little  Man  of  Mettle,  if  I  should 
Write  a  100  Plays,  I'd  Write  a  Part  for  thy  Mouth  ; 
in  short,  in  all  his  Parts,  he  was  mosl:  Accurate 
and  Correct. 

Mr  Wintersel,  was  good  in  Tragedy,  as  well 
as  in  Comedy,  especially  in  Cokes  in  Bartholo 
mew-Fair',  that  the  Famous  Comedian  Nokes 
came  in  that  part  far  short  of  him. 

Then  Mr.  Burt,  Shatterel,  Cartwright  and  se 
veral  other  good  Aftors,  but  to  Particularize 
their  Commendations  wou'd  be  too  Tedious ;  I 
refer  you  therefore  to  the  several  Books, 
their  Names  being  there  inserted. 

Next  follows  an  Account  of  the  Rise  and 
Progression,  of  the  Dukes  Servants ;  under  the 
Patent  of  Sir  William  Davenant  who  upon  the 
said  Junftion  in  1682,  remov'd  to  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  Drury-Lane,  and  Created  the  King's 
Company. 

In  the  Year  1659,  General  Monk,  Marching 
then  his  Army  out  of  Scotland  to  "London.  Mr. 
Rhodes  a  Bookseller  being  Wardrobe-Keeper 
formerly  (as  I  am  inform'd)  to  King  Charles 
the  First's,  Company  of  Comedians  in  ^lack- 
Friars  ;  getting  a  License  from  the  then  Go 
verning  State,  fitted  up  a  House  then  for  Afting 
call'd  the  Cock-Pit  in  Drury-L,ane,  and  in  a  short 
time  Compleated  his  Company. 

Their 


(18) 

Their  Names  were, 

Mr   Betterton  Note,  These  six  commonly 

Mr.  Sheppy.  Acted  Women's  Parts- 

Mr.  Kynaflon. 
James  Nokes. 
Mr.  Angel. 
William  Betterton. 
Mr.  Mosely. 
Mr.  Floid. 


Mr. 
Mr.  Ullitton. 
Mr.  Underbill. 
Mr.  Turner. 
Mr.  Dixon. 
Robert  Nokes. 


The  Plays  there  Afted  werey 

The  Loyal  Subjeft. 

Maid  in  the  Mill. 

The  Wild  Goose  Chase. 

The  Spanish  Curate. 

The  Mad  Lover. 

Pericles,  Prince  of  Tyre. 

A  Wife  for  a  Month. 

Rule  Wife  and  have  a  Wife. 

The  Tamer  Tam'd. 

The  Unfortunate  Lovers. 

Aglaura. 

Changling. 

Bondman.     With  divers  others. 

Mr.  Betterton,  being  then  but  zz  Years  Old, 
was  highly  Applauded  for  his  Afting  in  all 
these  Plays,  but  especially,  For  the  Loyal  Sub 
ject  ;  The  Mad  Lover ;  Pericles ;  The  Bond 
man  :  Deflores,  in  the  Changling ;  his  Voice 
being  then  as  Audibly  sltrong,  full  and  Arti 
culate,  as  in  the  Prime  of  his  Afting. 

Mr. 


(19) 

Mr.  Sheppy  Performed  Theodore  in  the  Loyal 
Subject ;  Duke  Altophil,  in  the  Unfortunate 
Lovers ;  Asotus,  in  the  Bondman,  and  several 
other  Parts  very  well ;  But  above  all  the  Chang- 
ling,  with  general  Satisfaction. 

Mr.  Kynatfon  Afted  Arthiope,  in  the  Unfortu 
nate  Lovers  ;  The  Princess  in  the  Mad  Lover ; 
Aglaura ;  Ismenia,  in  the  Maid  in  the  Mill ;  and 
several  other  Womens  Parts  ;  he  being  then  ve 
ry  Young  made  a  Compleat  Female  Stage 
Beauty,  performing  his  Parts  so  well,  especial 
ly  Arthiope  and  Aglaura,  being  Parts  greatly 
moving  Compassion  and  Pity ;  that  it  has  since 
been  Disputable  among  the  Judicious,  whether 
any  Woman  that  succeeded  him  so  Sensibly 
touch'd  the  Audience  as  he. 

Mr.  James  Nokes  Afted  first,  The  Maid  in  the 
Mill;  after  him  Mr.  Angel ;  Aminta  in  the  same 
Pky  was  A&ed  by  Mr.  William  Betterton  (who 
not  long  after  was  Drown'd  in  Swimming  at 
Wallingford}  They  A&ed  several  other  Womens 
Parts  in  the  said  Plays,  very  Acceptable  to  the 
Audience :  Mosely  and  Floid  commonly  Afted 
the  Part  of  a  Bawd  and  Whore. 

In  this  Interim,  Sir  William  Davenant  gain'd 
a  Patent  from  the  King,  and  Created  Mr.  Bet- 
terton  and  all  the  Rest  of  Rhodes's  Company,  the 
King's  Servants ;  who  were  Sworn  by  my  Lord 
Manchester  then  Lord  Chamberlain,  to  Serve 
his  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  York,  at  the 
Theatre  in  Lincoln* s-Inn  Fields. 

Note,  The  three  following,  were  new  AEtors  taken 
in  by  Sir  William,  to  Compleat  the  Company  he  had 
from  Mr.  Rhodes. 

Mr  Harris 


(20) 


Mr.  Harris. 
Mr.  Price. 


Mr.  Richards. 
Mr.  Blagden. 


The  Five  following  came  not  in  till  almost  a 
Year  after  they  begun. 


Mr.  Smith. 
Mr.  Sandford. 
Mr.  Medburn. 


Mr.  Young. 
Mr.  Norm. 


Sir     William    Davenant's    Women    Ac 
tresses  were, 

Note,  These  Four  being  his  Principal  A&res- 
ses,  he  Boarded  them  at  his  own  House. 


Mrs.  Davenport. 
Mrs.  Saunderson. 

Mrs.  Ann  Gibbs. 
Mrs.  N orris. 


Mrs.  Davies. 
Mrs.  Long. 

Mrs.  Holden. 
Mrs.  Jennings. 


His  Company  being  now  Compleat,  Sir 
William  in  order  to  prepare  Plays  to  Open  his 
Theatre,  it  being  then  a  Building  in  Lincoln's- 
Inn  Fields,  His  Company  Rehears'd  the  First 
and  Second  Part  of  the  Siege  of  Rhodes ;  and 
the  Wits  at  Pothecaries-Hatt :  And  in  Spring 
1662,  Open'd  his  House  with  the  said  Plays, 
having  new  Scenes  and  Decorations,  being  the 
first  that  e're  were  Introduc'd  in  England.  Mr. 
Betterton,  A6ted  Soly-man  the  Magnificent ; 
Mr.  Harris,  Alphonso ;  Mr.  Lillifton,  Villerius  the 
Grand  Master ;  Mr.  Blagden  the  Admiral ;  Mrs. 
Davenport,  Roxo/ana ;  Mrs.  Sanderson  lanthe : 

All 


All  Parts  being  Justly  and  Excellently  Per 
form'd ;  it  continu'd  Aiding  12  Days  without 
Interruption  with  great  Applause. 

The  next  was  the  Wits,  a  Comedy,  Writ  by 
Sir  Wittiam  Davenant;  The  Part  of  the  Elder 
Palatine,  Perform'd  by  Mr.  Betterton ;  The 
Younger  Palatine  by  Mr.  Harris,  Sir  Morgly 
Thwack,  by  Mr.  Underbill  Lady  Ample,  by  Mrs. 
Davenport:  All  the  other  Parts  being  exadt- 
ly  Perform'd ;  it  continu'd  8  Days  Adting  Suc 
cessively. 

The  Tragedy  of  Hamlet',  Hamlet  being  Per 
form'd  by  Mr.  Betterton,  Sir  Wittiam  (having  seen 
Mr.  Taylor  of  the  Black-Fryars  Company  Adi: 
it,  who  being  Instructed  by  the  Author  Mr. 
Shaksepeur)  taught  Mr.  Betterton  in  every 
Particle  of  it ;  which  by  his  exadt  Perfor 
mance  of  it,  gain'd  him  Esteem  and  Reputati 
on,  Superlative  to  all  other  Plays.  Horatio  by 
Mr.  Harris-,  The  King  by  Mr.  Uttifton\  The 
Ghost  by  Mr.  Richards,  (after  by  Mr.  Medburn} 
Polonius  by  Mr.  Love/ ;  R.osencrans  by  Mr.  Dixon ; 
Guilder ftern  by  Mr.  Price-,  ift,  Grave-maker,  by 
Mr.  Underbill:  The  zd,  by  Mr.  Dacres ;  The 
Queen,  by  Mrs.  Davenport',  Ophelia,  by  Mrs. 
Sanderson :  No  succeeding  Tragedy  for  several 
Years  got  more  Reputation,  or  Money  to  the 
Company  than  this. 

Love  and  Honour,  wrote  by  Sir  Wittiam  Da- 
venant :  This  Play  was  Richly  Cloath'd ;  The 
King  giving  Mr.  Betterton  his  Coronation  Suit, 
in  which,  he  Adted  the  Part  of  Prince  Alva- 
ro ;  The  Duke  of  York  giving  Mr.  Harris  his, 
who  did  Prince  Profpero ;  And  my  Lord  of  Ox 
ford,  gave  Mr.  Joseph  Price  his,  who  did  L,ionel 

the 


(11) 

the  Duke  of  Parma's  Son ;  The  Duke  was  Ac 
ted  by  Mr.  Littitfon;  Evandra,  by  Mrs.  Daven 
port,  and  all  the  other  Parts  being  very  well 
done :  The  Play  having  a  great  run,  Produ- 
c'd  to  the  Company  great  Gain  and  Estimation 
from  the  Town. 

Romeo  and  Juliet,  Wrote  by  Mr.  Shakefyear : 
Romeo,  was  A&ed  by  Mr.  Harris ;  Mercutio,  by 
Mr.  Betterton ;  Count  Paris,  by  Mr.  Price ;  The 
Fryar,  by  Mr.  Richards ;  Sampson,  by  Mr.  Sand- 
ford;  Gregory,  by  Mr.  Underbill;  Juliet,  by  Mrs. 
Saunderson;  Count  Paris'*  Wife,  by  Mrs.  Holden. 

Note,  There  being  a  Fight  and  Scuffle  in  this 
Play,  between  the  House  of  Capulet,  and  House 
of  Paris;  Mrs.  Holden  AcHng  his  Wife,  enter'd 
in  a  Hurry,  Crying,  O  my  Dear  Count  !  She  In 
advertently  left  out,  O,  in  the  pronuntiation  of 
the  Word  Count  !  giving  it  a  Vehement  Accent, 
put  the  House  into  such  a  Laughter,  that  Lon 
don  Bridge  at  low-water  was  silence  to  it. 

This  Tragedy  of  Romeo  and  Juliet,  was  made 
some  time  after  into  a  Tragi-comedy,  by  Mr. 
James  Howard,  he  preserving  Romeo  and  Juliet  a- 
live ;  so  that  when  the  Tragedy  was  Reviv'd  a- 
gain,  'twas  Play'd  Alternately,  Tragical  one 
Day,  and  Tragicomical  another;  for  several 
Days  together. 

The  Adventures  of  five  Hours,  Wrote  by  the 
Earl  of  Bristol,  and  Sir  Samuel  Tuke :  This  Play 
being  Cloath'd  so  Excellently  Fine  in  proper 
Habits,  and  Afted  so  justly  well.  Mr.  Better- 
ton,  Acting  Don  Henriq ;  Mr.  Harris,  Antonio ; 
Mr.  Young,  Oftavio ;  Mr.  Underbill,  Diego ;  Mr. 
Sandford,  ErnesJo ;  Mr.  Smith,  the  Corrigidor ; 
Mr.  Price,  Silvio ;  Mrs.  Davenport,  Camilla ;  Mrs. 

Betterton, 


Better  ton,  Portia ;  Mrs.  Long,  "Flora.  It  took  Suc 
cessively  13  Days  together,  no  other  Play  In 
tervening. 

Twelfth  Night,  Or  what  you  will;  Wrote 
by  Mr.  Shakefyear,  had  mighty  Success  by  its 
well  Performance :  Sir  Toby  Belch,  by  Mr.  Bet- 
terton ;  Sir  Andrew  Ague-Cheek,  by  Mr.  Harris ; 
Fool,  by  Mr.  Underbill;  Malvolio  the  Steward, 
by  Mr.  Love!;  Olivia,  by  Mrs.  Ann  Gibbs ;  All 
the  Parts  being  justly  A&ed  Crown'd  the  Play. 
Note,  //  was  got  up  on  purpose  to  be  Atfed  on  Twelfth 
Night. 

The  Villain,  Written  by  Major  Thomas  Por 
ter;  this  Play  by  its  being  well  perform'd,  had 
Success  extremly  beyond  the  Company's  Ex- 
pe&ation.  Mr.  Betterton,  Adting  Monsieur  Brisac, 
Mr.  Harris,  Monsieur  Beanpre;  Governour,  Mr. 
Lillislon ;  Bontefeu,  Mr.  Young. 

Maligni,  the  Villain ;  Mr.  Saunford,  Coligni ; 
the  Scriveners  Son,  by  that  Inimitable  Spright 
ly  A&or,  Mr.  Price ;  (especially  in  this  part) 
Bellmont,  by  Mrs.  Betterton :  It  Succeeded  10 
Days  with  a  full  House,  to  the  last, 

The  Rivals,  A  Pky,  Wrote  by  Sir  Wittiam 
Davenant;  having  a  very  Fine  Interlude  in  it, 
of  Vocal  and  Instrumental  Musick,  mixt  with 
very  Diverting  Dances ;  Mr.  Price  introducing 
the  Dancing,  by  a  short  Comical  Prologue, 
gain'd  him  an  Universal  Applause  of  the  Town 
The  Part  of  Theocles,  was  done  by  Mr.  Harris ; 
Philander,  by  Mr.  Betterton ;  Cunopes  the  Jailor, 
by  Mr.  Underbill:  And  all  the  Womens  Parts 
admirably  A&ed ;  chiefly  Celia,  a  Sheperdess 
being  Mad  for  Love ;  especially  in  Singing  se 
veral  Wild  and  Mad  Songs. 

My 


(M) 

My  Lodging  it  is  on  the  Cold  Ground,  &c. 
She  perform'd  that  so  Charmingly,  that  not 
long  after,  it  Rais'd  her  from  her  Bed  on 
the  Cold  Ground,  to  a  Bed  Royal.  The  Play 
by  the  Excellent  performance ;  lasted  uninter- 
ruptly  Nine  Days,  with  a  full  Audience. 

King  Henry  the  %th,  This  Play,  by  Order  of 
Sir  William  Davenant,  was  all  new  Cloath'd  in 
proper  Habits :  The  King's  was  new,  all  the 
Lords,  the  Cardinals,  the  Bishops,  the  Doctors, 
Pro&ors,  Lawyers,  Tip-Staves,  new  Scenes : 
The  part  of  the  King  was  so  right  and  justly 
done  by  Mr.  Betterton,  he  being  InsTtru&ed  in  it 
by  Sir  William,  who  had  it  from  Old  Mr.  Lojven, 
that  had  his  Instructions  from  Mr.  Shaketyear 
himself,  that  Idare  and  will  aver,  none  can, 
or  will  come  near  him  in  this  Age,  in  the  per 
formance  of  that  part :  Mr.  Harris's,  performance 
of  Cardinal  Wolsey,  was  little  Inferior  to  that, 
he  doing  it  with  such  ju£l  State,  Port  and 
Mein,  that  I  dare  affirm,  none  hitherto  has  E- 
quall'd  him  :  The  Duke  of  Buckingham,  by  Mr. 
Smith;  Norfolk,  by  Mr.  Nokes ;  Suffolk,  by  Mr. 
Uttifton ;  Cardinal  Campeius  and  Cranmur,  by  Mr. 
Medburn ;  Bishop  Gardiner,  by  Mr.  Underbill ; 
Earl  of  Surry,  by  Mr.  Young ;  Lord  Sands,  by  Mr. 
Price ;  Mrs.  Betterton,  Queen  Catherine ;  Every 
part  by  the  great  Care  of  Sir  William,  being 
exa&ly  perform'd ;  it  being  all  new  Cloath'd 
and  new  Scenes ;  it  continu'd  Adding  1 5  Days 
together  with  general  Applause. 

Love  in  a  Tub,  Wrote  by  Sir  George  Etheridge ; 
Mr.  Betterton,  performing  Lord  Beauford;  Mr. 
Smith,  Colonel  Bruce ;  Mr.  Norm,  Lovis ;  Mr. 
Nokes,  Sir  Nicholas  Cutty;  Mr.  Underbill,  Palmer; 

Mr. 


(«*) 

Mr.  Saunford,  Wheadle  ;  Mrs.  Betterton,  Graciana ; 
Mrs.  Davies,  Aurelia ;  Mrs.  Long,  the  Widow ; 
Mr.  Harris,  Sir  Frederick  Frollick  ;  Mr.  Price,  Du- 

f°y- 

Sir  Nich'las,  Sir  Fred'rick ;  Widow  and  Dufoy, 
Were  not  by  any  so  well  done,  Mafoy  : 

The  clean  and  well  performance  of  this 
Comedy,  got  the  Company  more  Reputation 
and  profit  than  any  preceding  Comedy ;  the 
Company  taking  in  a  Months  time  at  it  iooo/. 

Cutter  of  Coleman-ttreet ;  Written     A,  .    „,, .   „, 

T-  A/T  AT~  L  x-  ;  /~  i  i  Note>  Thls  Play 
by  Mr.  Abraham  Cowley  ;  Colonel  was  not  a  little  in- 

JoUy,  perform'd  by  Mr.  Betterton  ;  jurious  to  the  Ca- 
Old  True-man,  by  Mr.  L«rf;  SJt.WJg- 

Young  L  rue-man,  Mr.  Harris;  Cut-  ly  the  Character 
/^r,  Mr.  Underbill',  Captain  IF0m<?,  <*  rCutter  and 
Mr.  Sandford,  Parson  Soaker,  Mr. 
D^ra ;  P#«y,  Mr.  JVo/^^j- ;  IF/^.  Mr.  Price  ;  ./4»- 
r^/w,  by  Mrs.  Betterton ;  Lucia,  Mrs.  Ann  Gibbs ; 
Laughing  Jane,  by  Mrs.  Long:  This  Comedy 
being  A£ted  so  perfectly  Well  and  Exa&,  it  was 
performed  a  whole  Week  with  a  full  Audience. 

The  Dutchess  of  Ma/fey ;  Wrote  by  Mr.  Web- 
tfer :  Duke  Ferdinand,  Perform'd  by  Mr.  Harris : 
Bosola,  by  Mr.  Betterton :  Antonio,  Mr.  ^Saw'/A : 
Cardinal,  Mr.  Young:  Dutchess  of  Malfey,  by 
Mrs.  Betterton :  Julia,  the  Cardinals  Mistress,  by 
Mrs.  Gibbs :  This  Play  was  so  exceeding  Ex 
cellently  Afted  in  all  Parts  ;  chiefly,  Duke  Ferdi 
nand  and  Bosola :  It  filTd  the  House  8  Days  Suc 
cessively,  it  proving  one  of  the  BeSt  of  Stock 
Tragedies. 

The  Tragedy  of  Mutfapha,  Wrote  by  the  Earl 
of  Orrery.      The    part    of  Solyman   the   Magnifi 
cent, 


(26) 

cent,  was  done  by  Mr.  Betterton ;  Mutfapha,  Mr. 
Harm :  Zanger,  Mr.  Smith :  Ruftan,  Mr.  Sand- 
ford  ;  Pyrrhtts,  Mr.  Richards :  Mr.  Young.  Haly, 
Mr.  Cademan :  Roxolana,  Mrs.  Davenport :  (Af 
terward  Mrs.  Better  ton,  and  then  by  one  Mrs. 
Wiseman)  Queen  of  Hungaria,  Mrs.  Davies.  All 
the  Parts  being  new  Cloath'd  with  new  Scenes, 
Sir  William's  great  Care  of  having  it  perfect 
and  exa&ly  perform'd,  it  produc'd  to  himself 
and  Company  vasl:  Profit. 

These  being  all  the  Principal,  which  we 
call'd  Stock-Plays ;  that  were  Afted  from  the 
Time  they  Open'd  the  Theatre  in  1662',  to 
the  beginning  of  May,  1665,  at  which  time 
the  Plague  began  to  Rage :  The  Company 
ceas'd  Affing;  till  the  Chriftmass  after  the  Fire 
in  1666.  Yet  there  were  several  other  Plays 
Attedy  from  1662,  to  1665,  both  Old  and  Mo 
dern  :  As  a  Comedy  call'd,  A  Trick  to  catch  the 
Old  One  :  The  Sparagus  Garden  :  Wit  in  a  Confla- 
ble.  Tu  Quoque  :  The  Tragedy  of  King  Lear,  as 
Mr.  Shaketyear  Wrote  it ;  before  it  was  alter'd 
by  Mr.  Tate.  The  Slighted  Maid:  The  Step-Mo 
ther ',  both  Written  by  Sir  Robert  Stapleton :  Law 
again  ft  Lovers,  by  Sir  William  Davenant.  'Tis  bet 
ter  than  it  was :  Worse  and  Worse :  These  Two 
Comedies  were  made  out  of  Spanish,  by  the 
Earl  of  Bristol.  The  GhoSts,  Wrote  by  Mr. 
Holden:  Pandora,  Wrote  by  Sir  William  Killi- 
grew.  The  Company  ending  as  I  said  with  Mutfa- 
phay  in  May  1665,  after  a  Year  and  Half's 
Discontinuance ;  they  by  Command  began 
with  the  same  Play  again  at  Court :  The  Chrift 
mass  after  the  Fire  in  1666  :  And  from  thence 
continu'd  again  to  Aft  at  their  Theatre  in  Lin- 
coln*s-Inn-Fields.  The 


The  firSt  new  Play  that  was  A&ed  in  1666, 
was  :  The  Tragedy  of  Cambyses,  King  of  Persia, 
Wrote  by  Mr.  Settle :  Cambyses,  was  performed 
by  Mr.  Betterton :  Prexafpes  the  General,  by  Mr. 
Harris :  Prince  Smerdis,  Mr.  Young :  Mandana, 
by  Mrs.  Betterton :  All  the  other  Parts,  being 
perfe&ly  well  A6ted,  Succeeded  six  Days  with 
a  full  Audience. 

After  this  the  Company  Revived  Three  Comedies  of 
Mr.  SherlyV,  vi^. 


The  Grateful  Servant. 
The  Witty  Fair  One. 
The    School    of  Comple 
ments. 

The  Woman's  a  Weather 
Cock. 


These  Plays  being  per- 
fe&ly  well  Perform'd  ;  es 
pecially  Dulcino  the  Grate 
ful  Servant,  being  A&ed  by 
Mrs.  Long;  and  the  firSt 
time  she  appear'd  in  Man's 
Habit,  prov'd  as  Beneficial 
to  the  Company,  as  several 
succeeding  new  Plays. 

Richard  the  Third,  or  the  English  Princess, 
Wrote  by  Mr.  Carrol,  was  Excellently  well  Ac 
ted  in  every  Part;  chiefly,  King  Richard,  by 
Mr.  Betterton ;  Duke  of  Richmond,  by  Mr.  Har 
ris',  Sir  William  Stanly,  by  Mr.  Smith,  Gain'd 
them  an  Additional  Estimation,  and  the  Ap 
plause  from  the  Town,  as  well  as  profit  to  the 
whole  Company. 

King  Henry  the  )th,  Wrote  by  the  Earl  of 
Orrery.  Mr.  Harm,  Afted  the  King :  Mr.  Bet 
terton,  Owen  Tudor :  Mr.  Smith,  Duke  of  Bur 
gundy  :  Duke  of  Bedford,  Mr.  Uttuton :  Earl  of 
Warwick,  Mr.  Angel :  Clermont,  Mr.  Medburn : 
Queen,  Mrs.  Betterton.  This  Play  was  Splen 
didly  Cloath'd:  The  King,  in  the  Duke  of 

York's 


(28) 

York's  Coronation  Suit :  Owen  Tudor,  in  King 
Charters :  Duke  of  Burgundy,  in  the  Lord  of 
Oxford's,  and  the  rest  all  New.  It  was  Excel 
lently  Perform'd,  and  Afted  10  Days  Succes 
sively. 

After  this  my  Lord  Orrery,  Writ  Two  Come 
dies  :  The  first  calTd  Gusman ;  the  other  Mr. 
Anthony  Gmman,  took  very  well,  the  other  but 
indifferent.  There  being  an  odd  sort  of  Duel 
in  it,  between  Mr.  Nokes  and  Mr.  Angel,  both 
Comicks  meeting  in  the  Field  to  fight,  one 
came  Arm'd  with  a  Blunderbus,  the  other  with 
a  Bow  and  Arrows. 

Sir  Martin  Marral,  The  Duke  of  New-Cattle, 
giving  Mr.  Dryden  a  bare  Translation  of  it,  out 
of  a  Comedy  of  the  Famous  French  Poet  Mon- 
seur  Moleire :  He  Adapted  the  Part  purposely 
for  the  Mouth  of  Mr.  Nokes,  and  curiously  Po 
lishing  the  whole ;  Mr.  Smith,  Ading  Sir  John 
Swallow ;  Mr.  Young,  Lord  Dartmouth ;  Mr.  Un 
derbill,  Old  Moody ;  Mr.  Harris,  Warner ;  Mrs. 
N orris,  Lady  Dupe ;  Mrs.  MiUisent,  Madam  Da- 
vies.  All  the  Parts  being  very  Just  and  Exact 
ly  perform'd,  'specially  Sir  Martin  and  his 
Man,  Mr.  Smith,  and  several  others  since  have 
come  very  near  him,  but  none  Equall'd,  nor 
yet  Mr.  Nokes  in  Sir  Martin :  This  Comedy 
was  Crown'd  with  an  Excellent  Entry :  In  the 
last  Aft  at  the  Mask,  by  Mr.  Prieft  and  Madam 
Davies ;  This,  and  Love  in  a  Tub,  got  the  Com 
pany  more  Money  than  any  preceding  Come- 
dy. 

She  Wou'd  if  She  Cou'd,  Wrote  by  Sir  George 
Etheridge ;  Courtatt,  A&ed  by  Mr.  Smith :  Free 
man,  Mr.  Young :  Sir  Joslin,  Mr.  Harris :  Sir  O- 

liver, 


liver,  Mr.  Nokes :  Ariana,  Mrs.  Jenning :  Gatty, 
Mrs.  Davies :  Lady  Cockwood,  Mrs.  Shadmll.  It 
took  well,  but  Inferior  to  Love  in  a  Tub. 

After  this  were  Adted,  The  Queen  of  Arra- 
gon,  and  Cupid's  Revenge. 

The  Impertinents,  or  Sullen  Lovers,  Wrote 
by  Mr.  Shadwett\  This  Comedy  being  Admi 
rably  Adted :  Especially,  Sir  Positive  At-att,  by 
Mr.  Harris :  Poet  Ninny,  by  Mr.  Nokes :  Wood 
cock,  by  Mr.  Angel :  Standford  and  Emilia ;  the 
Sullen  Lovers  :  One  by  Mr.  Smith,  and  the  o- 
ther  by  Mrs.  Shadwett.  This  Play  had  won 
derful  Success,  being  Adted  12  Days  together, 
when  our  Company  were  Commanded  to  Do 
ver,  in  May  1670.  The  King  with  all  his  Court, 
meeting  his  Sister,  the  Dutches s  of  Orleans  there. 
This  Comedy  and  Sir  Solomon  Single,  pleas'd 
Madam  the  Dutchess,  and  the  whole  Court 
extremely.  The  French  Court  wearing  then 
Excessive  short  Lac'd  Coats ;  some  Scarlet, 
some  Blew,  with  Broad  was!:  Belts  ;  Mr.  Nokes 
having  at  that  time  one  shorter  than  the  French 
Fashion,  to  Adi:  Sir  Arthur  Addle  in ;  the  Duke 
of  Monmouth  gave  Mr.  Nokes  his  Sword  and 
Belt  from  his  Side,  and  Buckled  it  on  himself, 
on  purpose  to  Ape  the  French :  That  Mr.  Nokes 
lookt  more  like  a  Drest  up  Ape,  than  a  Sir 
Arthur:  Which  upon  his  first  Entrance  on  the 
Stage,  put  the  King  and  Court  to  an  Exces 
sive  Laughter;  at  which  the  French  look'd  ve 
ry  Shaggrin,  to  see  themselves  Ap'd  by  such  a 
Buffoon  as  Sir  Arthur:  Mr.  Nokes  kept  the 
Dukes  Sword  to  his  Dying  Day. 

Sir  Soloman  Single,  Wrote  by  Mr.  Carrol,  Sir 
Solomon  Adted  by  Mr.  Betterton:  Peregrine  Wood 
land 


(30) 

land,  by  Mr.  Harm :  Single,  by  Mr.  Smith :  Mr. 
Wary,  by  Mr.  Sandford'.  Timothy,  by  Mr.  Under 
bill  :  Betty,  by  Mrs.  Johnson :  Julia,  Mrs.  Better- 
ton.  The  Pky  being  Singularly  well  Afted, 
it  took  12  Days  together. 

The  Woman  made  a  Justice :  Wrote  by  Mr. 
Betterton  :  Mrs.  Long,  Atting  the  Justice  so  Charm 
ingly;  and  the  Comedy  being  perfect  and  just 
ly  Atfed,  so  well  pleas'd  the  Audience,  it  con- 
tinu'd  Afting  14  Days  together :  The  Prologue 
being  spoke  to  it  each  Day. 

The  Amorous  Widow,  or  the  Wanton  Wife, 
Wrote  by  the  same  Author.  Mr.  Betterton,  Ac 
ted  Lover/tore  :  Mr.  Smith,  Cunnigham  :  Mr.  Nokes, 
Bamaby  Brittle:  The  Widow,  Mrs.  Betterton'. 
Mrs.  Long,  Mrs.  Brittle :  She  Perform'd  it  so 
well,  that  none  Equalled  her  but  Mrs.  Brace- 
girdle. 

The  Unjust  Judge,  or  Appius  Virginia,  done  by 
the  same  Author.  Virginius  Atted  by  Mr.  Bettertony 
Appius,  the  Unjust  Judge,  by  Mr.  Harris :  Virgi 
nia,  by  Mrs.  Betterton.  And  all  the  other  Parts 
Exaftly  perform'd,  it  lasted  Successively  8  Days, 
and  very  frequently  Atted  afterwards. 

The  Man's  the  Master,  Wrote  by  Sir  William 
Davenant,  being  the  last  Pky  he  ever  Wrote, 
he  Dying  presently  after;  and  was  Bury'd  in 
Wetfmintter-Abby,  near  Mr.  Chaucer's  Monument, 
Our  whole  Company  attending  his  Funeral. 
This  Comedy  in  general  was  very  well  Per 
form'd,  especially,  the  Matter,  by  Mr.  Harris; 
the  Man,  by  Mr.  Underbill'.  Mr.  Harris  and  Mr. 
Sandford,  Singing  the  Epilogue  like  two  Street 
Ballad-Singers. 

Note, 


Note,  Mr.  Cademan  in  this  Play,  not  long  after 
our  Company  began  in  Dorset-Garden ;  his  Part  be 
ing  to  Figfit  with  Mr.  Harris,  was  Unfortunately,, 
with  a  sharp  Foil  pierc'd  near  the  Eye,  which  so  Maim  d 
both  his  Hand  and  his  Speech,  that  he  can  make  little 
me  of  either ;  for  which  Mischance,  he  has  received  a 
Pension  ever  since  1673,  being  3  5  Years  agoe. 

This  being  the  last  New  Play  that  was  Afted 
in  Lincolns-Inn  Fields,  yet  there  were  sundry  o- 
thers  done  there,  from  1662,  till  the  time  they 
left  that  House :  As  'Love's  Kingdom,  Wrote  by 
Mr.  Fleckno  :  The  Royal  Shepherdess,  by  Mr.  Shad- 
well  :  Two  Fools  well  met,  by  Mr.  Lodwick  Carlile : 
The  Coffee-house,  by  Mr.  Sincerf:  All-Plot,  or  the 
Disguises,  by  Mr.  Stroude :  All  which  Expir'd  the 
third  Day,  save  the  Royal  Shepherdess,  which 
liv'd  Six. 

Note,  About  the  Year  1670,  Mrs.  Aldridge, 
after  Mrs.  Lee,  after  Lady  Slingsby,  also  Mrs. 
Leigh  Wife  of  Mr.  Antony  Leigh,  Mr.  Crosby,  Mrs. 
Johnson,  were  entertain'd  in  the  Dukes  House. 

The  new  Theatre  in  Dorset-Garden  being  Fi- 
nish'd,  and  our  Company  after  Sir  William's 
Death,  being  under  the  Rule  and  Dominion 
of  his  Widow  the  Lady  Davenant,  Mr.  Betterton, 
and  Mr.  Harris,  (Mr.  Charles  Davenanf)  her 
Son  Atfing  for  her)  they  remov'd  from  Lincolns- 
Inn-Fields  thither.  And  on  the  Ninth  Day  of 
November  1671,  they  open'd  their  new  Theatre 
with  Sir  Martin  Marral,  which  continu'd  Afting 
3  Days  together,  with  a  full  Audience  each 
Day;  notwithstanding  it  had  been  Atfed  30 
Days  before  in  Lincolns-Inn-Fields,  and  above  4 
times  at  Court. 

Next 


(I*) 

Next  was  Affed  Love  in  a  Tub,  it  was  per- 
form'd  2  Days  together  to  a  full  Audience. 

The  first  new  Play  Affed  there,  was  King 
Charles  the-  VIII.  of  France ;  it  was  all  new 
Cloath'd,  yet  lasted  but  6  Days  together,  but 
'twas  Afted  now  and  then  afterwards. 

The  next  new  Comedy,  was  the  Mamamou- 
chi,  or  the  Gtizen  turn'd  Gentleman,  Wrote 
by  Mr.  Kavenscroft :  Tricktxore,  and  Fencing- 
Master,  by  Mr.  Harris ;  French  Tutor  and  Sing 
ing  Master,  by  Mr.  Haines :  (He  having  Af 
fronted  Mr.  Hart,  he  gave  him  a  Discharge  and 
then  came  into  our  House)  Old  Jorden,  Mr. 
Nokes;  Dr.  Cural,  Mr.  Sandford;  Sir  Symon  Softhead, 
Mr.  Underbill ;  Lucia,  Mrs.  Betterton ;  Betty  Trick- 
more,  Mrs.  Leigh :  This  Comedy  was  look  upon 
by  the  Criticks  for  a  Foolish  Play ;  yet  it  con- 
tinu'd  Afting  9  Days  with  a  full  House ;  upon 
the  Sixth  the  House  being  very  full :  The  Poet 
added  2  more  Lines  to  his  Epilogue,  vi%. 

The  Criticks  come  to  Hiss,  and  Dam-  this  Play, 
Yet  ffiite  of  themselves  they  can't  keep  away. 

However  Mr.  Nokes  in  performing  the  Ma- 
momouchi  pleas'd  the  King  and  Court,  next  Sir 
Martin,  above  all  Plays. 

The  third  new  Play  Affed  there  was  the  Gen 
tleman  Dancing-Master,  Wrote  by  Mr.  Witcher- 
ly,  it  lasted  but  6  Days,  being  like't  but  indiffe 
rently,  it  was  kid  by  to  make  Room  for  o- 
ther  new  ones. 

Note,  Several  of  the  Old  Stock  Plays  were  Affed 
between  each  of  these  3  new  Ones. 

Epsom 


(33) 

Epsom  Wells,  a  Comedy  Wrote  by  Mr.  Shad- 
well  :  Mr.  Rains,  was  Acted  by  Mr.  Harm :  Be- 
vil,  by  Mr.  Betterton  :  Woodly,  by  Mr.  Smith  :  Jus 
tice  Clod-pate,  Mr.  Underbill:  Carolina,  Mrs. 
Johnson :  Lucia,  Mrs.  Gibbs :  Mrs.  ////,  by  Mrs. 
Betterton :  Mr.  Nokes,  Mr.  B#&/ :  Mr.  Angel, 
Fribble.  This  Play  in  general  being  Admirably 
Atfed,  produc'd  great  Profit  to  the  Company. 

Note,  Mrs.  Johnson  in  this  Comedy,  Dancing  a 
Jigg  so  Charming  welt,  Laves  power  in  a  little  time 
after  Coerced  her  to  Dance  more  Charming,  else  -where. 

A  Comedy  call'd  The  Reformation,  Written 
by  a  Master  of  Arts  in  Cambridge ;  The  Refor 
mation  in  the  Play,  being  the  Reverse  to  the 
Laws  of  Morality  and  Virtue ;  it  quickly  made 
its  Exit,  to  make  way  for  a  Moral  one. 

The  Tragedy  of  Macbeth,  alter'd  by  Sir  Wittiam 
Davenant;  being  drest  in  all  it's  Finery,  as  new 
Cloath's,  new  Scenes,  Machines,  as  flyings  for 
the  Witches ;  with  all  the  Singing  and  Dan 
cing  in  it :  THE  first  Compos'd  by  Mr. 
Lock,  the  other  by  Mr.  Channell  and  Mr.  Joseph 
PreiSt;  it  being  all  Excellently  perform'd,  be 
ing  in  the  nature  of  an  Opera,  it  Recompenc'd 
double  the  Expence ;  it  proves  still  a  lasting 
Play. 

Note,  That  this  Tragedy,  King  Lear  and  the 
Tempeft,  were  Afled  in  Lincolns-Inn-Fields ;  Lear, 
being  A&td  exactly  as  Mr.  ShakeSpear  Wrote  it; 
as  likewise  the  TempeSt  alter'd  by  Sir  William 
Davenant  and  Mr.  Dryden,  before  'twas  made  in 
to  an  Opera. 


Loves  Jealousy,  and 
The  Morning  Ramble. 


Written   by   Mr.   Nevil 
Pain. 

Both 


(34) 

Both  were  very  well  Acted,  but  after  their 
first  run,  were  kid  aside,  to  make  Room  for 
others ;  the  Company  having  then  plenty  of 
new  Poets. 

The  Jealous  Bridegroom,  Wrote  by  Mrs. 
~Bben,  a  good  Pky  and  lasted  six  Days ;  but  this 
made  its  Exit  too,  to  give  Room  for  a  greater. 
The  Tempeft. 

Note,  In  this  Play,  Mr.  Otway  the  Poet  having 
an  Inclination  to  turn  Actor;  Mrs.  Bhen  gave  him 
the  King  in  the  Play,  for  a  Probation  Part,  but  he  be 
ing  not  us'd  to  the  Stage ;  the  full  Home  put  him  to  such 
a  Sweat  and  "Tremendous,  Agony,  being  dash't,  Spoilt 
him  for  an  Actor.  Mr.  Nat.  Lee,  had  the  same 
Fate  in  Acting  Duncan  in  Macbeth,  ruin'd  him  for 
an  Actor  too.  I  mutt  not  forget  my  self,  being  Lifted 
for  an  Actor  in  Sir  William  Davenant\r  Company  in 
Lincolns-Inn-Fields  :  The  very  firft  Day  of  open 
ing  the  House  there,  with  the  Siege  of  Rhodes,  being  to 
Aft  Haly ;  (The  King,  Duke  of  York,  and  all  the 
Nobility  in  the  House,  and  the  firft  time  the  King 
was  in  a  Publick  Theatre)  The  sight  of  that  August 
presence,  tyoH'd  me  for  an  Actor  too.  But  being  so  in 
the  Company  of  two  such  Eminent  Poets,  as  they  proved 
afterward,  made  my  Disgrace  so  much  the  less ;  from 
that  time,  their  Genius  set  them  upon  Poetry  :  The  fir tt 
Wrote  Alcibiades  ;  The  later,  the  Tragedy  of  Nero  ; 
the  one  for  the  Duke's,  the  other  for  the  King's  House. 

The  Year  after  in  1673.  The  Tempest,  or 
the  Inchanted  Island,  made  into  an  Opera  by 
Mr.  Shadwett,  having  all  New  in  it ;  as  Scenes, 
Machines ;  particukrly,  one  Scene  Painted 
with  Myriads  of  Ariel  Spirits  ;  and  another  fly 
ing  away,  with  a  Table  Furnisht  out  with 
Fruits,  Sweetmeats  and  all  sorts  of  Viands ; 

just 


(35) 

just  when  Duke  Tnnculo  and  his  Companions, 
were  going  to  Dinner ;  all  things  perform'd 
in  it  so  Admirably  well,  that  not  any  succeeding 
Opera  got  more  Money. 

About  this  time  the  Company  was  very 
much  Recruited,  having  lost  by  Death  Mr. 
Joseph  "Price,  Mr.  Lovell,  Mr.  Littitfon,  Mr.  Robert 
NoJkes,  Mr.  Mosely,  Mr.  Coggan,  Mr.  Floid,  Mr. 
Gibbons ;  Mrs.  Davenport,  Mrs.  Davies,  Mrs.  Jen 
nings,  &c.  The  three  last  by  force  of  Love 
were  Erept  the  Stage :  In  their  Rooms  came 
in  Mr.  Anthony  Lee,  Mr.  Gillo,  Mr.  Jevon,  Mr. 
Percival,  Mr.  Williams,  who  came  in  a  Boy,  and 
serv'd  Mr.  Harris,  Mr.  Boman  a  Boy  likewise. 
Mrs.  Barry,  Mrs.  Currer,  Mrs.  Butler,  Mrs.  Slaugh 
ter,  Mrs.  Knapper,  Mrs.  Twiford. 

After  the  Tempest,  came  the  Siege  of  Con 
stantinople,  Wrote  by  Mr.  Nevill  Pain. 

Then  the  Conquest  of  China  by  the  Tartars, 
by  Mr.  Settle ;  in  this  Play  Mr.  Jevon  Afting  a 
Chinese  Prince  and  Commander  in  it,  and  being 
in  the  Battle,  Vanquisht  by  the  Tartars ;  he 
was  by  his  Part  to  fall  upon  the  point  of  his 
Sword  and  Kill  himself,  rather  than  be  a  Priso 
ner  by  the  Tartars :  Mr.  Jevon  instead  of  fall 
ing  on  the  point  of  his  Sword,  laid  it  in  the 
Scabbard  at  length  upon  the  Ground  and  fell 
upon't,  saying,  now  I  am  Dead ;  which  put 
the  Author  into  such  a  Fret,  it  made  him  speak 
Treble,  instead  of  Double  Jevons  answer  was ; 
did  not  you  bid  me  fall  upon  my  Sword. 

In  February  1672.  The  long  expected  Opera  of 
Psyche,  came  forth  in  all  her  Ornaments  ;  new 
Scenes,  new  Machines,  new  Cloaths,  new 
French  Dances :  This  Opera  was  Splendily  set 
out,  especially  in  Scenes ;  the  Charge  of  which 

amoun- 


(36) 

amounted  to  above  8oo/.  It  had  a  Continuance 
of  Performance  about  8  Days  together  it  prov'd 
very  Beneficial  to  the  Company ;  yet  the  Tem- 
petf  got  them  more  Money. 

After  this  Sir  Patient  Fancy  was  A&ed. 

Then  the  Rover.    Both  Wrote  by  Mrs.  Bhen. 

Akibiades,  the  first  Play  that  Mr.  Otway  Wrote. 

Madam  Fickle,  by  Mr.  Durfey. 

Then  Don  Carlos  Prince  of  Spain ;  the  Second 
Play  Wrote  by  Mr.  Otway :  The  King,  was  per- 
form'd  by  Mr.  Betterton :  Prince,  by  Mr.  Smith : 
Don  John  of  Autfria,  by  Mr.  Harris  :  Gome^,  Mr. 
Medburn :  Queen,  Madam  Slingsby ;  and  all  the 
Parts  being  admirably  Afted,  it  lasted  succes 
sively  10  Days ;  it  got  more  Money  than  any 
preceding  Modern  Tragedy. 

After  this  in  1676.  The  Man  of  Mode,  or  Sir 
Fopling  Flutter  was  Afted:  Dorimant,  by  Mr.  Bet 
terton  :  Medly,  Mr.  Harris :  Sir  Fopling,  by  Mr. 
Smith :  Old  Bellair,  Mr.  Leigh :  Young  Bellair, 
Mr.  Jevon :  Mrs.  Lovif,  Mrs.  Barry,  Bellinda, 
Mrs.  Betterton,  Lady  Woodvil,  Mrs.  Leigh,  "Emilia, 
Mrs.  Twiford'.  This  Comedy  being  well  Cloath'd 
and  well  Afted,  got  a  great  deal  of  Money. 

The  Soldiers  Fortune,  Wrote  by  Mr.  Otway. 

Then  the  Fond  Husband,  by  Mr.  Durfey. 

These  two  Comedies  took  extraordinary 
well,  and  being  perfectly  Atfed;  got  the  Com 
pany  great  Reputation  and  Profit. 

Circe,  an  Opera  Wrote  by  Dr.  Davenant',  O- 
rettes,  was  Afted  by  Mr.  Betterton ;  Pylades,  Mr. 
Williams  :  Ithacus,  Mr.  Smith  :  Thoas,  Mr.  Harris  : 
Circe,  Lady  Slingsby :  Iphigenia,  Mrs.  Betterton : 
Osmida,  Mrs.  Twiford.  All  the  Musick  was  set 
by  Mr.  Banifier,  and  being  well  Perform'd,  it 

answer'd 


(37) 
answer'd    the     Expe&ation     of    the     Company. 


The  Siege  ofTtoy. 
Anna  Bullen. 

Thefeigrfd  Curte-^ans. 
The  City  Heiress. 


By  Mr.  Banks. 


Both  by  Mrs.  Bhen. 


These  Four  were  well  Atfed;  Three  of  them 
liv'd  but  a  short  time :  But  Ann  Bullen  prov'd  a 
Stock-Play. 

Titnon  of  Athens ',  alter'd  by  Mr.  Shadwett ', 
'twas-  very  well  Afted,  and  the  Musick  in't 
well  Perform'd ;  it  wonderfully  pleas'd  the  Court 
and  City  ;  being  an  Excellent  Moral. 

The  Libertine,  and  Virtuoso  :  Both  Wrote  by  Mr. 
SbadweU;  they  were  both  very  well  A&ed,  and 
got  the  Company  great  Reputation  The  Libertine 
perform'd  by  Mr.  Betterton  Crown'd  the  Play. 

The  Spanish  Fryar,  Wrote  by  Mr.  Dryden  ;  'twas 
Admirably  Atted,  and  produc'd  vast  Profit  to 
the  Company. 

Oedipus  King  of  Thebes,  Wrote  by  Mr.  Nat. 
Lee,  and  Mr.  Dryden :  The  last  Writing  the  first 
two  Atts,  and  the  first  the  3  last  This  Play 
was  Admirably  well  Afted;  especially  the  Parts 
of  Oedipus  and  Jocafta :  One  by  Mr.  Betterton,  the 
other  by  Mrs.  Better  ton ;  it  took  prodigiously  be 
ing  Afled  10  Days  together. 

The  Orphan,  or  the  Unhappy  Marriage ;  Wrote  by 
Mr.  Otway  :  Catfa/io  Affed  by  Mr.  Betterton  :  Poh- 
dor,  Mr.  Williams :  Chamont,  Mr.  Smith :  Chaplain, 
Mr.  Percival :  Mont  ma,  Mrs.  Barry :  Serina, 
Mrs.  Monfort,  All  the  Parts  being  Admirably 
done,  especially  the  Part  of  Monimia :  This, 

and 


(38) 

and  Belvidera  in  Venice  present '</,  or  a  Plot  Disco 
ver*  d\  together  with  Isabella,  in  the  Fatal  Mar 
riage  :  These  three  Parts,  gain'd  her  the  Name 
of  Famous  Mrs.  Barry,  both  at  Court  and  Ci 
ty  ;  for  when  ever  She  Acted  any  of  those  three 
Parts,  she  forc'd  Tears  from  the  Eyes  of  her 
Auditory,  especially  those  who  have  any  Sense 
of  Pity  for  the  Diftress't. 

These  3  Plays,  by  their  Excellent  perfor 
mances,  took  above  all  the  Modern  Plays  that 
succeeded. 

Titus  and  Berenice,  Wrote  by  the  same  Author, 
consisting  of  3  Acts  :  With  the  Farce  of  the  Cheats 
of  Scapin  at  the  end :  This  Play,  with  the  Farce, 
being  perfectly  well  Acted ;  had  good  Success. 

Note,  Mr.  Lee,  Theodosius,  or  the  Force  of  Love, 
Wrote  the  Tragedy  of  Wrote  by  Mr.  Nathaniel  Lee:  Vara- 
Au^//D^  ™.  the  Persian  Prince,  Acted  by 
Lane  House.  The  Mr.  Betterton  i  Marcian  the  Ge- 
PHnce  of  Cleve  for  neral,  Mr.  Smith  :  Theodosius, 
?rCJl£fSSMr.  Williams-.  Athenait,  Mrs. 
ceeded  not  so  wett  as  Barry :  All  the  Parts  in't  being 
the  others.  perfectly  perform'd,  with  seve 

ral  Entertainments  of  Singing ;  Compos'd  by 
the  Famous  Master  Mr.  Henry  Purcell,  (being 
the  first  he  e'er  Compos'd  for  the  Stage)  made 
it  a  living  and  Gainful  Play  to  the  Company  : 
The  Court;  especially  the  Ladies,  by  their 
daily  charming  presence,  gave  it  great  Encour 
agement. 

The  Lancashire  Witches,  Acted  in  1681,  made 
by  Mr.  ShadweU,  being  a  kind  of  Opera,  hav 
ing  sjeveral  Machines  of  Flyings  for  the  Witches, 
and  other  Diverting  Contrivances  in't :  All 
being  well  perform'd,  it  prov'd  beyond  Ex- 

pe&ation ; 


(39) 

pe&ation ;     very    Beneficial   to     the    Poet    and 
Aftors. 

All  the  preceding  Plays,  being  the  chief  that 
were  Atfed  in  Dorset-Garden,  from  November 
1671,  to  the  Year  1682  ;  at  which  time  the 
Patentees  of  each  Company  United  Patents ; 
and  by  so  Incorporating  the  Duke's  Compa 
ny  were  made  the  King's  Company,  and  im 
mediately  remov'd  to  the  Theatre  Royal  in 
Drury-Lane. 

Upon  this  Union,  Mr.  Hart  being  the  Heart 
of  the  Company  under  Mr.  Killsgrew's  Patent 
never  Afled  more,  by  reason  of  his  Malady ; 
being  Afflicted  with  the  Stone  and  Gravel,  of 
which  he  Dy'd  some  time  after :  Having  a 
Sallary  of  40  Shillings  a  Week  to  the  Day  of 
his  Death.  But  the  Remnant  of  that  Compa 
ny  ;  as,  Major  Mohun,  Mr.  Cartwright,  Mr.  Ky- 
natfon,  Mr.  Griffin,  Mr.  Goodman,  Mr.  Duke  Wat 
son,  Mr.  Powel  Senior,  Mr.  Wiltshire,  Mrs  Corey, 
Mrs.  Bojvtell,  Mrs  Cook,  Mrs.  Monfort,  &c. 

Note,  now  Mr.  Monfort  and  Mr.  Carlile,  were 
grown  to  the  Maturity  of  good  Atfors. 

The  mixt  Company  then  Reviv'd  the  seve 
ral  old  and  Modern  Plays,  that  were  the  Pro 
priety  of  Mr.  Kittigrew,  as,  Rale  a  Wife,  and  have 
a  Wife  :  Mr.  Betterton  Afting  Michael  Pere%  :  Don 
Leon,  Mr.  Smith :  Cacofogo,  Mr.  Cartwright :  Mar- 
gar -etta,  Mrs.  Barry :  Ettiphania,  Mrs.  Cook,  Next, 

The  Scornful  Laaj. 
The  Plain  Dealer. 
The  Mock  A^rologer . 
The  Jovial  Cretv. 
The  Beggars  Bush. 

Bar- 


(40) 

Bartholomew-Frf/r. 
The  Moor  of  Venice. 
Rol/o. 

The  Humorous  Lieutenant. 
The  Double  Marriage.    With  divers  others. 

Next  new  Play  was  the  Tragedy  of  Valenti- 
nian,  wrote  by  the  Lord  ILochefier,  from  Beau 
mont  and  Fletcher.  Mr.  Goodman  Atfed  Valentini- 
an :  Mr.  Betterton,  JELcius :  Mr.  Kynafton,  Maxi- 
mus :  Mr.  Griffin,  Pontius :  Madam  Barry,  Tuucina, 
&c.  The  well  performance,  and  the  vast  Inte 
rest  the  Author  made  in  Town,  Crown'd  the 
Play,  with  great  Gain  of  Reputation ;  and  Pro 
fit  to  the  Aftors. 

In  Anno  1685.  The  Opera  of  Albion  and  Al- 
bianus  was  perform'd ;  wrote  by  Mr.  Dryden, 
and  Compos'd  by  Monsieur  Grabue :  This  being 
perform'd  on  a  very  Unlucky  Day,  being  the 
Day  the  Duke  of  NLonmouth,  Landed  in  the 
Wett\  The  Nation  being  in  a  great  Consterna 
tion,  it  was  perform'd  but  Six  times,  which 
not  Answering  half  THE  Charge  they 
were  at,  Involv'd  the  Company  very  much  in 
Debt. 

The   first  new   Comedy   after 

ttJuESte  Kin£  J*»"  came  to  the  C™*> 
Edward  Belfond,  was  Sir  Courtly  Nice,  wrote  by 
The  Pkin  Dealer 'none  j^r.  Crown  :  Sir  Courtly,  Afted 

succeeding    in    the    z   ,         ,,        ,,        /.     ,        TT  ,,       ,     -*, 

former  have  Equatt'd  by  Mr.  Mounfort :  Hothead,  Mr. 
him,  except  hit  Pre-  Underbill '.  Teftimony,  Mr.  Gillo : 
Ha" in  Lord  Beaugard,  Mr.  Kynatfon : 
Surly,  by  Mr.  Griffin  :  Sir  Nicho 
las  Cattico,  by  the  Famous  Mr.  Antony  Ltigh :  Le 
onora,  Madam  Barry,  &c.  This  Comedy  being 

justly 


Atfed,  and  the  Chara&ers  in't  new, 
Crown'd  it  with  a  general  Applause  :  Sir  Court 
ly  was  so  nicely  Perform'd,  that  not  any  suc 
ceeding,  but  Mr.  Cyber  has  Equall'd  him. 

The  Squire  of  Alsatia,  a  Co-  Note,  Mr,  Leigh 
medy  Wrote  by  Mr.  Shadwell:  *"*  Eminent  in  tbu 
Sir  William  1U/M,  DONE  $££££+ 
by  Mr.  Leigh :  Sir  Edward,  Mr.  ble^/v  Jolly  Jumble. 
Griffin  :  The  Squire  by  Mr.  Nokes,  Mercury  in  Ampbi- 

r.  j       t-ivr         T  T>  7    trion.     Sir  Formal, 

afterwards  by  Mr.  Jevon  :  Be/-  Spanish  Frjar  Pan. 
fond  Junior,  Mr.  Mounfort :  Mrs.  darus  /«  Troilus 
TermigantyMis.  Boutel:  Lwia,Mts.  ^^Cressida. 
Bracegirdle.  This  Play  by  its  Excellent  Ading, 
being  often  Honour'd  with  the  presence  of 
Chancellour  Jeffereies,  and  other  great  Persons  ; 
had  an  Uninterrupted  run  of  13  Days  together. 
Note,  The  Poet  received  for  his  third  Day  in  the 
House  in  Drury-Lane  at  single  Prices  1307.  which 
was  the  greatest  Receipt  they  ever  had  at  that  House  at 
single  Prices. 

About  this  time,  there  were  several  other  new 
Plays  Affed.     As, 


The  True  Widow. 

Sir  Anthony  Lone. 

The  Scowrers. 

Amphytrion. 

Love  in,  and  Love  out  of 

Fashion. 

Greenwich  Park. 
Cleomenes. 

Trolius  and  Cressida. 
Ccesar  Borgia. 


All  but  Amphitrion ; 
which  succeeding  but 
indifferently,  I  Omit 
the  Persons  Names  that 
A&ed  in  this  Play ; 
this  proving  a  Stock- 
Play. 


The 


The  Old  Bachelor,  wrote 

by  Mr.  Congreve. 
The  Fatal  Marriage,  or 

Innocent  Adultry ;  by 

Mr.  Southern. 
The  Double  Dealer ;  by 

Mr.  Congreve. 


All  3  good  Plays ; 
and  by  their  jusT:  Per 
formances  ;  specially, 
Mr.  Doggets  and  Madam 
Barry's  Unparrell'd. 


The  Boarding  School;  Wrote  by  Mr.  Durfy,  it 
took  well  being  jusltly  Acted. 

The  Marriage  Hater  Matched,  Wrote  by  the 
same  Author :  There  Mr.  Dogget  perform'd  the 
part  of  Solon  inimitably ;  likewise  his  Part  in 
the  Boarding-School. 

King  Arthur  an  Opera,  wrote  by  Mr.  Dryden ; 
it  was  Excellently  Adorn'd  with  Scenes  and  Ma 
chines  :  The  Musical  Part  set  by  Famous  Mr. 
Henry  Purcel;  and  Dances  made  by  Mr.  Jo. 
Prieff:  The  Play  and  Musick  pleas'd  the  Court 
and  City,  and  being  well  perform'd,  twas  ve 
ry  Gainful  to  the  Company. 

/      The  Prophetess,  or  Dioclesian  an  Opera,  wrote 

/  by   Mr.   Betterton ;    being   set   out   with   Coa&ly 

Scenes,  Machines  and  Cloaths :    The  Vocal  and 

:    Instrumental  Musick,  done  by  Mr.  Purcel;    and 

!   Dances  by  Mr.  Prieff;    it  gratify'd  the  Expeda- 

>  tion  of  Court  and  City ;    and  got  the  Author 

\  great  Reputation. 

The  Fairy  Queen,  made  into  an  Opera,  from 
a  Comedy  of  Mr.  ShakeSpears :  This  in  Orna 
ments  was  Superior  to  the  other  Two ;  espe 
cially  in  Cloaths,  for  all  the  Singers  and  Dan 
cers,  Scenes,  Machines  and  Decorations,  all 
mosT:  profusely  set  off;  and  excellently  perform'd, 
chiefly  the  Instrumental  and  Vocal  part  Com- 

pos'd 


(43) 

pos'd  by  the  said  Mr.  Purcel,  and  Dances  by  Mr. 
Prietf.  The  Court  and  Town  were  wonderfully 
satisfy'd  with  it ;  but  the  Expences  in  setting  it 
out  being  so  great,  the  Company  got  very  little 
by  it. 

Note,  Between  these  Opera's  there  were  seve 
ral  other  Plays  Afted,  both  Old  and  Modern.  As 

Bury  Fair. 

Wit  without  Money. 

The  Taming  of  a  Shrew. 

The  Maiden  Queen. 

The  Miftress,  by  Sir  Charles  Sydly. 

Island  Princess. 

A.  Sea  Voyage. 

The  English  Fryar,  by  Mr.  Crown. 

Bussy  D'Ambois. 

The  Massacre  of  Paris,  &c. 

Some  time  after,  a  difference  happening  be 
tween  the  United  Patentees,  and  the  chief  Ac 
tors  :  As  Mr.  Betterton  ;  Mrs.  Barry  and  Mrs.  Brace- 
girdle  ;  the  latter  complaining  of  Oppression 
from  the  former ;  they  for  Redress,  AppeaPd 
to  my  Lord  of  Dorset,  then  Lord  Chamberlain, 
for  Justice ;  who  Espousing  the  Cause  of  the 
A&ors,  with  the  assistance  of  Sir  Robert  Howard, 
finding  their  Complaints  just,  procured  from 
King  William,  a  Seperate  License  for  Mr.  Con- 
greve,  Mr.  Better  ton,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  and  Mrs. 
Barry,  and  others,  to  set  up  a  new  Compa 
ny,  calling  it  the  New  Theatre  in  Uncolns-lnn- 
Fields ;  and  the  House  being  fitted  up  from  a 
Tennis-Court,  they  Open'd  it  the  last  Day  of 
April,  1695,  with  a  new  Comedy  :  Call'd, 

Love 


(44) 

Love  for  Love,  Wrote  by  Mr.  Congreve;  this 
Comedy  was  Superior  in  Success,  than  most  of 
the  precedent  Pkys ;  Valentine,  Atted  by  Mr. 
Betterton ;  Scandall,  Mr.  Smith ;  Foresight,  Mr. 
Sandford;  Sampson,  Mr.  Underbill',  Ben  the  Say- 
lor,  Mr.  Dogget ;  Jeremy,  Mr.  Bowen ;  Mrs.  Frail, 
by  Madam  Barry,  Tattle,  Mr.  Boman;  Angelica, 
Mrs.  Bracegtrdle :  This  Comedy  being  Extra 
ordinary  well  A&ed,  chiefly  the  Part  of  Ben  the 
Sailor,  it  took  13  Days  Successively. 

The  Principal  New  Plays  that  succeeded  this 
from  April  1695,  to  the  Year  1704.  Were, 

Lovers  Luck,  a  Comedy,  Wrote  by  Captain 
Dilks,  which  fill'd  the  House  6  Days  together, 
and  above  jo/,  the  8//&,  the  Day  it  was  left  off. 

The  Grand  Cyrus,  wrote  by  Mr.  Banks ;  it  was 
a  good  Play ;  but  Mr.  Smith  having  a  long  part 
in  it,  fell  Sick  upon  the  Fourth  Day  and  Dy'd, 
upon  that  it  ky  by,  and  ne'er  has  bin  Afted  since. 

The  Mourning  Bride,  a  Tragedy,  wrote  by  Mr. 
Congreve ;  had  such  Success,  that  it  continu'd 
A&ing  Uninterrupted  13  Days  together. 

Boadicea,  the  Brittish  Queen,  wrote  by  Mr. 
Hopkins ;  'twas  a  well  Writ  Play  in  an  Ovidean 
Stile  in  Verse ;  it  was  lik'd  and  got  the  Company 
Money. 

Heroick  Love,  Wrote  by  Mr.  George  Greenvil, 
Superlatively  Writ ;  a  very  good  Tragedy,  well 
A&ed,  and  mightily  pleas'd  the  Court  and  City. 

Lov 's  a  Jeff,  a  Comedy,  done  by  Mr.  Mateox ; 
succeeded  well,  being  well  A&ed,  and  got  the 
Company  Reputation  and  Money. 

The  Anatomist,  or  Sham  Doffor,  had  prosperous 

Success, 


(45  ) 

Success,  and  remains  a  living  Play  to  this  Day ; 
'twas  done  by  Mr.  Ravenscroft. 

Don  Quixot,  both  Parts  made  into  one,  by  Mr. 
Durfey,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  AcHng,  and  her  excellent 
Singing  in't ;  the  Play  in  general  being  well 
Perform'd,  'tis  little  Inferior  to  any  of  the  pre 
ceding  Comedies. 

The  She-Gallants,  a  Comedy,  wrote  by  Mr. 
George  Greenvil,  when  he  was  very  Young :  Ex 
traordinary  Witty,  and  well  Aded ;  but  of 
fending  the  Ears  of  some  Ladies  who  set  up  for 
Chastity,  it  made  its  Exit.  And  gave  pkce  to, 

Iphigenia  a  Tragedy,  wrote  by  Mr.  Dennis,  a 
good  Tragedy  and  well  A&ed ;  but  answer'd 
not  the  Expences  they  were  at  in  Cloathing  it. 

The  Fate  of  Capua,  wrote  by  Mr.  Southern,  bet 
ter  to  Read  then  Acl: ;  'twas  well  A&ed,  but 
answer'd  not  the  Companies  Expe&ation. 

Jutfice  Busy,  a  Comedy  wrote  by  Mr.  Crown ; 
'twas  well  Afted,  yet  prov'd  not  a  living  Pky  : 
However  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  by  a  Potent  and  Mag- 
netick  Charm  in  Performing  a  Song  in't ; 
caus'd  the  Stones  of  the  Streets  to  fly  in  the  Men's 
Faces. 

The  Way  of  the  World,  a  Comedy  wrote  by  Mr. 
Congreve,  twas  curiously  Atfed',  Madam  ^race- 
girdle  performing  her  Part  so  exactly  and  just, 
gain'd  the  Applause  of  Court  and  City ;  but 
being  too  Keen  a  Satyr,  had  not  the  Success  the 
Company  Expe&ed. 

The  Ambitious  Step-mother,  done  by  Mr.  Row, 
'twas  very  well  AEted,  especially  the  Parts  of 
Mr.  Betterton,  Mr.  Booth  and  Madam  Barry;  the 
Play  answer'd  the  Companies  expectation. 

Tamerlane,  wrote  by  the   same  Author,  inge- 

neral 


(46) 

neral  well  Afted;  but  chiefly  the  Parts  of  Mr. 
Betterton,  Vanbruggen,  Mr.  Pon>el,  Madam  Brace- 
girdle  and  Barry  ;  which  made  it  a  Stock-Play. 

The  Fair  Penitent,  by  the  same  Author,  a  very 
good  Play  for  three  AEts ;  but  failing  in  the  two 
last,  answer'd  not  their  Expectation. 

The  Biter,  a  Farce,  wrote  by  the  same  Author, 
it  had  a  six  Days  run ;  the  six  Days  running  it 
out  of  Breath,  it  Sicken'd  and  Expir'd. 

Abra-mule,  wrote  by  Mr.  Trap  of  Oxford;  a 
very  good  Play  and  exceedingly  well  Atted. 

These  being  all  the  chiefest  new  Plays,  that 
have  been  Afted  by  Mr.  Betterton's  Company, 
since  its  Separation  from  Mr.  Rich  in  the  Year 
1695.  The  Names  of  several  of  the  Aftors  I 
have  not  mention'd  or  offer'd  to  your  View,  as 
in  the  others,  by  Reason  the  late  Afting  of  them, 
makes  them  live  in  your  Memories. 

Note,  In  the  space  of  Ten  Years  past,  Mr. 
Betterton  to  gratify  the  desires  and  Fancies  of 
the  Nobility  and  Gentry ;  procur'd  from  Abroad 
the  best  Dances  and  Singers,  as,  Monsieur  I/ 
Abbey  Madam  Sublini,  Monsieur  Baton,  Mar 
garita  Delpine,  Maria  Gallia  and  divers  others ; 
who  being  Exorbitantly  Expensive,  produc'd 
small  Profit  to  him  and  his  Company,  but  vast 
Gain  to  themselves  ;  Madam  Delpine  since  her 
Arrival  in  England,  by  Modest  Computation ; 
having  got  by  the  Stage  and  Gentry,  above 
10000  Guineas. 

Note,  From  Candlemas  1704,  to  the  22*/,  of 
April  1706.  There  were  4  Plays  commanded  to 
be  Afted  at  Court  at  St.  Jame's,  by  the  AEtors  of 
both  Houses,  vi^. 

First,  All  for  Love :   Mr.  Betterton,  Atfing  Marc. 

Antony ; 


(47) 

Antony ;  Mr.  Vantbrugg,  Ventidius ;  Mr.  Wilks, 
Dolabetta ;  Mr.  Booth,  Alexas  the  Eunuch ;  Mrs. 
Barry,  Cleopatra ;  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  Oflavia :  All 
the  other  Parts  being  exa&ly  done,  and  the 
Court  very  well  pleas'd. 

The  Second  was,  Sir  Solomon,  or  the  Cautious 
Coxcomb :  Mr.  Betterton,  Afting  Sir  Solomon ;  Mr. 
Wilks,  Peregrine ;  Mr.  Booth,  Young  Single ;  Mr. 
Dogget,  Sir  Arthur  Addle;  Mr.  Johnson,  Justice 
Wary ;  Mr.  Pinhethman,  Ralph ;  Mr.  Underbill, 
Timothy ;  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  Julia ;  Mrs.  Mounfort, 
Betty :  The  whole  being  well  perform'd,  it 
gave  great  Satisfaction. 

The  next  was,  The  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor, 
Atted  the  23^,  of  April,  the  Queens  Coronati 
on  Day  :  Mr.  Betierton,  A£Hng  Sir  John  Falftaff; 
Sir  Hugh,  by  Mr.  Dogget;  Mr.  Page,  by  Mr. 
Vanbruggen ;  Mr.  Ford,  by  Mr.  Powel ;  Dr.  Cains, 
Mr.  Pinkethman ;  the  HoSt,  Mr.  Bullock ;  Mrs. 
Page,  Mrs.  D<zrr)> ;  Mrs.  Ford,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle ; 
Mrs.  ^4««  jP^>  Mrs.  Bradshaw. 

The  lasT:  was,  T^  AnatomiH,  or  Sham-Doflor ; 
it  was  perform'd  on  Shrove-Tuesday,  the  Queen's 
Birth  Day,  it  being  done  by  the  Attors  of  both 
Houses,  and  perfe&ly  Perform'd ;  there  being 
an  Additional  Entertainment  in't  of  the  best 
Singers  and  Dancers,  Foreign  and  English :  As 
Margarita  D'elpine,  Maria  Gallia,  Mrs.  LJndsey, 
Mrs.  Hudson  and  Mr.  L,everidge,  and  others  :  The 
Dances  were  perform'd  by  Monsieur  L'Abbe ; 
Mr.  Rue/;  Monsieur  Cherrier;  Mrs.  Elford;  Miss 
Campion  ;  Mrs.  Rue  I  and  Devonshire  Girl :  Twas 
very  well  lik'd  by  the  whole  Court. 

About  the  end  of  1704,  Mr.  Betterton  Assign'd 
his  License,  and  his  whole  Company  over  to 

Captain 


Captain  Vantbrugg  to  Aft  under  HIS,  at  the 
Theatre  in  the  Hay  Market. 

And  upon  the  <)th,  of  April  1705.  Captain 
Vantbrugg  open'd  his  new  Theatre  in  the  Hay- 
Market,  with  a  Foreign  Opera,  Performed  by 
a  new  set  of  Singers,  Arriv'd  from  Italy ;  (the 
worst  that  e're  came  from  thence)  for  it  lasted 
but  5  Days,  and  they  being  lik'd  but  indiffe 
rently  by  the  Gentry;  they  in  a  little  time 
marcht  back  to  their  own  Country. 

The  first  Pky  Afted  there,  was  The  Gamefier. 
Then  the  Wanton  Wife.  Next,  Duke  and  no  Duke. 
After  that,  She  wou'd,  tf  She  Cou'd;  and  half  a  Score 
of  their  old  Plays,  Afted  in  old  Cloaths,  the 
Company  brought  from  Uncolns-Inn-Fields.  The 
Audiencies  falling  off  extremly  with  enter 
taining  the  Gentry  with  such  old  Ware, 
whereas,  had  they  Open'd  the  House  at  first, 
with  a  good  new  English  Opera,  or  a  new  Play ; 
they  wou'd  have  preserved  the  Favour  of  Court 
and  City,  and  gain'd  Reputation  and  Profit  to 
themselves. 

The  first  new  Pky  Afted  there,  Was  the  Con- 
queft  of  Spain;  the  beginning  of  May  1705, 
Written  by  Mrs.  Pixy  it  had  not  the  life  of  a 
Stock-Play,  for  it  Expir'd  the  6th,  Day. 

The  next  new  one  was  Ulysses,  wrote  by  Mt. 
Raw :  The  Play  being  all  new  Cloath'd,  and 
Excellently  well  perform'd  had  a  Successful  run, 
but  fell  short  of  his  Ambitious  Step-Mother,  and 
his  Tamerlane. 

Then  was  Afted  a  Comedy  calTd  the  Confede 
racy,  wrote  by  Captain  Vantbrugg,  an  Excel 
lent  Witty  Pky,  and  all  Parts  very  well  Afted: 
But  the  Nice  Cri ticks  Censure  was,  it  wanted  just 
Decorum,  made  it  flag  at  last.  Trelooby 


(49) 

Trelooby  a  Farce,  Wrote  by  Captain  Vantbrugg: 
Mr.  Congreve  and  Mr.  Walsb,  Mr.  Dogget  A&ing 
Trelooby  so  well,  the  whole  was  highly  Ap 
plauded. 

The  Mistake,  Wrote  by  Captain  Vantbrugg', 
a  very  diverting  Comedy,  Witty  and  good 
Humour  in't,  but  will  scarce  be  EnrolTd  a 
Stock-Play. 

The  next  new  Play  was,  The  Evolution  of 
Sweden ;  Wrote  by  Mrs.  Trotter,  she  kept  close 
to  the  History,  but  wanting  the  just  Decorum 
of  Pkys,  expir'd  the  Sixth  Day. 

Then  a  new  Opera  calTd,  The  British  Enchan 
ters,  Wrote  by  the  Honourable  Mr.  George  Green- 
vil;  very  Exquisitly  done,  especially  the  Sing 
ing  Part;  making  Love  the  Acme  of  all  Ter 
restrial  Bliss :  Which  infinitely  arrided  both 
Sexes,  and  pleas'd  the  Town  as  well  as  any 
English  Modern  Opera. 

After  this  was  performed,  an  Opera,  call'd 
The  Temple  of  Love ;  consisting  all  of  Singing 
and  Dancing :  The  Singing  Compos'd  by 
Monsieur  Sidgeon :  The  Version  into  English,  by 
Monsieur  Moteux  from  the  Italian :  The  Sing 
ing  performed  by  Mr.  Laurence,  Mr.  Laroon,  Mr. 
Cook,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  Maria  Gallia,  and  seve 
ral  other  Men  and  Women  for  the  Chorus's  : 
The  Dances,  made  and  performed  all  by  French- 
Men  ;  it  lasted  but  Six  Days,  and  answer'd  not 
their  Expectation. 

The  last  Opera  was,  The  Kingdom  of  Birds ; 
made  by  Mr.  Durfey,  performed  in  July,  1706. 
The  Singers  in't  were,  Mr.  Cook,  Mr.  Laroon, 
Mr.  Laurence,  Mrs.  Hudson  and  others :  Dancers 
were,  Monsieur  De  Bargues,  Monsieur  U  Abbe's 

Brother, 


(  50) 

Brother,  Mr.  Fair  bank,  Mrs.  Elf  or d  and  others  : 
It  lasted  only  Six  Days,  not  answering  half  the 
Expences  of  it. 

After  this,  Captain  Vantbrugg  gave  leave  to 
Mr.  Verbruggen  and  Mr.  Booth,  and  all  the 
Young  Company,  to  Aft  the  remainder  of 
the  Summer,  what  Pkys  they  cou'd  by  their 
Industry  get  up  for  their  own  Benefit ;  continu 
ing  till  Bartholomew-Eve,  z$d,  of  Auguft,  1706,  end 
ing  on  that  Day,  with  The  London  Cuckolds :  But 
in  all  that  time  their  Profit  Amounted  not  to 
half  their  Salaries,  they  receiv'd  in  Winter. 

From  Bartholomew  day  1706,  to  the  i)th,  of 
Offob.  following,  there  was  no  more  Ailing  there. 

In  this  Interval  Captain  Vantbrugg  by  A- 
greement  with  Mr.  Swinny,  and  by  the  Con 
currence  of  my  Lord  Chamberlain,  Trans- 
ferr'd  and  Invested  his  License  and  Govern 
ment  of  the  Theatre  to  Mr.  Swinny ;  who 
brought  with  him  from  Mr.  Rich,  Mr.  Wilks, 
Mr.  Cyber,  Mr.  Mills,  Mr.  Johnson,  Mr.  Keene, 
Mr.  Norris,  Mr.  Fairbank,  Mrs.  Oldfield  and  others  ; 
United  them  to  the  Old  Company ;  Mr.  Betterton 
and  Mr.  Underbill,  being  the  only  remains  of  the 
Duke  of  York's  Servants,  from  1662,  till  the  Union 
in  Oftober  1706.  Now  having  given  an  Account  of 
all  the  Principal  A&ors  and  Pkys,  down  to  1706. 
I  with  the  said  Union,  conclude  my  History. 


Next  follows  the  Account  of  the  present  Young  Com 
pany  (which  United  with  the  Old,  in  October, 
1706.)  Now  Afting  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  Dru- 
ry  Lane ;  Her  Majefty's  Company  of  Comedians, 
under  the  Government  of  Col.  Brett. 

Mr.  Wilks, 


(50 

Mr.  Wilksy  Proper  and  Comely  in  Person, 
of  Graceful  Port,  Mein  and  Air;  void 
of  Affe&ation;  his  Elevations  and  Cadencies 
just,  Congruent  to  Elocution :  Especially  in 
Gentile  Comedy ;  not  Inferior  in  Tragedy. 
The  Emission  of  his  Words  free,  easy  and  na 
tural;  Attracting  attentive  silence  in  his  Audi 
ence,  (I  mean  the  Judicious)  except  where 
there  are  Unnatural  Rants,  As, 

I'le  mount  the  Sky, 


And  kick  the  G — ds  like  Foot-ballsy  as  I  fly : 
As  Poet  D — rfj  has  it, 

Which  puts  the  Voice  to  such  Obstreperous  tfretch, 
Requires  the  Lungs  of  a  Smith's  Bettows  to  reach. 

He  is  indeed  the  finisht  Copy  of  his  Famous 
Predecessor,  Mr.  Charles  Hart. 

Mr.  Cybery  A  Gentleman  of  his  time  has  Ar- 
riv'd  to  an  exceeding  Perfection,  in  hitting 
justly  the  Humour  of  a  starcht  Beau,  or  Fop ; 
as  the  Lord  Fopington ;  Sir  Fopling  and  Sir  Courtly, 
equalling  in  the  last,  the  late  Eminent  Mr. 
Mounforty  not  much  Inferior  in  Tragedy,  had 
Nature  given  him  Lungs  Strenuous  to  his  finisht 
Judgment. 

Mr.  Escourt,  Hitfrio  Natus ;  he  has  .the  Honour 
(Nature  enduing  him  with  an  easy,  free,  un- 
affe&ed  Mode  of  Elocution)  in  Comedy  al 
ways  to  Laetificate  his  Audience,  especially 
Quality,  (Witness  Serjeant  Kyte}  He's  not 
Excellent  only  in  that,  but  a  Superlative  Mi- 
mick.  Mr. 


(50 

Mr.  Booth,  A  Gentleman  of  liberal  Education,  of  form  VenuSl ; 
of  Mellifluent  Pronunt iation,  having  proper  Gesticulations,  which 
are  Graceful  Attendants  of  true  Elocution ;  of  his  time  a  mosit  Com- 
pleat  Tragedian. 

Mr.  Johnson,  He's  Skilful  in  the  Art  of  Painting,  which  is  a 
great  Adjument,  very  Promovent  to  the  Art  of  true  Elocution, 
which  is  always  requirable  in  him,  that  bears  the  Name  of  an  Ac 
tor  ;  he  has  the  Happiness  to  gain  Applause  from  Court  and  Ci 
ty  :  Witness,  Morose,  Corbaccio,  Mr.  Hothead  and  several  others  ; 
He  is  a  true  Copy  of  Mr.  Underbill,  whom  Sir  William  Dave- 
nant  judg'd  40  Year  ago  in  Uncolns-Inn-Fields,  the  truest  Come 
dian  in  his  Company. 

Mr.  Dogget,  On  the  Stage  he's  very  Aspeftabund,  wearing  a 
Farce  in  his  Face  ;  his  Thoughts  deliberately  framing  his  Utte 
rance  Congruous  to  his  Looks  :  He  is  the  only  Comick  Original 
now  Extant :  Witness,  Ben.  Solon,  Nikin,  The  Jew  of  Venice,  &c. 

Mr.  Pinketbman,  He's  the  darling  of  Fortunatut,  he  has  gain'd 
more  in  Theatres  and  Fairs  in  Twelve  Years,  than  those  that 
have  Tugg'd  at  the  Oar  of  A&ing  these  50. 

Next  Mr.  Mitts,  Mr.  Powel,  Mr.  Bullock ;  the  2  firSt  Excell  in 
Tragedy ;  the  other  in  Comedy,  dye. 

I  muff  not  Omit  Praises  due  to  Mr.  Betterton,  The  firSi  and  now 
«nly  remain  of  the  old  Stock,  of  the  Company  of  Sir  William  Da- 
venant  in  Lincolns-Inn-Fields ;  be  like  an  old  Stately  Spreading 
Oak  now  Hands  fixt,  Em>iron'd  round  with  brave  Young  Growing, 
Flourishing  Plants :  There  needs  nothing  to  Speak  bit  Fame,  more 
than  the  following  Parts. 


Pericles  Prince  of  Tyre. 
The  Bondman. 
Ca'sar  Borgia. 
The  Loyal  Subject. 
The  Mad  Lover. 
Richard  the  Third. 
King  Lear. 


Solyman  the  Magnificent. 

Hamlet. 

Macbeth. 

Timon  of  Athens. 

Othello. 

Oedipus. 

Jaffeir. 

King  Henry  the  Eighth. 

Sir  John  Falftaff. 


Mr.  Dryden  a  little  before  his  Death  in  a  Prologue,  rendring  him 
this  P  R  A  I  S  E  . 

He  like  the  setting  Sun,  sliff  shoots  a  Glimmery  Ray, 
Like  Antient  ROME  MajtSlick  in  decay. 


FINIS. 


SATYR  ON  THE  PLAYERS 


SATYR  ON  THE  PLAYERS 

THE  Censuring  World,  perhaps,  may  not  esteem 
A  Satyr  on  so  Scandalous  a  Theme 
As  a  Stage  Ape  ;  yet  merely  for  the  sake 
Of  Novelty,  I'll  once  a  Tryall  make  : 
For  who  can  hold  to  see  the  Foppish  Town 
Admire  so  sad  a  Wretch  as  Betterton  ? 
Is't  for  his  Legs,  his  Shoulders,  or  his  Face  ;  j 
His  formal  Stiffness,  or  his  awkward  Grace  ?  \ 
A  Shop  for  him  had  been  the  fittest  place  ;      1 
But  Brawny  Tom  the  Playhouse  needs  must  chuse 
The  villains  Refuge,  and  Whores  Rendezvouze  : 
When  being  Chief,  each  playing  Drab  to  swive, 
He  takes  it  as  his  chief  Prerogative. 
Methinks  I  see  him  mounted,  hear  him  Roar, 
And  foaming  Cry,  Odsblood,  you  little  Whore, 
Zounds,  how  I !    I like  any  Moor. 

Then  in  comes  Smith  that  murders  every  Shape, 

The  Crying  Lover,  and  the  Squinting  Ape  ; 

So  very  dull  in  both,  that  you  may  See 

Sorrow  turn'd  Mirth,  and  Mirth  turn'd  Tragedy  : 

Passion  he  ridicules  ;  so  whines  and  Cryes, 

That  you  would  Swear  he  somewhat  more  than  dyes ; 

Then  by  his  Antic  Postures,  Men  of  Sence 

Do  say,  He  Plays  Jack  Pudding,  not  a  Prince. 

Since  so  it  is,  Witt>  e'en  in  tyme  be  wise  ; 

Stick  to  the  Bottle,  there  thy  Talent  lyes  ; 

But  for  the  Stage  (Conceited,  Malapert), 

Thou'rt  worse  than  strowling  Coish,  or  Strutting  Burt. 

55 


56  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

You  Smockfac'd  Lads,  Secure  your  Gentle  Bums 
For  full  of  Lust  and  Fury  See  he  comes  I 

'Tis  B Nokes,  whose  unwieldy 

Weeps  to  be  buryed  in  his  Foreman's 

Unnatural  Sinner,  Lecher  without  Sence, 
To  leave  kind ,  to  dive  in  Excrements. 

Roaring  Mad  Cave  is  the  Reproach  o*  th*  Age ; 
Scandall  to  all,  but  the  leud  Shameless  Stage : 
The  Coffee  houses,  and  the  Taverns  Scum, 
Drunk  every  night,  the  Looby  Tumbling  home, 
Akrms  the  Watch.     His  chiefest  Eloquence 
Does  lye  in  many  Oaths,  and  little  Sence : 
I  Gad,  he'd  make  a  Swindging  Evidence. 

But  now  the  Chara&er  of  One  you'l  Read,  ] 
Who  Strove  so  long  a  Fool  to  be  believ'd,  \ 
That  at  the  last  he  is  a  Fool  indeed.  ) 

Witness  his  Bant'ring  Nonsence,  and  his  Noise, 
Stealing  from  Stalls,  and  Fooling  with  the  Boys. 
If  still  thou  pky'st  such  Tricks,  the  world  shall  see1 
The  difPrence  'twixt  Jack  Sparks,  and  Tony  Lee, 
Which  is  the  Silly'st  Cur,  the  Dog  or  thee.  j 

The  next  might  e'en  have  acquiesch'd  ;  but  He, 
Big  with  the  Hopes  of  Popukrity, 
Must  Pky  again  :  altho'  it  be  decreed 
That  Wife  Prophetic  shou'd  his  Omen  read. 
When  first  he  strutted  on,  faith  I  was  there. 
Who's  there,  cry  all  ?  a  Puppet,  not  a  Player. 
But  when  he  named  a  God  the  Sparks  did  fear 
The  very  Pop  wou'd  make  a  God  appear  ; 
For  God's  to  him's  no  more  then  Bottled  Beer.  > 

Goodman  the  Thief  Swears  'tis  all  Womens  Lots 
To  dote  upon  his  Ugliness  and  Pox. 


SATYR    ON    THE   PLAYERS  J7 

Many  by  Common  Punks  have  been  betray'd, 
But  to  be  Jilted  by  a  Silly  Maid, 
Is  a  damn'd  Thing,  Wiltshire,  I'de  be  asham'd 
At  last  among  the  Cuckolds  to  be  Nam'd  : 
Thoud'st  better  still  have  led  a  Whoring  Life, 
Than  to  be  Plagu'd  with  Poverty  and  Wife  ! 

Jevems  chief  Business  is  to  Swear  and  Eat ; 
He'l  turn  Procurer  for  a  Dish  of  Meat : 
Else  the  poor  hungry  Ruffian  must,  I  fear, 
Live  on  Gray  Peas  and  Salt  for  half  a  year. 

The  rest,  tho'  moving  in  a  lower  Sphere, 

Are  no  less  Villains  than  their  Masters  are  ; 

So  Sharping,  and  so  insolent  a  Crew, 

Long  as  old  Tyburn  stood  it  never  knew  : 

But  Fame  do's  say,  their  Equals  you  may  find     \ 

Of  th*  other  Sex ;  so  lewd  in  every  kind, 

You'd  Swear  that  Rogue  and  Whore  had  bothf 

combin'd.  ) 

Imprimis  Slingsby  has  the  fatal!  Curse 
To  have  a  Lady's  Honor,  with  a  Players  Purse  : 
Tho'  now  she  is  so  plaguy  haughty  grown,    ] 
Yet,  Gad,  my  Lady,  I  a  time  have  known 
When  a  dull  Whiggish  Poetwou'd  go  down.) 
That  Scene's  now  chang'd ;    but  Prithee  Dowdy 

Beast, 

Think  not  thy  Self  an  A&resse  in  the  least ; 
For  sure  thy  Figure  ne'r  was  seen  before  : 
Such  Arse-like  Breasts,  Stiff  neck,  and  menstruous 

Gore, 
Are  certain  Antidotes  against  a  Whore. 

But  antiquated  Shadwett  swears  in  Rage 
She   knows    not    what's    the    Lewdness    of   the 
Stage: 


58  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

And  I  believe  her,  now  her  Days  are  past ; 
Who'd  tempt  a  Wretch,  that  on  meer  Force  is  chaSt  ? 
Yet  in  her  youth,  none  was  a  greater  Whore  : 
Her  Lumpish  Husband  Og  can  tell  you  more. 

There's  one,  Heav'n  bless  us  1  by  her  cursed  Pride 
Thinks  from  the  world  her  Brutish  Lusl  to  hide  ; 
But  will  that  Pass  in  her,  whose  only  Sence 
Does  lye  in  Whoring,  Cheats,  and  Impudence  ? 
One  that  is  Pox  all  o're  ;  Barry  her  Name, 
That  mercenary  Prostituted  Dame, 

Whose  nauseous like  Tony's  Tap  does  run  : 

Unpity'd  Ass,  that  can't  her  Ulcer  Shun  ! 
Tho'  like  a  Hackney  Jade,  juSt  tyr'd  before, 
And  all  her  little  fulsom  Stock  Run  ore  ; 
Tho'  Faces  are  distorted  with  meer  Pain, 
So  that  wry  mouth  ne'r  since  come  right  again  : 
Yet  ten  times  more  she'l  bear  for  Slavish  Gain      j 

Impudent  Sarah  thinks  she's  prais'd  by  all : 

Mistaken  Drab,  back  to  thy  Mothers  Stall, 

And  sell  there  Savin,  which   thou'st   prov'd  so 

well; 

'Tis  a  rare  Thing  that  Belly  cannot  swell, 
Tho'  swived,  and  swived,  and  as  debauch'd  as  Hell. 

Fam'd  Sutlers  Wiles  are  now  so  common  grown, 
That  by  each  feather'd  Cully  she  is  known  : 
So,  that  at  laSt  to  save  her  tott'ring  Fame,] 
At  Music  Club  she  Strives  to  get  a  Name  ;  [• 
But  Mony  is  the  Syren's  chiefeSt  Ayme.   ) 
At  Treats  her  Squeamish  Stomach  cannot  bear 
What  Amorous   Spark  Provides  with  Cost  and 

Care ; 

But  if  She's  hungry,  faith  I  muSt  be  blunt 
She'l  for  a  Dish  of  Cutlets  shew  her 


SATYR    ON    THE    PLAYERS  59 

What  is't,  a  Pox,  makes  Petty  seem  to  be 
Of  so  demure  pretended  Modesty  ; 
When  'tis  apparent  she'l  in  private  prove 
As  Impudent  as  any  Punk  of  Love  ? 
Strangers  she  fears  ;  so  cares  not  much  to  roam, 
While  she  can  have  a  Sharers  tarse  at  home. 

Currer,  'tis  time  thou  wert  to  Ireland  gon  ; 
Thy  utmost  Rate  is  here  but  Haifa  Crown  : 
Ask  Turner,  if  thou  art  not  fulsom  grown  ? 

Sue  Percival  so  long  has  known  the  Stage, 
She  grows  in  Lewdness  faster,  than  in  Age  : 
From  Eight  or  Nine  she  there  has  swiving  been  ; 
So  calls  that  Nature,  which  is  truly  Sin. 
Her  Coffee  Father  too's  so  basely  Poor,  ] 

And  such  a  Hireling  that  he'l  hold  the  Door,       [ 
Be  Pimp  himselfe,  that  she  may  Play  the  Whore. ) 

Once  Tnyford  had  som  modesty  ;  but  she 
Her  Husband  being  Close  in  Custody, 
Wou'd  be  unkind  to  let  him  Famish  there  : 
So — s  for  Guineys,  to  Provide  him  Fare. 
But  Osborn  moves  in  a  Religious  Strain, 

She'l and  Pray,  and  Pray,  and again  : 

Sure  now  her  swiving,  Praying  Dayes  are  o're, 
Who'd  have  an  Ugly,  old,  yet  zealous  Whore  ? 

Then  Norris,  and  her  Daughter,  pleasant  are ; 
One's  very  young,  the  other  desperate  fair  : 
A  very  equal,  well-proportion'd  Pair. 
The  Girl's  of  Use,  faith,  as  the  matter  goes  ; 
For  she  must to  get  her  Father's  Cloths. 

I've  pleas'd  my  self,  now  Critics  do  your  worst ; 
I  value  not  your  Malice,  nor  your  Curse. 


EXPLANATORY  NOTES 


EXPLANATORY  NOTES 


To  The  Reader,  Az.  OPEN'D  THERE  1662.  Rather, 
late  in  June,  1661. 

To  The  Reader,  Az.  BOOK-KEEPER.  The  book 
keeper  was  a  very  important  and  responsible  individual, 
since  he  a&ed  as  the  librarian  of  the  theatre,  and  to  his 
safe  custody  were  assigned  the  manuscripts. 

The  term  book-keeper  has  been  sometimes  taken 
(e.g.,  by  Davies,  Waldron,  Collier,  Creiznach)  to  be 
synonymous  with  "  bookholder,"  but  this  is  an  error, 
although  sometimes  the  book-keeper  was  also  book- 
holder  to  the  company.  Higgins  in  his  Janius  Nomen- 
clator,  1588,  defines  "  bookholder  "  as  "  he  that  telleth 
the  players  their  part  when  they  are  out  and  have  for 
gotten.  The  prompter  or  Bookholder."  It  would 
seem  that  book-keeper  and  bookholder  are  confused  in 
The  Spanish  Tragedy,  when  Hieronimo  is  to  present  his 
play  before  the  Court,  and  the  King,  who  is  among  the 
spectators,  says  : 

Here,  brother,  you  shall  be  the  bookkeeper 
This  is  the  argument  of  that  they  show. 

[He  givetb  him  a  book. 

The  same  confusion  occurs  in  an  early  Jacobean 
comedy  Every  Woman  in  her  Humour,  when  a  character 
is  said  to  "  swear  like  an  elephant  and  Stamp  and  sltare 
(God  bless  us  !)  like  a  playhouse  book-keeper,  when 
the  a&ors  miss  their  entrance." 

The  quarto  Wit  without  Many  (with  Alterations  and 
Amendments  by  some  Persons  of  Quality),  n.d.  but 
1707,  is  humorously  dedicated  to  "  Thomas  Newman, 
Servant  to  her  Majesty,  one  of  the  Gentlemen  of  the 


64  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Great  Room.  Book  Keeper  and  Prompter  to  her 
Majesty's  Company  of  Comedians  at  the  Haymarket." 
"  Early  Prompt  Books,"  Chapter  XVI.,  Pre-Refioration 
Stage  Studies  (1927)  by  W.  J.  Lawrence  may  be  profit 
ably  consulted. 

To  the  Reader,  Az.  PERFORMANCES  IN  AFTERNOONS. 
Immediately  after  the  Restoration  plays  commenced  at 
half-past  three  o'clock.  During  the  Prologue  to 
Dryden's  The  Wild  GaUant,  "  When  it  was  first  Afted  " 
(produced  Theatre  Royal  in  Vere  Street,  on  Thursday, 
February  5,  1662-3),  we  have  "  the  curtain  drawn  dis 
covers  two  Astrologers"  ;  and  these  proceed  to  prog 
nosticate  by  their  art  the  fortune  of  the  play.  The 
FirSl  Astrologer  reads  :  "  A  figure  of  the  heavenly 
Bodies  in  their  several  Apartments,  Feb.  the  jth,  half 
an  hour  after  three  after  Noon,  from  whence  you  are  to 
judge  the  success  of  a  new  play,  called  the  Wild  Gallant" 
We  know  from  Pepys  that  the  doors  opened  a  couple 
of  hours  or  more  earlier,  and  that  to  get  a  good  place, 
especially  if  it  was  the  firSt  day  of  a  new  piece,  one 
often  had  to  be  at  the  theatre  at  noon.  On  Monday, 
May  1 8,  1668,  he  records  : 

"  Thence  to  my  tailor's,  and  there  did  find  Mercer  come  with 
Mrs.  Horsfield  and  Gayet  according  to  my  desire,  and  there  I 
took  them  up,  it  being  almost  twelve  o'clock,  or  a  little  more,  and 
carried  them  to  the  King's  playhouse,  where  the  doors  were  not 
then  open ;  but  presently  they  did  open  ;  and  we  in,  and  find 
many  people  already  come  in,  by  private  ways,  into  the  pit,  it 
being  the  first  day  of  Sir  Charles  Sidley's  new  play,  so  long 
expected,  '  The  Mullberry  Garden,'  of  whom,  being  so  reputed 
a  wit,  all  the  world  do  expeft  great  matters.  I  having  sat  here 
awhile,  and  eat  nothing  to-day,  did  slip  out,  getting  a  boy  to  keep 
my  place  ;  and  to  the  Rose  Tavern,  and  there  got  half  a  breast  of 
mutton,  off  of  the  spit,  and  dined  all  alone.  And  so  to  the  play 
again,  where  the  King  and  Queen,  by  and  by,  come,  and  all  the 
Court ;  and  the  house  infinitely  full.  But  the  play,  when  it  come, 
though  there  was,  here  and  there,  a  pretty  saying,  and  that  not 
very  many  neither,  yet  the  whole  of  the  play  had  nothing  extra 
ordinary  in  it,  at  all,  neither  of  language  nor  design  ;  insomuch 
that  the  King  I  did  not  see  laugh,  nor  pleased  the  whole  play 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  nor  the  company ;  insomuch 
that  I  have  not  been  less  pleased  at  a  new  play  in  my  life,  I  think." 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  65 

In  1658,  whilst  Davenant  was  very  discreetly  attempt 
ing  his  Entertainments  of  Music  with  scenes,  the  hour 
of  the  play  was  three  o'clock,  as  we  learn  from  the  title 
pages  of  these  little  operas  when  published  in  quarto. 
Thus  we  have : 

"  The  Cruelty  of  the  Spaniards  in  Peru ;  exprest  by  Inslru- 
mentall  and  Vocall  Musick,  and  by  Art  of  Perspective  in  Scenes, 
etc.  Represented  daily  at  the  Cockpit  in  Drury  Lane,  at  three 
afternoon  pun&ually.  London,  Printed  for  Henry  Herringham, 
and  are  to  be  sold  at  his  Shop  at  the  Anchor  in  the  Lower  Walk, 
in  the  New  Exchange,  4to,  1658." 

At  the  end  is  appended  the  following  note :  Nof- 
withtfanding  the  great  expence  necessary  to  scenes  >  and  other 
ornaments  in  this  entertainment,  there  is  a  good  provision 
made  of  places  for  a  shilling.  And  it  shall  certainly  begin  at 
three  afternoon. 

The  title  page  of  The  History  of  Sr  Francis  Drake, 
which  was  given  at  the  Cockpit  in  the  summer  of  1658 
runs :  i 

"  The  History  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  :  esprest  by  Instrumentall 
and  Vocall  Musick,  and  by  the  Art  of  Perspective  in  Scenes,  etc. 
The  first  part.  Represented  daily  at  the  Cockpit  in  Drury  Lane 
at  Three  afternoon  punctually.  London,  Printed  for  Henry 
Herringham,  and  are  to  be  sold  at  his  Shop  at  the  Anchor  in  the 
Lower  Walk,  in  the  New  Exchange,  1659." 

In  the  Duke  of  Buckingham's  The  Rehearsal,  pro 
duced  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Drury  Lane,  December  7, 
1671,  the  rehearsal  of  Mr.  Bayes'  tragedy  takes  place 
in  the  morning,  and  when  the  a£tors  decide  that  it  is 
useless  to  proceed  they  troop  away  to  dinner.  The  poet 
in  a  fury  declares  that  he  will  sell  his  piece  to  the  other 
House,  and  the  Stage-keeper  expostulates :  "  Nay, 
good,  Sir,  don't  take  a  way  the  Book  ;  you'l  disappoint 
the  company  that  comes  to  see  it  aded  here,  this  after 
noon." 

Half-paSl  three  seems  to  have  been  the  regular  time 
for  the  commencement  of  the  theatre  throughout  the 
reign  of  Charles  II.  (It  may  be  noted  that  in  the  famous 
bill  which  was  put  forward  by  Collier,  purporting  to 


66  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

be  that  of  the  opening  of  the  new  theatre  in  Drury 
Lane,  we  have  "  The  play  will  begin  at  three  o'clock 
exactly."  But  it  is  known  that  this  piece  is  a  forgery, 
and  therefore  of  no  evidential  value.)  Towards  the 
end  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  hour  of  performance 
was  inclined  to  get  somewhat  later,  and  in  1695  it 
appears  to  have  been  four  o'clock.  The  Epilogue, 
spoken  by  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  as  Angelica  in  boy's 
attire,  to  Lord  Lansdowne's  The  She-Gallants,  afted  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  winter  of  1695,  concludes: 

On  Pain  of  being  posted  to  your  Sorrow, 
Fail  not  at  Four,  to  meet  me  here  To-morrow. 

A  bill  of  The  Re/apse,  "At  the  Theatre  Royal  in 
Drury  Lane,  this  present  Tuesday  being  the  i8th  day 
of  May,"  1703,  announces  "  To  begin  exactly  at  half 
an  hour  after  Five."  An  advertisement  of  The  Con 
federacy  "the  sixth  day  of  November,  1705,"  has 
"  beginning  exacHy  at  Five  of  the  Clock."  The  Epi 
logue  to  Farquhar's  The  Recruiting  Officer,  which  was 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  April,  1706,  smartly  com 
mences  :  "  All  ladies  and  gentlemen  that  are  willing 
to  see  the  comedy  call'd  the  Recruiting  Officer,  let  them 
repair  to  morrow  night,  by  six  a'clock,  to  the  sign  of 
the  Theatre  Royal  in  Drury  Lane,  and  they  shall  be 
kindly  entertain'd." 

In  London  six  o'clock  seems  to  have  remained  the 
general  time  for  many  years.  Thus  on  Thursday, 
February  24,  1737,  when  The  Mourning  "Bride  was  given 
at  Drury  Lane  for  the  benefit  of  Mrs.  Porter,  who 
played  Zara,  the  performance  was  announced  "  to 
begin  exacHy  at  Six  o'clock."  On  November  6,  1740, 
The  Recruiting  Officer  was  revived  at  Covent  Garden  : 
"  The  part  of  Sylvia  by  Miss  Woffington  (being  the 
firsl:  time  of  her  performing  on  that  Stage)  ...  to 
begin  exactly  at  Six  o'clock."  On  September  28, 
Romeo  and  Juliet  was  afted  at  Covent  Garden.  "  The 
part  of  Juliet  to  be  performed  by  Mrs.  Gibber  ...  to 
begin  exactly  at  six  o'clock." 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  67 

p.  i.  THE  BLACK-FRYARS  COMPANY.  This  is  the 
Second  Blackfriars,  a  small  roofed  theatre,  built  in 
1 5  96  by  Burbage  on  the  first  floor  of  the  South  se&ion  of 
Blackfriars  Monastery .  It  was  demolished  August  6, 1 6  5  5 . 

The  first  Blackfriars  had  been  constructed  by  Richard 
Farrant  early  in  1 5  77  on  a  seftion  of  the  second  floor 
of  the  old  monastery.  It  was  abandoned  in  the  spring 
of  1584. 

The  Red  Bull  was  an  unroofed  theatre,  situated  in 
Saint  John's  Street,  Clerkenwell.  This  popular  house 
was  built  about  1600,  and  enlarged  in  1632.  On 
Saturday,  March  23,  1661,  Pepys  went  to  the  Red  Bull, 
"  where  I  had  not  been  since  plays  come  up  again." 
Owing  to  the.  good  offices  of  a  man  whom  he  knew  and 
who  was  afting  as  a  servant  he  made  his  way  "  up  to 
the  tyreing  room,  where  strange  the  confusion  and  dis 
order  that  there  is  among  them  in  fitting  themselves, 
especially  here,  where  the  clothes  are  very  poor  and 
the  aftors  but  common  fellows.  At  last  into  the  pitt, 
where  I  think  there  was  not  above  ten  more  than 
myself,  and  not  one  hundred  in  the  whole  house. 
And  the  play  which  is  called  '  All's  Lost  by  Lust,' 
poorly  done."  Daborne's  The  Poor  Man  Comfort  was 
given  at  this  house,  Tuesday,  May  28, 1 661 .  (Jordan,  A 
Rojal  Arbor  of  Loyal  Poesze,  where  the  Prologue  will  be 
found.)  On  Monday,  26  May,  1662,  Pepys  took  his  wife 
to  the  Red  Bull,  "  where  we  saw  Doftor  Faustus,  but  so 
wretchedly  and  poorly  done  that  we  were  sick  of  it." 
The  Red  Bull  seems  to  have  been  last  used  as  a  theatre 
in  1663,  and  in  Davenant's  The  P  lay-House  to  be  Lett, 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  that  year,  when 
two  fencers  inquire  whether  they  may  lease  the  play 
house  for  a  school  the  player  retorts  : 

Tell  'em  the  Red  Bull  Stands  empty  for  fencers  : 
There  are  no  tenants  in  it  but  old  spiders. 
Go,  bid  the  men  of  wrath  allay  their  heat 
With  prizes  there. 

On   Monday,  April   25,    1664,   Pepys  walked  "to 
Islington,  and  so  to  St.  John's  to  the  Red  Bull,  and 


68  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

there  saw  the  latter  part  of  a  rude  prize  fought,  but 
with  good  pleasure  enough.'* 

Salisbury  Court  was  a  roofed  theatre,  ere&ed  in 
1629  by  Richard  Gunnell  and  William  Blagrave  on  the 
site  of  the  old  granary  of  Dorset  House,  off  Fleet 
Street.  It  was  dismantled  by  order  of  the  Parliament  on 
March  24,  1648-9.  In  1652  it  was  bought  by  the 
aftor,  William  Beeston,  who  rebuilt  it  in  April,  1660. 
Pepys  saw  many  of  the  older  plays  a&ed  there.  For 
example,  on  Saturday,  February  9,  1660-1,  he  records  : 
"  Creed  and  I  to  Whitefriars  to  the  Play-house,  and 
saw  '  The  Mad  Lover,'  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  it 
a£ted  which  I  liked  pretty  well."  The  Mad  Lover  is  the 
firft  play  in  the  Beaumont  and  Fletcher  Folio  of  1647. 
Mr.  Bullen  says  it  "  may  be  confidentally  regarded  as 
Fletcher's  unaided  composition."  On  Saturday,  Feb 
ruary  23,  1660-1,  Pepys  saw  Middleton's  The  Change' 
/tag,  "  the  firslt  time  it  had  been  afted  these  twenty  years, 
and  it  takes  exceedingly."  It  may  be  remarked  that 
Downes  tells  us  De  Flores  was  played  by  Betterton, 
and  Antonio  the  pretended  changeling  by  Sheppy. 
On  Friday,  March  i,  1660-1,  Pepys  records  :  "  To 
Whitefryars,  and  saw  '  The  Bondman '  afted ;  an 
excellent  play  and  well  done.  But  above  all  that  ever 
I  saw,  Betterton  do  the  Bondman  the  beslt."  Sir  Henry 
Herbert  enters  :  December  3,  1623  ;  "  For  the  Queen 
of  Bohemia's  company  :  The  Noble  Bondman  ;  written 
by  Philip  Messenger,  gent."  On  Saturday,  March  2, 
Pepys  notes  :  "  To  Salisbury  Court,  where  the  house 
as  full  as  could  be ;  and  it  seems  it  was  a  new  play, 
*  the  Queen's  Maske,'  wherein  there  are  some  good 
humours  ;  .  .  .  but  above  all  it  was  strange  to  see  so 
little  a  boy  as  that  was  to  aft  Cupid,  which  is  one  of  the 
greatest  parts  in  it."  Heywood's  Loves  Mutrh ;  ort 
The  Queenis  Masque  was  firslt  performed  in  1634.  On 
Saturday,  March  16,  1660-1,  Pepys  saw  at  Salisbury 
Court  "The  Spanish  Curate,  "  in  which  I  had  no  great 
content."  This  comedy,  wliich  is  now  generally  con 
sidered  to  be  the  joint  work  of  Fletcher  and  Massinger, 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  69 

was  licensed  by  the  Master  of  the  Revels,  Sir  John 
Ashley,  October  24,  1622,  and  a&ed  with  great  success 
at  the  Blackfriars.  On  Monday,  April  i,  1661,  Pepys 
saw  at  Salisbury  Court  part  of  Fletcher's  Ru/e  a  Wife 
and  Have  a  Wife,  which  he  did  not  like.  On  the 
following  day,  however,  at  the  same  house  he  was 
far  better  pleased  with  The  Night  Walker,  or,  The  Litt/e 
Thief,  which  on  May  u,  1633,  Herbert  entered  as  a 
play  of  Fletcher's  correfted  by  Shirley.  Pepys  thought 
it  "  a  very  merry  and  pretty  play."  On  Saturday, 
April  6,  1 66 1,  he  has  :  "  To  Salisbury  Court  and  there 
saw  *  Love's  Quarrell '  a&ed  the  first  time,  but  I  do 
not  like  the  design  or  words."  This  piece  has  not  been 
identified.  It  is  probably  a  new  title  given  to  one  of 
the  older  plays. 

The  first  Fortune  Theatre  was  situated  in  Golden- 
Lane,  and  opened  in  the  autumn  of  1600  by  the  Ad 
miral's  men.  It  was  burned  down  December  9,  1621. 
A  second  theatre,  "  A  large  round  brick  building  "" 
was  erefted  on  the  same  site  in  1623.  James  Wright 
says  that  it  "  lay  partly  open  to  the  weather,  and  there 
they  always  afted  by  daylight."  The  Fortune  was  dis 
mantled  in  1649,  and  totally  demolished  by  1662- 
Accordingly  the  fagade  which  was  still  extant  in  1819 
cannot  have  belonged  to  it,  although  it  is  possible  that 
it  may  have  been  that  of  a  Restoration  "  nursery,"  for 
young  a&ors  which  possibly  occupied  the  same  site. 

The  first  Globe,  situated  on  the  Bankside,  was  built 
in  1598,  and  on  June  29,  1613,  was  "casually  burnt 
downe  and  consumed  with  fier."  However,  the  house 
was  forthwith  rebuilt  and  it  was  certainly  opened  by 
June  30,  1614,  when  John  Chamberlain  writes  that  he 
had  called  upon  a  lady  only  to  find  her  "  gone  to  the 
new  Globe,  to  a  play."  He  continues,  "  I  hear  much 
speech  of  this  new  playhouse,  which  is  said  to  be  the 
fairest  that  ever  was  in  England."  On  Monday,  April  1 5 , 
1644,  it  was  demolished  by  Sir  Matthew  Brand  "  to 
make  tenements  in  the  room  of  it." 

The  Cockpit  or  Phoenix  was  a  small  roofed  theatre, 


JO  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

conftru&ed  in  the  Cockpit  in  Drury  Lane  about  1617. 
A  manuscript  continuation  of  Stowe's  Annales,  found 
in  a  copy  of  the  1631  edition,  has  "The  Phenix  in 
Druery  Lane,  was  pulled  downe  also  this  day,  being 
Saterday  the  24  day  of  March  j  1649,  by  the  same 
souldiers." 

Wright  in  his  Hitforia  Hiftrionica,  1699,  8vo,  says  : 

"  Before  the  Wars,  there  were  in  being  all  these  Play-houses 
at  the  same  time.  The  Black-friers,  and  Globe  on  the  Bankside,  a 
Winter  and  Summer  House,  belonging  to  the  same  Company 
called  the  King's  Servants  ;  the  Cockpit  or  Phanix,  in  Drury-lane, 
called  the  Queen's  Servants  ;  the  private  House  in  Salubury-court, 
called  the  Prince's  Servants ;  the  Fortune  near  White-cross-ftrtet, 
and  the  Red  Bui/  at  the  upper  end  of  St.  John's-ftreet :  The  two  last 
were  mostly  frequented  by  Citizens,  and  the  meaner  sort  of 
People.  All  these  Companies  got  Money,  and  Liv'd  in  Reputa 
tion,  especially  those  of  the  Blackfriers,  who  were  Men  of  grave 
and  sober  Behaviour.  .  .  .  The  Black-friers,  Cockpit,  and  Salis 
bury-court,  were  called  Private  Houses,  and  were  very  small  to 
what  we  see  now.  The  Cockpit  was  standing  since  the  Restauration, 
and  Rhode's  Company  Afted  there  for  some  time.  .  .  .  The  Globe, 
Fortune  and  Bull,  were  large  Houses,  and  lay  partly  open  to  the 
Weather,  and  there  they  alwaies  Afted  by  Daylight." 

p.  i.  NEW  HOUSE.  This,  the  lasT:  consltru&ed  house 
of  the  Elizabethan  order,  built  in  a  famous  tennis  court 
situated  in  Bear  Yard,  Vere  Street,  which  ran  into  Clare 
Market,  was  an  oblong  roofed  theatre.  It  was  opened 
by  Killigrew  and  the  King's  Company  (the  original 
Mohun  Company)  on  Thursday,  November  8,  1660, 
with  Henry  the  Fourth.  They  abandoned  the  house  in 
April,  1663,  since  the  new  Theatre  Royal,  Bridges 
Street,  Drury  Lane,  was  opened  on  May  7,  1663,  with 
The  Humorous  Lieutenant.  The  old  theatre,  as  we  learn 
from  Pepys,  Friday,  April  23,  1669,  sometime  served  as 
a  Nursery  for  the  younger  a£tors.  From  1675  to  1682 
it  was  used  as  a  Meeting  House.  In  subsequent  years 
a  carpenter's  shop  and  also  a  slaughter  house  occupied 
the  building.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire,  September  17, 
1 809,  and  a  view  of  the  ruins  may  be  found  in  C.  W. 
Heckethorn's  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  and  the  Localities 
Adjacent ',  p.  138. 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  yi 

p.  i.  A  PATENT  FROM  THE  KING.  This  is  given  in 
Fitzgerald's  New  Hiftory  of  the  English  Stage,  I.,  pp.  77-80. 

p.  2.  MR.  THEOPHILUS  BIRD.  About  1635  Theo- 
philus  Bird  was  admitted  to  the  King's  Company  at 
Blackfriars.  He  married  Anne,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
Christopher  Beeston,  and  in  1652  he  was  a&ing  as  agent 
for  his  brother-in-law,  William  Beeston.  With  other 
members  of  the  newly  formed  a&ing  company  on 
January  28,  1661-2,  he  entered  into  an  agreement  with 
Sir  Robert  Howard  and  Thomas  Killigrew,  but  he  was 
not  a  "  building  sharer,"  although  he  ranked  as  a 
"  whole  sharer,"  that  is  to  say,  he  personally  held  one 
share.  Bird  died  early  in  1664.  His  name  occurs  in 
very  few  post-Restoration  printed  casts,  but  we  find 
that  he  afted  Prospero  in  Richard  Rhodes'  comedy 
Flora's  Vagaries,  which  was  produced  at  the  Theatre 
Royal  on  Tuesday,  November  3,  1663,  but  not  printed 
until  1670 ;  licensed  (for  the  Press)  July  28,  1669. 
On  Wednesday,  September  24,  1662,  Pepys  heard 
"how  Bird  hath  lately  broke  his  leg,  while  he  was 
fencing  in  *  Aglaura  *  upon  the  stage."  One  might 
hazard  that  Bird  sustained  either  Ariaspes  or  Ziriff 
(Zorannes),  but  there  is  a  good  deal  of  bilbo-bladery 
in  Suckling's  drama,  especially  in  its  first  estate  of  "  a 
bloody  Tragedy  "  ere  it  was  "  turn'd  to  a  Comedy." 

p.  2.  CHARLES  HART.  Of  this  famous  actor  Rymer 
says  :  "  The  eyes  of  the  audience  are  prepossessed  and 
charmed  by  his  aftion,  before  aught  of  the  Poet  can 
approach  their  ears  ;  and  to  the  most  wretched  char- 
after  he  gives  a  lustre  which  so  dazzles  the  sight,  that 
the  deformities  of  the  poet  cannot  be  perceived." 
Hart  had  been  apprentice  or  boy  to  the  famous  Rob 
inson  at  the  Blackfriars.  At  the  union  of  the  two  com 
panies  in  1682  he  retired  to  his  country  house  at  Stan- 
more  Magna  in  Middlesex,  and  dying  of  the  stone 
August  1 8,  1683,  he  was  buried  here  August  20.  In 
the  Hitforia  HiRrionicay  James  Wright  says  of  these  aftors : 

"  Hart  and  Cltm  were  bred  up  boys  at  the  B/ackfriers,  and 
afted  Women's  Parts.  Hart  was  Robinson's  Boy  or  Apprentice ; 


72  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

He  afted  the  Dutchess  in  the  Tragedy  of  the  Cardinal,  which  was 
the  fir5l  Part  that  gave  him  Reputation.  Cartwrigbt  and  Winter- 
sbal  belonged  to  the  private  House  in  Salisbury  Court ;  Burt 
was  a  Boy,  first  under  Shank  at  the  Blackfriers,  then  under  Beefion 
at  the  Cockpit;  and  Mobun,  and  Sbatterel  were  in  the  same 
condition  with  him  at  the  last  Place.  There  Burt  used  to  play 
the  principal  Women's  parts,  in  particular  CJariana,  in  Love's 
Cruelty ;  and  at  the  same  time  Mobun  a&ed  Bellamente,  which 
Part  he  retain'd  after  the  Restauration." 

The  Cardinal,  a  tragedy  by  James  Shirley,  was  licensed 
November  25,  1641,  and  it  forms  one  of  the  six  plays  first 
published  in  an  8vo  volume,  1652-3.  "  The  Cardinal, 
a  Tragedie,  As  it  was  afted  at  the  private  House  in 
Black  Fryers.  Written  by  James  Shirley."  It  was 
revived  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Vere  Street,  July  23, 
1662.  It  was  seen  by  Pepys  October  2,  1663,  when  he 
did  not  approve  of  it  very  highly.  However,  on 
Saturday,  August  24,  1667,  he  notes  :  "  After  dinner 
we  to  a  play,  and  there  saw  *  The  Cardinall '  at  the 
King's  House,  wherewith  I  am  mightily  pleased ;  but, 
above  all,  with  Becke  Marshall."  Mrs.  Marshall,  no 
doubt,  played  Rosaura  the  Duchess.  On  Monday, 
April  27,  1668,  he  again  saw  this  tragedy  at  the  Theatre 
Royal,  and  notes  it  as  "  a  good  play." 

Love's  Cruelty,  a  tragedy  by  James  Shirley,  was 
licensed  November,  1631,  and  printed  410,  1640,  as 
a&ed  "at  the  private  House  in  Drury  Lane."  Bella- 
mente  is  described  as  "  a  noble  gentleman."  He 
loves  and  afterwards  is  espoused  to  Clariana,  who 
betrays  him.  This  tragedy,  which  was  a  favourite  after 
the  Restoration,  was  revived  at  the  Theatre  Royal, 
Vere  Street,  on  Thursday,  November  15,  1660.  It 
was  seen  by  Pepys  on  Monday,  December  30,  1667, 
and  again  on  Tuesday,  April  14,  1668.  He  notes  it 
as  "  an  old  play." 

p.  2.  MR.  MOHUN.  Michael  Mohun  died  in  Brown- 
low  Street  (now  Betterton  Street),  Drury  Lane, 
O&ober,  1684,  and  was  buried  at  S.  Giles  in  the  Fields. 
One  of  his  children  was  possibly  the  box-keeper, 
Mohun,  at  the  Theatre  Royal. 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  73 

p.  2.  MR.  LACY.  John  Lacy  died  September  17, 
1 68 1.  One  of  his  great  characters  was  Bayes  in  The 
Rehearsal.  He  is  thus  noticed  by  Langbaine  : 

"  A  Comedian  whose  Abilities  in  A&ion  were  sufficiently 
known  to  all  that  frequented  the  King's  Theatre,  where  he  was 
for  many  years  an  Aftor,  and  perform'd  all  Parts  that  he  under 
took  to  a  miracle  :  insomuch  that  I  am  apt  to  believe,  that  as  this 
Age  never  had,  so  the  next  never  will  have  his  Equal,  at  least  not 
his  Super/our.  He  was  so  well  approv'd  of  by  King  Charles  the 
Second,  an  undeniable  Judge  in  Dramatick  Arts,  that  he  caus'd 
his  Picture  to  be  drawn,  in  three  several  Figures  in  the  same 
Table  vr^.  That  of  Teague  in  the  Committee,  Mr.  Scruple  in  Tb« 
Cheats,  and  M.  Galliard,  in  The  Variety  :  which  piece  is  Still  in 
being  at  Windsor-Cattle.  Nor  did  his  Talent  wholly  ly  in  Adling, 
he  knew  both  how  to  judge  and  write  Plays  :  and  if  his  Comedies 
are  somewhat  allied  to  French  Farce,  'tis  out  of  choice,  rather 
than  want  of  Ability  to  write  true  Comedy." 

The  pi&ure  to  which  reference  is  made  is  by  Michael 
Wright.  It  is  now  at  Hampton  Court.  Evelyn, 
October  3,  1662,  records  : 

"  Visited  Mr.  Wright,  a  Scotchman,  who  had  lived  long  in 
Rome,  and  was  esteemed  a  good  painter  .  .  .  his  best  (picture), 
in  my  opinion,  is  Lacy,  the  famous  Roscius  or  comedian,  whom 
he  has  painted  in  three  dresses,  as  a  gallant,  a  Presbyterian  minister, 
and  a  Scotch  Highlander  in  his  plaid.  It  is  in  His  Majesty's 
dining-room  at  Windsor." 

Four  plays  are  printed  under  Lacy's  name,  The  Old 
Troop,  or.  Monsieur  JLiggou,  4to,  1672  ;  The  Dumb  Lady, 
or.  The  Farrier  Made  Physician  (largely  founded  upon 
L£  Medicin  malgre'  lui),  4to,  1672  ;  Sir  Hercules  Buffoon, 
or,  The  Poetical  Squire,  4to,  1684,  "  brought  upon  the 
Stage  and  publish!  after  the  Author's  Decease  "  ;  and 
Sauny  the  Scott,  or,  The  Taming  of  the  Shrew,  an  adaptation 
from  Shakespeare  with  some  intermingling  of  The 
Tamer  Tamed,  4to,  1698. 

p.  2.  MR.  BURT.  Nicholas  Burt,  was  an  original 
member  of  the  Red  Bull  Company  after  the  Restoration 
and  one  of  the  whole  sharers  of  the  Theatre  Royal.  On 
March  20,  1673,  the  theatre,  represented  by  Killigrew 
Dryden,  Hart,  Mohun,  and  others,  borrowed  from  him 


74  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

the  sum  of  £160.  The  date  of  Butt's  death  is  not 
known,  but  on  February  10,  1689-90,  he  petitioned 
against  Charles  Killigrew  "  for  deteyneing  his  share  of 
Cloathes,  scenes,  and  Bookes,  belonging  to  the  Theatre 
Royall."  His  name  does  not  occur  in  any  cast  after  the 
Union  of  the  Two  Companies  in  1682.  Indeed,  as  it 
is  absent  from  an  agreement  of  July  30,  1680,  it  may 
pretty  certainly  be  said  that  he  had  retired  before  this 
date. 

p.  2.  MR.  CARTWRIGHT.  William  Cartwright  was 
originally  a  member  of  Prince  Charles's  Company  at 
the  Private  House  in  Salisbury  Court.  During  the 
Civil  War  and  Commonwealth  he  kept  a  bookseller's 
shop  at  the  end  of  Turnstile  Alley,  but  immediately 
upon  the  Restoration  he  joined  the  a&ors  who  began 
giving  performances  at  the  Red  Bull.  He  played  a 
large  number  of  important  parts  and  was  one  of  the 
principal  figures  in  the  theatre.  During  the  difficulties 
into  which  the  King's  Company  were  involved,  owing 
to  the  quarrels  between  Thomas  Killigrew  and  his 
son  Charles,  we  find  that  on  September  9,  1676,  the 
Lord  Chamberlain  appointed  Mr.  Michael  Mohun, 
Mr.  Charles  Hart,  Mr.  Edward  Kynaston,  and  Mr. 
William  Cartwright  "  under  mee  from  time  to  time  to 
order  and  direft  all  things  wliatsoever  belonging  to  the 
well  orderinge  of  the  said  Company."  William 
Cartwright  died  at  his  house  in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields 
about  the  middle  of  December,  1687,  and  by  his  will 
dated  1686,  it  was  seen  that  he  had  left  his  books, 
pictures  and  furniture  to  Dulwich  College.  A  law 
suit  ensued,  as  Francis  and  Jane  Johnson,  his  servants, 
had  unwarrantably  seized  upon  clothing,  books, 
prints,  and  a  large  sum  of  ready  money.  Only  a  portion 
of  the  bequest  was  eventually  recovered.  Among  the 
Dulwich  portraits  are :  No.  234,  "  My  picture  in  a 
black  dress  with  a  great  dog  " ;  No.  78,  "  My  first 
wife's  portrait  like  a  shepherdess";  No.  116,  "My 
second  wife's  portrait  with  a  black  veil  on  her  head." 
The  catalogue,  one  leaf  of  which  (186-209)  ls  wanting, 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  75 

is  an  illiterate  script,  said,  however,  to  be  the  donor's 
own  hand. 

p.  2.  MR.  CLUN.  On  Thursday,  August  4,  1664, 
Pepys  being  at  the  Theatre  Royal  hears 

"  that  Clun,  one  of  their  best  afters,  was,  the  last  night,  going 
out  of  town  (after  he  had  afted  the  Alchymist,  wherein  was  one 
of  his  best  parts  that  he  afts)  to  his  country  house,  set  upon  and 
murdered  ;  one  of  the  rogues  taken,  an  Irish  fellow.  It  seems 
most  cruelly  butchered  and  bound.  The  house  will  have  a 
great  miss  of  him." 

On  the  following  day  he  was  told  the  details  of  the 
"  manner  of  Clun's  being  killed  and  laid  in  a  ditch,  and 
yet  was  not  killed  by  any  wounds,  having  only  one  in 
his  arm,  but  bled  to  death  through  his  struggling." 
At  the  time  of  Walter  Clun's  death  there  was  published 
"  An  Egley  upon  the  Most  Execrable  Mutther  of  Mr. 
Clun,  One  of  the  Comedeans  of  the  Theater  Royal, 
Who  was  Rob'd  and  most  inhumanely  Kill'd  on 
Tuseday-night  being  the  2d  of  Augutf,  1664,  near 
Tatnam-Court>  as  he  was  Riding  to  his  Country-house 
at  Kentishtown"  This  has  been  reprinted  by  Mr. 
Thorn-Drury  in  his  collection  A  Little  Ark,  1921.  It 
appears  that  originally,  at  the  Blackfriars,  Walter  Clun 
had  as  a  youth  afted  women's  parts  : 

Thou  who  in  polished  words,  and  Womans  dress, 
Didst  Lovers  passions  to  the  height  express  ; 
And  made  us  weep,  at  seeming  sorrow  swell, 
To  hear  and  see  like  truth  a  Fiftion  fell : 

He  is  also  in  these  verses  particularly  praised  for 
Smug  in  The  Merry  Devil  of  Edmonton  ;  Bessus  in  A 
King  and  no  King;  Falstaff  in  Henry  IV.;  the  Lieutenant 
in  The  Humorous  1-ieutenant ;  and  especially  lago  in 
Othello.  With  regard  to  this  last  play,  Pepys  has 
an  interesting  reference  on  Saturday,  February  6, 
1668-9  : 

"  To  the  King's  Play-house,  and  there  .  .  .  did  see  '  The 
Moor  of  Venice  : '  but  ill  afted  in  most  parts  ;  Mohun,  which 


j6  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

did  a  little  surprise  me,  not  afting  lago's  part  by  much  so  well  as 
Clun  used  to  do  ;  nor  another  Hart's,  which  was  Cassio's  ;  nor 
indeed  Burt  doing  the  Moor's  so  well  as  I  once  thought 
he  did." 

Again  on  Saturday,  April  17,  1669,  having  seen  The 
j4/fbemitf  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  he  remarks  how  good 
a  play  it  is,  yet  sadly  writes  :  "  but  I  do  miss  Clun  for 
the  Doctor." 

p.  2.  MR.  BAXTER.  Richard  Baxter  was  an  original 
member  of  the  Company  which  played  at  the  Red  Bull 
upon  the  Restoration.  He  is  mentioned  as  one  of 
"  His  Majesty's  comedians,"  October  6,  1660,  and 
as  such  he  is  included  in  a  warrant  for  liveries,  Feb 
ruary  25,  1665,  but  since  his  name  does  not  appear  in  a 
similar  warrant  February  8,  1667,  we  may  presume  that 
he  was  dead  at  the  latter  date. 

p.  2.  MR.  ROBERT  SHATTEREL.  Robert  and  William 
Shatterel,  or  Shotterel,  as  the  name  was  often  spelled, 
were  brothers,  and  in  various  warrants  connected  with 
the  earlier  years  of  the  Theatre  Royal  we  also  have  an 
Edward  Shatterel,  who  is,  perhaps,  to  be  identified 
with  William.  Robert  appears  to  have  been  the  famous 
actor  of  the  name,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that 
originally  he  was  one  of  Beeston's  Boys  at  the  Cockpit. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  was  quartermaster  to  a  troop 
of  horse  in  Prince  Rupert's  regiment.  Wright  tells 
us  : 

"  Mohun  was  a  Captain,  and  (after  the  Wars  were  ended  here) 
served  in  Flanders,  where  he  received  Pay  as  a  Major.  Hart  was 
a  Lieutenant  of  Horse  under  Sir  Toomas  Daffaon,  in  Prince 
Rupert's  Regiment ;  Burt  was  Cornet  in  the  same  Troop,  and 
Sbatterel  quarter-master.  Alien  of  the  Cockpit  was  a  Major,  and 
Quarter-MaSler-General  at  Oxford" 

As  a  comedian,  Robert  Shatterel  was  greatly  admired, 
and  his  range  of  characters,  many  of  which  (as  will  be 
noted)  have  been  recorded  by  Downes,  was  very  wide. 
Among  those  not  mentioned  in  the  Rostius  Anglicanta 
were  the  Quack  in  The  Country-Wife  produced  at  the 
Theatre  Royal,  January,  1674-5,  and  Circumstantio  in 
Sir  Francis  Fane's  Love  in  the  Dark,  or,  The  Man  of 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES 


77 


Business,  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  May,  1675.  About 
1679,  Robert  Shatterel  seems  to  have  retired  from  the 
Stage,  and  he  was  living  in  Playhouse  Yard,  Drury 
Lane,  1681-4,  which  latter  year  is  probably  the  date  of 
his  death.  In  1676  (Term  Catalogues,  Michaelmas, 
November  22,  1676)  was  published  8vo,  Archery 
Revived,  or,  The  Bow-man's  Excellency  : 

"  An  Heroick  Poem  ;  being  a  description  of  the  use  and  noble 
Vertues  of  the  Long  Bow  in  our  last  Age,  so  famous  for  the 
many  great  and  admired  Vi&ories  won,  by  the  English  and  other 
Warlike  Nations,  over  the  most  part  of  the  World.  Exhorting 
all  brave  Spirits  to  the  banishment  of  Vice,  by  the  use  of  so  noble 
and  healthful  Exercise.  Written  by  Robert  Sbotterel  and  Thomas 
D'Urfej,  Gent." 

p.  2.  MR.  DUKE.  Marmaduke  Watson,  whose 
name  firft  appears  in  the  list  of  aftors  of  the  Theatre 
Royal  Company  in  one  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain's 
warrants  for  liveries  of  July,  1661.  His  name  is  thus 
abbreviated  in  the  printed  copy  of  The  Mistaken  Husband, 
4to,  1675,  where  we  have  "  Act  V.  Seen.  I.,  A  Ship 
or  Gunroom.  Learcut  and  the  Boatswain  Duke  Watson." 
Watson  played  secondary  parts,  and  his  line  is  repre 
sented  by  such  roles  as  Hamet  in  Dryden's  The  Conqueft 
of  Granada,  Part  I.,  December,  1670,  Part  II.,  January, 
1670-1,  Theatre  Royal ;  Eubulus  in  Marriage  A-la- 
Mode,  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  by  the  King's 
Company  about  Easier,  1672  ;  Captain  Middleton  in 
Ambqyna,  or,  The  Cruelties  of  the  Dutch  to  the  English 
Merchants,  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the 
late  spring  of  1673  ;  Silvius  in  Lee's  The  Tragedy  of 
Nero,  Emperour  of  Rome,  Drury  Lane,  May,  1674 ; 
Varro,  a  tribune,  in  Sophonuba,  or,  Hannibel's  Overthrow, 
Drury  Lane,  April,  1675  ;  Eumenes  in  The  Rival  Queens, 
Drury  Lane,  March,  1676-7 ;  old  Thrashard  in 
Leanard's  The  Country  Innocence,  or,  The  Chambermaid 
turned  Quaker,  Drury  Lane,  February,  1676-7;  one 
of  the  three  physicians  in  D'Urfey's  alteration  of 
Fletcher's  Monsieur  Thomas,  dubbed  Trick  for  Trick, 
or,  The  Debauched  Hypocrite,  which  was  afted  at  the 


78  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Theatre  Royal  in  February,  1677-8.  After  the  Union 
he  is  no  longer  to  be  traced. 

p.  2.  MR.  HANCOCK.  The  name  of  this  a&or, 
Thomas  Hancock,  seems  first  to  appear  in  a  warrant  for 
liveries  granted  to  the  Theatre  Royal  Company,  Novem 
ber  4,  1662.  He  is  mentioned  in  the  list  of  comedians 
who  were  required  to  present  themselves  before  the 
Lord  Chamberlain  on  Saturday,  March  18,  1664,  with 
reference  to  the  dispute  between  the  company  and 
Thomas  Killigrew.  Hancock  occurs  in  several  official 
papers  and  can  certainly  be  traced  as  late  as  Feb 
ruary  8,  1667.  The  characters  he  played  were  un 
doubtedly  of  the  smallest,  and  he  seems  seldom  to  have 
been  entrusted  with  a  speaking  part. 

p.  2.  MR.  KYNASTON.  Originally  Edward  Kynaston 
was  a  member  of  Rhodes'  Company,  which  occupied 
the  Cockpit  or  the  Phoenix  in  Drury  Lane,  and  here, 
as  Downes  tells  us,  he  usually  a6ted  female  characters. 
However,  he  very  early  left  the  Cockpit  Company  to 
join  the  new  Theatre  Royal  in  Vere  Street.  He  was 
long  one  of  the  most  admired  aftors  upon  the  stage, 
and  during  his  career  he  created  a  very  large  number  of 
parts  of  the  first  importance.  Sir  Quibble  Quere  in 
D'Urfey's  comedy  The  Richmond  Heiress,  or,  A  Woman 
Once  in  the  Righf,  produced  at  Drury  Lane  early  in  1693, 
discussing  the  aftors  of  the  day,  particularly  praises 
Kynaston,  "  the  last,  not  least  in  Love,  the  only  re 
maining  branch  of  the  old  Stock,"  that  is  of  Killigrew's 
Company.  In  the  reply  of  the  Patentees,  10  December, 
1694,  to  the  afters'  petition  it  is  pointed  out  that 
Kynaston,  although  he  then  played  but  seldom  during 
a  season,  was  receiving  a  weekly  salary  of  three  pounds. 
He  appears  to  have  retired  about  1698,  and,  according 
to  Gibber,  "  Kynaston  staid  too  long  upon  the  stage ; 
till  his  memory  and  spirit  began  to  fail  him."  It  may 
be  remarked  that  this  seems  somewhat  extraordinary, 
for  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  Kynaston 
could  not  have  been  more  than  sixty  years  of  age,  and 
presumably  he  was  admirably  suited  in  such  characters 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  70 

as  Henry  IV.,  Lord  Touchwood  in  "The  Double-Dealer •, 
and  Count  Baldwin  in  The  Fatal  Marriage,  although  he 
had  long  since  resigned  the  gallants  and  heroes. 

p.  2.  MR.  WINTERSEL.  William  Wintershal  from 
1637  till  the  closing  of  the  theatres  was  a  member  of 
Queen  Henrietta  Maria's  Company  and  appeared  at 
Salisbury  Court.  After  the  Restoration  he  joined  the 
actors  who  had  begun  to  perform  at  the  Red  Bull, 
whence  with  the  rest  he  became  a  s  ervant  of  His 
Majesty.  He  was  one  of  the  lessees  of  the  Theatre 
Royal,  in  which  he  held  two  "  parts "  or  shares. 
Contemporaries  speak  of  his  talents  in  very  high  terms. 
Pepys  admired  him,  and  John  Dennis  highly  praises 
his  acting  as  Slender.  He  is  incidentally  mentioned 
in  The  Rehearsal,  and  the  old  Key  says  :  "  Mr.  William 
W inter sbett  was  a  most  excellent  and  judicious  Actor, 
and  the  best  Instructor  of  others  :  He  died  in  July> 
1679." 

p.  2.  MR.  BATEMAN.  In  a  list  of  the  company  of 
the  Theatre  Royal,  which  is  among  the  Lord  Chamber 
lain's  papers,  February  25,  1665,  Thomas  Bateman  is 
not  included,  but  in  a  subsequent  warrant,  February  8,, 
1667,  we  have  the  name  "  Batiman,"  so  it  is  inferred 
that  he  joined  the  King's  Company  between  these  dates. 
His  line  was  very  unimportant,  and  indeed  the  only 
role  in  which  he  has  been  traced  is  that  recorded  by 
Downes — Tribulation  Wholesome,  a  Pastor  of  Amster 
dam  in  The  Alchemift.  None  the  less,  it  should  be 
remarked  that  this  character  may  be  made  very  effective. 
Early  in  the  eighteenth  century  it  was  played  by  the 
celebrated  comedian  Pack,  and  some  years  later 
Benjamin  Griffin  was  loudly  applauded  as  the  Puri 
tanical  Preacher.  When  in  March,  1923,  The  AlchemiR 
was  revived  for  two  performances  under  my  direction, 
Mr.  H.  R.  Hignett  gave  an  admirable  performance  as 
Tribulation,  and  won  very  great  and  well-deserved 
applause. 

p.  2.  MR.  BLAGDEN.  Nicholas  Blagden  had  joined 
the  King's  Company  by  November  4,  1662,  since  his 


80  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

name  appeared  in  an  official  lift  of  that  date.  Appa 
rently  he  had  been  a  member  of  the  Duke  of  Mon- 
mouth's  Company,  managed  by  Edward  Bedford, 
since  on  Oftober  15,  1663,  Bedford  was  petitioning 
againft  him  to  the  Lord  Chamberlain.  Blagden  is 
found  in  a  lift  February  25,  1665,  but  his  name  has  been 
scored  out  in  a  warrant,  February  8,  1667.  We  may 
suppose  that  he  was  dead  rather  than  that  he  had  joined 
his  former  company. 

p.  2.  AFTER  THEY  HAD  BEGUN  IN  DRURY  LANE. 
The  King's  Company  opened  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in 
Bridges  Street  (Drury  Lane),  on  Thursday,  May  7, 
1663. 

p.  2.  MR.  HAINS.  On  Saturday,  March  7,  1667-8, 
Pepys  saw  The  Spanish  Gipsy  at  the  Theatre  Royal, 
which  curiously  enough  did  not  please  him.  "  A  very 
silly  play,  only  great  variety  of  dances,  and  those  moft 
excellently  done,  especially  one  part  by  one  Hanes, 
only  lately  come  thither  from  the  Nursery,  an  under- 
Standing  fellow,  but  yet,  they  say,  hath  spent  £1,000 
a  year  before  he  come  thither."  In  Thomas's  Life 
of  Joe  Hqynes,  published  in  1701,  it  is  said  that  this 
comedian  "  acted  under  Captain  Bedford  whilft  the 
playhouse  in  Hatton  Garden  lafted."  Captain  Bedford 
was  the  Edward  Bedford  who  directed  the  Duke  of 
Monmouth's  Company.  On  Thursday,  May  7,  1668, 
Pepys  visited  Mrs.  Knepp  at  her  lodgings,  where  "  was 
also  Haynes,  the  incomparable  dancer  of  the  King's 
House,  and  a  seeming  civil  man,  and  sings  pretty  well." 
It  used  to  be  supposed  that  his  firft  part  was  Benito  in 
Dryden's  The  Assignation^  which  the  poet  is  said  to 
have  written  for  him.  It  is  certainly  possible  that 
Dry  den  had  Haines  in  mind  when  he  sketched  this 
capital  charafter,  but  it  was  by  no  means  the  firft  role 
that  the  comedian  had  sustained.  We  know,  for 
example,  that  he  played  Piperollo  in  a  revival  of 
Shirley's  The  Sifters,  which  muft  be  dated  1669-70, 
and  no  doubt  he  afted  in  several  of  the  older  plays 
whereof  the  Restoration  cafts  have  not  come  down  to 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  8l 

us.  Haines  is  described  as  "a  very  eminent  low 
comedian,  and  a  person  of  great  facetiousness  of 
temper  and  readiness  of  wit,'*  but  it  appears  that  he 
carried  his  buffooneries,  amusing  enough  no  doubt  on 
the  Stage,  rather  too  far  into  real  life,  since  his  extrava 
gances  not  infrequently  embroiled  him  first  with  one 
company  and  then  with  the  other,  so  that  he  was  com 
pelled  at  no  infrequent  intervals  to  migrate  from 
theatre  to  theatre.  He  was  especially  famous  for  his 
delivery  of  Prologues  and  Epilogues.  He  created 
several  parts  of  importance,  among  which  the  most 
famous  were :  Sparkish  in  The  Country  Wife,  Theatre 
Royal,  January,  1674-5  ;  Lord  Plausible  in  The 
Plain-Dealer,  produced  at  the  same  house  in  the  winter 
of  1676 ;  and  Captain  BlufFe  in  The  Old  Batchelor, 
Drury  Lane,  January,  1692-3.  The  Biograpbia  Dra- 
matica  tells  us  that  Haines  remained  on  the  stage  until 
1701,  "  on  the  4th  of  April  in  which  year  he  died  of  a 
fever,  after  a  very  short  illness,  at  his  lodging  in  Hart 
Street,  Longacre,  and  was  buried  in  the  churchyard  of 
S.  Paul's,  Covent  Garden." 

p.  2.  MR.  GRIFFIN.  Philip  Griffin  became  an  aftor 
of  great  merit,  and  it  will  be  noticed  that  Downes  has 
praised  him  very  highly.  Amongst  other  parts  at 
Drury  Lane  he  played  Menander  in  Lee's  Sophonisba, 
April,  1675  ;  Maecenas  in  Gloriana,  January,  1675-6 ; 
Vernish  in  The  Plain-Dealer,  in  the  winter  of  1676 ; 
Lysimachus  in  The  Rival  Queens,  March,  1676-7 ; 
Serapion  in  All  for  Love,  December,  1677 ;  Valentine 
in  Trick  for  Trick,  February,  1677-8  ;  Captain  Porpuss 
in  Sir  Barnaby  Whigg,  early  autumn  of  1681  ;  Du  Pier  in 
The  Commonwealth  of  Women,  the  summer  of  1685  ; 
Lord  Lovechase  in  "the  Bath,  or,  The  Wetfern  Lass,  1701. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Griffin  was  the  executor 
of  the  famous  Mrs.  Meggs,  "  Orange  Moll " — scandal 
said  and  her  beau  garfon — and  for  a  while,  until  his 
journey  to  Ireland  in  August,  1699,  he  was  managing  for 
Rich.  Cibber  mentions  Captain  Griffin  with  Betterton, 
Smith,  Mountfort,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  and  Mrs.  Oldfield, 


82  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

as  being  one  of  those  who  not  only  excelled  on  the 
Stage,  but  in  private  life  were  "  received  among  people 
of  condition  with  favour."  Gibber  also  tells  how 
"  in  the  younger  days  of  their  heroism,  Captain  Griffin 
and  Goodman  were  confined  by  their  moderate  salaries, 
to  the  economy  of  lying  together  in  the  same  bed,  and 
having  but  one  shirt  between  them."  This  was  worn 
alternately,  and  when  one  of  the  young  a&ors  in  order 
to  keep  an  assignation  wished  to  don  their  beslt  garment 
out  of  his  turn  a  fine  tussle  ensued. 

p.  2.  MR.  GOODMAN.  Cardell  Goodman  was  an 
aftor  of  great  talent  whose  career  seems  to  have  been 
ruined  by  recklessness  and  debauchery.  He  succeeded 
Hart  as  Alexander  the  Great,  in  which  role  he  won 
particular  applause.  Colley  Gibber  tells  us  that  when 
he  applied  to  the  patentees  for  an  increase  of  salary — he 
was  getting  some  50^.  a  week — he  was  told  that  even 
if  his  salary  were  less  than  it  was  by  icxr.  a  week, 
it  would  Still  be  more  than  ever  Goodman  had,  who 
was  a  better  aftor  than  he  could  pretend  to  be. 

"  To  which  I  replied, '  This  may  be  true  ;  but  then  you  know, 
sir,  it  is  as  true,  that  Goodman  was  forced  to  go  upon  the  highway 
for  a  livelihood.'  As  this  was  a  known  fact,  of  Goodman,  my 
mentioning  it  on  that  occasion,  I  believe,  was  of  service  to  me  ; 
at  leaft  my  salary  was  not  reduced  after  it.  To  say  a  word  or 
two  more  of  Goodman,  so  celebrated  an  aftor  in  his  time,  perhaps 
may  set  the  conduft  of  the  patentees  in  a  clearer  light.  Though 
Goodman  had  left  the  Stage  before  I  came  to  it  (1689-90)  I  had 
some  slight  acquaintance  with  him.  About  the  time  of  his  being 
expected  to  be  an  evidence  against  Sir  John  Fenwick,  in  the 
assassination  plot,  in  1696,  I  happened  to  meet  him  at  dinner  at 
Sir  Thomas  Skipwith's,  who,  as  he  was  an  agreeable  companion 
himself,  liked  Goodman  for  the  same  quality.  Here  it  was,  that 
Goodman,  without  disguise,  or  sparing  himself,  fell  into  a  laughing 
account  of  several  loose  passages  of  his  younger  life  ;  as  his 
being  expelled  the  university  of  Cambridge,  for  being  one  of  the 
hot-headed  sparks  who  were  concerned  in  the  cutting  and  defacing 
the  Duke  of  Monmouth's  picture,  then  chancellor  of  that  place. 
But  this  disgrace,  it  seems,  had  not  disqualified  him  for  the  Stage  ; 
which,  like  the  sea-service,  refuses  no  man  for  his  morals,  that  is 
able-bodied.  There,  as  an  aftor,  he  soon  grew  into  a  different 
reputation  ;  but  whatever  his  merit  might  be,  the  pay  of  a  hired 
hero,  in  those  days,  was  so  very  low,  that  he  was  forced,  it  seems, 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  83 

to  take  the  air,  (as  he  called  it)  and  borrow  what  money  the  first 
man  he  met  had  about  him.  But  this  being  his  first  exploit  of 
the  kind,  which  the  scantiness  of  his  theatrical  fortune  had  reduced 
him  to,  King  James  was  prevailed  upon  to  pardon  him ;  which, 
Goodman  said,  was  doing  him  so  particular  an  honour,  that  no 
man  could  wonder  if  his  acknowledgment  had  carried  him  a 
little  farther  than  ordinary,  into  the  interest  of  that  prince.  But 
as  he  had,  lately,  been  out  of  luck,  in  backing  his  old  master,  he 
had  now  no  way  to  get  home  the  life  he  was  out,  upon  his  account, 
but  by  being  under  the  same  obligations  to  King  William." 

Cardell  Goodman  was  a  stalwart  and  handsome 
young  fellow,  qualities  which  could  not  fail  to  attract 
"  the  lewdest  as  well  as  the  fairest  of  all  King  Charles' 
concubines,"  Barbara,  Duchess  of  Cleveland.  In  his 
Hifiory  of  England  during  the  Reign  of  the  Royal  Howe  of 
Stewart  II. ,  01576,  that  complete  Whig  Oldmixon  very 
disrespe&fully  writes  of  the  Duchess  : 

"  This  woman  was  so  infamous  in  her  amours,  that  she  made 
no  scruple  of  owning  her  lovers  ;  among  whom  was  Goodman 
the  player,  who  so  narrowly  escaped  the  gallows  some  years  after ; 
and  the  fellow  was  so  insolent  upon  it,  that,  one  night  when  the 
Queen  [Mary  II.]  was  at  the  Theatre,  and  the  curtain  as  usual 
was  immediately  ordered  to  be  drawn  up,  Goodman  cry'd,  '  Is 
my  Duchess  come  ? '  and  being  answered,  '  No,'  he  swore 
terribly,  the  curtain  should  not  be  drawn  till  the  Duchess  came, 
which  was  at  the  inSlant,  and  sav'd  the  affront  to  the  Queen." 

Sir  John  Bramston  in  his  ^Autobiography  says  of 
Goodman  that  this  Player  acted  in  the  Assassination 
plot  of  1696,  and  turning  King's  evidence  to  escape  the 
gallows,  got  away  into  France  before  the  trials  of  his 
fellow-conspirators,  and  was  heard  of  no  more — that 
is  to  say  so  far  as  England  was  concerned.  According 
to  Macpherson,  I.,  573,  Goodman  had  been  bribed  to 
leave  England  by  the  Viscount  Montgomery,  after 
wards  Marquess,  and  titular  Duke,  of  Powis  against 
whom  he  had  informed  ;  according  to  Smollett  (1841), 
I.,  263,  it  was  Lady  Fenwick  who  supplied  him  with 
money  to  leave  the  country  that  he  might  not  appear 
against  her  husband,  and  although  he  gave  testimony 
for  the  Crown  at  the  trkl  of  Peter  Cooke,  Esq.,  May 
9-13,  1696,  he  had  departed  from  the  kingdom  before 


84  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

that  of  Sir  John  Fenwick,  which  commenced  November 
6  of  that  year.  The  Earl  of  Middleton,  in  a  letter  to  the 
Matquis  de  Torcy,  from  St.  Germains,  dated  January  19, 
1697-8,  expresses  a  desire  that  King  Louis  should,  at 
the  instance  of  King  James,  be  graciously  pleased  to 
send  Goodman  quietly  away  to  the  Antilles,  St. 
Domingo,  or  Canada,  with  an  order  to  the  Governor 
of  the  colony  selected  to  place  him  in  confinement. 
This,  as  it  was  understood  he  was  impatient  to  return 
to  England.  From  another  letter  of  de  Torcy  of  some 
months  later  date,  we  learn  that  actually  he  had  been 
sent  a  prisoner  to  Dauphiny,  and  that  his  wife,  in  a 
petition  to  the  Queen,  had  begged  to  be  incarcerated 
with  him. 

p.  2.  MR.  LYDDOLL.  Of  this  actor,  whose  name  is 
more  generally  spelled  Lydal,  nothing  is  certainly 
known  than  that  he  filled  a  goodly  number  of  characters 
at  Drury  Lane,  before  the  Union  of  the  two  Companies 
in  1682.  If  we  may  judge  by  these  he  muSl  have  been 
an  accomplished  and  useful,  if  not  an  eminent,  per 
former.  Thus  he  played  Don  Melchior  de  Guzman  in 
An  Evening's  Lore,  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal, 
June,  1668  ;  Argaleon  in  Marriage  A-la-Mode,  pro 
duced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  about  Easter,  1672 ; 
Air.  Collins  in  Amboyna,  given  at  the  same  house  in  the 
summer  of  1673  ;  Piso  in  Lee's  The  Tragedy  of  Nero, 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  May,  1 674 ;  Dorilant  in 
The  Country  Wife,  Drury  Lane,  January,  1674-5  ; 
Lelius,  Scipio's  lieutenant,  in  Sophonisba,  Drury  Lane, 
April,  1675  ;  Tiberius  in  Gloriana,  acted  at  the  same 
house  in  January,  1675-6. 

p.  2.  MR.  CHARLETON.  This  a&or's  name,  so  far 
as  may  be  traced,  occurs  but  to  one  important  role 
that  of  Jerry  Blackacre  in  The  Plain-Dealer,  which  was 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  the  winter  of  1676.  No 
further  details  concerning  him  are  known,  and  he  is 
indeed  only  found  in  such  roles  as  Jacomo,  a  servant, 
an  insignificant  part  in  Fane's  luove  in  the  Dark,  pro 
duced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  during  the  spring  of  1675, 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  85 

and  Prince  Philip  in  Duffett's  mock  opera  Psyche 
Debauch' d  which  burlesques  Shadwell,  and  was  given 
at  the  same  house  about  Easier  of  that  year. 

p.  2.  MR.  SHERLY.  There  are  two  allusions  to  this 
actor  in  The  Rehearsal.  In  Act  II.,  after  the  usurping 
kings  of  Brentford  have  marched  out  flourishing  their 
swords,  "  Enter  Shirly."  He  exclaims  :  "  Hey  ho, 
hey  ho  :  what  a  change  is  here  1  Hey  day,  hey  day  ! 
I  know  not  what  to  do,  nor  what  to  say. "  He  then 
makes  his  exit.  Turning  to  the  poet  Johnson  remarks  ; 
"  Mr.  Bayes,  in  my  opinion,  now,  that  Gentleman 
might  have  said  a  little  more,  upon  this  occasion."  But 
Bayes  quickly  replies  :  "  No,  Sir,  not  at  all ;  for  I 
under  writ  his  Part,  on  purpose  to  set  off  the  resit."  At 
the  end  of  the  play  when  the  a&ors  have  decided  to 
substitute  another  piece  for  Mr.  Bayes'  drama,  the  first 
player  says  :  "  Let's  see  Haynes  and  Shirley  practise  the 
last  dance ;  for  that  may  serve  us  another  time."  To 
which  another  player  returns :  (<  I'l  call  'em  in.  I  think 
they  are  but  in  the  Tiring-room."  And  so  the  dance 
is  exhibited.  Shirley's  name  occurs  as  Pedro,  a  groom, 
in  John  Corye's  comedy  The  Generous  Enemies,  or,  The 
"Ridiculous  Lovers,  a  play  of  many  borrowings,  which 
was  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  the  autumn  of 
1671  ;  and  also  as  Sanco-Panco,  a  servant,  in  The 
Fond  Lady,  a  comedy  generally  attributed  to  Duffett, 
given  at  Drury  Lane  in  the  spring  of  1674. 

John  Payne  Collier  in  his  MS.  Hitforj  of  the  Restoration 
Stage,  unpublished,  and  now  preserved  in  the  theatre 
seftion  of  the  Harvard  University  Library  (p.  36), 
gives  as  his  opinion  that  Sherlock  the  adtor  of  circa 
1638  was  the  Sherly  here  mentioned,  and  the  son 
of  Shirley  the  dramatist.  Collier  cites  a  MS.  poem, 
doubtless  forged : 

On  the  Sbirleys. 

Of  Shirley  the  father  and  Shirley  the  son, 

You  may  say  what  you  will,  they  are  equalled  by  none ; 

And  merit  an  equal  proportion  of  praise 

The  one  for  bad  afting,  the  other  bad  plays. 


86  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

It  may  be  remarked  that  although  Shirley's  dramas 
were  popular  for  a  few  years  immediately  after  the 
Restoration  they  soon  unaccountably  fell  into  dis 
favour  and  he  was  held  up  as  the  typical  bad  poet. 
One  may  compare  Dryden's  contemptuous  allusions 
in  Mac  Flecknoe.  William  Shurlock  was  at  the  Cockpit 
in  1622  when  he  figures  in  Herbert's  list.  In  1627  he 
was  a  member  of  Queen  Henrietta's  Company,  and  in 
the  cast  of  The  Wedding,  printed  in  1629.  William 
Sherlock  plays  Lodam,  a  fat  gentleman.  Elsewhere  he 
is  written  Shirelock,  but  Crosfield  calls  him  "  Shirley  " 
in  1634  when  he  was  still  at  the  Cockpit. 

I  owe  the  excerpts  from  Collier's  MS.  to  the  kindness 
of  Mr.  W.  J.  Lawrence,  who  has  generously  allowed 
me  to  use  his  transcriptions. 

p.  2.  MR.  BEESTON.  George  Beeston,  of  whom  little  is 
known,  afted  Roderigo  in  Othello ;  Ludovico  in  Rhodes' 
Flora's  Vagaries,  produced  November  3,  1663  ;  Ema- 
nuel  in  a  revival  of  The  Island  Princess,  Theatre  Royal, 
January,  1669 ;  Nigrinus  in  Tyrannick  Love,  Theatre 
Royal,  late  June,  1669 ;  Macrinus  in  Joyner's  The 
Roman  Empress,  summer  of  1670;  Ozmyn,  The  Conqnefl 
of  Granada,  Theatre  Royal,  Part  I.,  winter  of  1670, 
Part  II.,  January,  1670-1  ;  and  Van  Herring  in  Amboyna, 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  May,  1673. 

p.  2.  MR.  BELL.  Richard  Bell  was  a  rising  young 
a&or  of  great  merit  who  had  appeared  with  distinction 
in  the  famous  revival  of  Catiline,  Friday,  December  18, 
1668,  and  as  Csesar  in  Julius  Casar.  He  played  Frapolo 
in  Shirley's  The  Sifters,  Theatre  Royal,  1669-70.  He 
created  Amariel  the  Angel  in  Tyrannick  "Love,  late  June, 
1669 ;  Honorius  in  Joyner's  The  Roman  Empress,  summer 
of  1670 ;  the  Duke  of  Arcos  in  The  Conqueft  of  Granada, 
Part  I.,  winter  of  1 670,  Part  II.,  January,  1 670-1 ;  Sancho, 
man  to  Don  Bertran,  in  John  Corye's  The  Generous 
Enemies,  June,  of  1671  ;  Mr.  Vincent  in  Love  in  a  Wood, 
autumn  of  1671,  possibly  October.  On  Thursday, 
January  25,  1672,  the  Theatre  Royal  was  burned  to  the 
ground  in  a  terrible  conflagration  which  did  immense 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  87 

damage.  A  news  letter,  dated  January  27,  1671-2,  has  : 
"A  fire  at  the  King's  playhouse  between  7  and  8 
o'clock  on  Thursday  evening  last  which  half  burned 
down  the  house  and  all  their  scenes  and  wardrobe  .  .  . 
2o,ooo/.  damage.  The  fire  began  under  the  stairs  where 
Orange  Moll  keeps  her  fruit.  Bell  the  player  was 
blown  up."  A  ballad,  On  the  "burning  of  the  Theatre 
Royal,  scarifying  the  Puritan  fanatics  has  this  couplet : 
He  cryes  just  Judgement  and  wished  when  poor  Beff 
Rung  out  his  las\  't  had  been  the  Stage's  kNell. 

For  making  a  capital  N  the  printer  was  threatened  with 
a  prosecution  by  Sir  Roger  L'Estrange,  for  so  patent 
a  reflection  upon  Nell  Gwyn. 

p.  2.  MR.  REEVES.  This  actor  was  probably  a 
brother  of  Ann  Reeves  the  mistress  of  Dryden.  His 
name  occurs  in  1669,  4to,  Catiline,  as  having  played  in 
the  famous  revival  of  that  tragedy  in  1668,  but  the 
roles  are  not  severally  assigned  to  the  printed  cast. 

p.  2.  MR.  HUGHES.  This  actor's  name  occurs  in  a 
Lord  Chamberlain's  warrant  for  liveries,  dated  October 
2,  1669.  He  has  not,  however,  been  traced  in  any 
printed  casts,  and  his  line  of  business  must  have  been 
exceedingly  small.  Probably  he  was  that  brother  of 
Margaret  Hughes  who  fell  in  a  duel,  1670.  On 
June  20  of  that  year  Grace,  Lady  Chaworth,  in  a  letter 
to  her  brother,  Lord  Roos,  at  Belvoir  Castle,  writes  : 
"  One  of  the  Kfing's]  servants  hath  killed  Mr.  Hues, 
Peg  Hues'  brother,  servant  to  P[rince]  Robert  [Rupert] 
upon  a  dispute  whether  Mis  Nelly  or  she  was  the 
handsomer  now  att  Windsor  "  (Rutland  MSS.  II.,  17). 

p.  2.  MR.  HARRIS.  William  Harris  of  the  Theatre 
Royal  must  be  carefully  distinguished  from  the  friend 
of  Pepys,  the  famous  Henry  Harris  of  the  Duke's 
Company,  as  also  from  Joseph  Harris,  a  player  of  later 
date,  who  was  enrolled  among  Their  Majesties'  Actors, 
March  2,  1691-2.  Joseph  Harris  is  the  author  of  three 
plays,  The  Mistakes,  or,  the  False  Report,  produced  at 
Drury  Lane  in  the  late  winter  of  1690,  ^to,  1691  ; 
The  City  Bride,  or,  The  Merry  Cuckold,  Lincoln's  Inn 


88  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Fields,  1696,  4to  1696 ;  and,  "Lovers  a  Lottery,  and  a 
Woman  the  Pri^e,  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  the  spring  of 
1698-9,  410  1699. 

William  Harris  of  the  Theatre  Royal  a£led  small 
parts  such  as  Charinus  in  Tyrannick  Love,  late  June, 
1669 ;  Zulema  in  The  Conquest  of  Granada,  Part  I., 
winter  of  1670  Part  II.,  January,  1670-1 ;  Servilius 
in  Joyner's  The  Roman  Empress,  produced  in  the  winter 
of  1669 ;  Pedro  in  a  revival  (with  alterations)  of 
Fletcher's  The  Island  Princess,  January,  1669 ;  Con- 
tarini  in  Shirley's  The  Sifters,  revived  1669-70;  Don 
Fenise  in  Duffett's  rhyming  comedy  The  Spanish  Rogue, 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  winter,  1673  ;  Morena  (an  apple- 
woman)  in  Duffett's  farce  The  Empress  of  Morocco, 
Theatre  Royal,  spring  of  1674,  as  also  the  FirSt  Witch 
in  the  extraordinary  Epilogue  to  that  production ; 
Bruin,  the  White  Bear  of  Norwich,  in  Duffett's  mock 
opera  Psyche  which  was  given  at  the  Theatre  Royal 
about  Eafter,  1675  ;  and  Satana,  Advocate  General,  in 
Fane's  Love  in  the  Dark,  May,  1675. 

p.  2.  MRS.  COREY.  For  a  full  account  of  this  famous 
a£tress  see  Pepys  "Doll  Common"  in  my  Essays  in 
Petto.  The  name  Doll  Common  is  given  to  Mrs.  Corey 
by  Pepys  owing  to  her  superlative  performance  of 
that  character  in  The  Alcbemift.  Mrs.  Corey  afted  a 
very  large  number  of  important  chara&ers,  and  in  her 
own  line  "  old  women "  she  was  regarded  as  un 
approachable.  Among  her  most  famous  roles  were, 
Abigail  in  The  Scornful  Lady;  Mrs.  Otter  in  The 
Silent  Woman;  Lady  Woud-be  in  Volpone,  and  Sem- 
pronia  in  the  revival  of  Catiline,  December,  1668, 
when  her  mimicry  of  Lady  Harvey  caused  something 
like  a  riot  in  the  theatre.  Mrs.  Corey  was  the  original 
Widow  Blackacre,  "  the  moft  comical  character  that 
was  ever  brought  upon  the  Stage,"  in  The  Plain-Dealer, 
January,  1674-5  ;  Dame  Dobson  in  Ravenscroft's 
"  recantation  play  "  Dame  Dobson,  early  autumn  of  1683 ; 
Lady  FantasT:  in  Bury-Fair,  April,  1689 ;  and  Bromia  in 
Amphitryon,  October,  1 690.  Although  there  is  no  record 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  89 

of  Mrs.  Corey's  death,  her  name  does  not  appear  after 
1692,  and  as  this  was  a  winter  of  great  changes  in  the 
theatre  she  then  probably  retired  from  the  stage.  So  far 
as  can  be  traced  her  last  role  was  the  Abbess  of  Cheston 
in  a  revival  of  The  Merry  Devil  of  Edmonton. 

p.  2.  MRS.  ANN  MARSHALL.  The  two  sisters — 
Ann,  the  elder,  and  Rebecca,  the  younger — were  the 
leading  ladies  in  the  King's  Company.  Little  is  known 
of  the  Marshalls  beyond  what  we  have  in  Pepys,  and 
even  his  famous  anecdote  of  Becke's  tiff  with  Nell 
Gwyn,  when  Mrs.  Pierce  told  him  "  that  the  two 
Marshalls  at  the  King's  House  are  Stephen  Marshall's, 
the  great  Presbyterian's  daughters,"  seems  incorrect, 
as  at  the  time  of  his  death,  November  19,  1655,  five  of 
Stephen  Marshall's  daughters  were  married,  three  of 
them  at  least,  to  clergymen ;  his  remaining  daughter, 
who  proved  the  will  and  was  unmarried,  being  called 
Susan.  In  his  Hiftory  of  Cheshire,  Sir  Peter  Lycester, 
who  was  conne&ed  by  marriage  with  the  Buttons, 
and  so  probably  knew  the  fads,  Slates  that  "  the  two 
famous  women-actors  in  London  "  were  daughters  of 

Marshall,  Chaplain  to  Lord  Gerrard,  their  mother 

being  Elizabeth,  bastard  daughter  of  John  Button,  of 
Button.  Sir  Peter's  wife  was  herself  a  daughter  of 
Lord  Gerrard,  of  Bromley. 

As,  except  in  the  rarest  instances,  the  name  Mrs. 
Marshall  alone  appears  in  the  printed  casts  it  seems 
impossible,  since  other  data  are  wanting,  to  give  any 
list  of  the  roles  played  respectively  by  Ann  and  Rebecca. 
We  know  that  Ann  Marshall  a&ed  the  Lady  in  The 
Scornful  Lady  ;  Margarita  in  Rule  a  Wife  and  Have  a 
Wife  ;  and  created  Zempoalla,  Howard  and  Bryden's 
The  Indian  Queen,  January,  1663-4.  Rebecca  Marshall 
played  Evadne  in  The  Maid's  Tragedy;  Rosanea  in 
The  Cardinal,  revived  August  24,  1667 ;  Borothea  in 
The  Virgin  Martyr,  revived  February  27,  1667-8.  She 
also  spoke  the  Epilogue  to  a  revival  of  Hyde  Park, 
July  u,  1668.  Two  of  her  original  parts  were  the 
Queen  in  Bryden's  The  Maiden  Queen,  late  February, 


90  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

1667-8  ;  Fulvia  in  Joyner's  The  Roman  Empress •, 
summer  of  1670.  Whether  it  was  Ann  or  Rebecca  who 
created  Almeria,  Doralice,  Lucretia,  Lyndaraxa,  Roxan,  a 
Nourmahal,  and  many  more  heroines,  is  unfortunately 
hardly  to  be  ascertained. 

p.  2.  MRS.  EASTLAND.  The  name  of  this  actress  is 
given  to  a  few  very  minor  roles.  She  played  Cydnon, 
an  attendant  in  Tyrannick  Love,  produced  Easter,  1669  ; 
and  Halyma,  who  speaks  two  lines  in  the  first  part  of 
The  Conqueft  of  Granada,  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal 
in  the  winter  of  1670.  It  is  worth  noting  that  in 
Duffett's  The  Amorou*  Old  Woman,  which  was  produced 
in  the  spring  of  1674,  Garbato,  a  young  gallant,  in  love 
with  Arabella,  was  acted  according  to  the  printed  cast 
by  Mr.  Eastland.  An  actor  of  the  name  Eastland  is 
not  found  elsewhere  in  any  record,  and  it  is  quite 
probable  that  Mrs.  Eastland  played  Garbato.  For  an 
actress  to  appear  in  a  male  character  was  not  altogether 
uncommon  on  the  Restoration  stage,  and  although  the 
female  roles  in  The  Amorous  Old  Woman  were  taken  by 
actresses  of  distinction,  Mrs.  Cox,  Mrs.  Boutel  and  Mrs. 
Corey,  the  male  characters  were  for  the  most  part  assigned 
to  very  indifferent  performers — Carey,  Perin,  Coysh, 
Chapman,  and  Shirley.  The  comedy  was  evidently  but 
lightly  regarded,  and  produced  with  no  great  care. 

p.  z.  MRS.  WEAVER.  The  name  of  Mrs.  Weaver 
stands  first  in  a  list  of  "  Weomen  Comedians  in  his 
Maties  Theatre  Royal,"  who  are  to  be  provided  with 
"  liveries  "  by  a  Lord  Chamberlain's  warrant,  June  30, 
1666 ;  but  in  a  similar  warrant,  February  8,  1667-8, 
her  name  has  been  deleted.  Elizabeth  Weaver  seems 
to  have  been  frequently  in  trouble  owing  to  her  extra 
vagance,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1662  one  Henry  Dobson 
petitions  the  Lord  Chamberlain  against  her. 

"  To  the  Right  Honroble  &c.  The  humble  petition  of  Henry 
Dobson  Humbly  showeth  that  one  Eliz.  Farley  hath  gone  by  the 
name  of  Eliz:  Weauer,  wife  to  a  Gent  of  Grayes  Inne  to  defraud 
her  Creditors  and  now  being  discouered  that  she  is  none  of  his 
Wife  although  she  hath  had  a  child  by  him  and  haueing  noe 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  9! 

other  shift  for  the  defrauding  of  her  said  Creditors  but  meerely 
being  swome  one  of  his  Maties  servants  she  oweing  yor  petr 
the  summe  of  25!  us  o6d  whereof  she  hath  paid  14!  soe  there 
remaines  due  i  il  us  o6d  which  hath  beene  thirty  tymes  demanded 
and  did  defyance  to  yor  petr  yor  petrs  moSl  humble  request  is  that 
your  Honor  wilbe  pleased  to  grant  leaue  to  yor  petr  to  take  his 
course  at  Law  agt  her  And  yor  petr  shall  euer  pray  &c." 

On  June  13,  1663,  Elkabeth  Weaver  was  obliged  to 
appear  on  account  of  a  petition  of  Robert  Kerby,  and 
on  May  24,  1665,  Mrs.  Ann  Hame  was  allowed  to  take 
legal  proceedings  against  her.  The  petition  of  Henry 
Dobson  is  certainly  curious,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  suggestions  are  maliciously  and  frivolously 
essayed.  In  1664  Mrs.  Weaver  was  complaining  of 
having  been  wrongfully  dismissed  from  the  Theatre, 
and  Sir  Robert  answered  that  not  only  had  she  volun 
tarily  handed  in  all  her  parts  although  pressed  to  re 
main,  but  that  she  had  asserted  in  the  hearing  of  the 
Company  she  would  not  aft  again,  however  much  they 
entreated  her.  Moreover,  she  was  several  months 
advanced  in  a  pregnancy.  According  to  Pepys,  Mrs. 
Weaver  was  the  original  Alibech  in  Dryden's  The 
Indian  Emperour,  which  was  produced  at  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  the  spring  of  1665,  probably  in  April.  On 
Tuesday,  January  15,  1666-7,  tne  Diary  records: 
"  Here  my  Lord  Bruncker  would  have  made  me 
promise  to  go  with  him  to  a  play  this  afternoon,  where 
Knipp  adts  Mrs.  Weaver's  great  part  in  '  The  Indian 
Emperour/  and  he  says  is  coming  on  to  be  a  great 
aftor."  On  Saturday,  January  n,  1667-8,  Pepys  was 
told  by  Mrs.  Knepp  "  that  the  King  first  spoiled  Mrs. 
Weaver,  which  is  very  mean,  methinks,  in  a  prince,  and 
I  am  sorry  for  it,  and  can  hope  no  good  to  the  State 
from  having  a  Prince  so  devoted  to  his  pleasure." 

p.  2.  MRS.  UPHILL.  Of  this  address  I  have  written 
in  the  Introduction  to  my  Shadwell  (Fortune  Press, 
1927),  I.,  xliii.-iv. : 

"  Tradition,  which  grows  faint  with  time,  tells  of  her  great 
duty,  and  Downes  mentioned  her  among  our  earliest  actresses, 
but  her  theatrical  talents  cannot  have  been  remarkable,  since  we 


92  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

only  find  her  name  in  very  minor  roles ;  for  example,  that  of 
Erotion,  an  attendant,  with  one  couplet  to  speak  in  the  second  aft  of 
Dryden's  tragedy  Tyrannick  Lave  ;  or,  The  Royal  Martyr,  produced 
at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  1669.  She  also  played  Livia,  a  waiting- 
woman,  in  John  Corye's  The  Generous  Enemies,  June,  1671 ;  Artemis, 
a  Court  lady,  in  Marriage  A-la-Mode,  performed  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields  about  Easier,  1672  ;  Rosclla  in  The  Spanish  Rogue,  a  rhyming 
comedy  produced  in  the  winter  of  1673  ;  and  Syllana,  the  con 
fidante  of  Poppea,  a  part  of  only  one  line  :  '  Oh  Heav'ns  how  do 
you  do,  Madam  ;  what  success  ?  '  in  Lee's  The  Tragedy  of  Nero, 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  1674.  Her  best  opportunity  seems 
to  have  been  in  Parthelia,  daughter  to  the  Doge  of  Venice,  in 
Sir  Francis  Fane's  Lave  in  the  Dark ;  or,  The  Man  of  Biu'xess, 
which  was  given  in  May,  1675.  In  Dryden's  Aureng-Zebe,  the 
last  of  this  dramatist's  heroic  tragedies,  produced  at  the  same 
house  during  November,  Mrs.  Uphill  played  Zayda,  the  favourite 
slave  of  the  Empress  Nourmahal." 

On  Saturday,  May  2,  1668,  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields 
was  produced  Shadwell's  The  Sullen  Lovers,  ort  The 
Impertinent*,  in  which  Sir  Robert  Howard  is  caricatured 
as  Sir  Positive  At-all,  and  Mrs.  Uphill,  who  had  long 
been  publicly  acknowledged  as  his  mistress,  as  Lady 
Vaine,  "  A  Whore,  that  takes  upon  her  the  name  of  a 
Lady,  very  Talkative  and  impertinently  affefted  in  her 
Language,  always  pretending  to  Vertue  and  Honour." 
That  mordant  pamphlet,  "  A  Seasonable  Argument 
to  Perswade  All  the  Grand  Juries  in  England  to  Petition 
for  a  New  Parliament,  Amsterdam,  Printed  in  the  Year 
1677,"  under  Hant-Shire,  notes  Stockbridge,  and  says  : 
"  Sir  Robert  Howard,  Auditor  of  the  Receipts  of  the 
Exchequer,  with  3,ooo/ jter  annum  :  many  great  Places 

and  Boons  he  has  had,  but  his  W Uphill  spends 

all  and  now  refuses  to  Marry  him."  However  that 
may  be,  it  is  known  that  eventually  Susanna  Uphill 
accepted  her  admirer's  hand. 

p.  2.  MRS.  KNEP.  Mrs.  Mary  Knepp  is  best  known 
to  us  from  the  many  references  in  the  diary  of  Pepys. 
"  Pretty  enough,"  he  calls  her,  "  but  the  most  excellent, 
mad-humoured  thing,  and  sings  the  noblest  that  ever 
I  heard  in  my  life."  She  was  married  to  a  morose 
and  angry  husband,  "  a  kind  of  a  jockey,"  "  an  ill, 
melancholy,  jealous-looking  fellow,"  and  was  the 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  93 

mother  of  at  least  one  child,  a  boy,  born  in  June,  1666. 
She  granted  both  Sir  Charles  Sedley  and  Pepys  a  share 
of  her  favours.  From  the  large  variety  of  important 
parts  she  played  it  is  certain  that  Mary  Knepp  muslt 
have  been  exceptionally  talented.  Tom  KUligrew, 
indeed,  told  Pepys  "  That  Knipp  is  like  to  make  the 
besl:  after  that  ever  come  upon  the  stage,  she  under 
standing  so  well :  that  they  are  going  to  give  her  £30 
a  year  more."  Among  the  many  roles  she  created 
were  Viftoria  in  Sedley's  The  Mulberry  Garden,  produced 
at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Monday,  May  18,  1668,  in  which 
she  sang : 

Ah,  Cloris  I  that  I  now  could  sit 

As  unconcern 'd  ax  when  .  .  . 

In  Tyrannick  Love  she  doubled  the  parts  of  Nakar, 
an  aerial  spirit,  and  Felicia,  the  mother  of  S.  Catherine. 
Wycherley  gave  Mrs.  Knepp  three  excellent  characters  : 
My  Lady  Flippant  in  Lave  in  a  Wood,  produced  at  the 
Theatre  Royal  in  the  autumn  of  1671 ;  My  Lady 
Fidget  in  The  Country-Wife,  January,  1674-5  ;  and 
Eliza  in  The  Plain-Dealer,  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in 
the  winter  of  1676.  The  last  play  in  which  Mrs. 
Knepp  appeared  is  seemingly  D'Urfey's  Trick  for 
Trick,  or,  The  Debauch* d  Hypocrite,  a  free  adaptation 
from  Monsieur  Thomas,  produced  at  Drury  Lane  early 
(possibly  February)  in  1677-8,  when  she  afted  Mrs. 
Dorothy  to  the  Monsieur  Thomas  of  Charles  Hart. 
Of  her  subsequent  history  nothing  appears  to  be  known. 

p.  2.  MRS.  HUGHS.  It  is  probable  that  Mrs.  Margaret 
Hughes  may  in  some  sense  claim  to  be  our  first  pro 
fessional  a&ress.  Unfortunately,  although  there  is  the 
Strongest  presumption,  we  are  not  able  to  speak  with 
absolute  certainty  upon  this  point.  Indeed,  the  very 
phrase  "  our  first  aftress  "  is  in  itself  a  little  ambiguous, 
since  it  is  hardly  to  be  supposed  that  any  one  lady 
appeared  at  a  distinct  interval  before  others.  On 
Saturday,  December  8,  1660,  The  More  of  Venice  was 
a&ed  at  Vere  Street,  and  this  was  probably  the  occasion 
when  Mrs.  Hughes  appeared  as  Desdemona.  The 


94  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

role  we  know  from  Thomas  Jordan's  "  A  Prologue  to 
introduce  the  firft  Woman  that  came  to  Act  on  the  Stage  in 
the  Tragedy,  called  The  Moor  of  Venice."  It  has  been 
very  superfluously  pointed  out  that  there  is  a  slight 
ambiguity  in  the  title  to  Jordan's  prologue  as  it  appears 
in  A  Royal  Arbor  of  LoyaJ  Poesie,  but  it  is  quite  clear  if 
one  reads  the  Prologue  itself  that  the  reference  is  not 
to  the  first  woman  who  acted  in  Othello,  but  to  the  first 
woman  who  professionally  appeared  upon  the  stage. 
It  is  true  that  in  the  same  book  we  have  "  A  Prologue 
to  a  Comedy  call'd  The  Tamer  Tam'd,  June  25,  1660," 
and  a  corresponding  "  Epilogue  Spoken  by  the  Tamer, 
a  Woman"  but  this  merely  refers  to  the  fact  that  in 
the  play  the  Tamer  was  a  female  character,  Maria,  it 
does  not  indicate  that  this  role  was  acted  by  a  woman. 
Downes  informs  us  that  Mrs.  Hughes  played  Desde- 
mona,  but  it  should  be  noted  that  the  cast  of  Othello 
which  he  furnished  is  demonstrably  not  in  every 
particular  that  of  the  earliest  revivals  in  the  Restoration 
theatre.  For  our  prompter  gives  us  Mohun  for  lago, 
whereas  we  know  that  Walter  Qun  first  acted  this 
part  under  Charles  II.,  and  that  Nohun  only  succeeded 
to  it  after  the  murder  of  Qun  in  August,  1664.  On 
the  other  hand,  Burt  was  the  original  representative 
of  the  Moor  at  the  Restoration,  and  a  little  later  Hart 
followed  him  in  the  part.  Accordingly,  in  spite  of 
discrepancies,  it  may  well  be  that  Mrs.  Hughes  was  the 
Desdemona  for  whom  Jordan  wrote  his  Prologue. 

Curll's  assertion  that  Mrs.  Norris  was  our  first 
professional  actress  is  invention.  Davies,  Dramatic 
Miscellanies,  II.,  p.  364,  writes  :  "  The  first  woman- 
actress  was  the  grandmother  of  Norris,  commonly 
called  Jubilee  Dicky."  This  is  a  mere  guess,  and  it 
includes  a  blunder  as  well.  Mrs.  Norris  was  a  member 
of  Davenant's  Company,  and  it  was  her  son  who  was 
known  as  Jubilee  Dicky  fromhis  superlative  performance 
in  Farquhar's  The  Conftant  Couple,  produced  at  Drury 
Lane  in  November,  1699.  It  has  been  suggested,  but 
the  idea  is  unfounded,  that  Mrs.  Betterton  was  our 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  95 

first  aftress.  Bellchambers,  writing  in  1822,  urges  the 
claims  of  Ann  Marshall.  As  he  contradi&s  himself 
his  hazard  is  worthless,  but  it  is  interesting  in  view  of 
the  fad  that  J.  Payne  Collier  in  his  MS.  Hitfory  of 
the  Reiteration  Stage  (Harvard  University  Library)  when 
discussing  the  question  of  the  first  a&ress  decides  that 
it  must  have  been  Ann  Marshall,  and  he  supports 
himself  by  quoting  the  following  doggerel,  preserved, 
he  says,  in  the  Bridgwater  House  MSS.,  but  which  is 
doubtless  a  forgery. 

Who  muSl  not  be  partial 

To  pretty  Nan  Marshall  ? 

Though  I  think  be  it  known 

She  too  much  does  de-moan.     (Desdemona) 

But  that  in  the  Moor 

May  be  right,  to  be  sure, 

Since  her  part  and  her  name 

Do  tell  her  the  same 

But  none  can  refuse 

To  say  Mistress  Huges 

Her  rival  out-does. 

A  little  later  on  he  adds  the  following : 

Yet — I  swear — honeft  Coz., 

With  a  critical  oath 

That  Ned  beats  them  both. 

The  illusion  here  must,  of  course,  be  to  Kynaston. 
But  the  lines  are  more  than  suspect,  and  the  very  facl: 
of  an  addition  being  tagged  on  kter  seems  in  itself 
evidence  of  bad  faith. 

Mrs.  Hughes  created  several  important  parts, 
amongst  which  were  Theodosia  in  An  Evening's  Love, 
produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  June,  1668,  and  S. 
Catherine  in  Tyrannick  L0vey  produced  at  the  same 
house  late  in  June,  1669 ;  in  both  of  which  she  was 
succeeded  by  Mrs.  Boutell.  In  a  revival  of  The  Island 
Princess,  January,  1669,  she  afted  Panura.  It  should 
be  noted  that  owing  to  the  difficulties  and  quarrels 
among  the  King's  Company,  Mrs.  Hughes  in  1676-7 
migrated  to  Dorset  Garden,  and  here  about  May, 


96  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

1676,  she  played  Cordelia  in  D'Urfey's  A  Fond  Husband 
with  Mrs.  Marshall  (Ann  or  Rebecca  ?)  as  Maria,  and 
Mrs.  Barry  Emilia.  At  the  same  house  in  the  summer 
she  afted  Oftavia  in  Ravenscroft's  The  Wrangling 
Lovers,  and  a  month  or  two  kter  Mrs.  Monylove  in 
Tom  Essence,  or.  The  Modish  Wife,  a  play  which  Lang- 
baine  rather  vaguely  remarks  "  is  said  to  be  writ  by 
One  Mr.  Rau>h'ns"  This  ascription  is  almost  certainly 
erroneous,  as  also  is  Hazlitt's  guess  that  the  play  is  from 
the  pen  of  Ravenscroft.  Early  in  1677  there  was  being 
circulated  in  manuscript  a  lampoon  entitled  A  Tryal 
of  the  Poets  for  the  Bays,  which  has  been  fathered  upon 
Rochester  and  Buckingham,  who  were  not  the  authors. 
Yet  one  is  not  surprised  to  find  it  swept  into  the  last 
reprint  of  Rochester  (1926)  a  miscellany  of  all  sorts  and 
kinds.  It  has  been  suggested  with  some  plausibility 
that  Settle  wrote  A  Tryal  of  the  Poets  for  the  Bays,  but 
the  satire  is  far  too  poignant  and  pointed  for  Elkanah's 
muse.  Here  the  following  lines  occur  : — 

At  last  Mamamouche  put  in  for  a  share, 

And  little  Tom  Essence's  Author  was  there. 

But  Apollo  had  seen  his  face  on  the  Stage,  j 

And  prudently  did  not  think  fit  to  engage  \ 

The  scum  of  a  play-house,  for  the  prop  of  an  age.    ) 

I  quote  from  a  Bodleian  MS.  (Rawl.  Poet.  159),  as 
all  printed  texts  instead  of"  At  last  Mamamoucbe  . ."  give 
"  Anababaluthu  .  ."  in  reference  to  the  gibberish  when 
old  Jorden  is  made  a  Mamamouchi  in  Ravenscroft's 
The  Citizen  turned  Gentleman,  4to,  1672,  which  in  1675 
was  actually  reissued  as  Mamamouchi.  One  may  com 
pare  Dryden's  Prologue  to  The  Assignation,  410,  1673 
(afted  in  1672) : 

Sure  there's  some  spell  our  Poet  never  knew, 
In  hullibabilah  de,  and  Chu  chu  chu  ; 
But  Marabarah  sahem  most  did  touch  you  ; 
That  is,  Oh  how  we  love  the  Mamamouchi — 

A  Tryal  of  the  Poets  for  the  Bays  very  certainly  differen 
tiates  Ravenscroft,  the  author  of  Mamamouchi  from  the 
writer  of  Tom  Essence.  Moreover,  Thomas  Rawlins  had 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  97 

died  in  1670,  and  there  could  be  no  point  in  his  appear 
ance  in  a  satire  of  1677.  Again,  the  author  of  Tom 
Essence  is  described  as  an  a&or.  "  The  scum  of  a 
play-house  "  might  seem  to  hint  at  Cardell  Goodman 
("  Scum  "  Goodman),  but  Tom  Essence  was  produced 
at  Dorset  Garden  in  1676,  when  Goodman,  a  young 
recruit,  had  just  begun  to  tread  the  boards  of  the  Theatre 
Royal.  This  difficulty  is  not  insuperable,  but  it  would  be 
hazardous  to  attempt  any  more  particular  identification. 
In  the  Memoirs  of  Count  Grammont  is  related  how  the 
charms  of  Peg  Hughes  fascinated  Prince  Rupert,  who 
bought  for  her  Brandenburgh  House,  Hammersmith. 

In  Radcliffe's  The  Ramble  (Wit  and  Drollery,  ed.  1682, 
p.  123)  the  man  about  town  goes  to  the  Duke's  House  : 

Had  I  been  hang'd  I  could  not  chuse 

But  laugh  at  Whores,  who  dropt  from  Stews. 

Seeing  that  Mrs.  Margaret  H 

So  fine  is. 

p.  2.  MRS.  BOUTEL.  For  a  full  account  of  Mrs. 
Boutell  see  my  edition  of  Covent  Garden  Drollery  (Fortune 
Press,  1927),  pp.  89-96.  In  the  Hiftory  of  the  Stage 
which  Curll,  in  1741,  published  under  the  name  of 
Betterton,  she  is  spoken  of  as  follows  : 

"  Mrs.  Eoutel  was  likewise  a  very  considerable  A&ress ;  she 
was  low  of  Stature,  had  very  agreeable  features,  a  good  Com- 
ple&ion,  but  a  childish  look.  Her  Voice  was  weak,  tho'  very- 
mellow  ;  she  generally  afted  the  young  Innocent  Lady  whom  all 
the  Heroes  are  mad  in  Love  with ;  she  was  a  Favourite  of  the 
Town." 

She  was  especially  famous  for  her  blue  eyes  and 
lovely  hair ;  "  chestnut-maned  Boutely"  a  contemporary 
pasquil  dubs  her.  Mrs.  Boutell  created  many  important 
parts,  among  which  were  Melantha  in  Marriage  A-la- 
Mode,  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  about  Eafter, 
1672 ;  Mrs.  Margery  Pinchwife  in  Wycherley's  The 
Country  Wife,  Theatre  Royal,  January,  1674-5  ;  Fidelia 
in  The  Plain-Dealer,  Drury  Lane,  in  the  winter  of  1676  ; 
Statira  in  The  Rival  Queens,  1677.  At  the  Union  of  the 
two  Companies  Mrs.  Boutell  withdrew  from  the  Sage, 


98  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

but  owing  to  repeated  persuasion  she  returned  some  six 
years  later.  Lord  Granville,  writing  to  Sir  William 
Levison,  May  5,  1688,  says  : 

"  Mrs.  Boutcll  is  again  come  upon  the  stage,  where  she  appears 
with  great  applause.  We  are  promised  this  week  another  new 
play  of  Shadwell  called  the  Alsatia  Bully,  which  is  very  much 
commended  by  those  who  have  had  the  private  perusal 
of  it." 

The  allusion  is  to  The  Squire  of  Alsatia,  in  which 
Mrs.  Boutell  created  Mrs.  Termagant.  Although  she 
was  welcomed  with  the  mosT:  marked  favour  whenever 
she  afted,  her  appearances  were  infrequent,  and  before 
the  spring  of  1697  she  had  finally  retired.  She  was 
moderately  wealthy,  and  lived  many  years  more  in 
comfort  and  ease.  "  Besides  what  she  saved  by  Playing, 
the  Generosity  of  some  happy  Lovers  enabled  her  to 
quit  the  Stage  before  she  grew  old."  The  date  of  her 
death  is  unknown.  In  a  private  letter  to  myself  the 
Chevalier  W.  H.  Grattan  Flood  very  plausibly 
suggests  that  Mrs.  Boutell  was  the  wife  of  Boutell,  one 
of  the  French  musicians  attached  to  the  Court  between 
1661-167$. 

p.  2.  MRS.  ELLIN  GWIN.  If  not  actually  the  firft 
one  of  the  earliest  roles  filled  by  Nell  Gwyn  was  Cydaria 
in  Dryden's  The  Indian  Hmperour,  originally  produced 
at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  the  spring  of  1665.  On 
Saturday,  December  8,  1666,  Pepys  at  the  King's 
Playhouse  saw  "  a  good  part  of  '  The  English 
Monsieur,'  "  a  comedy  by  James  Howard.  "  And  the 
women  do  very  well ;  but  above  all,  little  Nelly,"  who, 
no  doubt,  afted  Lady  Wealthy.  On  Wednesday, 
January  23,  1666-7,  Pepys  saw  Nell  Gwyn  as  Celia  in 
The  Humorous  Ueutenant.  On  Saturday,  March  z> 
1666-7,  Nell  Gwyn  created  Florimel  in  The  Maiden 
Queen,  one  of  the  mo£t  admired  characters.  In  Septem 
ber,  1667,  she  afted  Mirida  in  James  Howard's  AH 
Miftaken ;  in  October  of  the  same  year  Flora  in  Flora's 
Vagaries;  and  in  December  Samira  in  The  Surprital. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  99 

She  created  Jacinta  in  An  Evening's  Love,  Theatre 
Royal,  June,  1668  ;  Valeria  in  Tyrannick  Love  at  the 
same  house  about  Easier,  1669  ;  and  Almahide  in  The 
Conqueft  of  Granaday  Part  I.,  winter  of  1670  ;  Part  II., 
January,  1670-1.  She  also  played  Pulcheria,  who  is 
disguised  as  a  boy  Vergerio,  in  a  revival  of  Shirley's 
The  Sifters,  Theatre  Royal,  1669-70.  In  a  revival  of 
A.  King  and  No  King  she  played  Panthea,  and  in  a  revival 
of  Philatter,  Bellario. 

p.  2.  MRS.  JAMES.  This  aftress,  of  whom  little  is 
known  save  that  she  had  a  pleasing  voice,  filled  a 
large  number  of  secondary  but  not  unimportant  parts. 
In  addition  to  the  roles  which  Downes  has  recorded 
she  created  Alleria  in  Corye's  The  Generous  Eenemies, 
June- July,  1671 ;  Julia  in  Ambqyna,  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields,  May,  1673  ;  Arabella  in  Duflett's  The  Amorous 
Old  Woman  in  the  spring  of  1674 ;  Alithea  in  The 
Country-Wife,  Theatre  Royal,  January,  1674-5  ;  Aurana 
in  Fane's  Love  in  the  Dark,  spring  of  1675  ;  and  Julia, 
daughter  of  Augustus,  in  Gloriana,  January,  1675-6. 
She  also  played  Bianca  in  Othello. 

p.  3.  MRS.  RUTTER.  Mrs.  Margaret  Rutter,  "tall, 
and  fair,  and  bonny,"  a&ed  Olinda  in  The  Maiden  Queen, 
March,  1666-7  5  Mrs.  Crossbite  in  Love  in  a  Wood, 
Theatre  Royal,  autumn,  1671 ;  Old  Lady  Squeamish 
in  The  Country-Wife,  January,  1674-5  ;  Princess 
Wou'dhamore  in  Duffett's  mock  opera  Psyche  De 
bauch 'd,  Easier,  1675  ;  Lady  Malory  in  Leanerd's  The 
County  Innocence  ;  or,  The  Chamber  Maid  Turrfd  Quaker, 
spring  of  1677  ;  and  Alicia,  Confidante  to  the  Princess 
Matilda  in  Ravenscroft's  King  Edgar  and  Alfredo,  Drury 
Lane,  winter  of  1677. 

The  following  occurs  in  one  of  the  variants  of  The 
Session  of  the  Poets  (Poems  on  State- Affairs,  sixth  edition, 
1710,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  206-211)  : 

Humer ous  Weeden  came  in  a  pet, 

And  for  the  Laurel  began  to  splutter ; 

But  Apollo  chid  him,  and  bade  htm  firSl  get 
A  Muse  not  so  common  as  Mrs.  Ratter. 


IOO  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

p.  3.  MRS.  VERJUICE.  The  name  of  this  a&ress 
has  not  been  traced  in  any  printed  casts,  and 
doubtless  her  line  consisted  of  the  smallest  and  most 
insignificant  characters,  attendants  and  supernumerary 
roles. 

p.  3.  MRS.  REEVES.  The  name  of  the  lovely  Anne 
Reeve  (or  Reeves)  appears  very  infrequently  in  the 
printed  casts.  We  find  her  as  Esperanza  in  The  Conqueft 
of  Granada  (Part  I.,  winter,  probably  December)  1670 ; 
(Part  II.,  early,  probably  January),  1671 ;  and  to  this 
character  Bayes'  "  bel  esperansa  de  ma  vie "  in  The 
Ejebearsal  undoubtedly  alludes.  Buckingham's  famous 
satire  was  produced  December  7,  1671  and  it  is  clear 
that  Mrs.  Reeve  played  Amaryllis.  The  theatre  of 
Charles  II.  was  none  too  delicate  for  such  a  situation, 
however  personal  and  shameless  the  attack.  It  is  true 
that  recently  it  has  been  questioned  whether  Mrs.  Reeve 
could  a&ually  have  played  Amaryllis,  but  so  far  as  I 
am  aware  only  one  scholar  has  raised  this  doubt,  and 
that  upon  no  evidence  save  the  very  creditable  feeling 
of  the  indecorum  of  such  an  impersonation.  But  the 
Restoration  theatre  was  not  so  nice.  The  dialogue  in 
The  Rehearsal  is  pointed  and  plain,  and  unless  Amaryllis 
were  taken  by  Mrs.  Reeve  it  becomes  meaningless  and 
flat.  Moreover,  the  old  tradition  which  finds  its  place 
in  Briscoe's  "Key  to  the  "Rehearsal"  1704,  cannot  be 
lightly  discarded,  and  that  upon  no  grounds  beyond  a 
certain  disrelish  for  so  broad,  and  if  you  will  so  brutal 
a  fleer. 

About  Easter,  1672,  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  Mrs.  Reeve 
played  Philotis  in  Marriage  A-la-Mode,  and  later  in  the 
same  year  she  undertook  the  male  role  of  Ascanio,  the 
page,  in  The  Assignation.  She  had,  it  may  be  noted,  a 
few  months  previously,  aded  a  man  when  The  Maiden 
Queen  was  given  "  by  the  Women  only  "  and  also  delivered 
the  Epilogue.  Her  name  has  not  been  traced  in  any 
other  parts,  and  in  the  spring  of  1675  she  disappeared 
from  the  stage  to  take  the  veil  in  a  foreign  convent. 
A  very  pointed  reference  occurs  in  the  Prologue  to 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  IOI 

Every  Man  out  of  his  Humour,  "  Spoken  by  Mr.  Hayties, 
July,  1675  "  (Duffett's  Poems,  1676,  p.  73)  : 

So  Crack  enjoy'd  the  queazy  Gallants  slight 
And  she,  though  Still  her  beauty's  in  its  height 
In  rage  turns  Nun  and  goes  to  Heav'n  in  spight. 

This  is  also  glanced  at  in  the  Epilogue  to  Otway's  Don 
Carlos,  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  1676,  probably 
June.  The  Speaker,  a  girl,  says  : 

But  now,  if  by  my  Suit  you' I  not  be  won, 
You  know  what  your  imkindness  oft  has  done  : 
I'le  fn  forsake  the  Play-Houte,  and  turn  Nun. 

Rochester,  too,  in  his  A  Trial  of  the  Poets  for  the  Bays  did 
not  fail  to  recall  this  incident : 

In  the  head  of  the  gang,  John  Dryden  appear'd, 
That  ancient  grave  wit  so  long  lov'd  and  fear'd, 
But  Apotto  had  heard  a  Story  in  town, 
Of  his  quitting  the  Muses,  to  wear  the  bkck  gown ; 
And  so  gave  him  leave  now  his  poetry's  done, 
To  let  him  turn  prieSl  since  Reeve  is  turn'd  nun. 

Mrs.  Reeve  had  more  beauty  than  talent.  The  roles 
she  essayed  were  small,  and  as  an  a&ress  she  met  with 
little  success.  Possibly  she  owed  her  appearance  on 
the  boards  to  her  lover,  as  she  chiefly  performed  in  his- 
plays.  Of  Dryden's  amour  with  her  there  can,  I  think, 
be  no  doubt.  Contemporary  verse  and  long-continued 
tradition  couple  the  laureate's  name  with  that  of  Mrs. 
Reeve  in  a  way  the  persistence  of  which  would  have 
been  utterly  vapid  and  pointless  had  not  the  fad  of  the 
intrigue  been  public  property. 

The  author  of  The  Medal  of  John  Bajes,  4to,  1682,  in 
his  "  EpisTtle  to  the  Tories  "  prefixed  to  that  satire 
writes  :  "  His  prostituted  Muse  will  become  as  common  for 
him,  as  bis  Mitfress  Revesia  was,  upon  whom  he  sj>ent  so 
many  hundred  pounds  ;  and  of  whom  (to  shew  his  constancy  in 
Love)  he  got  three  Claps,  and  she  was  a  Bawd.  Let  att  his 
own  Romantick  Playes  shew  so  true  and  so  Heroick  a 


102  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

Lover."  A  further  allusion  to  Mrs.  Reeve  in  the 
satire  itself  is  very  gross. 

There  is  also  a  song  in  Covent  Garden  Drollery,  1672, 
"  Farewel  dear  Revecbia,'  which  may  in  all  probability 
be  ascribed  to  Dryden. 

The  oft-quoted  passage  from  the  letter,  purporting 
to  be  penned  by  an  old  doddle  of  some  seven  and 
eighty  years,  published  in  The  Gentleman's  Magazine, 
February,  1745  (p.  99),  On  the  Poets  and  Altars  in  King 
Charles  II.'s  Reign,  signed  W.  G.,  is  more  than  suspeft. 
It  has  been  clearly  shown  that  this  letter  is  a  mere 
rifacimento  from  various  sources  of  which  Otway's 
The  Poet's  Complaint  of  bis  Muse,  410,  1680,  is  not  the 
least  considerable,  and  moreover  the  writer  in  some 
instances  misunderstood  and  misused  his  authorities. 
He  says :  "  I  remember  plain  John  Dryden  before  he 
paid  his  court  with  success  to  the  great,  in  the  uniform 
clothing  of  Norwich  drugget.  I  have  ate  tarts  with 
him  and  Madam  Reeve  at  the  Mulbery  Garden  when  our 
author  advanced  to  a  sword  and  chadreux  wig."  This 
anecdote,  however  untrue,  has  at  least  one  value :  it 
serves  to  demonstrate  the  persistence  of  a  long-enduring 
tradition  with  regard  to  the  relations  between  Dryden 
and  Anne  Reeve.  In  the  same  number  of  the  Gentle- 
marfs  Magazine  another  writer  breaks  out  into  verse 
when  he  recalls  the  aftors  who  made  Marriage  A.-la- 
Mode  (Easter  1672)  so  brilliant  a  success  : 

Cibber  will  smile  applause  :  and  think  again 
Of  Hart,  of  Mobun,  and  all  the  female  train, 
Coxe,  Marshall,  Dryden's  Reeve,  Bet  Slade,  and  Charles'  reign. 

p.  3.  THURSDAY  IN  EASTER  WEEK.  This  is,  perhaps, 
the  most  notorious  of  the  many  blunders  of  Downes. 
A&ually  April  8,  1663,  did  not  fall  in  Easter  week  and 
was  not  a  Thursday.  However,  fortunately  we  are 
able  to  correct  Downes  from  Pepys,  who  tells  us  under 
Thursday,  May  7,  1663  :  "  This  day  the  new  Theatre 
Royal  begins  to  act.  with  scenes  the  Humourous 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  103 

Lieutenant."  Upon  the  next  day,  Friday,  May  8, 
1663,  he  definitely  records  :  "  Took  up  my  wife  and 
Ashwell  to  the  Theatre  Royall,  being  the  second  day 
of  its  being  open."  He  then  gives  details  of  the 
building  and  adds  : 

"  The  play  was  '  The  Humerous  Lieutenant,'  a  play  that  hath 
little  good  in  it,  nor  much  in  the  very  part  which,  by  the  King's 
command,  Lacy  now  afts  in-Slead  of  Clun.  In  the  dance,  the 
tall  devil's  action  was  very  pretty." 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Downes  has  not  only 
given  us  the  wrong  date  but  also  an  earlier  caslt.  The 
Humorous  Lieutenant  had  been  previously  adted  at  Vere 
Street  on  Saturday,  March  i,  1661-2,  and  doubtless 
upon  various  approximate  dates.  The  explanation  is 
that  Walter  Clun  a&ed  the  Lieutenant  in  the  first 
revival.  With  regard  to  the  spurious  bill  which  was 
given  such  prominence  by  Collier,  and  with  which  he 
deals  in  his  Hifiory  of  Dramatic  Poetry,  it  is  plain  that 
this  forgery  is  not  the  work  of  Collier  himself.  Mr. 
W.  J.  Lawrence  informs  me  that  in  the  Harvard 
theatrical  colle&ion  is  a  quarto  type  reprodudHon,  not 
a  facsimile,  of  the  bill.  "  The  paper  has  the  watermark 
of  1818,  and  the  reproduction  was  probably  made 
within  a  few  years."  It  may  be  remarked  that  the  bill 
was  suspeft  as  early  as  1854,  when  a  correspondent 
signing  himself  "  F.  L."  wrote  to  Notes  and  Querries 
pointing  out  certain  flaws  which  led  to  the  belief  that 
the  bill  was  a  forgery.  In  the  bill  two  names  which 
Downes  prints  corredtly  "  Seleucus  "  and  "  Celia  " 
are  given  wrongly  as  "  Selevers  "  and  "  Celiae,"  and 
no  doubt  this  discrepancy  was  purposely  introduced  in 
order  to  disarm  suspicion.  For  a  very  full  discussion 
of  the  whole  matter  see  W.  J.  Lawrence,  The  Eli^a- 
bethan  Playhouse,  Second  Series,  1913,  pp.  74-77.  It 
may  be  remarked  that  when  Pepys  saw  The  Humorous 
Ueutenant  on  Wednesday,  January  23,  1666-7,  Nell 
Gwyn  was  playing  the  part  of  Celia. 

On  September  27,  1919,  at  Drury  Lane,  a  special 
matinee  was  given,  "  The  Pageant  of  Drury  Lane, 


IO4  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

1663-1918,"  when  amongst  other  excerpts  some  scenes 
from  The  Humorous  Lieutenant  were  presented. 

p.  3.  MR[S]  MARSHAL.  The  original  edition  mis 
prints  "  Mr.  Marshal" 

p.  3.  RULE  A  WIFE.  The  last  revival  of  Fletcher's 
favourite  comedy  was  that  given  by  the  "  Renaissance 
Theatre  "  in  June,  1925,  when  Don  Leon  was  a£ted  by 
Henry  Oscar ;  Don  Juan  de  Castro,  Eugene  Leahy ; 
Michael  Perez,  Baliol  Holloway ;  Cacafogo,  Hay  Petrie ; 
Margarita,  Jeanne  de  Casalis  ;  Estifania,  Muriel  Pratt. 

p.  3.  THE  Fox.  Volpone,  which  had  not  been 
afted  since  the  eighteenth  century,  was  revived  under 
my  direction  by  "  The  Phoenix  "  on  January  30  and 
February  i,  1921.  Volpone  was  played  by  Baliol 
Holloway ;  Mosca,  Ion  Swinley ;  Corbaccio,  Stanley 
Lathbury  ;  Voltore,  D.  Lewin  Mannering  ;  Corvino, 
George  Zucco ;  Sir  Politique,  Eugene  Leahy ;  Pere 
grine,  William  Armstrong ;  Celia,  Isabel  Jeans ;  and 
Lady  Would-be,  Margaret  Yarde,  who  performed  most 
excellently.  On  Friday,  June  29,  1923,  a  special 
matinee  was  given  of  Jonson's  play,  with  the  same  cast, 
except  that  Rupert  Harvey  played  Mosca  and  Charles 
Maunsell  Peregrine.  The  a&ors  were  received  with 
great  applause. 

p.  wj.  THE  SILENT  WOMAN.  Pepys,  who  saw  this 
piece  on  Monday,  January  7,  1660-1,  says  : 

"  It  is  an  excellent  play.  Among  other  things  here,  Kinaston, 
the  boy,  had  the  good  turn  to  appear  in  three  shapes  :  first,  as  a 
poor  woman  in  ordinary  clothes,  to  please  Morose ;  then,  in 
find  clothes,  as  a  gallant,  and  in  them  was  clearly  the  prettiest 
woman  in  the  whole  house,  and  lastly,  as  a  man ;  and  then 
likewise  did  appear  the  handsomest  man  in  the  house." 

It  is  true  that  Downes  gives  a  cast  of  Epicane  with 
Kynaston  as  Dauphine  and  Mrs.  Knepp  as  Epicoene. 
But  it  is  incomprehensible  how  the  title-role  should 
have  been  assigned  to  a  woman.  The  denouement  can 
but  have  fallen  absolutely  flat.  Yet  we  find  that 
throughout  the  eighteenth  century  Mrs.  Oldfield,  Mrs. 
Prichard,  and  other  a&resses  made  the  same  silly 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  105 

mistake  of  attempting  this  part.  When,  under  Garrick's 
auspices,  Epicane,  with  some  rearrangement  and  a  few 
alterations  by  Colman,  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane, 
January  13,  1776,  Mrs.  Siddons  was  cast  for  the  title- 
role,  which  she  played  thrice,  January  13,  15  and  17. 
On  the  twenty-third  it  was  wisely  given  to  Lamash, 
an  elegant  young  aftor  of  rising  merit,  who  was  the 
original  Trip  in  The  School  for  Scandal,  Drury  Lane, 
May  8,  1777 ;  and  the  Justice's  son  in  The  Critic, 
October  30,  1779.  But  the  mischief  had  been  done. 
As  Gifford  well  writes  : 

"  This  comedy  .  .  .  failed  of  success  from  a  singular  circum 
stance  :  the  managers  moSl  injudiciously  gave  the  part  of  Epiccene 
to  a  woman ;  so  that  when  she  threw  off  her  female  attire  in  the 
laSt  aft,  and  appeared  as  a  boy,  the  whole  cunning  of  the  scene 
was  loSt,  and  the  audience  felt  themselves  rather  trifled  with'.than 
surprised.  Garrick  was  immediately  sensible  of  his  error  and 
attempted  to  remedy  it  by  a  different  ca§t  of  the  parts ;  but  it 
was  too  late." 

It  is  incredible  that  in  the  face  of  this  lesson  when 
Jonson's  play  was  adted  at  Covent  Garden,  April  26, 
1784,  for  Edwin's  benefit,  Mrs.  Bates  undertook 
Epiccene.  The  result  was  as  might  have  been  foretold. 

The  first  revival  in  England  of  The  Silent  Woman 
since  the  eighteenth  century  seems  to  have  been  by 
the  Mermaid  Repertory  Theatre,  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Philip  Carr  at  the  Great  Queen's  Street  (now 
Kingsway)  theatre.  Jonson's  comedy  was  again 
revived  for  two  performances  in  November,  1924, 
but  it  was  poorly  produced  and  accordingly  not  liked. 

p.  4.  THE  ALCHEMIST.  In  recent  years  The 
Alchemift  was  produced  by  Mr.  William  Poel,  and 
played  by  the  Elizabethan  Stage  Society  at  the  Apothe 
caries'  Hall,  Blackfriars,  on  February  24,  1899,  and 
again  at  the  Imperial  Theatre,  Westminster,  July  n, 
1902.  It  was  also  revived  at  the  Birmingham  Repertory 
Theatre,  April  8,  1916.  In  March,  1923,  The  Alchemitf 
was  revived  for  two  performances  under  my  direction, 
when  Subtle  was  played  by  Baliol  Hollo  way ;  Face  by 


IO6  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

George  Desmond ;  Sir  Epicure  Mammon  by  Frank 
Cellier;  Surly  by  Rupert  Harvey;  Ananias,  Stanley 
Lathbury;  Wholesome  Tribulation,  H.  R.  Hignett ; 
Dame  Plyant,  Nell  Carter ;  and  Doll  Common,  Mar 
garet  Yarde,  who  deservedly  was  greeted  with  loud 
applause.  The  play  was  much  liked. 

p.  5.  THE  MAID'S  TRAGEDY.  On  Monday,  Novem 
ber  5,  1904,  the  Mermaid  Society  produced  at  the 
Royalty  an  adaptation  of  The  Maid's  Tragedy  which 
was  compressed  into  four  a&s.  On  Sunday, 
October  18,  1908,  the  Play  Actors  presented  a  version 
of  The  Maid's  Tragedy.  In  November,  1921,  The 
Maid's  Tragedy  was  given  in  its  entirety  for  two  per 
formances  under  my  direction.  The  King  was  played 
by  Harvey  Braban ;  Melantius,  George  Skillan ; 
Amintor,  Ion  Swinley ;  Calianax,  Stanley  Lathbury ; 
Evadne,  Sybil  Thorndike ;  and  Aspatia,  Isabel 
Jeans.  This  revival  was  received  with  great  applause. 
In  May,  1925,  the  "  Renaissance  Theatre,"  during  their 
celebration  of  the  John  Fletcher  Tercentenary,  gave 
as  their  first  production  The  Maid's  Tragedy.  In  this 
very  distinguished  production  the  King  was  afted  by 
George  Zucco  ;  Melantius,  Baliol  Holloway ;  Amintor, 
Ion  Swinley;  Calianax,  Stanley  Lathbury;  Evadne, 
Edith  Evans  ;  and  Aspatia,  Rose  Quong.  It  may  be 
remarked  that  the  Masque  was  now  omitted,  but  in 
November,  1921,  this  was  given  in  its  proper  place. 

p.  5.  KING  AND  No  KING.  Of  this  fine  drama 
Langbaine  says  that  it  "  has  always  been  a&ed  with 
Applause,  and  has  lately  (1691)  been  reviv'd  on  our 
present  Theatre  with  so  great  success,  that  we  may 
justly  say  with  Horace, 

'  Haec  placuit  semel,  haec  decics  repetita  placebit.'  " 

Davies,  in  his  Dramatic  Miscellanies,  1783,  II., 
pp.  41-46,  tells  us  : 

"  Soon  after  his  present  majesty's  accession,  Mr.  Garrick 
intended  to  have  brought  forward  to  the  public  The  King  and 
No  King  of  Beaumont  and  Fletcher.  Bessus  was  given  to 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  IOJ 

Woodward ;  the  manager  designed  Arbaces  for  himself  .  .  . 
but,  however  eager  the  manager  was  to  bring  out  this  play  first, 
it  was  observed  that,  at  every  reading  of  it  in  the  green-room, 
his  pleasure,  instead  of  increasing,  suffered  a  visible  diminution 
.  .  .  at  length  he  fairly  gave  up  the  design  of  a£ting  King  and  No 
King ;  the  parts  were  withdrawn  from  the  a&ors,  and  no  more 
was  heard  of  it." 

Davles  discusses  various  reasons  for  this  change  of 
mind  on  the  part  of  Garrick,  but  one  can  arrive  at  no 
very  satisfactory  solution.  I  believe  that  there  has 
been  no  revival  of  this  excellent  old  play  since  January, 
1788,  when  it  was  given  with  some  alterations  at 
Covent  Garden.  Possibly  A.  King  and  No  King  has 
not  been  seen  in  its  entirety  since  it  was  performed  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  March,  1774. 

p.  5.  ROLLO.  The  bloody  Brother,  or,  Rollo,  Duke  of 
Normandy  was  printed  in  1639  as  "  By  B.  J.  F.,"  but 
in  1640  at  Oxford  as  by  John  Fletcher,  and  there 
seems  no  reason  why  the  attribution  to  Jonson  and 
Fletcher  should  not  be  corre£t.  This  excellent  tragedy 
was  very  sharply  criticized  by  Rymer,  but  Langbaine 
remarks  that  in  spite  of  these  Strictures  it  still  remained 
**  much  in  request  .  .  .  being  frequently  a£ted  by  the 
present  Company  of  Actors,  at  the  Queen's  Play- 
House  in  Dorset  Garden"  However,  it  has  not,  I  think, 
been  revived  since  the  first  decade  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

p.  6.  THE  SCORNFUL  LADY.  This  famous  comedy 
was  among  the  earliest  plays  to  be  revived  at  the 
Restoration.  It  was  seen  by  Pepys  on  Tuesday,  Novem 
ber  27,  1660,  and  again  on  Friday,  January  4,  1660-1, 
on  both  of  which  occasions  the  title-role  was  performed 
by  a  young  aftor.  On  Tuesday,  February  12,  1660-1, 
Pepys  saw  this  comedy  "  now  done  by  a  woman, 
which  makes  the  play  appear  much  better  than  ever  it 
did  to  me."  The  Scornful  Lady  was  frequently  given 
during  the  first  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  Mrs. 
Oldfield  was  much  admired  as  the  Lady.  After  her 
death,  however,  it  fell  out  of  the  repertory,  but  with 
alterations  and  cut  down  to  a  farce  it  was  given  at 


108  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Drury  Lane  in  May,  1771.  It  was  then  called  The 
Capricious  Lady,  and  under  the  same  title  an  adaptation 
was  played  at  Co  vent  Garden  in  January,  1783,  and 
again  in  February,  1788,  Mrs.  Abington  played  the 
Lady.  The  Scornful  Lady  was  revived  at  Birmingham, 
but  privately,  some  twenty  years  ago. 

p.  6.  THE  ELDER  BROTHER.  This  popular  comedy 
was  utilized  in  amalgamation  with  that  excellent  play 
The  Cufiom  of  the  Country  by  Colley  Gibber  to  form 
Love  Makes  a  Man,  or,  The  Fop's  Fortune,  an  extra 
ordinarily  mean  piece  of  work  produced  at  Drury  Lane, 
December,  1700,  which  none  the  less  because  of 
Fletcher's  wit  proved  popular  throughout  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  was  being  acted  at  Drury 
Lane  as  late  as  1828.  The  Elder  Brother  was  revived 
at  Miss  Kelly's  Theatre,  Dean  Street,  Soho,  in  1845, 
by  an  amateur  company  which  included  Charles  Dickens. 
It  was  given  at  Drury  Lane  in  1850,  and  at  the  City  of 
London  Theatre  in  1 8  5  2.  In  the  early  'sixties  it  was  seen 
at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Birmingham  (see  Notes  and  Queries, 
Sixth  Series,  xi.,  p.  412).  Of  recent  years  this  comedy 
has  been  revived  more  than  once  at  provincial  theatres, 
but  these  performances  do  not  call  for  any  special  remark. 

p.  6.  MR.  LOVEDAY.  Thomas  Loveday  had  been  a 
member  of  the  King's  Revels  company  in  1635,  and 
at  the  Restoration  his  name  occurs  as  one  of  those  who 
signed  the  agreement  with  Killigrew  and  Sir  Robert 
Howard  in  October,  1660.  In  a  document  dated  Octo 
ber  6, 1660,  he  appears  as  one  of  His  Majesty's  comedians. 
He  is  among  those  who  were  granted  "  liveries  "  on  Feb 
ruary  8,  1667,  but  his  name  is  not  given  in  a  similar 
warrant,  October  2,  1669.  Whence,  perhaps,  we  may 
not  unreasonably  infer  that  he  was  then  dead.  Loveday 
played  Clutch  in  Thomas  Jordan's  comedy  Money  is  an 
A.sse,  4to,  1 668,  of  which  the  place  of  acting  is  not  known, 
although  it  was  possibly  performed  at  the  Red  Bull 
early  in  1660.  Loveday  created  the  Friar  in  Rhodes' 
Flora's  Vagaries,  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  on 
Tuesday,  November  3,  1663  ;  Double  Diligence,  the 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  109 

Puritan  Constable  in  John  Wilson's  The  Cheats,  Vere 
Street,  March,  1662-3. 

p.  6.  MR.  GRADWEL.  Thomas  Gradwell,  whose 
name  first  appears  in  1662,  was  among  the  aftors  who 
appeared  by  order  before  the  Lord  Chamberlain  with 
reference  to  the  dispute  between  the  company  and 
Killigrew  on  Saturday,  March  18,  1664.  His  name  is 
given  in  a  warrant  for  "  liveries"  February  25,  1665-6, 
and  again  on  February  8,  1667-8.  In  an  earlier  warrant, 
November  4,  1662,  Gradwell  is  not  found,  neither  does 
he  appear  in  a  similar  document  October  2,  1669. 
Henry  Gradwell  played  Cap.rito,  "  a  young  Novice  " 
in  Shackerly  Marmion's  Hollands  Leaguer,  which  was 
printed  4to,  1632,  as  "  often  a&ed  with  great  applause, 
by  the  high  and  mighty  Prince  Charles  his  servants  : 
at  the  private  house  in  Salisbury  Court."  He  doubled 
the  young  son  of  an  English  noble  and  the  Herald  in 
Edmund  Ironsides,  and  played  the  Lord  Mayor  in 
Thomas  of  Woodcock.  It  is  not  impossible  that  Thomas 
and  Henry  may  be  the  same  person. 

p.  6.  THEIR  FATHER.  The  name  is  Brisac.  The 
uncle  is  Miramont.  Charles'  Man  is  Andrew,  a  name 
which  became  the  type  for  that  of  a  man  servant. 
Thus  in  The  Way  of  the  World,  1700,  Act  V.,  Lady 
Wishfort  cries  upon  discovering  her  maid  Foible, 
newly  wedded  to  Waitwell,  has  plotted  against  her : 
"  I  am  brought  to  fine  Uses,  to  become  a  Botcher  of 
Second-hand  Marriages  between  Abigails  and  Andrews!  " 

p.  6.  LADY.  Presumably  Angelina,  but  there  is 
some  confusion  here.  "  Lilia  Bianca  "  is  not  a  character 
in  The  Elder  Brother ;  but  in  The  Wild  Goose  Chase,  a 
very  favourite  play,  Lillia  Bianca  is  the  "  airy  daughter 
of  Nantolet."  It  is  probable  that  Mrs.  Boutel  played 
Lilly,  wife  to  Andrew  in  The  Elder  Brother,  and  also 
Lillia  in  The  Wild  Goose  Chase. 

p.  6.  THE  MOOR  OF  VENICE.  Pepys  on  Thursday, 
Odober  n,  1660,  notes  :  "  In  the  Park,  we  met  with 
Mr.  Salisbury,  who  took  Mr.  Creed  and  me  to  the 
Cockpitt  to  see  '  The  Moore  of  Venice,'  which  was  well 


110  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

done.  Burt  a&ed  the  Moore ;  by  the  same  token,  a 
very  pretty  lady  that  sat  by  me,  called  out  to  see 
Desdemona  smothered."  On  Saturday,  February  6, 
1668-9,  he  visited  the  King's  House,  and  "  did  see 
*  The  Moor  of  Venice  ' :  but  ill  a&ed  in  most  parts  ; 
Mohun,  which  did  a  little  surprise  me,  not  adting 
lago's  part  by  much  so  well  as  Clun  used  to  do ;  nor 
another  Hart's,  which  was  Cassio ;  nor,  indeed,  Burt 
doing  the  Moor's  so  well  as  I  once  thought  he  did." 
Davies,  Dramatic  Miscellanies,  1784, 1.,  pp.  220-1,  says : 
"  The  excellence  of  Hart  is  universally  acknowledged ;  of  Burt 
we  can  only  transcribe  what  Downes  has  recorded.  He  ranks 
him  in  the  list  of  good  a&ors,  with  Shotterel  and  Cartwright,  but 
without  any  discriminating  marks.  That  he  was  not  a  man  of 
superior  merit  we  may  gather  from  his  being  obliged  to  resign 
the  part  of  Othello  to  Hart,  who  had  formerly  a&ed  Cassio  when 
Burt  played  the  principal  character." 

The  quarto  of  Otbetto,  1687,  gives  the  following 
cast,  which  is  no  doubt  that  of  the  Second  Theatre 
Royal,  which  opened  March  26,  1674 ;  Duke 
of  Venice,  Lydal ;  Brabantio,  Cartwright ;  Gratiano, 
Griffin ;  Lodovico,  Will  Harris ;  Othello,  Hart ; 
lago, "  Standard-bearer  to  the  Moor,  a  Villain,"  Mohun ; 
Cassio,  Kynaston ;  Roderigo,  "  A  foolish  Gentleman 
that  follows  the  Moor  in  hopes  to  Cuckold  him," 
Beeston ;  Montano,  Watson ;  Clown,  Jo  Haines ; 
Desdemona,  Mrs.  Cox  ;  Emilia,  Mrs.  Rutter ;  Bianca, 
Mrs.  James.  Colley  Cibber  particularly  mentions  that 
Hart  "  was  famous  for  Othello"  In  the  British  Museum 
copy  of  the  1695  quarto,  a  contemporary  hand  has 
recorded  that  Othello  was  afted  at  the  Theatre  Royal, 
"21  May,  Fry  day,  1703."  Othello,  Batterton ;  Cassio, 
Powell ;  lago,  Verbruggen ;  Roderigo,  Pack ;  Des 
demona,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle ;  Emilia,  Mrs.  Lee. 

p.  7.  KING  HENRY  THE  FOURTH.  This  play  was  a 
great  favourite  in  the  Restoration  Theatre.  Pepys 
records  no  less  than  five  visits.  On  Saturday,  Novem 
ber  2,  1667,  he  notes :  "  To  the  King's  Playhouse, 
and  there  saw  '  Henry  the  Fourth : '  and,  contrary  to 
expectation,  was  pleased  in  nothing  more  than  in 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  III 

Cartwright's    speaking    of   Falslaffe's    speech    about 
'  What  is  Honour  ?  ' ! 

p.  7.  THE  MAIDEN  QUEEN.  Secret  Love,  or,  The 
Maiden  Queen.  This  excellent  comedy  was  produced 
at  the  Theatre  Royal,  and  on  Saturday,  March  2, 1666-7. 
Pepys  records  : 

"  After  dinner,  with  my  wife,  to  the  King's  house  to  see  '  The 
Mayden  Queene,'  a  new  play  of  Dryden's,  mightily  commended 
for  the  regularity  of  it,  and  the  Strain  and  wit ;  and,  the  truth  is, 
there  is  a  comical  part  done  by  Nell,  which  is  Florimell,  that  I 
never  can  hope  ever  to  see  the  like  done  again,  by  man  or  woman. 
The  King  and  Duke  of  York  were  at  the  play.  But  so  great 
performance  of  a  comical  part  was  never,  I  believe,  in  the  world 
before  as  Nell  do  this,  both  as  a  mad  girle,  then  most  and  best  of 
all  when  she  conies  in  like  a  young  gallant ;  and  hath  the  motions 
and  carriage  of  a  spark  the  most  that  I  ever  saw  any  man  have. 
It  makes  me,  I  confess,  admire  her." 

Pepys  saw  this  comedy  nine  times  with  ever  increas 
ing  pleasure.  For  example,  on  Saturday,  May  24, 
1667,  he  notes  : 

"  To  the  King's  Playhouse,  and  there  saw  c  The  Mayden 
Queene,'  which,  though  I  have  often  seen,  yet  pleases  me  infinitely, 
it  being  impossible,  I  think,  ever  to  have  the  Queen's  part,  which 
is  very  good  and  passionate,  and  Florimel's  part,  which  is  the  most 
comicall  that  ever  was  made  for  woman,  ever  done  better  than 
they  two  are  by  young  Marshall  and  Nellie." 

On  Friday,  January  24,  1667-8,  he  writes  : 

"  I  to  the  King's  Playhouse,  to  fetch  my  wife,  and  there  saw 
the  best  part  of  '  The  Mayden  Queene,'  which,  the  more  I  see, 
the  more  I  like,  and  think  one  of  the  best  plays  I  ever  saw,  and  is 
certainly  the  best  a&ed  of  any  thing  ever  the  House  did,  and 
particularly  Becke  Marshall,  to  admiration." 

Unfortunately  the  lighter  scenes  of  this  admirable 
comedy  were  amalgamated  with  the  comedy  of  Marriage 
A.-la-Mode  by  Colley  Gibber,  and  the  clumsy  hash  was 
produced  at  the  Haymarket  on  February  4,  1707,  the 
botcher  himself  playing  Celadon  and  Mrs.  Oldfield  as 
Florimel.  This  sorry  thing,  pretty  soon  cut  down  to  a 
farce,  was  given  at  intervals  until  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Even  further  reduced,  it  enjoyed 
some  popularity  as  an  after-piece,  and  Celadon  and 
produced  at  Drury  Lane,  May  23,  1796. 


112  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

The  last  London  revival  of  Secret  Love,  or,  The  Maiden 
Queen  seems  to  have  been  in  January,  1886. 

p.  7.  MR[S]  KNEP.  The  original  edition  mis 
prints :  "Ut.Knep" 

p.  7.  MOCK  ASTROLOGER.  This  excellent  comedy, 
which  is  to  some  extent  founded  upon  Le  Feint  A.!iro- 
logue,  by  Thomas  Corneille,  a  play  which  is  itself  little 
more  than  a  translation  of  the  AMrologo  Fingido  of 
Calderon,  was  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  June, 
1668.  It  proved,  as  it  well  deserved,  extremely  suc 
cessful,  although  it  was  not  much  liked  by  Pepys  nor 
yet  by  Evelyn.  It  remained  a  Stock  play,  and  after  the 
Union,  1682,  Betterton  acted  Bellamy.  For  many 
years  now  it  has  been  negle&ed  and  I  do  not  trace  a 
revival  later  than  1717. 

p.  7.  THEODOSIA,  MRS.  HUGHES.  The  printed  cast 
of  An  Evening's  Love  assigns  Donna  Theodosia  to  Mrs. 
Boutell,  who  no  doubt  succeeded  Mrs.  Hughes  in  this 
role.  Similarly  Mrs.  Hughes  was  the  original  S. 
Catherine  in  Tyrannick  Love,  or,  The  RoyaJ  Martyr 
according  to  the  first  quarto,  1670,  but  subsequently 
Mrs.  BoutelTs  name  is  given. 

p.  7.  AURELIA,  MRS.  QUYN.  The  printed  cast  of 
the  quarto  here  has  "  Donna  Aurelia,  their  Cousin. 
Mrs.  Marshal,  and  formerly  by  Mrs.  Quin." 

Ann  Quin  seems  to  have  joined  the  Theatre  Royal 
in  1666,  where  from  the  first  she  occupied  a  prominent 
position  and  assumed  leading  roles.  Early  in  1667 
considerable  differences  arose  between  her  and  the 
management  because  some  rival  had  endeavoured  to 
oust  her  and  play  her  parts.  She  urgently  petitioned 
the  Lord  Chamberlain,  who  promptly  issued  an  order 
(May  4,  1667)  to  Charles  Hart  for  her  immediate 
reinstatement,  that  all  her  old  parts  should  be  returned 
to  her,  none  daring  to  act  these  without  her  expressed 
consent,  and  directing  "  y*  you  assigne  her  a  dressing 
roome  with  a  chymney  in  it  to  be  only  for  her  vse 
&  whom  she  shall  admitt."  Much  connected  with 
Ann  Quin  is  extremely  obscure,  and  to  make  matters 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  113 

worse,  as  the  name  was  indifferently  spelled  Quyn, 
Gwin,  Guin,  Gwyn,  she  was  often  confused  with  Nell 
Gwyn.  This  blunder  Still  persists  as  blunders  will, 
so  although  I  have  corrected  it  in  three  or  four  places 
already  it  may  not  be  superfluous  to  draw  attention  to 
it  yet  once  again.  Only  a  few  roles  afted  by  Ann  Quin 
are  at  present  known,  but  it  must  be  remarked  that  all 
of  these  are  important.  After  June,  1668,  when  she 
acted  Donna  Aurelia,  in  which  she  was  succeeded  by 
Mrs.  Marshall,  there  is  a  gap  of  nearly  ten  years,  and 
when  she  again  appears  in  1677  it  is  at  Dorset  Garden, 
where  she  played  Astrea  in  the  anonymous  pastoral 
The  Conttant  Nymph,  or,  The  Rambling  Shepheard,  which 
was  produced  in  the  summer  of  that  year.  In  January, 
1677-8,  she  was  The  Lady  KnowelL  in  Mrs.  Behn's 
Sir  Patient  Fancy.  In  the  autumn  of  1681  she  has 
transferred  to  the  Theatre  Royal,  where  she  created 
Queen  Elizabeth  in  Banks'  The  Unhappy  Favourite,  or, 
The  Ear/  of  Essex,  in  which  she  won  a  great  triumph. 
In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  she  acted  at  the 
same  house  Sunamire  in  Southerne's  first  drama 
The  Loyal  Brother,  or,  The  Persian  Prince.  Mrs.  Quin 
does  not  seem  to  have  appeared  after  the  Union  of  the 
two  Companies  in  November,  1682.  There  exists  a 
very  interesting  miniature  of  this  lady,  for  full  details 
of  which  see  the  Introduction  (pp.  Ixv-lxvi)  to  my 
edition  of  Otway,  1927. 

p.  8.  JULIUS  CESAR.  Julius  Casar  was  one  of  the 
plays  which  occurs  in  the  list  of  1668-9  as  allotted  to 
Killigrew's  Company,  and  the  monopoly  of  the  Theatre 
Royal.  There  must  have  been  at  least  one  revival 
before  January,  1672,  as  in  that  month  Richard  Bell, 
who  played  Caesar,  perished  in  the  Great  Fire  that 
destroyed  the  Theatre  Royal.  Possibly  Downes  has 
confused  a  later  and  an  earlier  cast,  as  it  is  not  certain 
that  Mrs.  Corbet  was  adding  as  early  as  1671,  for  one 
of  her  earliest  appearances  was  as  Narcissa  in  Lee's 
Gloriana,  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  January,  1675-6. 
Julius  Casar  was  seen  by  Charles  II.  on  Monday, 


114  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

December  4,  1676,  and  it  was  played  at  Court  before 
James  II.  and  his  Queen,  on  Monday,  April  18,  1687. 
A  quarto  edition  "  As  it  is  now  A&ed  at  the  Theatre 
Royal,"  was  published  in  1684,  and  there  are  at  least 
three  other  undated  quarto  issues,  and  one  dated  1691. 
A  later  alteration  appeared  in  "  A  Collection  of  Plays 
By  Eminent  Hands,"  izmo,  1719,  and  this  is  said  to  be 
the  work  of  "  Sir  William  Davenant  and  John  Dryden, 
Poets  Laureate."  It  may  be  remarked,  however,  that 
this  attribution  is  now  not  generally  accepted.  One  of 
the  undated  quartos  gives  the  following  cast ;  which 
no  doubt  may  be  assigned  to  the  year  1683.  Julius 
Csesar,  Mr.  Goodman ;  O&avius  Caesar,  Mr.  Perrin ; 
Anthony,  Mr.  Kynaston;  Brutus,  Cassius,  Casca, 
Trebonius,  Ligarius,  Decius  Brutus,  Metellus  Cimber, 
Cinna  (Conspirators),  by  Mr.  Betterton,  Mr.  Smith, 
Mr.  Griffin,  Mr.  Saunders,  Mr.  Bowman,  Mr.  Williams, 
Mr.  Mountfort,  Mr.  Carlisle;  Artemidorus,  Mr. 
Percival ;  Messala,  and  Titinius,  Mr.  Wiltshire  and 
Mr.  Gillo  ;  Cinna,  the  Poet,  Mr.  Jevon  ;  Flavius,  Mr. 
Morris ;  Plebeians,  Mr.  Underbill,  Mr.  Leigh,  Mr. 
Bright.  Calphurnia,  Madam  Slingsby ;  Portia,  Mrs. 
Cook.  Of  Betterton's  a&ing  in  Julius  Casar,  Gibber 
says :  "  Those  wild  impatient  starts,  that  fierce  and 
flashing  fire,  which  he  threw  into  Hotspur,  never  came 
from  the  unruffled  temper  of  his  Brutus — for  I  have, 
more  than  once,  seen  a  Brutus  as  warm  as  Hotspur — 
when  the  Betterton  Brutus  was  provoked,  in  his  dispute 
with  Cassius  his  spirit  flew  only  to  his  eye ;  his  steady 
look  alone  supplied  that  terror,  which  he  disdained  an 
intemperance  in  his  voice  should  rise  to.  Thus,  with 
a  settled  dignity  of  contempt,  like  an  unheeding  rock, 
he  repelled  upon  himself  the  foam  of  Cassius.  Perhaps 
the  very  words  of  Shakespeare  will  better  let  you  into 
my  meaning : 

MuSt  I  give  way,  and  room,  to  your  rash  choler  ? 

Shall  I  be  frighted  when  a  madman  glares  ? 

And  a  little  after, 

There  is  no  terror,  Cassius,  in  your  looks,  etc. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  115 

Not  but  in  some  parts  of  this  scene,  where  he  re 
proaches  Cassius,  his  temper  is  not  under  this  suppres 
sion,  but  opens  into  that  warmth  which  becomes  a  man 
of  virtue ;  yet  this  is  that  hasty  spark  of  anger,  which 
Brutus  himself  endeavours  to  excuse."  Antony  Aston 
praises  the  natural  force  of  Verbruggen,  who  later 
used  to  aft  Cassius  to  the  Brutus  of  Betterton.  He 
says  :  "  Then  you  might  behold  the  grand  Contest, 
viz.  whether  Nature  or  Art  excell'd — Verbruggen, 
wild  and  untaught,  or  Betterton,  in  the  Trammels  of 
Instruftion."  Nevertheless,  it  was  pretty  generally 
acknowledged  that  no  aftors  came  near  Hart  and 
Mohun  in  Brutus  and  Cassius,  in  which  Downes  tells 
us  they  excelled,  so  that,  even  when  they  were  about  to 
retire  from  the  Stage,  if  Julius  Casar  was  announced, 
the  house  was  filled  as  at  a  new  play."  Even  so  cap 
ricious  a  critic  as  Rochester  cannot  find  sufficient  praise 
for  Mohun  as  Cassius. 

p.  8.  MRS.  CORBET.  In  addition  to  the  roles  noted 
by  Downes,  this  lady  sustained  the  following  char- 
afters  :  Mrs.  Dainty  Fidget  in  The  Country-Wife,  pro 
duced  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  January,  1674-5  ;  Narcissa 
in  Lee's  Gloriana,  January,  1675-6 ;  Sabina  in  Trick 
for  Trick,  February,  1677-8 ;  Clevly  in  Edward 
Howard's  dull  The  Man  of  Newmarket  y  early  in  1678  ; 
and  Gratiana  in  Sir  Earnaby  Whigg,  early  autumn  of 
1681. 

p.  8.  PRINCIPAL  AND  STOCK  PLAYS.  In  his  careless 
ness  Downes  classes  both  The  Maiden  Queen  and  The 
Mock  Atfrologer  among  "  Old  Plays,"  although  both 
were  written  by  Dryden,  certainly  foremost  of  "  the 
then  Modern  Poets"  and  his  list  of  Modern  Plays  com 
mences  with  The  Indian  Emperour,  which  was  produced 
before  either  of  these  comedies. 

p.  8.  CATALINE'S  CONSPIRACY.  Jonson's  tragedy 
was  revived  with  great  splendour  at  the  Theatre  Royal 
on  Friday,  December  18,  1668.  Nearly  a  year  before, 
December  n,  1667,  Pepys  had  heard  that  Catiline 
"is  to  be  suddenly  afted  at  the  King's  house;  and 


Il6  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

there  all  agree  that  it  cannot  be  well  done  at  that  house, 
there  not  being  good  aftors  enow :  and  Burt  a£ts 
Cicero  which  they  all  conclude  he  will  not  be  able  to 
do  well.  The  King  gives  them  £500  for  robes,  there 
being,  as  they  say,  to  be  sixteen  Scarlett  robes."  A 
little  later,  on  January  n,  1667-8,  Mrs.  Knepp  told 
the  diarist  that  Catiline,  "for  want  of  the  clothes 
which  the  King  promised  them,  will  not  be  afted  for  a 
good  while."  Saturday,  December  19,  1668,  Pepys 
records  : 

"  To  the  King's  playhouse,  and  then,  the  pit  being  full,  sat 
in  a  box  above,  and  saw  '  Catiline's  Conspiracy,'  yesterday  being 
the  firSl  day  :  a  play  of  such  good  sense  and  words  to  read,  but 
that  do  appear  the  worst  upon  the  Stage,  I  mean,  the  least  diverting, 
that  ever  I  saw  any,  though  moSl  fine  in  clothes  ;  and  a  fine  scene 
of  a  Senate,  and  of  a  fight,  that  ever  I  saw  in  my  life." 

Hart  a&ed  Catiline;  Mohun,  Cethegus,  a  role  in 
which  he  was  especially  famous  ;  Burt,  Cicero  ;  and 
Mrs.  Corey,  Sempronia.  Kynaston,  Beeston,  Winters- 
hal,  Cartwright,  Reeves,  Thomas  Gradwell,  and  Dick 
Bell  were  also  in  the  cast.  As  a  bonne  bouche  the  tragedy 
was  ushered  in  with  a  Prologue  "  Merrily  spoken  by 
Mrs.  Nell  in  an  Amazonian  habit."  She  also  delivered 
the  Epilogue.  At  the  instigation  of  Lady  Castlemaine, 
Mrs.  Corey  all  through  her  part  inimitably  mimicked 
the  oddities  of  Lady  Harvey,  who  had  sufficient  in 
fluence  to  cause  the  a&ress  to  be  arrested.  But  the 
imperious  mistress  "  made  the  King  to  release  her, 
and  to  order  her  to  aft  it  again,  worse  than  ever  where 
the  King  himself  was  :  and  since  it  was  afted  again, 
and  my  Lady  Harvy  provided  people  to  hiss  her  and 
fling  oranges  at  her  :  but  it  seems  the  heat  is  come  to  a 
great  height,  and  real  troubles  at  Court  about  it." 

There  is  an  edition  of  Catiline,  His  Conspiracy,  4to, 
1669  :  "  As  it  is  now  A&ed  by  His  Majesties  Servants, 
at  the  Theatre  Royal."  Davies  says  that  Jonson's 
tragedy  was  never  revived  since  the  death  of  Hart. 

p.  8.  THE  MERRY  WIVES  OF  WINDSOR.  This  comedy 
was  immediately  after  the  Restoration  a&ed  at  the  Red 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES 

Bull.  It  was  played  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Vere  Street, 
Friday,  November  9,  1660.  Wednesday,  December  5, 
1660,  Pepys  has  :  "  I  went  to  the  New  Theatre  [Vere 
Street]  and  there  I  saw  '  The  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor  ' 
afted,  the  humours  of  the  county  gentleman  and  the 
French  doftor  very  well  done,  but  the  rest  very  poorly, 
and  Sir  J.  Falstaffe  as  bad  as  any."  Wednesday,  Sep 
tember  25,  1661,  he  "  saw  '  The  Merry  Wives  of 
Windsor,'  ill  done."  Thursday,  August  15,  1667,  the 
Duke's  house  being  full  and  the  play,  Sir  Martin 
Mar-ASt  begun,  Pepys  "  went  to  the  King's,  and  there 
saw  '  The  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor  ' :  which  did  not 
please  me  at  all,  in  no  part  of  it."  Dennis  highly 
praises  the  a&ing  of  Wintershal  as  Slender. 

p.  8.  THE  OPPORTUNITY.  Sir  Henry  Herbert 
licensed  this  comedy  by  James  Shirley,  November  29, 
1634,  and  it  was  printed,  4to,  1640.  It  was  a£ted  at 
the  Theatre  Royal,  Vere  Street,  Monday,  November  26, 
1660. 

p.  8.  THE  EXAMPLE.  A  comedy  by  James  Shirley, 
licensed  June  24,  1634.  4to,  1637,  "  as  it  was  pre 
sented  by  her  Majesties  Servants  at  the  private  House  in 
Drury-Lane." 

p.  8.  THE  JOVIAL  CREW.  A  Joviall  Crew  :  ort  The 
Merry  Beggars,  "  Presented  in  a  Comedie,  At  The  Cock 
pit  in  Drury  Lane  in  the  year  1 641 .  Written  by  Richard 
Brome,"  410,  1652.  Thursday,  June  25,  1661,  Pepys 
saw  at  the  Vere  Street  Theatre,  " '  The  Jovial  Crew,' 
the  first  time  I  saw  it,  and  indeed  it  is  as  merry  and  the 
most  innocent  play  that  ever  I  saw,  and  well  performed." 
Tuesday,  August  27,  1661,  Pepys  again  was  present 
at  Brome's  comedy,  when  "  the  King,  Duke  and 
Duchess,  and  Madam  Palmer  "  were  in  the  theatre. 
It  was  also  given  on  Tuesday,  January  21,  1661-2. 
On  Monday,  January  u,  1668-9,  PeP7s  saw  it  at  the 
Theatre  Royal,  "  but  ill  afted  to  what  it  was  heretofore 
in  Clun's  time,  and  when  Lacy  could  dance."  A  Jovial 
Crew  was  revived  after  the  Union  of  the  two  Com 
panies,  and  it  remained  in  the  repertory  of  the  theatre 


Il8  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

for  many  years.  On  February  8,  1731,  having  been 
altered  and  made  into  a  Comic  Opera,  it  was  given  at 
Drury  Lane.  On  February  14,  1760,  this  version  was 
performed  at  Covent  Garden,  where,  says  the  Bio- 
grapbia  Dramatica,  "  it  took  a  very  successful  run  for 
several  nights  together,  and  afterwards  brought  many 
crowded  houses,  as  well  as  then  as  in  succeeding 
seasons."  I  have  seen  A.  Jovial  Crew  privately  acted 
with  good  applause,  and  it  is  indeed  an  excellent 
comedy,  which  should  not  remain  so  long  out  of  the 
theatre. 

p.  8.  PHILASTER.  This  fine  play  was  one  of  the 
earliest  to  be  revived  at  the  Red  Bull  after  the  Restora 
tion.  It  was  a&ed  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Vere  Street, 
on  Tuesday,  November  13,  1660,  and  remained  in  the 
theatrical  repertory.  A  performance  is  noted  January 
ii,  1 66 1,  and  it  was  seen  by  Pepys  on  Monday,  Novem 
ber  1 8,  in  the  same  year.  On  Saturday,  May  30,  1668, 
Pepys  was  again  present  at  a  performance,  when  no 
doubt,  Hart  played  Philaster,  and  Nell  Gwyn  Bellario. 
When  Philatfer  was  presented  at  Drury  Lane  in  the 
winter  of  1695,  "  Revis'd  and  the  Two  LasTt  A£ts  new 
Written,"  by  Elkanah  Settle,  the  Prologue,  which  was 
spoken  by  Hildebrand  Horden,  says  : 

That  good  old  play,  Philafter,  ne're  can  fail, 
But  we  young  aftors,  how  shall  we  prevail  ? 
Philafter  and  BeUario,  let  me  tell  ye, 
For  these  bold  parts  we  have  no  Hart,  no  Nelly, 
Those  darlings  of  the  Stage. 

In  his  notice  of  Pbilatfer  Langbaine  says  : 

"  A  Tragi-Comedy  which  has  always  been  a&ed  with  Success  ; 
and  has  been  the  diversion  of  the  Stage,  even  in  these  days. 
This  was  the  firSl  Play  that  brought  these  Excellent  Authors  in 
Esteem  ;  and  this  Play  was  One  of  these  that  were  represented 
at  the  Old  Theatre  in  Unco  n's-Inn-Fields,  when  the  Women 
afted  alone.  The  Prologue  and  Epilogue  were  spoken  by  Mrs. 
Marshal" 

For  these  see  my  edition  (Fortune  Press,  1927)  of 
Covent  Garden  Drollery,  1762,  pp.  14-16.  A  poor  altera- 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  119 

tion  of  PhilaSter  by  George  Colman  with  Mrs.  Yates  as 
Euphrasia  (Bellario)  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in 
1763,  and  apparently  met  with  success.  Weber, 
writing  in  1812,  remarks:  "Mr.  Colman's  alteration 
has  been,  now  and  then,  performed  on  the  London 
Stage,  but  being  caviare  to  the  multitude,  it  seems  to 
have  been  latterly  laid  aside." 

Buckingham's  alteration  The  Reparation,  or,  Right 
Witt  Take  Place,  was  not  brought  upon  the  Stage. 

p.  8.  THE  CARDINAL.  This  tragedy  by  James 
Shirley  was  licensed  November  25,  1641,  and  printed 
as  one  of  the  six  plays,  8vo,  1652-3.  It  was  originally 
a&ed  at  the  Blackfriars,  and  in  the  Hitforia  Hitfrionica, 
James  Wright  tells  us  :  "  Hart  was  Robinson's  boy 
or  apprentice ;  he  a&ed  the  Duchess  in  the  tragedy  of 
the  Cardinal,  which  was  the  firSl  part  that  gave  him 
reputation."  The  Cardinal  was  given  at  Vere  Street 
on  Wednesday,  July  23,  1662.  It  was  seen  by  Pepys, 
Thursday,  October  2,  of  the  same  year.  On  Saturday, 
August  24,  1667,  he  records  :  "  After  dinner  we  to  a 
play,  and  there  saw  *  The  Cardinall '  at  the  King's  house, 
wherewith  I  am  mightily  pleased ;  but,  above  all, 
with  Becke  Marshall."  Mrs.  Marshall  aded  the  Duchess. 
Pepys  again  saw  this  tragedy  on  Monday,  April  27, 
1668.  This  fine  play  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
revived  since  the  seventeenth  century. 

p.  8.  BARTHOLOMEW  FAIR.  Originally  produced 
at  the  Hope  Theatre,  Bankside,  October  31,  1614, 
Jonson's  comedy  was,  after  the  Restoration  by  the 
curious  arrangement  concerning  certain  plays  which 
existed  between  Killigrew  and  Davenant,  held  to  be  the 
exclusive  property  of  the  former.  It  was  revived  at 
Vere  Street,  Saturday,  June  8,  1661,  and  Pepys  who 
was  present  "  the  first  time  it  was  acted  now-a-days  " 
judged  it  to  be  "  a  moSt  admirable  play  and  well  a&ed." 
It  was  given  very  frequently  for  many  years,  and 
remained  indeed  a  Slock  favourite  as  late  as  the  reign 
of  George  I.  Oftober  30,  1731,  at  Drury  Lane 
Bartholomew  Fair  was  announced  as  "  not  adted  seven 


120  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

years."  Johnson  is  Waspe,  Cokes  Theophilus  Gibber, 
and  Win-The-Fight  Kitty  Clive.  Since  that  date  it 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  afted  until  it  was  revived 
under  my  direction  by  "The  Phoenix"  for  two  per 
formances,  June  26  and  27,  1921,  when  it  was  much 
liked.  Margaret  Yarde  played  Dame  Purecraft ; 
Ben  Field,  Zeal-Of-The-Land  Busy ;  Ernest  Thesiger, 
Cokes ;  Stanley  Lathbury,  Waspe ;  Frank  CelHer, 
Over-doo  ;  and  Roy  Byford,  Ursla,  the  Pig-woman. 

p.  8.  THE  CHANCES.  The  date  (circa  1627  ?)  of  the 
original  production  of  this  vivacious  comedy  is  much 
disputed,  and  as  it  made  its  first  printed  appearance  in  the 
folio  of  1647  this  must  remain  a  matter  of  conjecture. 
During  the  Great  Rebellion  a  droll  The  landlady,  made 
up  from  scenes  in  A&s  I.  and  III.,  was  afted  here  and 
there  as  opportunity  permitted.  Upon  the  Restoration 
The  Chances  was  revived  Saturday,  November  24, 
1660,  at  Vere  Street.  Pepys  saw  this  play  Saturday, 
April  27,  1661,  and  again  on  the  following  October  9. 
It  would  seem  that  no  very  long  time  after  this  the 
Duke  of  Buckingham  produced  his  famous  version  of 
the  last  two  a&s  of  Fletcher's  comedy,  and  it  must  be 
acknowledged  that  the  new  scenes  are  a  vast  improve 
ment.  As  Genest  aptly  says,  they  constitute  "  the 
happiest  material  alteration  of  any  old  play  ever  made." 
Although  not  printed  until  1682  (4to),  "  As  it  was 
Afted  At  The  Theater  Royal,  Corrected  and  Altered 
by  a  Person  of  Honour,"  Langbaine  states  that  the 
new  version  "  was  afted  with  extraordinary  applause." 
We  know  that  Hart  was  very  great  as  Don  John,  but 
with  this  exception  the  cast  has  not  been  preserved. 
In  a  particular  revival  of  1691-2  Mrs.  Leigh  a£ted  the 
Bawd  and  Charlotte  Butler  the  Second  Constantia. 
Wilks  and  Mrs.  Oldfield  frequently  appeared  as  Don 
John  and  the  Second  Constantia  during  the  earlier 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  On  November  7,  1754, 
Garrick  a&ed  Don  John  in  The  Chances,  which  he  had 
to  the  great  disadvantage  of  the  play  castrated  according 
to  his  wont.  The  Chances  does  not  seem  to  have  been 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  121 

acted  from  1 808  until  it  was  revived  under  my  direction 
by  "  The  Phoenix  "  in  January,  1922.  (A  silly  operetta 
by  Reynolds,  Don  John,  or,  the  Two  Violettas,  Covent 
Garden,  1821,  is  negligible.)  In  the  most  recent 
performance  of  Fletcher's  comedy,  which  was  given 
as  altered  by  Buckingham,  Don  John  was  played  by 
Edmund  Willard ;  Don  Frederick,  George  Skillan ; 
Antonio,  Bruce  Winston ;  Constantia,  Isabel  Jeans ; 
Second  Constantia,  Muriel  Pratt ;  Landlady,  Clare 
Greet ;  Kinswoman,  Margaret  Carter ;  and  Bawd, 
Margaret  Yarde,  whose  vis  comica  renewed  the  happiest 
traditions  of  Mrs.  Corey,  Mrs.  Leigh,  and  Kitty  Clive. 

p.  8.  THE  WIDOW.  This  comedy  was  printed,  4to, 
1652,  as  afted  at  the  Blackfriars,  and  ascribed  to  Jonson, 
Fletcher,  and  Middleton.  It  was,  perhaps,  produced 
as  early  as  1608-9.  ^  was  revived  at  the  Red  Bull 
upon  the  Restoration,  and  given  at  Vere  Street,  Friday, 
November  16,  1660.  On  Tuesday,  January  8,  1660-1, 
Pepys  saw  "  *  The  Widdow,'  an  indifferent  good  play,, 
but  wronged  by  the  women  being  to  seek  in  their 
parts."  Speaking  of  The  Widow,  Langbaine  says  :  "  It 
was  reviv'd  not  many  Years  ago,  at  the  King's  House> 
with  a  new  Prologue  and  Epilogue  which  the  Reader 
may  find  in  London  Drollery,  pp.  n,  12." 

p.  8.  THE  DEVIL'S  AN  Ass.  This  was  one  of  the 
plays  exclusively  assigned  to  Killigrew's  Company. 

p.  8.  ARGULUS  AND  PARTHENIA.  Argalus  and 
Parthenia  is  a  pastoral  tragedy  by  Henry  Glapthorne. 
It  was  printed,  410,  1639,  as  a&ed  at  the  Private  House 
in  Drury  Lane.  The  scene  is  Arcady,  and  the  plot  is 
taken  from  an  episode  in  Book  III.  of  Sir  Philip  Sidney's 
romance  Arcadia.  The  tragedy  was  revived  at  Vere 
Street  on  Thursday,  January  31,  1661,  when  Pepy& 
notes  :  "  The  house  was  exceeding  full  to  see  Argalus 
and  Parthenia,  the  first  time  that  it  hath  been  a&ed : 
and  indeed  it  is  good,  though  wronged  by  my  over 
great  expe&ations,  as  all  things  else  are."  On  the 
following  Tuesday  he  again  saw  the  play,  which 
"  though  pleasant  for  the  dancing  and  singing,  I  do- 


122  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

not  find  good  for  any  wit  a  design  therein."  On 
Monday,  O&ober  28,  1661,  he  records :  "  to  the 
Theatre,  and  there  saw  *  Argalus  and  Parthenia/ 
where  a  woman  a&ed  Parthenia,  and  came  afterwards 
on  the  stage  in  men's  clothes,  and  had  the  best  legs  that 
ever  I  saw,  and  I  was  very  well  pleased  with  it." 

p.  8.  EVERY  MAN  IN  His  HUMOUR.  Both  Every 
Man  in  His  Humour  and  Every  Man  out  of  His  Humour 
were  plays  of  which  Killigrew's  Company  had  the 
monopoly.  It  is  unfortunate  that  the  casts  have  not 
been  recorded. 

Of  Every  Man  in  His  Humour  Langbaine  says  : 
"  This  Play  has  been  reviv'd  since  the  Civil  Wars,  and  was 
receiv'd  with  general  Applause.  There  is  a  new  Epilogue  writ 
for  this  Play  [by  the  Earl  of  Dorset],  the  latter  part  of  which  is 
spoken  by  Ben  Johnson's  GhoSl.  The  Reader  may  find  it  in  a 
Colle&ion  of  Poems  on  several  Occasions,  printed  8°.  L/md.  1673. 
See  pag.  29." 

In  1725  Jonson's  comedy  "  with  alterations  "  was 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  November  29,  1751, 
Garrick  having  "  revised  "  the  play  pretty  drastically 
appeared  at  Drury  Lane  as  Kitely.  Woodward  as 
Bobadill  achieved  a  triumph.  During  the  later  half 
of  the  eighteenth  century  Every  Man  in  His  Humour 
(Garrick)  was  frequently  seen,  and  it  was  afted  at 
Co  vent  Garden  as  late  as  May,  1825.  In  September, 
1845,  a  private  performance  was  given  at  Miss  Kelly's 
Theatre,  Soho,  under  the  dire&ion  of  Charles  Dickens, 
who  himself  played  Bobadill,  May  17,  1848;  George 
Cruikshank  was  seen  as  Cob.  The  success  of  this 
amateur  revival  led  to  many  other  performances  for 
various  charitable  objefts. 

Langbaine  thus  notices  Every  Man  out  of  His  Humour  : 
"  This  Play  was  reviv'd  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  the 
Year  1675,  at  which  time  a  new  Prologue,  and  Epilogue 
were  spoken  by  Jo.  Haynsy  which  were  writ  by  Mr. 
Duffet.  See  his  Poems  8°  pag.  72  &c"  Here  we  have  : 
"  Prologue  to  Every  Man  out  of  His  Humour.  Spoken  by 
Mr.  Hayns,  July,  1675."  This  is  accounted  an  excellent 
Old  Comedy. 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  123 

p.  8.  THE  CARNIVAL.  This  is  a  good  comedy  of 
Spanish  intrigue  by  Thomas  Porter.  It  was  produced  at 
the  Theatre  Royal  in  1664  and  published,  4to,  that  year. 

p.  8.  SEJANUS.  This  tragedy  was  the  particular 
property  of  Killigrew's  Company.  It  was,  no  doubt, 
revived  owing  to  the  influence  of  the  Duke  of  Bucking 
ham  and  Lord  Dorset,  who,  says  Davies,  "  were 
admirers  of  Jonson  to  a  degree  of  idolatry."  Perhaps 
the  great  success  of  Catiline  warranted  the  production 
of  Sejant^,  but  unfortunately  no  details  have  been 
preserved. 

p.  9.  THE  MERRY  DEVIL  OF  EDMONTON.  This 
comedy,  which  was  the  monopoly  of  Killigrew's 
Company,  was  seen  by  Pepys,  at  Vere  Street,  Saturday, 
August  10,  1661.  He  notes:  "A  very  merry  play, 
the  first  time  I  ever  saw  it,  which  pleased  me  well." 
It  was  also  a&ed  January  6,  1662.  In  1692  there  was  a 
special  revival  of  The  Merry  Devil  of  Edmonton  with  the 
following  cast :  Sir  Ralph  Jerningham,  Betterton ; 
Sir  Richard  Mountchensey,  Freeman ;  Sir  Arthur 
Clare,  Sandford ;  Frank  Jerningham,  Alexander ; 
Raymond  Mountchensey,  Mountfort ;  Henry  Clare, 
Hodgson ;  Fabel,  Kynaston  ;  Sir  John,  Nokes  ;  the 
Host,  Anthony  Leigh  ;  Banks,  Bright ;  Smug,  Under 
bill  ;  Bilbo,  Bowen ;  Lady  Clare,  Mrs.  Leigh ;  Milli- 
cent,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle ;  the  Abbess  of  Cheston,  Mrs. 
Corey. 

p.  9.  VITTORIA  CORUMBONA.  "  The  White  Divel, 
or,  The  Tragedy  of  Paulo  Giordano  Ursiniy  Duke  of 
Brachiano  With  The  Life  and  Death  of  Vittoria  Corom- 
bona  the  famous  Venetian  "  was  revived  at  Vere  Street 
very  shortly  after  the  opening  of  that  theatre.  Here 
it  was  seen  by  Pepys  on  Wednesday,  October  2,  1661, 
but  unfortunately  "  coming  late,  and  sitting  in  an  ill 
place,  I  never  had  so  little  pleasure  in  a  play  in  my 
life."  Two  days  after  "  Captain  Ferrers  and  I  to  the 
theatre,  and  then  came  too  late,  so  we  staid  and  saw  a 
bit  of  '  Viftoria '  which  pleased  me  worse  than  it  did 
the  other  day."  There  is  chronicled  a  performance 


124  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

on  December  1 1  of  the  same  year.  Langbaine,  noting 
that  The  White  Devil  was  printed,  4to,  1612,  adds  : 
"  And  since  afted  at  the  Theatre  Royal  and  reprinted 
1665."  He  also  mentioned  that  Webster's  great 
tragedy  "  gain'd  applause."  "In  1707  was  printed, 
quarto,  '  Injur'd  Love ;  or,  The  Cruel  Husband* — a 
Tragedy,  designed  to  be  afted  at  the  Theatre  Royal. 
Written  by  Mr.  N.  Tate  (Author  of  the  Tragedy, 
call'd  '  King  Lear ')."  This  is  but  an  unworthy 
version  of  Webster's  play,  which,  as  it  was  never 
presented,  hardly  calls  for  comment."  The  White 
Devil  was  revived  for  two  performances  in  O&ober, 
1925,  by  the  Renaissance  Theatre,  when  Esme  Percy 
played  Brachiano ;  Cedric  Hardwicke,  Flamineo ; 
Viola  Tree,  Isabella;  and  Laura  Cowie,  Vittoria 
Corombona. 

p.  9.  THE  BEGGARS'  BUSH.  Beggars'  Btab  was  re 
printed  from  the  folio  1647,  4to,  1661,  as  "  Written  by 
Francis  Beaumont  and  John  Fletcher,  Gentlemen," 
but  it  is  now  generally  considered  to  be  the  work  of 
Fletcher  with  a  few  scenes  by  Massinger.  After  the 
Restoration  it  was  revived  at  the  Red  Bull,  and  it 
seems  to  have  been  the  laSt  play  a&ed  there  by  the 
King's  Company  on  Wednesday,  November  7,  1660. 
On  Tuesday,  November  20,  of  the  same  year  Pepys 
notes  : 

"  Mr.  Shepley  and  I  to  the  new  Play-house  near  Lincoln's-Inn- 
Fields  (which  was  formerly  Gibbon's  tennis-court),  where  the 
play  of  '  Beggar's  Bush  '  was  newly  begun  ;  and  so  we  went  in 
and  saw  it,  it  was  well  adted  :  and  here  I  saw  the  first  time  one 
Moone,  who  is  said  to  be  the  beSl  aftor  in  the  world,  lately  come 
over  with  the  King,  and  indeed  it  is  the  finest  play-house,  I 
believe,  that  ever  was  in  England." 

Pepys  again  saw  the  play  on  Thursday,  January  3, 
1660-1,  "  it  being  very  well  done ;  and  here  the  first 
time  that  ever  I  saw  women  come  upon  the  Stage." 
On  Tuesday,  October  8,  1661,  and  on  Friday,  April  24, 
1668,  he  was  also  present  at  performances  of  this 
comedy  which  was  very  popular  in  the  Restoration 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  125 

theatre.  Langbaine,  noticing  Beggar's  Bush,  says : 
"  This  Play  I  have  seen  several  times  afted  with 
applause."  The  editors  of  the  Beaumont  and  Fletcher, 
1778,  say  :  "  Until  within  a  few  years  past,  the  Comedy 
now  before  us  used  to  be  frequently  represented  at 
Covent  Garden  Theatre." 

On  June  12,  1705,  at  Drury  Lane  The  Royal  Merchant ', 
or,  The  Beggar's  Bush  was  given  as  "  not  a£ted  20  years," 
which  may  be  since  the  Union  of  1682.  The  Roja/ 
Merchant  is  a  slight  alteration  of  the  original.  In 
1767  this  was  transformed  into  an  opera  and  produced 
at  Covent  Garden.  The  Merchant  of  Bruges,  a  very 
considerable  adaptation  of  Beggar's  Busb  by  the  Hon. 
Douglas  Kinnaird,  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane 
December  14,  1815,  and  had  a  run  of  many  nights, 
which  success  was  partly  owing  to  Edmund  Kean, 
who  played  Florez. 

p.  9.  THE  TRAYTOR.  Shirley's  fine  tragedy  remained 
very  popular  after  the  Restoration,  and  Michael  Mohun 
was  especially  famous  in  the  character  of  Lorenzo. 
On  Thursday,  November  22,  1660,  Pepys  went  to 
the  Vere  Street  Theatre,  "  and  saw  part  of  the  *  Traitor,' 
a  very  good  Tragedy ;  Mr.  Moon  did  a£t  the  Traitor 
very  well."  On  Thursday,  O&ober  10,  1661,  Pepys 
notes  that  the  King  was  present  in  the  theatre,  "  and 
there  was  '  The  Traytor  '  most  admirably  afted  ;  and 
a  most  excellent  play  it  is."  He  was  again  present  at 
performances  on  Friday,  January  13,  1664-5,  and 
Wednesday,  October  2,  1667,  when  he  took  his  wife 
"  to  the  King's  house  to  see  '  The  Traytour,'  which 
still  I  like  as  a  very  good  play."  In  March,  1692,  The 
Traitor  was  revived  at  the  Theatre  Royal  and  forthwith 
reprinted  "  with  Alterations  &  Amendments,"  which 
are  merely  the  few  slight  arrangements  of  the  prompt 
book.  It  proved  exceedingly  unsuccessful.  The  Duke 
of  Florence  was  a&ed  by  Robert  Hudson  (Hodgson)  ; 
Lorenzo,  Kynaston ;  Sciarrha,  Joseph  Williams ; 
Pisano,  Colley  Gibber;  Depazzi,  Joe  Haines;  Florio, 
Alexander ;  Rogero,  the  page  boy,  Tommy  Kent ; 


1Z6  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Oriana,  Mrs.  Lassells ;  Amidea,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle ; 
and  her  old  mother  Morossa,  Mrs.  Corey.  On  Ofto- 
ber  n,  1718,  The  Traitor ,  with  some  slight  alterations 
said  to  be  by  Christopher  Bullock,  was  produced  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  and  announced  as  "  not  a£ted  20 
years."  For  some  reason,  however,  this  production, 
although  Quin  played  Lorenzo,  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  to  the  taste  of  the  town.  Evadne,  ory  The  Statue, 
a  tragedy  by  Richard  Lalor  Shiel,  which  was  produced 
at  Covent  Garden  on  February  10,  1819,  is  largely 
indebted  to  The  Traitor.  Evadne  was  afted  in  New 
York  as  late  as  December  13,  1881,  and  was  revived 
at  the  St.  James's  Theatre,  London,  on  the  afternoon 
of  March  19,  1887. 

p.  9.  Trrus  ANDRONICUS.  This  tragedy  was  the 
particular  property  of  Killigrew's  Company.  Some 
years  later  an  alteration  was  made  by  Edward  Ravens- 
croft,  which  although  not  printed  until  1687  was  afted 
nearly  ten  years  before,  as  in  his  notice  of  Shakespeare's 
Titus  AndronicuSy  Langbaine  says  :  "  'Twas  about  the 
time  of  the  Popuh-plot  revived  and  altered  by  Mr. 
Ravenstroff"  and  Ravenscroft  himself  in  his  Address 
to  the  Reader  says  that  it  was  very  well  received  by 
the  town.  "  The  success  answered  my  labour,"  he 
writes,  and  continues  : 

'  *It  fir§t  appear'd  upon  the  Stage,  at  the  begining  of  the 
pretended  Popish  Plot,  when  neither  Wit  nor  Honesty  had  En 
couragement  :  Nor  could  this  expect  favour,  since  it  shew'd  the 
Treachery  of  Villains,  and  the  Mischiefs  carry'd  on  by  the  Perjury 
and  False  Evidence  ;  and  how  Rogues  may  frame  a  Plot  that 
shall  deceive  and  destroy  both  the  Honest  and  the  Wise  ;  which 
were  the  reasons  why  I  did  not  forward  it  as  so  unlucky  a  con 
juncture,  being  content  rather  to  lose  the  Profit,  then  not  expose  to 
the  World  the  Picture  of  such  Knaves  and  Rascals  as  then  Reign'd 
in  the  opinion  of  the  Foolish  and  Malicious  part  of  the  Nation  : 
but  it  bore  up  against  the  Faction,  and  is  confirm 'd  a  Stock-Play." 

Accordingly  we  may  date  the  production  in  the  autumn 
of  1678,  probably  Odober-November.  At  Drury 
Lane,  August  13,  1717,  Titus  Andronicut,  "  altered  from 
Shakespeare,"  was  revived  with  Quin  as  Aaron.  It 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  127 

is  announced  as  "  Not  a&ed  fifteen  years,"  but  this  is 
scarcely  correct,  as  it  was  given  at  Drury  Lane  in  the 
season  1703-4,  and  again  in  the  season  which  opened 
on  September  u,  1704,  and  closed  on  July  27,  1705. 
In  fact  these  announcements  must  not  be  too  closely 
pressed.  Quin  afted  Aaron  very  finely,  and  during 
his  lifetime  Titus  Andronicus,  although  perhaps  not  very 
frequently  given,  may  be  said  to  have  remained  in  the 
repertory.  Since  the  death  of  this  great  aftor,  Titus 
Andronicus  seems  to  have  disappeared  from  the  stage 
for  nearly  one  hundred  years.  Aaron,  however,  was 
a&ed  in  London  by  Ira  Aldridge,  the  tragedian,  "  a 
veritable  negro  born  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa," 
whose  first  appearance  in  London  was  at  the  Royalty 
Theatre  as  Othello,  1826.  His  last  appearance  as 
Aaron  was  at  the  Britannia  Theatre  during  the  season 
1857-8.  Titus  Andronicus  was  revived  at  "The  Old 
Vic  "  on  Monday,  O&ober  8, 1923,  and  this  magnificent 
tragedy  is  probably  the  best  performance  which  has 
been  seen  at  that  theatre.  Wilfred  Walter  played  Titus 
Andronicus ;  Ion  Swinley,  Saturninus ;  Florence 
Saunders,  Tamora;  and  Jane  Bacon,  Lavinia.  As 
Aaron  George  Hayes  showed  sheer  genius,  and  at 
moments  attained  extraordinary  heights  of  impressive 
power.  Although  they  were  reluctant  to  admit  it 
the  critics  were  bound  to  acknowledge  the  greatness 
of  this  tragedy.  "  How  strong  and  well  written,  and 
what  genuine  drama  here  and  there,  and  what  tre 
mendous  adting  characters  I " 

p.  9.  THE  INDIAN  EMPEROUR.  To  this  list  may  be 
added  Alibech,  originally  by  Mrs.  Weaver,  and  after 
wards  by  Mrs.  Knepp.  The  Indian  Emperour,  or, 
The  Conquett  of  Mexico  by  the  Spaniards,  "  being  the 
sequel  of  The  Indian  Queen,"  was  produced  at  the 
Theatre  Royal  in  the  spring  of  1665,  probably  April, 
but  not  published  until  1667.  By  1709  it  had  run  into 
ten  editions,  and  was  long  most  popular  in  the  theatre. 
One  of  the  latest  revivals,  if  not  actually  the  last,  was 
that  at  Goodman's  Fields,  January  14,  1734. 


128  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

p.  9.  PLAIN  DEALER.  The  fourth  in  order  and 
last  of  Wycherley's  plays  was  first  produced  at  Drury 
Lane  in  the  winter  of  1676.  There  is  a  tradition  that, 
so  biting  is  the  satire,  this  great  piece  did  not 
immediately  win  the  complete  favour  of  the  town. 
This  hardly  seems  probably,  for  it  is  very  certain  that 
The  Plain-Dealer,  which  was  first  published,  4to,  1677, 
almost  immediately  established  itself  in  the  repertory 
of  the  theatre,  and  by  the  end  of  the  century  it  had 
passed  through  at  least  nine  editions.  At  the  union 
of  the  two  companies  in  1682,  when  several  of  the 
leading  members  in  the  original  cast  retired,  there  was 
of  necessity  some  re-distribution  of  the  roles.  Gildon 
has  said  that  Betterton  appeared  in  The  Plain  Dealer, 
and  hence  it  was  loosely  stated  that  he  played  Manly. 
But  this  is  more  than  doubtful,  since  Downes  explicitly 
tells  us  that  Philip  Griffin  excelled  in  this  part.  The 
Plain  Dealer  was  seen  season  after  season  for  many 
years  ;  indeed,  it  may  be  said  until  the  retirement  from 
the  stage  of  Quin,  who  had  made  the  title-role  peculiarly 
his  own.  On  December  7,  1765,  at  Drury  Lane  there 
was  presented  a  very  indifferent  version  of  Wycherley's 
great  play,  which  had  been  adapted  by  Isaac  Bicker- 
staffe.  This  proved  a  great  success.  February  27, 
1796,  there  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  The  Plain 
Dealer  "  With  Alterations,  Revised  by  J.  P.  Kemble," 
who  himself  appeared  as  Manly  to  the  Fidelia  of  Mrs. 
Jordan.  However,  the  original  had  been  so  tinkered 
at  that  the  result  did  not  please.  The  Plain  Dealer  was 
revived  by  the  Renaissance  Theatre  on  November  15, 
1925,  when  the  Widow  Blackacre  was  singularly  well 
afted  by  Margaret  Yarde. 

p.  9.  MR.  CLARK.  Thomas  Clarke,  who  played 
Novel,  was  a  young  a&or,  much  admired  for  his  hand 
some  face.  He  seems  to  have  joined  the  Theatre  Royal 
about  1672-3,  and  amongst  his  many  roles  were  DrusiUu, 
in  Nero,  Emperour  of  Rome,  May,  1674;  Massina, 
Sopbonisba,  April,  1675  ;  Ovid,  Gloriana,  January', 
1675-6  ;  Hephestion,  The  Rival  Queens,  March,  1676-7 ; 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  129 

O&avio  in  Scaramouch  a  Philosopher,  Harlequin  a  School- 
Boy,  Bravo,  Merchant,  and  Magician,  May,  1677.  He  was 
cast  for  Lycias,  in  a  suggested  revival  of  Valentinian, 
about  1677.  He  also  played  Dolabella,  All  for  Lave, 
winter,  1677 ;  Aldernald,  a  young  Admiral,  in  King 
Edgar  and  Alfreda,  winter,  1677 ;  Franck,  Trick  for 
Trick,  February,  1677-8  ;  Aquilius,  Mitbridates,  March, 
1677-8  ;  Wilding,  Sir  Barnaby  Whigg,  early  autumn, 
1 68 1  ;  the  Earl  of  Essex,  The  Unhappy  Favourite, 
autumn,  1681  ;  Tachmas,  the  hero  of  Southerne's  firsi 
drama,  The  Loyal  Brother,  spring  of  1682.  He  also 
spoke  the  Prologue  to  Leanerd's  The  Country  Innocence, 
spring  of  1677.  Clarke  is  particularly  mentioned  by 
Gibber  as  one  of  the  younger  members  of  the  company 
who  about  the  time  of  the  retirement  of  Hart  claimed 
for  himself  principal  roles.  In  1678  when  the  Theatre 
Royal  closed  down  for  some  time  Clarke  and  Goodman 
went  to  Edinburgh,  but  they  returned  to  London  in 
February,  1679-80.  It  was  then  agreed  by  Charles 
Killigrew,  that  both  these  adiors  should  be  "  received 
as  Adventurers  Sharers  or  Participants."  Clarke's 
name,  however,  does  not  appear  after  the  union  of  the 
two  companies. 

p.  10.  TYRANNICK  LOVE.  This  fine  tragedy  by 
John  Dryden,  Tyrannick  Love,  or,  the  Royal  Martyr,  was 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  (Bridges  Street)  about  the  end 
of  June,  1669,  and  printed,  410,  1670.  There  were 
revivals  in  1677,  1686,  1694  and  1702. 

It  appears  that  there  was  some  difficulty  and  delay 
about  the  original  production  of  Tyrannick  Love,  and 
Mr.  Hotson  has  printed  some  interesting  particulars  of 
a  Chancery  suit  which  evolved  therefrom  (Common 
wealth  and  Restoration  Stage,  pp.  250-53).  On  behalf  of 
the  Theatre  Royal,  Killigrew,  Hart,  and  Mohun,  com 
plained  that  the  King's  Company  having  to  produce 
"...  a  new  play  or  Tragedy  called  the  Royal  Martyr 
or  St.  Katherine  about  the  latter  end  of  April,  1669, 
and  there  being  a  necessity  of  making  a  new  Scene  of 
an  Elysium  to  be  presented  in  the  said  Tragedy  .  .  . 


130  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

and  one  Isaac  Fuller  being  a  Painter  and  one  who  some 
times  did  apply  himself  for  painting  of  Scenes,"  an 
agreement  was  made  with  Fuller  to  paint  this  scene, 
it  being  particularly  impressed  upon  the  artist  that  he 
must  use  dispatch  and  have  all  ready  within  a  fortnight. 
According  to  the  a&ors  this  arrangement  was  con 
cluded  on  April  14,  1669,  but  according  to  Fuller  not 
until  "  the  latter  end  of  April  or  the  beginning  of 
May.*'  The  authorities  of  the  Theatre  Royal  were 
very  insistent  that  the  King  was  anxious  to  see  the  play, 
and  as  the  Easter  and  Trinity  terms  at  the  law  courts 
were  just  coming  on  London  would  be  crowded,  to 
which  a&ual  reference  is  made  in  the  Epilogue  when 
Nell  Gwyn,  who  played  Valeria,  says  : 

O  Poet,  damn'd  dull  Poet,  who  could  prove 
So  senseless,  to  make  Nelly  dye  for  Love  I 
Nay,  what's  yet  worse,  to  kill  me  in  the  prime 
Of  EMfer-tetm,  in  Tart  and  Cheese-cake  Time! 

Accordingly,  it  was  essential  that  the  scene  should  be 
delivered  forthwith.  However,  not  only  was  if  painted 
"  very  meanly  and  inconsiderably "  but  it  was  not 
finished  until  the  end  of  June,  and  on  this  account 
Killigrew  "  received  very  great  blame  from  his  said 
Majesty,"  whilst  their  audiences  fell  off  and  grew  thin. 
Damages  are  claimed,  especially  in  view  of  the  fa&  that 
Fuller  had  recently  taken  legal  a&ion  against  Hart  and 
Mohun  and  recovered  £335  IO.T.  for  his  work. 

Fuller's  answer  was  tantamount  to  a  denial  of  these 
statements.  At  any  rate,  he  declared  that  he  had  never 
agreed  to  complete  such  a  scene  within  a  fortnight,  a 
thing  which  was  a  practical  impossibility.  He  avers 
that  the  scene  "  was  excellently  well  done,"  that  it  was 
painted  very  quickly  at  great  trouble  to  himself,  and 
perfected  "  about  the  23d  of  June."  He  is  very  certain 
that  the  tale  about  being  blamed  by  the  King  is  untrue, 
since  a  few  days  after  the  play  was  produced  Killigrew 
thanked  him  personally  for  the  pains  he  had  taken,  and 
told  him  that  he  "  had  very  well  pleased  his  Majesty 
and  the  whole  house."  Moreover,  Tyrannick  Love 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  13! 

proved  an  exceptional  success,  since  it  was  afted  "  about 
14  days  together  "  and  "  their  said  House  all  the  said 
14  days  was  very  full,  the  Pit  Boxes  and  other  Places 
thereof  being  thronged  with  Speftators."  The  receipts 
were  doubled  and  even  more  than  doubled.  Fuller 
makes  it  very  plain  that  he  only  took  legal  action  as 
the  last  recourse  as  the  Company  repeatedly  and  with 
threats  refused  to  pay  him  his  fees.  It  would  appear 
that  the  artist  was  in  the  right  since  the  actors  did  not 
proceed  with  their  suit.  The  scene  in  question  is 
certainly  a  very  important  piece.  It  was  used  in 
Act  IV.,  the  vision  of  S.  Catherine.  By  the  magic  of 
Nigrinus  the  Saint  is  shown  asleep  in  her  bed,  and 
"A  Scene  of  a  Paradise  is  discovered."  Nakar, 
Damilcar  and  other  spirits  throng  around  only  to  be 
dispersed  by  the  descent  of  Amariel,  the  Guardian 
Angel  of  S.  Catherine,  who  appears  in  glory  and  in 
radiant  flame. 

p.  10.  MR.  LITTLEWOOD.  The  line  of  characters 
taken  by  this  after  was  small,  nor  does  he  seem  to  have 
remained  long  upon  the  Stage.  In  addition  to  the 
roles  mentioned  by  Downes  he  doubled  Stephanie, 
a  servant  and  A  Scholar  in  the  revival  of  Shirley's 
The  Sifters,  1669-70 ;  and  played  Carbo  in  Joyner's 
The  Roman  Empress,  summer  of  1670. 

p.  10.  ST.  CATHERINE.  As  has  been  noted  above,  the 
quarto,  1670,  gives  this  role  to  Mrs.  Hughes,  who  was, 
no  doubt,  succeeded  by  Mrs.  Boutel. 

p.  10.  MRS.  KNEP.  Nakar  is  an  aeriel  spirit  who 
only  appears  with  the  spirit  Damilcar  in  S.  Catherine's 
vision,  Aft  IV.,  a  scene  which  was  parodied  in  The 
Rehearsal.  Mrs.  Knepp  doubled  Nakar  and  Felicia, 
the  mother  of  S.  Catherine. 

p.  10.  AURENG  ZEB.  Aureng-Zebe,  which  in  the 
foUo  of  1701  has  an  additional  title  the  Great  Mogul, 
the  laSl  of  Dryden's  heroic  dramas — that  is  to  say, 
rhyming  tragedies — was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in 
November,  1675.  The  scene  is  "Agra,  in  the  Year 
1660."  This  fine  tragedy  kept  the  Stage  for  about 


132  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

half  a  century,  one  of  the  latent  performances  being 
that  at  Drury  Lane,  December  n,  1721. 

p.  10.     MORAL.     Rather  Morat. 

p.  ii.  MRS.  Cox.  Elizabeth  Cox  was  celebrated 
for  romantic  heroines.  She  created  in  comedy  such 
roles  as  Lydia  in  Wycherley's  Love  in  a  Wood,  produced 
at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Bridges  Street,  in  the  autumn  of 
1671 ;  Constantia  in  The  Amorous  Old  Woman  in  the 
spring  of  1674.  In  tragedy  she  played  O&avia  to 
the  Nero  of  Charles  Hart  in  Lee's  The  Tragedy  of  Nero, 
Emperour  of  Rome,  Theatre  Royal,  May,  1674.  In  the 
special  revival  of  A  King  and  No  King  in  the  spring  of 
1 676,  she  appeared  as  Panthea.  In  Othello  she  succeeded 
Mrs.  Hughes  as  Desdemona. 

p.  ii.  ALEXANDER  THE  GREAT.  The  Rival  Queens, 
or,  the  Death  of  Alexander  the  Great  was  produced  at 
Drury  Lane,  March,  1676-7.  It  is  generally  esteemed 
the  best  of  Lee's  tragedies,  and  it  certainly  kept  the 
stage  longer  than  any  other  of  his  work.  Langbaine 
says : 

"  This  Play  has  always  been  applauded  by  the  Spectators,  and 
is  acknowledg'd  a  MaSter-piece  by  Mr.  Dryden  himself,  in  that 
Copy  of  Verses  prefix'd  to  it,  which  are  a  sufficient  Testimony 
of  its  worth." 

The  Rival  Queens,  which  was  more  generally  known 
as  Alexander  the  Great,  kept  the  stage  for  fully  a  century 
and  a  half,  one  of  the  latest  performances  being  given 
in  1830.  As  years  went  on  various  alterations  were 
made,  and  the  prompters'  books  in  the  later  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century  present  some  scenes  which  differ 
pretty  widely  from  the  original.  Yet  it  is  hardly  an 
exaggeration  to  say  that  so  long  as  tragedy  held  its 
own  The  Rival  Queens  kept  the  boards,  and  there  are 
few  great  a£tors  in  the  past  who  have  not  been  seen  as 
Alexander,  whilst  Statira  and  Roxana  have  been  pkyed 
by  many  of  our  leading  a&resses.  There  were 
burlesques  not  a  few,  one  of  which  by  T.  Dibdin 
was  given  at  the  Strand  Theatre,  London,  August  7, 
1837,  with  Mrs.  Sterling  as  Roxana. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  135 

After  the  retirement  of  Charles  Hart,  both  Goodman 
and  Mountfort  performed  Alexander,  and  George 
Powell  also  a&ed  this  hero  with  applause.  Colley 
Gibber  speaks  of  the  applause  which  was  given  Betterton 
in  this  part.  He  says  that  when  The  Rival  Queens 

"  from  its  being  too  frequently  a£ed,  was  worn  out,  and  came 
to  be  deserted  by  the  Town,  upon  the  sudden  Death  of  Monfort, 
who  had  play'd  Alexander  with  Success  for  several  Years,  the 
Part  was  given  to  Betterton,  which,  under  this  great  Disadvantage 
of  the  Satiety  it  had  given,  he  immediately  reviv'd  with  so  new 
a  Lustre  that  for  three  Days  together  it  fill'd  the  House  ;  and  had 
his  then  declining  Strength  been  equal  to  the  Fatigue  the  A&ion 
gave  him,  it  probably  might  have  doubled  its  Success ;  an  un 
common  Instance  of  the  Power  and  intrinsick  Merit  of  an  A&or. 
.  .  .  And  further,  that  when,  from  a  too  advanced  Age,  he 
resigned  that  toilsome  Part  of  Alexander,  the  Play  for  many 
Years  after  never  was  able  to  impose  upon  the  Publick." 

Perhaps  this  is  not  Slri&ly  correct,  as  on  June  13,  1704, 
we  find  that  at  Drury  Lane  Wilks  played  Alexander 
for  his  benefit ;  and  at  the  Haymarket,  December  30, 
1706,  Verbruggen  was  acting  Alexander  to  the  Statira 
of  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  and  the  Roxana  of  Mrs.  Barry. 
Davies  relates  an  anecdote  of  Betterton  during  a 
rehearsal  of  "The  Rival  Queens,  who,  when  rehearsing 
Alexander 

"  was  at  a  loss  to  recover  particular  emphasis  of  Hart,  which  gave 
a  force  to  some  interesting  situation  of  the  part ;  he  applied,  for 
information,  to  the  players  who  Stood  near  him.  At  last,  one 
of  the  lowest  of  the  company  repeated  the  lines  exaftly  in  Hart's 
key.  Betterton  thanked  him  heartily,  and  put  a  piece  of  money 
in  his  hand  for  so  acceptable  a  service." 

p.  ii.  ALL  FOR  LOVE.  Dryden's  great  tragedy  was 
produced,  which  it  is  interesting  to  note  his  contem 
poraries  also  knew  as  Anthony  and  Cleopatra,  at  the 
Theatre  Royal,  Drury  Lane,  in  the  winter  of  1677.  It 
kept  the  stage  for  over  100  years,  the  last:  production 
in  London  of  the  eighteenth  century  being  that  at 
Covent  Garden  in  May,  1790,  when  Holman  played 
Antony,  and  Miss  Brunton,  Cleopatra.  However,  a 


134  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Bath  play-bill,  January  12,  1818,  announces  All  for 
Love  as  "  Not  a&ed  forty  years." 

It  may  be  remarked  that  Shakespeare's  Antony  and 
Cleopatra  was  only  revived  once  during  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  that  for  the  firslt  time  since  the  Restoration, 
January  3rd,  1759,  Garrick  appeared  as  Antony  to  the 
Cleopatra  of  Mrs.  Yates,  but  the  a&ing  was  con 
sidered  poor  and  the  play  was  only  repeated  six  times. 

"  Additions  from  Dryden  "  might  be  found  in  the 
productions  of  Antony  and  Cleopatra  at  Covent  Garden, 
November  15,1813,  and  again  at  Drury  Lane,  Thursday, 
November  21,  1833. 

All  for  Love  was  revived  under  my  direction  by  "  The 
Phoenix  "  for  two  performances  in  March,  1922.  The 
play  was  produced  by  Edith  Craig.  Ion  Swinley 
played  Marc  Anthony ;  Campbell  Fletcher,  Ventidius  ; 
Ellen  O'Malley,  Oftavia ;  and  Edith  Evans,  Cleopatra, 
Queen  of  Egypt. 

p.  ii.     ENUCH.     Rather:   Eunuch. 

p.  12.  THE  ASSIGNATION.  This  delightful  comedy 
by  John  Dryden  was  originally  produced  at  Lincoln's 
Inn  Fields  in  the  winter  of  1762.  The  play  was  entered 
at  Stationers'  Hall,  March  18,  1672-3,  and  the  first 
quarto  is  dated  1673.  Surprisingly  enough,  the  play 
at  firft  did  not  please  the  audience,  but  this  was  pretty 
certainly  owing  to  the  fact  that  a  party  who  were  fully 
resolved  to  damn  the  piece  packed  the  theatre.  When 
The  Assignation  was  given  at  Drury  Lane,  July  3,  1716, 
it  was  announced  as  "  not  acted  20  years."  On 
November  30,  1743,  it  was  performed  at  Covent 
Garden  as  "  never  acted  here."  Then  it  appears 
to  have  been  repeated  but  twice,  the  second  performance 
taking  place  on  the  next  day.  An  imperfect  revival  of 
The  Assignation  was  seen  in  London  in  January,  1925, 
but  the  unfortunate  play  was  so  mishandled  and  the 
whole  spirit  of  Dryden's  com  dy  had  so  entirely 
evaporated  that  it  became  something  like  a  sad  and 
sorry  bu  lesque  and  was  far  from  approved  by  the 
audience. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  135 

p.  12.  MYTHRIDATES.  This  excellent  tragedy  by 
Lee  was  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  the  spring 
of  1678.  There  was  a  particular  revival  in  1681. 
Langbaine  says  :  "  This  play  may  be  reckon'd  amongst 
those  of  the  First-Rank,  and  will  always  be  a  Favourite 
of  the  Tender-hearted  Ladies."  It  remained  in  the 
repertory  of  the  theatre  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
and  well  deserved  a  yet  longer  life. 

p.  13.  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  JERUSALEM.  In  two 
parts.  "  These  Tragedies  are  written  in  Heroick 
Verse,  and  even  acted  with  good  Applause  "  (Lang 
baine).  The  production  in  a  document  addressed  to 
the  Lord  Chamberlain  by  the  Company  of  the  Theatre 
Royal  is  incidentally  alluded  to  as  having  put  the  King's 
actors  to  "a  vast  expence  in  scenes  and  cloathes." 
As  Crowne  was  under  an  agreement  with  the  Duke's 
House,  they  were,  moreover,  obliged  to  pay  certain  fees 
to  satisfy  their  rivals'  prior  claim.  In  a  letter  written 
by  St.  Evremond  to  the  Duchess  of  Mazarin,  The 
Works  of  the  Earl  of  Rochester,  Roscommon,  and  Dorset, 
London,  1731,  II.,  p.  218,  it  is  said  that  "  Mr.  Crowne's 
Detfrutfioti  of  Jerusalem  .  .  .  met  with  as  wild  and 
unaccountable  success  as  Mr.  Dryden's  Conqueft  of 
Granada"  Surely  the  reason  for  this  success  is  not 
far  to  seek.  The  opening  picture  at  the  Temple  Gates, 
with  the  exquisite  chant  of  the  Levites ;  the  episode 
of  the  midnight  Sanhedrin  visited  by  Herod's  ghost ; 
the  scenes  in  the  streets  of  Starving  Jerusalem ;  the 
investiture  of  the  Pharisee  John  as  High  Priest,  would 
all  have  been  extraordinarily  effective  upon  the  stage ; 
whilst  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  catastrophe  which 
could  give  greater  scope  for  spectacular  effect  than  the 
fall  of  Jerusalem,  the  blazing  Temple  sinking  to 
destruction  in  a  sea  of  fire ;  and  the  coronation  of 
Titus  Vespasian  as  victor  and  Emperor  of  Rome. 
Moreover,  the  story  is  full  of  vigour  and  movement, 
the  dtion  never  flags ;  if  flamboyant  the  verse 
is  fluent  withal,  and  no  doubt  fell  with  power  and 
charm  from  the  lips  of  Hart  (Phraates),  and  Kynaston 


136  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

(Titus),  Mrs.  Marshall  (Berenice),  and  Mrs.  Boutell 
(Clarona). 

p.  13.  MARRIAGE  ALAMODE.  This  was  the  first 
original  comedy  given  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  by  the 
King's  Company,  who  had  migrated  thither  after  the 
destruction  by  fire  of  the  Theatre  Royal  in  January, 
1672.  It  was  produced  about  Easter  of  that  year.  In 
January,  1745,  a  writer  in  The  Gentleman's  Magazine 
suggests  that  Peg  Woffington  should  essay  Melantha  : 

Gibber  will  smile  applause  :  and  think  again 
Of  Hart,  of  Mohun,  and  all  the  female  train, 
Coxe,  Marshall,  Dryden's  Reeve,  Bet  Slade  and  Charles'  reign. 

In  the  same  number  was  printed  a  letter  from  a  con 
tributor  who  declared  that  he  well  remembered  the 
original  production  of  Marriage  A.-L.a-Mode  seventy- 
three  years  before.  He  says  : 

"  This  comedy,  a&ed  by  His  Majesty's  Servants  at  the  Theatre 
Royal  made  its  first  appearance  with  extraordinary  lustre.  Divest 
ing  my  self  of  the  old  man,  I  solemnly  declare  that  you  have  seen 
no  such  a&ing,  no  not  in  any  degree,  since." 

It  may  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  slight  and  unimportant 
error  here.  The  comedy  was  not  originally  a&ed  at 
the  Theatre  Royal,  although  it  was,  of  course,  often 
given  there  when  the  house  had  been  rebuilt,  and  the 
quarto,  1673,  has  "  As  it  is  Aded  at  the  Theatre- 
Royal." 

In  Colley  Gibber's  famous  Apology  the  most  brilliant 
pages  are  those  which  give  a  critical  analysis  of  the  part 
of  Melantha  as  played  by  Susanna  Mountfort,  Mrs. 
Boutell's  successor  in  this  role. 

What  Bon/tell,  under  th'  author's  eye,  exprest, 
What  from  her  lips  fantastic  Montford  caught, 
And  almost  mov'd  the  thing  ye  poet  thought. 

As  has  already  been  noticed  with  reference  to  The 
Maiden  Queen,  Colley  Gibber  had  the  unfortunate  idea 
of  mixing  together  the  lighter  scenes  of  these  two  plays 
by  Dry  den,  and  the  result  (more  or  less  altered  from  time 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  137 

to  time)  was  given  at  intervals  at  the  theatre  until  to 
wards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

Marriage  A-la  Mode  was  revived  by  "  The  Phoenix  '* 
under  my  direction  for  two  performances  in  February, 
1920,  and  proved  extraordinarily  successful,  being 
greeted  with  the  loudest  applause  by  a  crowded  theatre. 
Polydamas  was  acted  by  Harvey  Braban ;  Leonidas, 
Murray  Kinnell ;  Argaleon,  George  Hayes  ;  Hermo- 
genes,  Eugene  Leahy ;  Eubulus,  Frederick  Harker ; 
Rhodophil,  Ion  Swinley ;  Palamede,  Nicholas  Hannen  ; 
Straton,  Ernest  Meads  ;  Palmyra,  Rita  Thorn  ;  Amal- 
thea,  Joan  Temple ;  Doralice,  Cathleen  Nesbitt ; 
Melantha,  Athene  Seyler ;  Philotis,  Mile.  Rambert ; 
Deliza,  Henrietta  Goodwin ;  Artemis,  Florence 
Buckton.  The  two  charming  songs,  Why  should  a 
Foolish  Marriage  Vow,  in  Act  I.,  and  Whilft  Alexis,  in 
Act  IV.,  were  sung  by  Irma  Valenti. 

p.  13.  PALAMEDE.  Although  Downes  assigns  this 
character  to  Burt  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the 
First  Quarto  is  correct  when  it  gives  Charles  Hart  as 
Palamede.  Hart  was  succeeded  by  Mountfort,  who 
was  followed  by  Robert  Wilks.  Writing  of  this  last 
after,  Chetwood  says  :  "  The  first  Part  he  performed 
of  Mountford's  was  Palamede  in  Dryden's  Marriage  Ala- 
mode,  a  Comedy,  with  such  extraordinary  Success, 
as  he  often  said,  it  made  him  almost  mad  with 
Joy." 

p.  13.  THE  UNHAPPY  FAVOURITE.  This  historical 
tragedy  by  John  Banks  was  produced  at  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  the  autumn  of  1681.  In  the  dedications  to 
Vertue  Betray*  d,  or,  Anna  Mullen,  4to,  1682,  and  Cyrus 
the  Great,  4to,  1696,  the  poet  speaks  of  the  great  favour 
with  which  this  play  was  received,  and  which  indeed  it 
well  deserved.  It  is  easy  enough,  no  doubt,  to  ridicule 
an  expression  here  and  there — Fielding  has  a  stupid 
parody  in  TOM  Thumb  of  the  very  opening  lines — but 
none  the  less  The  Unhappy  Favourite  remains  a  very 
pathetic  and  moving  tragedy.  Even  Steele,  who 
judged  it  very  harshly  and  with  an  arid  perception, 


138  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

writing  in  The  Toiler  (No.  14;  Wednesday,  n  May, 
1709) says : 

"  Yesterday  we  were  entertain'd  with  the  Tragedy  of  The 
Earl  of  Essex,  in  which  there  is  not  one  good  Line,  and  yet  a 
Pky  which  was  never  seen  without  drawing  Tears  from  some 
Part  of  the  Audience  :  A  remarkable  Instance,  that  the  Sould 
is  not  to  be  moved  by  Words,  but  Things  ;  for  the  Incidents  in 
this  Drama  are  laid  together  so  happily,  that  the  Spectator  makes 
the  Pky  for  himself,  by  the  Force  which  the  Circumstance  has 
upon  his  Imagination.  Thus,  inspite  of  the  moSl  dry  Discourses, 
and  Expressions  almost  ridiculous  with  Respect  to  Propriety,  it 
is  impossible  for  one  unprejudic'd  to  see  it  untouch'd  with  Pity." 

The  Unhappy  Favourite  remained  in  the  repertory  of 
the  theatre  until  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  An  alteration  by  James  Ralph,  The  Fall  of  the 
Earl  of  Essex,  afted  at  Goodman's  Fields  in  1731,  is 
of  no  value.  February  21,  1753,  was  produced  at 
Covent  Garden  The  Earl  of  Essex  by  Henry  Jones, 
which  proved  popular.  The  Earl  of  Essex  by  Henry 
Brooke,  performed  at  Dublin  in  1748-9,  was  not  seen 
in  London  until  January,  1761,  when  it  was  given  at 
Drury  Lane.  Genest  says  :  "  Jones's  Earl  of  Essex 
keeps  possession  of  the  Stage ;  but  Brooke  is  vastly 
superior  in  point  of  language,  and  finishes  the  play 
much  better  than  Jones  does."  Both  authors  are 
indebted  to  Banks.  As  Langbaine  points  out :  "  There 
have  been  two  French  Plays,  one  by  Monsieur  Cal- 
pranede  ;  the  other  by  the  Younger  CorneiUey"  upon  the 
subject,  of  the  Earl  of  Essex.  W.  Laude's  Graf  von 
Essex  was  suggested  by,  one  might  say  actually  founded 
upon,  the  drama  of  Jones. 

p.  14.  THE  BLACK  PRINCE.  "  Tho'  this  Play  in  the 
Title-page  be  call'd  a  Tragedy,  yet  it  ends  successfully : 
and  therefore  I  presume  was  rather  stiled  so  by  the 
Author,  from  the  Quality  and  Grandeur  of  the  Persons 
in  the  Dramma,  than  from  any  unfortunate  Cata 
strophe  "  (Langbaine).  The  Black  Prince  was  pro 
duced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  on  Saturday,  Oftober  19, 
1667.  "  The  house  infinite  full,  and  the  King  and 
Duke  of  York  was  there."  Pepys  has  given  a  long  and 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  139 

interesting  account  of  the  first  performance.  The  play 
is  very  romantic  and  altogether  unhistorical.  "  The 
whole  house  was  mightily  pleased  with  it  all  along  till 
towards  the  end,"  when  Lord  Delaware  (Hart)  "  comes 
to  discover  the  chief  of  the  plot  of  the  play  by  the 
reading  of  a  long  letter,  which  was  so  long,  and  some 
things  (the  people  being  set  already  to  think  too  long), 
so  unnecessary,  that  they  frequently  begun  to  laugh, 
and  to  hiss  twenty  times,  that,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
King's  being  there,  they  had  certainly  hissed  it  off  the 
stage."  The  letter  in  a  romance  would  no  doubt  have 
been  in  keeping,  but  it  was  certainly  a  poor  theatrical 
contrivance,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  well-nigh  wrecked 
the  play.  When  Pepys  visited  the  theatre  on  the 
following  Wednesday  he  found  that  the  letter  had  been 
printed,  "  and  so  delivered  to  every  body  at  their 
going  in  and  some  short  reference  made  to  it  by  Hart 
in  the  play,  which  do  mightily  well."  On  Wednesday, 
April  i,  1668,  Pepys  again  saw  The  Black  Prince,  "  a 
very  good  play ;  but  only  the  fancy,  most  of  it, 
the  same  as  in  the  rest  of  my  Lord  Orrery's  plays." 

Edward  the  Black  Prince,  or,  The  Battle  of  Pointers,  a 
tragedy  by  William  Shirley,  which  was  produced  at 
Drury  Lane,  January  6,  1750,  with  Garrick  as  Edward, 
is  a  poor  piece,  but  yet  a  version  by  Reynolds,  who 
made  many  alterations  and  additions,  was  given  at 
Drury  Lane,  January  28,  1828. 

Edward  the  Black  Prince,  a  tragedy  by  Mrs.  Hoper,  per 
formed  at  Goodman's  Fields  in  1748,  is  of  no  account. 

p.  14.  VALERIA  DISGUIS'D,  F.  DAMPORT.  Frances 
Davenport  and  her  sister  Elizabeth  Davenport,  two 
a&resses  of  the  Theatre  Royal,  must  be  carefully  dis 
tinguished  from  the  Mrs.  Davenport  (Roxolana)  of  the 
Duke's  House,  Davenant's  Company,  who  was  married 
to  the  Earl  of  Oxford. 

Frances  Davenport  appears  in  a  list  of  a&resses  to 
whom  "  livery  "  was  granted  by  a  warrant  of  June  30, 
1666.  On  February  8,  1667-8,  Elizabeth  Davenport 
is  added  in  a  similar  list.  (This  second  list  also  mentions 


140  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

a  Jane  Davenport,  of  whom  nothing  is  known.)  The  two 
Davenports  played  but  small  roles.  Thus,  in  Secret  Love, 
ory  The  Maiden  Queen,  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  on 
Saturday,  March  2,  1666-7,  Frances  Davenport  a&ed 
Flavia  and  Elizabeth  Davenport,  Sabina.  On  Tuesday, 
April  7, 1668,  Pepys  being  at  the  King's  House,  where  he 
saw  The  Engluh  Monsieur,  hears  a  good  deal  of  gossip 
from  Mrs.  Knepp.  "  The  eldest  Davenport  is,  it  seems, 
gone  from  this  house  to  be  kept  by  somebody ;  which  I 
am  glad  of,  she  being  a  very  bad  a&or."  It  cannot  be 
exactly  Stated  which  of  the  two,  Frances  or  Elizabeth, 
was  the  elder  sister.  But  it  is  quite  certain  that  both 
these  adresses  belonged  to  the  Theatre  Royal  and  were 
entirely  different  persons  from  the  Mrs.  Davenport 
who  was  one  of  the  principal  a&resses  of  Sir  William 
Davenant's  Company,  who  boarded  in  his  house,  who 
played  Roxolana  in  The  Siege  of  Rhodes  ;  Lady  Ample  in 
The  Wits  ;  the  Queen  in  Hamlet ;  Evandra  in  Love  and 
Honour;  Camilla  in  The  Adventures  of  Five  Hours ; 
Roxolana  in  the  Earl  of  Orrery's  Muftapha  ;  and  who 
was  sometimes  known  as  Roxolana.  (It  should  be 
remarked  that  two  writers  who  are  usually  very  accu 
rate  have  blundered  badly  on  this  point,  and  since  they 
are  often  quoted  considerable  error  has  been  the  result. 
Wheatly  in  his  notes  on  Pepys,  and  Gordon  Goodwin 
in  his  recension  of  Cunningham's  The  Story  of  Nell 
Gnyn,  1908,  have  both  confused  the  famous  Mrs. 
Davenport  with  one  of  the  addresses  of  that  name  in 
Killigrew's  Company.) 

p.  14.  THE  CONQUEST  OF  GRANADA.  The  first  part 
of  The  Conquett  of  Granada  was  produced  at  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  the  winter  of  1670,  and  the  second  part  in 
January  of  the  following  year,  1670-1.  There  can 
be  little  doubt  that  this  is  the  greatest  and  in  many  ways 
the  most  typical  of  all  rhymed  heroic  tragedies.  The 
interest  never  flags  from  the  commencement  to  the 
finish  ;  the  incidents  are  possible,  and  indeed  probable, 
at  so  heated  a  time  of  siege  and  war  ;  the  verse  is  ex 
quisitely  beautiful,  and  even  if  there  be  extravagancies 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  I41 

these  are  noble  and  finely  conceived.  Upon  the  stage 
this  piece  met  with  a  triumphant  success.  February  9, 
1670-1,  Evelyn  notes  : 

"  I  saw  the  great  ball  danced  by  the  Queen  and  distinguished 
ladies  at  Whitehall  Theatre.  Next  day,  was  afted  there  the  famous 
play,  called  The  Siege  of  Granada,  two  days  afted  successively ; 
there  were  indeed  very  glorious  scenes  and  perspectives,  the  work 
of  Mr.  Streeter,  who  well  understands  it." 

A  distinguished  revival  of  this  tragedy  was  given  at 
Drury  Lane,  March  5,  1709,  when  Powell  a&ed 
Almanzor  ;  Wilks,  Ozmyn  ;  Mills,  Abdelmelech  ; 
Husband,  Mahomet  Boabdelin ;  Mrs.  Knight,  Lyn- 
daraxa ;  and  Mrs.  Rogers,  Almahide.  The  Conqueft  of 
Granada  seems  to  have  fallen  out  of  the  repertory  of 
the  theatre  after  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  The  mount 
ings  and  decoration  of  such  a  production  were  neces 
sarily  extremely  costly,  and  public  taste  was  beginning 
to  change,  not  for  the  better. 

p.  1 5 .  SOPHONISBA.  This  favourite  tragedy  by  Lee 
was  originally  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  April, 
1675.  It  is  largely  founded  upon  "  the  tfory  o/Izadora 
and  Perolla,"  Book  IV.,  the  First  Part  of  Orrery's 
Fam'd  Romance  Parthenusa.  Of  this  tragedy  Lang- 
baine  says  :  it  "  hath  always  appear'd  on  the  Stage  with 
applause,"  and  it  remained  in  the  repertory  of  the  theatre 
until  nearly  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  One 
of  the  latest  revivals  would  seem  to  have  been  at  Lin 
coln's  Inn  Fields  in  March,  1735.  Thomson's  cold 
and  classic  Sophonisba  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane, 
February  28,  1730. 

p.  1 5 .     SCINIO.     Rather  :   Scipio. 

p.  15.  COUNTRY  WIFE.  This  play,  which  is 
esteemed  by  the  best  judges  as  one  of  the  most  excellent 
of  English  comedies,  was  produced  at  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  January,  1674-5,  and  at  once  achieved  a 
triumphant  success.  For  the  very  long  theatrical 
history  of  this  piece  see  my  edition  of  Wycherley, 
1924,  Vol.  II. ,  pp.  5-8.  During  the  first  fifty  years  of  the 
eighteenth  century  The  Country  Wife  continued  to  be 


142  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

received  with  the  utmost  favour,  but  it  may  not  un 
truly  be  said  that  until  very  recent  days  the  last  pro 
duction  of  Wycherley's  comedy  was  given  at  Drury 
Lane  in  November,  1748.  On  April  26,  1765,  at  the 
same  house,  John  Lee  produced  his  adaptation,  a  miser 
able  farce  in  two  a&s.  Even  worse  was  the  alteration 
by  Garrick,  The  Country  Girl,  which  was  produced  at 
Drury  Lane,  October  25,  1766.  "It  is  impossible  to 
imagine  anything  more  devastatingly  dull  than  The 
Country  GirL  Garrick  has  added  follies  from  Lee  to  his 
own  incipidities,  and  the  result  is  crystalized  bore 
dom."  It  should  be  remarked,  however,  that  Mrs. 
Jordan  won  great  applause  as  Peggy  in  this  thing,  and 
there  could  be  no  greater  proof  of  the  comic  genius  of 
this  aftress.  This  wretched  piece  was  revived  in 
London,  in  June,  1887,  in  1894,  in  1898,  and  again  in 
in  1925,  on  which  last  occasion  it  was  impudently 
announced  as  "  Wycherley's  The  Country  Wife " ! 
The  Country  Girl  "  is  even  yet  occasionally  seen  in  the 
provinces  and  the  suburbs,  but  to  sit  through  this  play 
is  a  sensation  not  easily  to  be  endured." 

After  a  lapse  of  176  years,  on  February  17  and  18, 
1924,  The  Country-Wife  was  revived  by  "  The  Phoenix  " 
under  my  direction  at  the  Regent  Theatre,  London. 
The  cast  was  as  follows :  Horner,  Baliol  Holloway ; 
Harcourt,  Henry  C.  Hewitt ;  Dorilant,  Douglas 
Burbidge ;  Sir  Jasper,  Stanley  Lathbury ;  Sparkish, 
Ernest  Thesiger ;  Mrs.  Pinchwife,  Isabel  Jeans ;  Alithea, 
Nell  Carter;  My  Lady  Fidget,  Athene  Seyler;  Mrs. 
Dainty,  Joan  Vivien-Rees ;  Mrs.  Squeamish,  Colette 
O'Niel ;  Old  Lady  Squeamish,  Louise  Holbrooke ; 
Quack,  Orlando  Barnett ;  Lucy,  Theodora  Birbeck. 
Wycherley's  comedy,  brilliantly  afted  in  every  part,  was 
received  with  unbounded  applause  by  a  thronging  theatre. 
"  Baliol  Holloway  and  Athene  Seyler  gave  performances 
of  the  most  exquisitely  finished  art.  As  Margery  Pinch- 
wife,  Isabel  Jeans  was  consummate  perfection." 

The  Country-Wife  was  also  seen  in  the  provinces, 
not  a&ed,  however,  by  this  company.  On  December  1 1, 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  143 

1926,  The  Country  Wife  was  revived  at  the  Everyman, 
Hampstead,  London.  Miss  Isabel  Jeans  played  Mrs. 
Margery  Pinchwife  and  Miss  Athene  Seyler  My  Lady 
Fidget,  but  unfortunately  the  play  had  been  mutilated  ; 
it  was  ill-produced  and  clumsily  mammocked  in  such  a 
way  that  much  of  Wycherley  had  vanished.  In  faft,  it 
came  within  measurable  distance  of  The  Country  Girl. 

p.  15.  LOVE  IN  A  WOOD,  OR,  ST.  JAMES'  PARK. 
This  comedy,  the  first  play  by  Wycherley,  was  pro 
duced  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Bridges  Street,  in  the 
autumn  of  1671,  possibly  early  in  October.  It  was 
received  with  great  favour  by  the  town  and  especially 
patronised  by  the  Duchess  of  Cleveland,  to  whom  it 
was  dedicated  when  printed,  4to,  1672.  It  remained 
in  the  repertory  for  some  six  or  seven  years,  and  there 
were  revivals  in  1693-4  and  1711.  During  the  summer 
season  of  1718,  on  August  15,  Love  in  a  Wood  was 
revived  at  Drury  Lane.  It  is  announced  as  "  Not 
a&ed  30  years,"  but  this  must  not  be  taken  as 
meaning  anything  more  than  "  Not  having  been  per 
formed  for  a  considerable  time."  For  a  full  account 
of  the  play  and  the  original  cast  see  my  edition  of 
Wycherley,  1924,  Vol.  I. 

p.  1 5 .  AMBOINA.  Amboyna,  or,  The  Cruelties  of  the 
Dutch  to  the  English  Merchants,  which  was  entered  on  the 
Stationers'  books  June  26,  1673,  was  produced  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  probably  in  the  preceding  month. 
As  Langbaine  says  :  The  Plot  of  this  Play  is  founded 
chiefly  on  History,  being  an  Account  of  the  Cruelty 
of  the  Dutch  to  our  Country-Men  in  Amboyna,  An  Dom. 
1618."  These  outrages  remained  unavenged,  and 
Dryden,  who  tells  us  that  his  play  was  contrived  and 
written  in  a  month,  particularly  chose  this  subjeft  to 
inflame  England  against  the  Dutch,  since  the  two  nations 
were  then  at  war.  Under  these  conditions  the  drama 
is,  of  course,  topical,  but  it  seems  to  me  very  well 
written  and  highly  interesting,  even  if  we  put  on  one 
side  its  acknowledged  and  intended  purpose. 

p.   15.     THE  CHEATS.     This  excellent  comedy  of 


144  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Jonsonian  humours  was  produced  at  the  Vere  Street 
Theatre  in  1662.  Owing  to  its  mordant  satire  on  Non 
conformist  ministers  in  the  person  of  Scruple,  a 
Restoration  Shepherd  Stiggins,  created  by  Lacy,  the 
Puritan  party  had  interest  enough  temporarily  to  sup 
press  the  play,  but  it  was  soon  allowed  again.  In  a 
letter  to  John  Brooke,  dated  March  28,  1663,  Abraham 
Hill  writes  :  "  The  new  play  called  The  Cheats  has  been 
attempted  on  the  stage,  but  it  is  so  scandulous  that  it  is 
forbidden."  However,  the  difficulties  were  soon  over 
come,  and  aftually  it  remained  in  the  theatrical  repertory 
for  well  over  half  a  century,  since  it  was  being  per 
formed  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  as  late  as  December,  1727. 
Lacy  was  so  much  admired  as  Scruple  that  his  portrait 
in  this  character  was  painted  by  Michael  Wright. 

p.  15.  SELINDRA.  This  is  a  tragi-comedy  by  Sir 
William  Killigrew,  and  was  produced  at  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  the  spring  of  1661-2.  It  is  written  in  prose 
and  the  scene  is  laid  in  Byzantium.  The  play  has  con 
siderable  merit,  but  does  not  call  for  any  particular 
remark.  It  was  printed  folio,  1664,  in  Three  PJayes,  and 
again  in  1666  and  1674. 

p.  15.  THE  SURPRIZAL.  This  play  is  by  Sir  Robert 
Howard.  The  scene  is  laid  in  Siena,  and  it  seems  to  me, 
of  its  kind,  a  capital  comedy.  It  was  produced  at  Vere 
Street  on  Wednesday,  April  23, 1662,  and  for  some  years 
it  remained  a  favourite  in  the  theatre.  Lacy  as  Bran- 
cadoro  was  in  particular  esteemed  very  great.  The  part 
of  Samira  was  afterwards  taken  by  Nell  Gwyn  and  that 
of  Emilia  by  Mrs.  Knepp.  However,  it  was  not  liked 
by  Pepys.  On  Easter  Monday,  April  8,  1667,  he  came 
late  "  to  the  King's  house,  and  saw  the  latter  end  of  the 
'  Surprisall,'  wherein  was  no  great  matter,  I  thought, 
by  what  I  saw  there."  On  Monday,  August  26,  1667, 
he  judged  it "  a  very  mean  play,"  but  as  he  allows  he  was 
out  of  humour  and,  no  doubt  owing  to  the  hot  weather, 
the  theatre  was  nearly  empty.  On  Thursday,  December 
26,  1667,  he  notes  that  The  Surprisal  "  did  not  please 
me  to-day,  the  adors  not  pleasing  me ;  and  especially 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  145 

Nell's  a&ing  of  a  serious  part,  which  she  spoiled." 
On  two  subsequent  occasions,  Friday,  April  17,  1668, 
and  Friday,  May  i,  of  the  same  year  he  was  hardly  any 
better  pleased  with  the  a&ing.  On  August  19,  1715, 
at  Drury  Lane,  The  Surprisal  was  revived,  and  is  an 
nounced  as  "  Not  afted  25  years,"  which  may  be  cor 
rect.  It  was  printed  in  Four  New  Plays,  folio,  1665  ; 
and  again  in  Five  New  Plays,  folio,  1692,  re-issued 
1700  ;  and  again  i2mo,  1722. 

p.  15.  VESTAL  VIRGIN.  The  Vetfal  Virgin,  or,  The 
Roman  Ladies  was  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in 
1664,  probably  in  the  autumn.  Originally  it  was  a&ed 
as  a  complete  tragedy,  but  later  alterations  were  made 
towards  the  end  of  A£t  IV.,  and  a  good  deal  of  A&  V. 
was  re-written,  so  it  was  also  "  Atted  the  Comical  W^ay" 
Lacy  spoke  the  Epilogue  to  the  tragedy,  and  when  the 
alternate  version  was  played  he  entered  "  as  intending 
to  speak  the  Epilogue  for  the  Tragedy,"  but  seeing  the 
characters  alive  he  breaks  off  into  another  Epilogue 
complaining  that  the  poet  has  spoiled  his  address,  and 
like  a  quack  physician  brought  back  all  his  characters 
to  life.  This  gave  occasion  for  some  good  business. 

p.  15.  THE  COMMITTEE.  This  capital  comedy  is 
probably  the  best  known  of  Sir  Robert  Howard's 
plays.  It  was  a  great  favourite  upon  the  stage,  and 
remained  for  at  least  a  century  in  the  repertory  of  the 
theatre.  Originally  produced  at  Vere  Street  in  1662, 
one  of  the  last  performances  was  at  Drury  Lane  in 
February,  1788.  As  a  proof  of  the  excellence  of  this 
comedy  even  to-day  the  political  satire  is  full  of  point 
and  may  be  thoroughly  enjoyed,  being  general  rather 
than  individual  and  particular.  On  Friday,  June  12, 
1663,  Pepys  took  his  wife  "to  the  Royall  Theatre; 
and  there  saw  '  The  Committee,'  a  merry  but  in 
different  play,  only  Lacey's  part,  an  Irish  footman,  is 
beyond  imagination."  On  Tuesday,  August  13,  1667, 
Pepys  again  saw  The  Committee.  "  I  do  now  find  it  a 
very  good  play,  and  a  great  deal  of  good  invention  in 
it ;  but  Lacey's  part  is  so  well  performed  that  it  would 


146  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

set  off  anything."  On  Monday,  O&ober  28,  1667, 
and  Friday,  May  15,  1668,  Pepys  records  two  more 
visits  to  this  comedy.  After  the  death  of  Lacy  he  was 
succeeded  in  the  part  of  the  Irish  footman,  Teague,  by 
Anthony  Leigh,  who  on  one  occasion  gave  great  offence 
to  King  James  II.  by  some  impudent  gag  which  he 
introduced  into  a  performance.  Obadiah  was  afted  by 
Underbill,  of  whom  there  is  a  portrait  in  this  character. 

On  May  9,  1797,  there  was  produced  at  Covent 
Garden  The  Honeft  Thieves,  a  farce  altered  from  The 
Committee  by  Thomas  Knight,  and  this  adaptation  was 
long  popular  in  the  theatre. 

p.  15.  LOVE  IN  A  MAZE.  The  Changes,  or,  Love  in  a 
Ma%e  may  be  accounted  one  of  Shirley's  liveliest 
comedies.  It  was  licensed  January  10,  1631-2,  but 
perhaps  this  should  be  January  10,  1630-1,  as  it  is  said 
to  have  been  "  presented  at  the  private  house  in  Salis 
bury  Court,  by  the  company  of  his  Majesty's  Revels,'* 
and  these  a&ors  left  Salisbury  Court  in  December, 
1631.  For  a  discussion  of  this  point,  see  Adam's 
Shakespearian  Playhouses,  pp.  376-8.  Of  this  play 
Langbaine  says  :  it  "  has  been  received  with  Success 
(as  I  said)  in  our  Time ;  and  as  I  remember,  the 
deceas'd  Mr.  IMCJ/  a&ed  Jonny  Thump,  Sir  Gervase 
Simples  Man,  with  general  Applause."  The  Changes 
was  produced  at  Vere  Street  on  Saturday,  May  17, 
1662,  and  on  the  following  Thursday  it  was  seen  by 
Pepys,  who  records  :  "  The  play  had  little  in  it  but 
Lacy's  part  of  a  country  fellow,  which  he  did  to  admira 
tion."  On  Wednesday,  June  10,  1663,  he  judged  that 
"  The  play  is  pretty  good,  but  the  life  of  the  play  is 
Lacy's  part,  the  clown,  which  is  most  admirable."  On 
Wednesday,  May  i,  1667,  he  judged  it  "  but  a  sorry 
play ;  only  Lacy's  clowne's  part  which  he  did  most 
admirably  indeed."  On  Friday,  February  7,  1667-8, 
he  thought  it  "  a  dull,  silly  play  "  ;  but  on  Tuesday, 
April  28,  1668,  he  records  :  "  To  the  King's  house, 
and  there  did  see  '  Love  in  a  Maze,'  wherein  very  good 
mirth  of  Lacy,  the  clown,  and  Wintersell,  the  country- 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  147 

knight,  his  master."  In  the  play  it  does  not  appear 
that  Thumpe's  name  was  Johnny,  and  it  seems  certain 
that  Lacy  introduced  a  considerable  amount  of  gag 
into  his  part,  since  as  it  Stands  in  the  printed  quarto 
Thumpe  is  but  a  very  small  role,  and  we  know  that 
the  a&or  was  much  given  to  exploiting  matter  of  his 
own.  It  was,  indeed,  this  habit  which  was  mainly 
responsible  for  the  trouble  that  took  place  over  the 
produ&ion  of  Edward  Howard's  play  The  Change  of 
Crowns,  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal,  Monday, 
April  1 5,  1667,  when  Lacy  "  did  aft  the  country  gentle 
man  come  up  to  court,  who  do  abuse  the  court  with  all 
the  imaginable  wit  and  plainness  about  selling  of  places 
and  doing  everything  for  money."  The  consequence 
was  that  the  a&or  was  put  under  restraint  and  the  house 
silenced.  Hence  considerable  trouble  ensued.  Pepys, 
who  saw  the  play,  gives  us  various  details,  and  there  is  a 
very  interesting  allusion  in  the  papers  belonging  to  the 
Fleming  family  of  Rydal  Hall,  Westmorland. 

"28  April,  1667.  Newsletter.  Lacy,  the  famous  comedian, 
is  at  length,  by  great  intercession,  released  from  his  durance 
under  the  groom  porter,  where  he  Stood  committed  by  his 
Majesty's  order  for  having  '  on  his  own  head  '  added  several 
indiscreet  expressions  in  the  part  he  afted  in  a  late  play  called 
'  The  Change  of  Crowns,'  writen  by  Mr.  Edward  Howard." 

p.  15.  THE  REHEARSAL.  The  first  performance  of 
Buckingham's  famous  burlesque  took  place  on  Decem 
ber  7,  1671,  at  the  Theatre  Royal.  Lacy,  who  created 
Bayes,  was  moSl  carefully  inStru&ed  in  all  his  business 
and  thoroughly  drilled  by  Buckingham  himself.  Bayes 
is  a  caricature  of  Dryden  with  various  Strokes  at  the 
Howards,  Davenant,  and  one  or  two  more  authors  of 
heroic  tragedy.  Dryden's  voice,  his  mode  of  dressing 
in  black  velvet,  his  gait  and  manners  were  all  carefully 
imitated.  Brilliant  as  was  the  satire,  and  immensely 
popular  as  the  play  proved,  it  by  no  means  put  an  end 
to  tragedy  in  rhyme.  Ourselves  we  can  appreciate  the 
wit  of  The  Rehearsal  without  abating  one  jot  of  our 


148  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

admiration  for  the  genius  of  the  great  poet  who  is 
parodied. 

Upon  the  Stage  The  Rehearsal  enjoyed  a  long  life, 
but  towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  we  find 
that  there  is  an  increasing  tendency  to  shorten  the  original 
piece.  Indeed  at  Covent  Garden  June  22,  1819, 
which  was  probably  one  of  the  last  performances  in  the 
continued  run,  The  Rehearsal  has  been  cut  down  to  a 
farce  of  a  single  aft.  For  a  full  theatrical  history  and 
an  account  of  some  similar  burlesques  see  the  Intro 
duction  to  my  edition  of  The  Rehearsal,  Shakespeare 
Head  Press,  1914. 

The  Rehearsal  was  revived  for  two  performances  in 
London,  July,  1925.  Although  no  production  of 
Buckingham's  play  could  fail  to  be  occasionally  amusing, 
this  revival  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  been  anything 
but  a  poor  piece  of  work. 

p.  1 6.  THE  CHEATS.  Scruple  in  The  Cheats; 
Thumpe  in  The  Changes,  or  Love  in  a  Ma%e  ;  Teague  in 
The  Committee  ;  and  Bayes  in  The  Rehearsal. 

p.  1 6.  MR.  CHARLES  KILLIGREW.  On  May  4,  1682, 
Articles  of  Union  were  signed  between  Charles  Killi- 
grew,  of  the  Theatre  Royal ;  and  Charles  Davenant, 
Thomas  Betterton  and  William  Smith,  of  the  Duke's 
Playhouse.  These  articles  are  given  in  extenso  by 
Fitzgerald,  A  New  Hitfory  of  the  English  Stage,  I., 
pp.  154-158.  The  united  companies  opened  at  the 
Theatre  Royal,  November  16,  1682. 

p.  1 6.  DAY  OF  His  DEATH.  Charles  Hart  retired 
to  his  country  house  at  Stanmore  Magna  in  Middlesex. 
He  died  here  of  stone  on  Saturday,  August  18,  1683, 
and  was  buried  August  20.  Luttrell,  Diary  I.,  62,  notes 
Thursday,  August  1 8,  but  that  day  was  Saturday. 

p.  1 6.  PENSION,  p.  39  Downes  says  that  Hart 
retired  "  Having  a  Sallary  of  40  Shillings  a  Week  to 
the  Day  of  his  Death."  This  appears  to  be  inaccurate. 
Hart  received  5-r.  every  a&ing  day  except  on  such  days 
as  the  younger  recruits  played  for  their  own  benefit. 

p.    1 6.     AMINTOR.     Thomas    Rymer,    in    his    The 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  149 

Tragedies  of  the  La  ft  Age  Considered,  1692,  writes  as 
follows  : 

"  We  may  remember  (however  we  find  this  scene  of  Mtlan- 
tbita  and  A.mintor  written  in  the  Book)  that  at  the  Theater  we  have 
a  good  Scene  A&ed  ;  there  is  work  cut  out,  and  both  our  JELsopiu 
and  Rosf/ta  are  on  the  Stage  together : — Whatever  defeft  may  be 
in  Amintor  and  Melantbim,  Mr.  Hart  and  Mr.  Mobun  are  wanting  in 
nothing.  To  these  we  owe  what  is  pleasing  in  the  Scene ;  and 
to  this  Scene  we  may  impute  the  success  of  the  Maids  Tragedy" 

In  An  "Elegy  On  that  Worthy  and  Famous  Aftor,  Mr. 
Charles  Harf,  a  broadside  of  which  perhaps  the  only 
surviving  copy  is  preserved  in  the  Luttrel  Collection 
in  the  British  Museum,  the  following  lines  occur  : 

Farewel !     Thou  Darling  of  Melpomene  ; 

The  Befl  but  Imitate,  None  Equal  Thee  : 

With  Thee  the  glory  of  the  Stage  is  fled, 

The  Heroe,  Lover,  both  with  HART  lie  dead  : 

Of  whom  all  speak,  when  of  His  Parts  they  tell, 

Not  as  of  Man,  but  some  great  Miracle, 

Such  Pow'r  He  had  o'r  the  Spectators  gain'd, 

As  forc'd  a  Real  Passion  from  a  Feign' d. 

For  when  they  saw  AMINTOR  bleed,  Strait  all 

The  House,  for  every  Drop,  a  Tear  let  fall ; 

And  when  ARBACES  wept  by  sympathy, 

A  flowing  Tide  of  Wo  gush'd  from  each  Eye. 

Then,  when  he  would  our  easie  Griefs  beguile 

Or  CELADON  or  PEREZ  made  us  smile  : 

Thus  our  Affe&ions  He  or  Raa'J,  or  Lay'd, 

Mirth,  Grief  and  Love  by  wondrous  Art  He  sway'd. 

p.  17.  AN  EMINENT  POET.  Said  to  be  Nathaniel 
Lee. 

p.  17.  GETTING  A  LICENSE.  That  John  Rhodes 
obtained  a  license  from  Monk  ("  the  then  Governing 
State  ")  is  more  than  doubtful,  although  Rhodes  cer 
tainly  had  got  together  a  company  which  was  playing 
at  the  Cockpit.  On  Easier  Monday,  April  23,  General 
Monk  and  his  Council  issued  an  order  forbidding 
theatrical  representations.  On  the  very  day  of  Monk's 
entry  into  London,  Saturday,  February  4,  Thomas 
Lillefton,  one  of  Rhodes'  principal  a&ors,  had  been 


D 


150  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

presented  before  the  Middlesex  Sessions,  "  charged  by 
Gervis  Jones  to  act  a  publique  stage-play  this  present 
4th  of  February  in  the  Cock-Pitt  in  Drury  Lane  .  .  . 
contrary  of  the  law."  He  was  bound  over  in  a  bail  of 
£80  to  appear  at  the  next  Session.  As  late  as  Saturday, 
May  12,  Anthony  Turner  and  Edward  Shatterell  were 
ordered  to  appear  "  for  the  unlawfull  mainteining  of 
Stage-playes  and  enterludes  att  the  Redd  Bull  in  S. 
John's  Street."  Moreover,  on  Saturday,  July  28, 
1660,  Rhodes  himself  was  fined  for  illegal  acting  at 
the  Cockpit.  Nevertheless,  soon  after  the  return  of 
Charles  II.  there  were  at  least  three  companies  giving 
performances  in  London ;  Rhodes  at  the  Cockpit ; 
Michael  Mohun  and  his  older  actors  at  the  Red  Bull ; 
and  a  third  troupe  at  Salisbury  Court. 

p.  1 8.  MR.  BETTERTON.  Of  Thomas  Betterton  the 
best  account  is  the  excellent  monograph  by  Robert  W. 
Lowe,  1891.  The  reader  must  be  warned  that  there 
are  errors  with  regard  to  the  exact  date  of  the  production 
of  plays,  but  these  can  be  largely  corrected  by  reference 
to  the  various  writings  of  Mr.  W.  J.  Lawrence  and  my 
own  editions  of  Restoration  dramatists. 

p.  1 8.  MR.  SHEPPY.  Thomas  Sheppey  was  one  of 
the  "  sharing  actors  "  when  Davenant's  company  was 
definitely  constituted,  and  May  19, 1688,  he  is  mentioned 
as  joining  the  royal  comedians  who  were  formed 
under  King  James  II.  His  name  very  rarely  occurs  in 
printed  casts. 

p.  1 8.  MR.  LOVEL.  Of  Thomas  Lovel  little  is 
known,  nor  does  it  appear  that  he  remained  long  upon 
the  stage,  although  since  he  was  given  such  parts  as 
Malvolio  and  Polonius  he  must  have  been  a  very 
capable  actor.  In  addition  to  the  roles  which  are 
mentioned  by  Downes  he  played  Money  in  Thomas 
Jordan's  Money  is  an  Ass,  and  Gracchus  in  Sir  Robert 
Stapylton's  tragi-comedy  The  Step  Mother,  which  was 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  winter  of 
1663  ;  probably  in  November,  as  this  play  was  licensed 
for  printing  December  26  of  that  year. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  151 

p.  1 8.  MR.  LILLISTON.  As  early  as  February  4, 
1659-60,  Thomas  Lilleston  was  arrested  for  playing 
wrongfully  at  the  Cockpit  or  Phoenix.  He  seems  to 
have  joined  Davenant's  company  shortly  after  this 
was  formed,  but  his  name  seldom  occurs,  and  then 
only  to  minor  roles,  nor  did  he  long  remain  upon  the 
stage. 

p.  1 8.  MR.  UNDERHILL.  Cave  Underbill  was  one 
of  the  most  celebrated  a&ors  of  his  time,  and  his  name 
appears  to  a  very  great  number  of  important  characters. 
In  Colley  Gibber's  Apology  the  following  lively  and 
detailed  account  of  this  performer  is  given  : 

"  Underbill  was  a  correct  and  natural  comedian  ;  his  particular 
excellence  was  in  chara&ers  that  may  be  called  Still-life, — I  mean 
the  Stiff,  the  heavy,  and  the  Stupid  :  to  these  he  gave  the  exa&est, 
and  most  expressive  colours,  and  in  some  of  them,  looked  as  if  it 
were  not  in  the  power  of  human  passions  to  alter  a  feature  of  him. 
In  the  solemn  formality  of  Obadiab,  in  the  '  Committee,'  and  in 
the  boobily  heviness  of  Lalpoop,  in  the  '  Squire  of  Alsatia,'  he 
seemed  the  imovable  log  he  Stood  for.  A  countenance  of  wood 
could  not  be  more  fixed  than  his,  when  the  blockhead  of  a  character 
required  it :  his  face  was  full  and  long ;  from  his  crown  to  the 
end  of  his  nose,  was  the  shorter  half  of  it,  so  that  the  disproportion 
of  his  lower  features,  when  soberly  composed,  with  an  unwander- 
ing  eye  hanging  over  them,  threw  him  into  the  moSl  lumpish 
moping  mortal,  that  ever  made  beholders  merry ;  not  but,  at 
other  times,  he  could  be  awakened  into  spirit  equally  ridiculous. 
In  the  coarse,  rustic  humour  of  Juftice  Clodpate,  in  '  Epsom  Wells,' 
he  was  a  delightful  brute  ;  and  in  the  blunt  vivacity  of  Sir  Samp 
son,  in  '  Love  for  Love,'  he  showed  all  the  true  perverse  spirit, 
that  is  commonly  seen  in  much  wit  and  ill-nature.  This  character 
is  one  of  those  few  so  well  written,  with  so  much  wit  and  humour, 
that  an  actor  must  be  the  grossest  dunce,  that  does  not  appear 
with  an  unusual  life  in  it :  but  it  will  Still  show  as  great  a  propor 
tion  of  skill,  to  come  near  Underbill  in  the  acting  it,  which  (not 
to  undervalue  those  who  soon  came  after  him)  I  have  not  yet 
seen.  He  was  particularly  admired,  too,  for  the  Gravedigger,  in 
'  Hamlet.'  The  author  of  the  '  Tatler  '  recommends  him  to  the 
favour  of  the  town,  upon  that  play's  being  a&ed  for  his  benefit, 
wherein,  after  his  age  had  some  years  obliged  him  to  leave  the 
Stage,  he  came  on  again,  for  that  day,  to  perform  his  old  part ; 
but,  alas  !  so  worn  and  disabled,  as  if  himself  was  to  have  kin 
in  the  grave  he  was  digging.  When  he  could  no  more  excite 
laughter,  his  infirmities  were  dismissed  with  pity.  He  died  soon 
after,  a  superannuated  pensioner,  in  the  list  of  those  who  were 


152  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

supported  by  the  joint  sharers,  under  the  firSl  patent  granted  to 
Sir  Richard  Steele." 

This  patent,  which  is  alluded  to  by  Gibber,  was 
granted  to  Sir  Richard  Steele  on  January  19,  1714. 
There  are  various  allusions  to  Underbill  in  the  Tatler. 
On  Monday,  May  30,  1709,  he  is  particularly  corn- 
mended  as  one  "  who  has  been  a  Comick  for  three 
Generations."  His  laft  performance  at  Drury  Lane 
was  on  May  12,  1710,  when  he  a£ed  his  original  role, 
Trincalo  in  The  Tempeft.  But  on  August  26  of  the 
same  year  he  played  at  Greenwich. 

p.  1 8.  MR.  TURNER.  Of  Robert  Turner  little  is 
known.  In  Sir  Robert  Stapylton's  The  Slighted  Maid, 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  early  in  1662-3,  b-e 
played  Joan,  "  a  fat  merry  hostess."  A  little  later  he 
appears  to  have  joined  one  of  the  smaller  companies, 
probably  the  Duke  of  Monmouth's  players,  whose 
manager  was  Edward  Bedford.  John  Perin  was  some 
time  a  member  of  this  troop,  and  in  May,  1669,  Sir 
Henry  Herbert  brought  a  case  againft  Perin,  Jacob 
Hall  and  Robert  Turner. 

p.  1 8.  MR.  DIXON.  James  Dixon  played  such  minor 
characters  as  Rosencrantz  in  Hamlet. 

p.  jt8.  ROBERT  NOKES.  The  name  was  originally 
Noke,  but,  as  Malone  says,  it  was  a  very  common 
pra&ice  to  add  the  letter  "  s  "  to  names,  particularly  if 
these  ended  in  a  vowel.  Thus  we  have  indifferently 
Reeve  or  Reeves.  Both  Robert  and  James  Nokes  were 
sharing  actors.  Robert  was  the  elder,  and  James,  the 
celebrated  comedian,  who  at  firSl  played  female  parts, 
was  the  younger  brother.  Thus  in  The  Slighted  Maid 
Robert  afted  Gioseppe ;  and  James  Menanthe,  "  An 
impudent  Cheat,  a  Greek  Impofiress,  who  takes  upon  her 
to  be  mother  to  Leandra,"  the  younger  daughter  of 
the  Prince  of  Bulgarie.  In  The  Step  Mother,  pro 
duced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  winter  of  1663, 
Licensed  December  26  of  that  year,  Robert  played 
Sergius. 

James  Nokes  was  the  original  Mr.  Puny,  "  A  young, 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  IJ3 

rich,  brisk  Fop,"  a  good  chara&er  in  Cowley's  Cutter 
of  Coleman-Street,  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in 
December,  1661.  In  the  early  spring,  March- April, 
1664,  he  won  great  applause  as  Sir  Nicholas  Cully  in 
Etherege's  first  play,  The  Comical  Revenge,  or,  Love  in  a 
Tub,  but  the  character  which  entirely  established  his 
reputation  as  the  leading  comedian  of  the  day  was  the 
title-role  in  Dryden's  Sir  Martin  Marratt,  produced  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  Thursday,  August  15,  1667. 
James  Nokes  created  a  great  many  characters  of  the 
first  importance  in  the  popular  comedies  of  the  time. 
He  was  generally  the  foolish  old  man  or  silly  husband, 
such  as  old  Jorden  in  Ravenscroft's  The  Citizen  Turtfd 
Gentleman,  produced  at  Dorset  Garden,  July,  1672  ; 
Bubble  in  D'Urfey's  A  Fond  Husband,  Dorset  Garden, 
'summer  of  1676;  old  Gripe  in  Otway's  farce,  The 
Cheats  of  Scapin,  Duke's  Theatre,  December,  1676  ; 
Sir  Davy  Dunce  in  The  Souldiers  Fortune,  Dorset 
Garden,  early  in  1679-80 ;  Gomez  in  The  Spanish 
Fryar,  Dorset  Garden,  March,  1679-80 ;  Alderman 
Doodle  in  Ravenscroft's  The  London  Cuckolds,  Dorset 
Garden,  November,  1681.  He  also  played  the  clumsy 
and  awkward  fops,  such  as  Sir  Arthur  Addel  in  Caryl's 
Sir  Salomon,  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  1669  ;  Sir  Credulous 
Easy  in  Mrs.  Behn's  Sir  Patient  Fancy,  Dorset  Garden, 
January,  1677-8;  Sir  Mannerly  Shallow,  "A  foolish 
country  knight,"  in  Crowne's  The  Countrey  Witt 
Dorset  Garden,  January,  1675-6 ;  and  very  many 
more.  It  may  be  remarked  that  he  acted  some 
three  or  four  parts  of  doting  and  ridiculous  old  women. 
In  Nevil  Payne's  tragedy,  The  Fatal  Jealousie,  produced 
at  Dorset  Garden  early  in  August,  1672,  he  appeared 
as  the  Nurse.  Doubtless  this  performance  suggested 
that  he  should  also  pky  Lavinia's  Nurse  in  Otway's 
Caius  Marita,  that  is  to  say  Borneo  and  Juliet  dressed  in 
Roman  clothes.  This  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden 
in  the  autumn  (probably  October)  of  1679,  an<^  tnese 
two  roles  won  for  Nokes  the  nickname  "  Nurse  Nokes." 
In  the  autumn  of  1679  at  Dorset  Garden  Nokes 


154  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

appeared  in  D'Urfey's  The  Virtuous  Wife,  or,  Good 
Luck  at  Latf,  when  he  sustained  Lady  Beardly,  "  an 
amorous  impertinent  old  Woman,  one  that  has  buried 
three  Husbands,  yet  Still  very  desirous  to  be  courted." 
During  the  spring  of  1685-6  D'Urfey's  The  Banditti, 
or,  A.  Indies  Dittress  was  given  at  Drury  Lane  with 
Nokes  as  Megaera,  wife  to  Leon,  the  Captain  of  the 
Banditti.  Gremia,  the  complaisant  aunt  of  Levia,  the 
courtezan,  in  Shadwell's  The  Amorous  Bigotte,  produced 
at  Drury  Lane  in  the  spring  of  1689-90,  was  probably 
Nokes'  last  female  role.  Nokes,  who  seems  to  have 
acquired  a  comfortable  fortune  upon  the  Stage,  accord 
ing  to  Tom  Browne,  also  kept  a  toy  shop.  In  a 
satire  circa  1682-3  there  are  allusions  to  the  foreman 
of  Nokes'  shop,  and  in  Tom  Brown's  Letter  of  News 
from  Mr.  Joseph  Haines,  of  Merry  Memory  to  his  Friends 
at  Will's  Coffee-House,  December  21,  1701,  Nokes  is 
made  to  say :  "  For  my  part,  I  keep  a  nicknackatory, 
or  toy-shop,  as  I  formerly  did  over  against  the  Exchange, 
and  turn  a  sweet  penny  by  it."  The  Protefiant  Mercury, 
September  9,  1696,  has  :  "  London,  Sept.  9.  Last  night 
dyed  Mr.  Noaks,  the  famous  Comedian,  some  miles  out 
of  town,  and  'tis  said  has  left  a  considerable  Estate, 
tho'  he  has  not  frequented  the  Playhouse  constantly  for 
some  years."  The  personal  estate  was  over  £1,500. 
Cibber  gives  us  the  following  description  of  this 
actor: 

"  His  person  was  of  the  middle  size ;  his  voice  clear,  and 
audible ;  his  natural  countenance  grave,  and  sober ;  but  the 
moment  he  spoke,  the  settled  seriousness  of  his  features  was 
utterly  discharged,  and  a  dry,  drolling,  or  laughing  levity  took 
such  full  possession  of  him,  that  I  can  only  refer  the  idea  of  his 
to  your  imagination.  In  some  of  his  low  characters,  that  became 
it,  he  had  a  shuffling  shamble  in  his  gait,  with  so  contented  an 
ignorance  in  his  aspeft,  and  an  awkward  absurdity  in  his  gesture, 
that  had  you  not  known  him,  you  could  not  believe  that,  naturally, 
he  could  have  a  grain  of  common  sense." 

p.  1 8.  MR.  ANGEL.  Edward  Angel,  originally  an 
a&or  of  female  parts,  became  a  very  popular  low 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  155 

comedian  during  the  decade  after  the  Restoration. 
He  succeeded  Price  as  Dufoy  in  The  Comical  Revenge, 
and  created  Stephano  in  The  Tempeft;  that  is  to  say, 
in  the  alteration  by  Dryden  and  Davenant  The  Tempefl, 
or,  The  Enchanted  Island,  which  was  produced  at  Lin 
coln's  Inn  Fields  on  Thursday,  Novembe  ry,  1657, 
but  he  could  not  have  played  this  role,  the  operatic 
version  of  The  Tempett  produced  in  the  spring  (probably 
April  30),  1674,  as  it  is  almost  certain  that  he  died  during 
1673.  Angel  was  greatly  addifted  to  gag,  and  in  her 
Epi§tle  to  the  Reader  before  The  Dutch  Lover,  4to,  1673, 
Mrs.  Behn  complains  :  "  My  Dutch  Lover  spoke  but 
little  of  what  I  intended  for  him,  but  supplied  it  with 
a  great  deal  of  idle  stuff,  which  I  was  wholly  un 
acquainted  with  until  I  heard  it  first  from  him."  She 
goes  on  to  say  that  she  would  have  abused  him  roundly 
had  it  not  been  for  the  fa&  that  he  had  died  since  the 
production  of  the  play.  This  comedy  was  given  at 
Dorset  Garden  in  February,  1672-3,  and  as  Angel's 
name  does  not  appear  after  this  date  it  is  almost  certain 
that  it  was  he  who  took  the  part  of  Haunce  van  Ezel, 
the  Dutch  fop.  Probably  his  last  appearance  was  as 
de  Boastado  in  Ravenscroft's  The  Careless  Lovers,  given 
at  Dorset  Garden  in  March,  1673.  In  his  colle&ion 
A  Little  Ark  Mr.  G.  Thorn-Drury  has  reprinted  "  An 
Elegy,  Upon  that  Incomparable  Comedian,  Mr.  Edward 
Angell."  Although  the  original  small-folio  broadside 
bears  no  date,  it  may  be  assigned  to  1673. 

p.  1 8.  WILLIAM  BETTERTON.  His  name  occurs  in 
the  official  lists,  but  beyond  what  we  are  told  by  Downes 
nothing  is  known  of  this  a&or,  the  younger  brother  of 
the  famous  Thomas  Betterton. 

p.  1 8.  MR.  MOSELY.  John  Mosely  was  a  sharing 
a&or,  but  save  for  this  detail  we  are,  for  our  knowledge 
both  of  Mosely  and  of  Floid,  almost  entirely  indebted  to 
the  Roscius  Anglicanus.  Floid  played  so  small  a  role  as 
Francisco  in  Hamlet. 

p.  1 8.  THE  LOYAL  SUBJECT.  By  a  warrant,  Decem 
ber  12,  1660,  which  is  marked,  "  Sr  Will.  Dauenant 


156  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

A£Hng  Playes,"  he  is  granted  two  months'  right  in 
"  The  Mad  Lover,  The  Mayd  in  Ye  Mill,  the  Spanish 
Curate  the  Loyall  Subject  Rule  a  Wife  and  haue  a  Wife 
and  Persiles  Prince  of  Tyre."  Pepys  saw  The  Lqya/ 
Subjeft  on  Saturday,  August  18,  1660,  when  he  notes 
Captain  Ferrers 

"  after  dinner  took  me  and  Creed  to  the  Cockpitt  play,  the  first 
that  I  have  time  to  see  since  my  coming  from  sea,  '  The  Loyall 
SubjecV  where  one  KinaSlon,  a  boy,  afted  the  Duke's  sister, 
but  made  the  lovliest  lady  that  ever  I  saw  in  my  life,  only  her 
voice  not  very  good.  After  the  play  done,  we  three  went  to 
drink,  and  by  Captain  Ferrers  means,  Kinaston  and  another  that 
a&ed  Archas,  the  General,  came  and  drank  with  us." 

Betterton  played  Archas  ;  the  Duke's  sister  is  named 
Olympia ;  Theodore,  son  to  Archas,  was  afted  by 
Sheppey.  In  a  list  by  Sir  Henry  Herbert  The  Loyal 
Subjeft  appears  among  the  plays  adted  in  February, 
1660-1,  and  it  appears  to  have  remained  in  the  repertory 
until  the  union  of  the  two  Companies.  It  was  revived 
at  Drury  Lane,  July  25,  1705,  when  it  was  said  to  have 
been  "  Not  adted  20  years,"  which  is  very  possibly 
correct.  At  the  Haymarket,  January  3,  1706,  was 
played  a  very  poor  alteration  "  written  by  a  Young 
Lady."  In  the  Dedication  she  complained  that  the 
aftors  cut  and  "  changed  everything,"  and  indeed  her 
efforts  are  so  superfluous  that  it  is  a  wonder  the  issue 
ever  found  its  way  upon  the  stage.  Nevertheless,  it 
was  given  three  times,  and  in  this  rehash  Betterton 
acied  Marus,  the  Faithful  General. 

p.  1 8.  MAID  IN  THE  MILL.  This  excellent  comedy 
was  seen  by  Pepys  on  Tuesday,  January  29,  1660-1. 
He  notes  :  "  We  three  went  to  Blackfryers  (the  first 
time  I  ever  was  there  since  plays  begun),  and  there 
after  great  patience  and  little  expectation,  from  so  poor 
beginning  I  saw  three  a&s  of  '  The  Mayd  in  ye  Mill ' 
a£ted  to  my  great  content." 

Sir  Henry  Herbert  notes  a  performance  of  The  Maid 
in  the  Mill  in  March,  1661,  and  on  Easter  Tuesday, 
April  i,  1662,  Pepys  records  :  "To  the  playhouse,  the 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  157 

Opera,  and  saw  *  The  Mayde  in  the  Mill,'  a  pretty  good 
play."  On  Thursday,  September  10,  1668,  he  has 
"  at  the  Duke's  play-house,  and  there  saw  '  The  Maid 
in  the  Mill,*  revived — a  pretty,  harmless  old  play." 
Langbaine,  writing  in  1691,  says  :  "  This  Play  amongst 
others  has  likewise  been  reviv'd  by  the  Duke's  House." 
It  seems  not  unfrequently  to  have  been  given  with 
much  applause,  and  on  March  23,  1710,  at  Drury  Lane 
we  find  that  Miss  Santlow  was  a&ing  Florimel,  a  part 
which  must  have  suited  her  most  excellently.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  this  role  was  once  played  by 
James  Nokes. 

p.  1 8.  THE  WILD  GOOSE  CHASE.  This  play  was 
afterwards  assigned  to  Killigrew,  and  on  Saturday, 
January  n,  1668,  Pepys  notes:  "To  the  King's 
house  there  to  see  '  The  Wild  Goose  Chase,'  which  I 
never  saw,  but  have  long  longed  to  see  it,  being  a 
famous  play."  For  the  next  five  and  twenty  years 
The  Wild  Goose  Chase  kept  its  place — although  not 
very  prominently — in  the  repertory,  but  at  the  be 
ginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  it  fell  into  the  back 
ground,  since  in  February  or  March,  1702,  there  was 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  The  Inconstant,  or,  The  Way  to 
Win  Him,  by  Farquhar,  the  first  four  a&s  of  which  are 
borrowed  wholesale  from  Fletcher's  comedy.  Farquhar 
kept  the  stage  until  the  nineteenth  century.  At  Drury 
Lane,  March  7,  1747,  "  Never  afted  there,"  The  Wild 
Goose  Chase  was  given  for  the  benefit  of  Kitty  Clive. 
In  July,  1925,  The  Wild  Goose  Chase  was  revived  for 
two  performances  by  the  Renaissance  Theatre. 

p.  1 8.  THE  SPANISH  CURATE.  This  play  was  also 
a&ed  by  Killigrew's  Company  in  Vere  Street,  where 
it  was  given  on  Friday,  December  20,  1661.  On 
Saturday,  March  16,  1660-1,  Pepys  has  :  "  To  White- 
friars  and  saw  '  The  Spanish  Curate,'  in  which  I  had 
no  great  content."  On  Wednesday,  January  i, 
1 66 1-2,  Pepys  again  saw  this  comedy,  and  on  Monday, 
May  17,  1669,  he  records:  "By  coach  to  the  King's 
play-house,  and  saw  '  The  Spanish  Curate '  revived 


Ij8  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

which  is  a  pretty  good  play."  Langbaine  notes  that 
this  comedy  is  "  frequently  reviv'd  with  general 
Applause."  On  November  17,  1722,  The  Spanish 
Curate  was  given  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  and  found 
much  favour.  Cut  down  to  a  farce  it  was  produced 
at  Drury  Lane,  October  19,  1749.  Again  altered  as  an 
afterpiece  it  was  seen  at  Co  vent  Garden,  May  10,  1783. 
Such  variants  may,  however,  be  deemed  negligible. 
There  was,  however,  a  more  reasonable  adaptation 
produced  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre  in  1840,  which 
proved  highly  attractive.  Of  more  recent  years  this 
capital  play  seems  to  have  been  entirely  negledted. 

p.  1 8.  THE  MAD  LOVER.  On  Saturday,  Feb 
ruary  9,  1660-1,  Pepys  writes :  "  To  Whitefriars 
to  the  Play-house,  and  saw  '  The  Mad  Lover/  the 
first  time  I  ever  saw  it  a&ed,  which  I  liked  pretty  well." 
On  Monday,  December  2,  1661,  he  records :  "  By 
coach  to  the  Opera,  to  see  *  The  Mad  Lover,'  but  not 
much  pleased  with  the  play."  On  Thursday,  Feb 
ruary  1 8, 1668-9,  he  notes :  "  After  dinner  my  wife  and 
I  to  the  Duke  of  York's  house,  to  a  play  and  there  saw 
*  The  Mad  Lover '  which  do  not  please  me  so  well  as 
it  used  to  do,  only  Betterton's  part  Still  pleases  me." 
This  play  does  not  seem  to  have  remained  in  the 
repertory. 

p.  1 8.  PERICLES.  Shakespeare's  drama,  in  spite  of 
the  fad  that  Downes  praises  Betterton  in  the  title- 
role,  after  a  very  few  performances  at  the  Restoration 
seems  entirely  to  have  vanished  from  the  stage.  A 
rapid  adaptation  by  George  Lillo  entitled  Marina,  in 
three  a&s,  partly  in  blank  verse  and  partly  in  prose, 
was  produced  at  Covent  Garden,  August  i,  1738,  and 
printed,  8vo,  in  the  same  year.  In  1854  Phelps  revived 
Pericles  in  a  version  of  his  own  at  Covent  Garden,  an 
alteration  which  cannot  but  have  been  for  the  worse. 
Of  more  recent  years  Pericles  has  been  given  at  the 
"  Old  Vic,"  and  we  remember  with  great  pleasure  an 
excellent  performance  of  this  extremely  fine  romantic 
drama. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  159 

p.  1 8.  A  WIFE  FOR  A  MONTH.  This  tragi-comedy 
did  not  pass  into  the  theatrical  repertory,  and  it  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  given  after  April,  1669. 
Writing  thirty  years  later  Langbaine  says :  "  This 
Play  is  in  my  poor  Judgment  well  worth  reviving,  and 
with  the  alteration  of  a  judicious  Pen,  would  be  an 
excellent  Dramma."  It  is  very  clear,  however,  that 
the  original  play  requires  no  such  alteration,  and  any 
variant  were  not  an  improvement.  In  1697  there  was 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  an  alteration  by  Thomas  Scott 
entitled  The  Unhappy  Kindness,  or,  A  Fruitless  Revenge, 
which,  as  GenesTt  well  says,  "  Is  only  a  very  bad  altera 
tion  of  a  very  good  play."  In  his  Preface  Scott  tells 
us  that  it  met  with  little  encouragement  and  was  given 
to  thin  houses.  The  Eiographia  Dramatica  mentions  a 
further  alteration  entitled  Evanthe,  "  Never  afted  or 
printed."  The  MS.  was  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Stephen  Jones  (1812). 

p.  1 8.  RULE  WIFE.  As  has  been  noted  before 
this  play  before  long  became  the  property  of  Killigrew's 
company,  but  it  was  revived  after  the  union  in  1682. 

p.  1 8.  THE  TAMER  TAM'D.  The  Woman's  Pri^e, 
or,  The  Tamer  Tamed  may  be  considered  as  a  sequel  to 
The  Taming  of  the  Shrew,  and  is  regarded  as  an  excellent 
old  comedy.  On  Tuesday,  Oftober  30,  1660,  Pepys 
notes  :  "I  went  to  the  Cockpit  all  alone,  and  there 
saw  a  very  fine  play  called  '  The  Tamer  Tamed,'  very 
well  a&ed."  The  Tamer  Tamed  long  remained  a  great 
favourite,  and  from  time  to  time  various  performances 
are  recorded.  Thus  it  was  played  at  Vere  Street  on 
Monday,  December  23,  1661,  and  at  Drury  Lane, 
December  8,  1674.  Among  the  Fleming  papers  is  a 
note,  "  10  November,  1668.  A  play,  The  Tanner 
Tanned  (The  Tamer  Tamed)  is  appointed  for  this 
evening  in  the  new  theatre  at  Whitehall."  The  Tamer 
Tamed  was  one  of  the  plays  which  in  January,  1668-9, 
was  assigned  as  the  sole  property  of  Killigrew.  It 
kept  the  Stage  for  some  thirty  years,  but  during  the 
eighteenth  century  it  seems  to  have  been  revived  but 


l6o  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

once — and  then  cut  down  to  an  afterpiece — for  as  such 
it  was  given  at  Drury  Lane,  April  30,  1757. 

p.  1 8.  THE  UNFORTUNATE  LOVERS.  This  is  perhaps 
the  best  tragedy  from  the  pen  of  Sir  William  Davenant. 
It  was  licensed  April  16,  1638,  and  much  liked  both 
at  Court  and  in  the  theatre.  It  occurs  among  a  lift  of 
plays  a&ed  at  the  Red  Bull  immediately  after  the 
Restoration,  and  it  was  given  at  Vere  Street,  Monday, 
November  19,  1660.  As  was  natural,  Davenant  soon 
claimed  the  monopoly  of  his  popular  tragedy,  which 
remained  a  Stock  play.  On  Monday,  March  7,  1663-4, 
Pepys  records,  "  My  wife  and  I  by  coach  to  the  Duke's 
House,  where  we  saw  '  The  Unfortunate  Lovers ; ' 
but  I  know  not  whether  I  am  grown  more  curious 
than  I  was  or  no,  but  I  was  not  much  pleased  with  it, 
though  I  know  not  where  to  lay  the  fault,  unless  it 
was  that  the  house  was  very  empty,  by  reason  of  a  new 
play  at  the  other  house."  On  Wednesday,  April  8, 
1668,  he  notes,  "  With  Lord  Brouncker  to  the  Duke 
of  York's  play-house,  where  we  saw  '  The  Unfortunate 
Lovers,'  no  extraordinary  play,  me  thinks."  And  again 
on  Thursday,  December  3,  1668,  he  has,  "  With  my 
wife  to  the  Duke  of  York's  play-house,  and  saw  '  The 
Unfortunate  Lovers  ; '  a  mean  play,  I  think,  but  some 
parts  very  good  and  excellently  a&ed."  We  do  not 
know  which  aftress  succeeded  KynaSton  as  Arthiopa, 
but  it  is  particularly  Slated  in  the  Elegy  on  the  death  of 
Edward  Angel  (1673)  that  this  a&or  was  famous  in  the 
part  of  Friskin,  the  comic  tailor.  A  couplet  runs  as 
follows : 

Adieu,  dear  Frukin  :  Unfort'nate  Lovers  weep, 
Your  mirth  is  fled,  and  now  i'  th'  Grave  mu$l  sleep. 

p.  1 8.  AGLAURA.  This  play  by  Sir  John  Suckling 
was  originally  ailed  at  the  Blackfriars,  and  printed 
folio,  1638.  Langbaine  writes  :  "This  Play  is  much 
priz'd  at  this  Day,  and  has  this  Remarkable,  That  the 
laft  Aft  is  so  altered,  that  'tis  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
Aftors,  to  make  it  a  Tragedy,  or  Tragi-Comedy : 
which  was  so  well  approv'd  of  by  that  Excellent  Poet 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  l6l 

Sir  Robert  Howard,  that  he  has  followed  this  President 
in  his  Vetfal  Virgin"  On  Thursday,  February  27, 
1662,  "  Aglavara  the  Tragicall  Way "  was  given  at 
Vere  Street.  This  drama  proved  very  popular,  and 
on  Wednesday,  September  24,  1662,  amongst  other 
gossip  he  was  told  "  how  [Theophilus]  Bird  hath 
lately  broke  his  leg,  while  he  was  fencing  in  '  Aglaura,' 
upon  the  stage."  The  scene  alluded  to  is  probably 
the  commencement  of  Aft  V.,  the  fight  between 
Ariaspes  and  Ziriff,  although  it  is  not  recorded  which 
of  these  characters  was  played  by  Bird.  Although 
Pepys  bears  witness  to  the  long-continued  popularity 
of  Suckling's  play,  he  himself  for  some  reason  did  not 
like  it.  Friday,  January  10,  1667-8,  he  notes  that  he 
went  to  the  Theatre  Royal,  Bridges  Street,  "  to  see 
'  Aglaura,'  which  hath  been  always  mightily  cried  up  ; 
and  so  I  went  with  mighty  expectation,  but  do  find 
nothing  extraordinary  in  it  at  all,  and  but  hardly  good 
in  any  degree." 

p.  1 8.  CHANGLING.  On  the  flyleaf  facing  his 
copy  of  this  tragedy  by  Middleton  and  Rowley,  4to, 
1653,  an  exemplar  now  in  the  Bodleian,  Malone  has 
written :  "  Licensed  to  be  a&ed  by  the  Lady  FJiza- 
beth's  Servants  at  the  Phoenix,  May  7,  1622."  When 
revived  immediately  after  the  Restoration  on  Saturday, 
February  23,  1660-1,  this  fine  drama  proved  extremely 
popular.  The  first  performance  of  the  revival  was  seen 
by  Pepys,  who  notes  under  the  foregoing  date  :  "  Then 
by  water  to  Whitefriars  to  the  Play-house,  and  there 
saw  '  The  Changeling,'  the  first  time  it  hath  been  a&ed 
these  twenty  years,  and  it  takes  exceedingly."  It 
does  not,  however,  seem  to  have  established  itself  in 
the  theatrical  repertory.  Betterton  is  traditionally  said 
to  have  given  a  very  great  interpretation  of  De  Flores, 
and  Sheppey  was  famous  as  the  pretended  simpleton, 
Antonio,  from  which  character  the  name  Tony,  as 
meaning  a  fool,  is  thought  to  have  been  derived. 

p.  1 8.  BONDMAN.  The  Noble  Bondman  :  "Written 
by  Philip  Messenger,  gent."  was  licensed  December  3, 


l6z  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

1623,  and  entered  on  the  Stationers'  register  March  12, 

1624.  There  were  few  plays  more  popular  when  it 
was  revived  immediately  after  the  Restoration,  and  it 
was  seen  at  least  half  a  dozen  times  by  Pepys,  who 
waxes  eloquent  on  the  afting  of  Betterton  in  the  role 
of   Pisander,    disguised    as    the    Bondman    Marullo. 
Friday,  March  i,  1660-1,  Pepys  writes  :   "  I  to  White- 
fryars,  and  saw  '  The  Bondman  '  afted  ;    an  excellent 
play  and  well  done.     But  above  all  that  ever  I  saw 
Betterton  do  the  bondman  the  beSl."    Not  many  days 
later,  Tuesday,  March  19,  of  the  same  year  we  have 
"  Mr.  Creed  and  I  to  White-Fryars,  where  we  saw 
'  The  Bondman '  a&ed  most  excellently,  and  though 
I  have  seen  it  often,  yet  I  am  every  time  more  and  more 
pleased  with  Betterton's  a&ion."     Less  than  a  week 
later,  Monday,  March  26,  1661,  he  sat  in  the  pit  at 
Salisbury  Court  "  and  saw  '  The  Bondman '  done  to 
admiration."     Wednesday,  April  2,  1662,  he  writes  : 
"  My  wife  and  I  by  water  to  the  Opera,  and  there  saw 
'  The  Bondman  '  moSt  excellently  afted  ;   and  though 
we  had  seen  it  so  often,  yet  I  never  liked  it  better  than 
to-day,   lanthe   acting   Cleora's   part  very   well   now 
Roxalana  is  gone."     lanthe  is  Mrs.  Betterton,  whom 
Pepys  thus  named  from  her  performance  of  that  part 
in  Davenant's  The  Siege  of  Rhodes,  whilst  Pepys'  Roxa 
lana   (Roxolana)   is   Mrs.    Davenport   of  Davenant's 
company,  from  her  performance  of  the  role  of  the 
Sultana  in  this  same  play.     Thursday,  July  28,  1664, 
Pepys  again  saw  The  Bondman,  "  It  is  true,  for  want  of 
practice,  they  had  many  of  them  forgot  their  parts  a 
little ;    but  Betterton  and  my  poor  lanthe  out  do  all 
the  world.     There  is  nothing  more  taking  in  the  world 
with  me  than  that  play."     The  Bondman  seems  to  have 
fallen  out  of  the  repertory  some  few  years  before  the 
union  of  1682.     At  any  rate,  when  it  was  revived 
during  the  summer  season  at  Drury  Lane,  June  8, 
1719,  it  had  been  entirely  forgotten  that  Betterton 
made  so  great  a  success  as  Pisander,  for  it  was  very 
mistakenly  said  that  this  drama  had  not  been  revived 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  165 

since  the  reign  of  Charles  I.  The  error  is  curious, 
for  John  Bowman,  who  knew  Betterton  intimately 
and  had  a&ed  with  him  for  many  years,  was  playing 
Diphilus  in  1719.  On  this  occasion  some  slight 
alterations  for  the  worse  were  made,  and  a  second 
title,  Love  and  Liberty,  was  added.  Gifford  records 
in  a  note  on  The  Bondman,  "  In  1779  a  modification  of 
it  was  produced  by  Mr.  Cumberland,  and  played  for  a 
few  nights  at  Co  vent  Garden  (first  given  13  October, 
1779)  but,  as  it  appears,  with  no  extraordinary 
encouragement.  It  was  not  printed."  These  tire 
some  alterations  dealt  in  the  main  with  the  comic 
scenes,  which  it  was  remarked  in  The  Universal  Magazine, 
October,  1774,  were  prepared  "  for  the  refined  taSte  of 
modern  times." 

p.  1 8.  THE  MAD  LOVER.  Memnon,  the  General  of 
Paphos. 

p.  1 8.  THE  PRINCESS.  Calis,  sifter  to  the  King  of 
Paphos. 

p.  19.  ISMENIA.  In  The  Maid  in  the  Mill  Ismenia  is 
beloved  by  Antonio ;  her  rival  is  Aminta,  a  part 
played  by  William  Betterton ;  whilst  Florimel,  sup 
posed  to  be  the  miller's  daughter,  was  a£ted  by  James 
Nokes. 

p.  19.  A  COMPLEAT  FEMALE  STAGE  BEAUTY.  Colley 
Gibber,  in  Chapter  V.  of  his  Apology,  originally  pub 
lished  in  1740,  has  a  famous  passage  : — 

"  KynaSlon  at  that  time  was  so  beautiful  a  youth,  that  the  ladies 
of  quality  prided  themselves  in  taking  him  with  them  in  their 
coaches  to  Hyde  Park,  in  his  theatrical  habit,  after  the  play ; 
which  in  those  days  they  might  have  sufficient  time  to  do,  because 
plays  then  were  used  to  begin  at  four  o'clock ;  the  hour  that 
people  of  the  same  rank  are  now  going  to  dinner.  Of  this  truth, 
I  had  the  curiosity  to  inquire,  and  had  it  confirmed  from  his  own 
mouth,  in  his  advanced  age." 

p.  19.  A  PATENT.  In  July,  1660,  Davenant  and 
Killigrew  joined  forces  to  secure  a  monopoly  of  the 
London  theatres,  to  institute  two  companies,  and 
suppress  all  rivals.  After  some  few  preliminaries  on 
August  21,  the  following  patents  were  formally  issued 


164  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

under  the  privy  signet  granting  them  the  powers  for 
which  they  had  asked.  Their  plan  had  already  brought 
them  into  collision  with  Sir  Henry  Herbert,  the  Master 
of  the  Revela  under  Charles  L,  who  was  asserting  his 
authority  over  the  three  companies  then  severally 
playing  at  the  Cockpit,  the  Red  Bull,  and  Salisbury 
Court.  Shortly  a  troupe,  His  Majesty's  Comedians, 
including  Hart,  Mohun,  Clun,  Cartwright  and  others 
from  the  Red  Bull,  as  well  as  Betterton  and  Kynaston  of 
Rhodes'  Cockpit  players,  was  formed,  and  these  com 
menced  to  play  on  Monday,  Oftober  8,  1660,  at  the 
Cockpit  in  Drury  Lane.  Herbert  in  vain  tried  to 
proceed  against  them  at  common  law,  but  the  arrange 
ment  was  merely  temporary,  for  the  company  divided 
into  two,  Killigrew  taking  as  his  aftors  the  older  mem 
bers,  who  from  Monday,  November  5,  to  Wednesday, 
November  7,  appeared  at  the  Red  Bull,  and  on  Thursday, 
November  8,  opened  at  the  new  Theatre  Royal, 
Gibbon's  Tennis  Court,  Vere  Street,  with  Henry  IV. 
On  Monday,  November  5 ,  Davenant's  company  opened 
at  Salisbury  Court,  and  rather  more  than  seven  months 
later,  in  June,  1661  (probably  on  Friday,  June  28),  they 
gave  the  first  performance  at  the  Duke's  Playhouse 
(Lisle's  Tennis  Court),  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields. 

p/2o.  MR.  HARRIS.  The  agreement  of  Monday, 
November  5,  1660,  is  tripartite,  between  Sir  William 
Davenant ;  the  a&ors  (Thomas  Betterton,  Thomas 
Sheppey,  Robert  Nokes,  James  Nokes,  Thomas  Lovel, 
John  Mosely,  Cave  Underbill,  Robert  Turner,  Thomas 
Lillieston)  ;  and  "  Henry  Harris,  of  the  citty  of  London, 
Painter."  Henry  Harris  is  the  famous  aftor  of  the 
name  who  is  well  known  to  us  from  the  pages  of 
Pepys,  and  who,  as  has  been  noted  before,  must  be 
carefully  distinguished  from  William  Harris  of  the 
Theatre  Royal,  who  played  small  parts  ;  as  also  from 
a  later  a&or  Joseph  Harris  who  was  enrolled  among 
Their  Majesties'  Actors,  March  2,  1691-2. 

Of  Henry  Harris  there  exists  a  portrait  in  his  famous 
role,  Cardinal  Wolsey.  In  a  list  of  officers  of  the  Revels 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  165 

is  given :  "  Henry  Harris  Yeoman  in  Mr.  Caryes 
place  sworne  Aug:  6:  1663."  An  order,  February  20, 
1663-4,  was  made  for  a  warrant  granting  the  place  of 
Yeoman  of  the  Revels  to  Henry  Harris,  whose  salary 
is  dated  to  commence  June  24,  1663.  There  appears, 
however,  to  have  been  some  question  about  this,  as  on 
March  3,  1667,  there  is  another  order  for  a  warrant 
for  the  same  post.  On  April  4,  1667,  an  order  was 
issued  suspending  payment  to  him  until  further  notice, 
but  this  may  have  been  on  account  of  his  liabilities, 
since  he  was  continually  proceeded  against  by  his 
creditors,  and  his  wife  more  than  once  (January  25, 
1675-6,  November  2,  1677,  etc.)  sues  him  for  main 
tenance.  From  the  pages  of  Pepys  (May  30,  1668,  et 
saepius)  it  is  plain  that  he  mixed  with  the  most  extra 
vagant  society  of  the  town.  Both  as  an  aftor,  a  singer, 
and  a  dancer  he  was  immensely  admired.  As  early  as 
July,  1663,  he  was  asking  : 

"  £20  for  himself  extraordinary,  more  than  Betterton  or  anybody 
else,  upon  every  new  play,  and  £10  upon  every  revive ;  which 
with  other  things  Sir  W.  Davenant  would  not  give  him,  and  so 
he  swore  he  would  never  aft  there  more,  in  expectation  of  being 
received  in  the  other  House  ;  but  the  King  will  not  suffer  it, 
upon  Sir  W.  Davenant's  desire  that  he  would  not,  for  then  he 
might  shut  up  house,  and  that  is  true.  He  tells  me  that  his  going 
is  at  present  a  great  loss  to  the  House,  and  that  he  fears  he  hath  a 
stipend  from  the  other  House  privately.  He  tells  me  that  the 
fellow  grew  very  proud  of  late,  the  King  and  every  body  else 
crying  him  up  so  high,  and  above  Betterton,  he  being  a  more 
ayery  man,  as  he  is  indeed." 

Henry  Harris  appears  to  have  died,  or  at  any  rate  to 
have  retired  from  the  stage,  a  little  before  the  union  of 
1682. 

p.  20.  MR.  PRICE.  During  the  few  years  that  he  was 
upon  the  stage  Joseph  Price,  who  died  1670-1,  estab 
lished  himself  as  a  very  successful  a£tor,  although  we 
know  little  of  him  beyond  what  is  recorded  by  Downes. 
The  old  prompter  terms  him  an  "  Inimitable  Sprightly 
Aftor,"  and  particularly  notes  that  he  won  the  "  Uni 
versal  Applause  of  the  Town  "  by  his  comical  Prologue 


l66  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

to  The  "Rivals,  as  well  as  commends  his  excellence 
in  the  French  valet  Dufoy,  in  Etherege's  The  Comical 
Revenge. 

p.  20.  MR.  RICHARDS.  John  Richards,  whose  name 
very  frequently  occurs  in  the  printed  casts,  made  for 
himself  a  special,  if  a  small,  line  by  his  performance  of 
footmen  and  valets,  in  which  characters  he  won  great 
applause.  Sometimes  in  a  comedy  he  even  doubled  two 
roles  of  this  kind,  as  when  he  played  Spatterdash  and 
Jeremy  in  D'Urfoy's  The  Fond  Husband,  produced  at 
the  Duke's  Theatre  in  the  spring  of  1676,  or  again  Roger 
and  Tom  in  The  London  Cuckolds,  given  at  the  same 
house  in  the  winter  of  1681.  In  the  Epilogue,  spoken 
by  Jevon,  to  Mrs.  Behn's  Like  Father,  Lake  Son,  an 
adaptation  of  Randolph's  Jealous  Lovers,  produced  in 
March,  1682,  the  following  lines  occur  : 

Here's  Blundering  Richards  is  my  Huffing  Esquire, 
Damn  me,  the  beSl  in  England's  for't,  d'e  hear. 
Is  that  your  Cue  come  nearer,  Faith  thy  Face 
Has  Features  not  unlike  Joe  Hains's  Grace. 

Joseph  Ashbury  said  that  "  Mr.  Richards  was  a  very 
good  Acior,  both  in  Tragedy  and  Comedy,  but  not 
over-happy  in  his  personal  Appearance."  At  the  end 
of  the  seventeenth  century  he  was  attached  to  Smock 
Alley,  Dublin. 

p.  20.  MR.  BLAGDEN.  For  Nicholas  Blagden  see 
the  former  note  on  p.  z. 

p.  20.  MR.  SMITH.  William  Smith  was  an  aftor  of 
great  merit,  and  hardly,  if  at  all,  inferior  to  Betterton 
himself.  Originally  a  Barrister  at  Law  of  the  Society 
of  Gray's  Inn,  his  name  stands  to  a  very  large  number 
of  important  parts.  On  Wednesday,  November  14, 
1666,  Mrs.  Knepp  told  Pepys  "  how  Smith,  of  the 
Duke's  house,  hath  killed  a  man  upon  a  quarrel  in 
play  ;  which  makes  every  body  sorry,  he  being  a  good 
a£tor,  and,  they  say,  a  good  man,  however  this  happens. 
The  ladies  of  the  court  do  much  bemoan  him,  she  says." 
The  details  of  this  affair  are  unknown,  but  Smith  must 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  167 

have  escaped  quite  lightly,  as  shortly  afterwards  he  was 
again  afting  in  the  theatre.  On  Wednesday,  O&ober  24, 
1667,  when  Betterton  was  ill,  Pepys  heard  that  Smith 
was  afting  his  part  Brisac  in  Porter's  The  Villain  "  as 
well  or  better  than  he,"  which  they  could  hardly  believe, 
however,  on  Tuesday,  February  n,  1667-8,  when  the 
diarist  saw  Orrery's  Muftapha  he  particularly  notes 
"I  never  saw  such  good  acting  of  any  creature  as 
Smith's  part  of  Zanger."  Chetwood  tells  us,  "  this 
Gentleman,  Mr.  Smith,  was  zealously  attach'd  to  the 
Interest  of  King  James  the  Second,  and  served  in  his 
Army  as  a  Volunteer,  with  Two  Servants."  After  the 
revolution,  by  the  persuasion  of  many  friends,  he  was 
induced  to  return  to  the  Stage,  and  the  first  character  in 
which  he  appeared  was  that  of  his  original  part  Will- 
more,  the  Rover,  in  Mrs.  Behn's  comedy  The  Rover, 
or,  The  Banished  Cavaliers,  a  role  in  which  he  had  always 
been  greeted  with  the  utmost  applause.  However,  he 
suspe&ed  that  because  of  his  loyalty  there  might  be 
some  disturbance  from  the  disaffe&ed  members  of  the 
audience,  and  accordingly  he  gave  instructions  that  if 
anything  of  the  sort  took  place  the  curtain  was  imme 
diately  to  be  let  fall.  The  event  turned  out  exactly  as  he 
had  divined.  The  first  scene  of  the  play  passed  off 
quietly  enough,  but  in  the  second  scene  when  Willmore 
entered  he  was  greeted  with  hisses,  whereupon  the 
curtain  was  promptly  dropped.  Smith  retired  from 
the  stage,  and  when  The  Rover  was  next  played  the  part 
of  Willmore  was  given  to  Mountfort.  No  persuasion 
could  induce  Smith  to  return  to  the  stage  again  until 
Congreve,  when  he  had  completed  Love  for  Love, 
"  prevailed  upon  several  Persons  of  the  First  Rank  to 
move  Mr.  Smith  to  appear  in  the  Character  of  Scandal  in 
that  excellent  Comedy :  But  he  yielded  more  to  the 
Persuasions  of  his  sincere  Friend,  Mr.  Betterton  and 
Mrs.  Barry,  and  accepted  the  Part ;  and  his  inimitable 
Performance  added  one  Grace  to  the  Play."  Love  for 
Love  was  produced  at  the  little  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields 
Theatre  on  April  30,  1695.  Unfortunately,  not  many 


l68  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

months  of  this  a&or's  career  remained.  His  last  part 
was  that  of  Cyaxares,  King  of  Media,  in  John  Banks* 
last  drama  Cyrus  the  Great,  or.  The  Tragedy  of  Love,  which 
was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  December, 
1695.  Downes  tells  us  that  he  was  taken  ill  on  the 
fourth  day  of  this  piece,  and  Chetwood  adds  the 
following  details.  Mr.  Smith  "  died  of  a  Cold, 
occasion' d  by  a  violent  Fit*  of  the  Cramp;  for 
when  he  was  first  seiz'd,  he  threw  himself  out  of 
Bed,  and  remained  so  long  before  the  Cramp  left 
him  (in  that  naked  Condition),  that  a  Cold  fell  upon 
his  Lungs,  a  Fever  ensu'd,  and  Death  releas'd  him  in 
three-Days  after."  The  Flying  foft  (No  97),  for  Saturday, 
December  28,  1695,  has :  "  Mr.  William  Smith,  a 
Gentleman  belonging  to  the  Theatre  R.<yaJ,  who  had 
acquired  a  considerable  estate,  and  thereupon  deserted 
from  acting,  was  prevailed  upon  by  the  New  Playhouse 
to  remount  the  Stage  ;  but  upon  shifting  his  cloaths  in 
the  last  new  Play,  took  cold  and  died  this  week."  It 
is  said  that  Barton  Booth,  then  a  schoolboy  at  West 
minster,  wrote  a  Latin  inscription  on  the  death  of 
Smith  which  was  Englished  thus  : 

"  An  excellent  A&or  Flourished  in  the  Reign  of  Charles  tin 
Second :  Betterton's  Contemporary  and  Friend,  and  very  near  him 
in  Merit :  Sprung  from  a  genteel  Family,  and  no  Stranger  to 
Literature.  In  the  Management  of  the  Theatre  he  acquitted 
himself  many  Years,  with  deserved  Success  ;  and,  by  a  ju5t 
Deportment,  and  Sweetness  of  Temper,  gained  the  Respeft 
of  all  within  the  Theatre,  the  Applause  of  those  without ; 
and  every-where  claimed  the  Friendship  and  Affection  of  Man 
kind." 

p.  20.  MR.  SANDFORD.  Samuel  Sandford,  "  the 
Spagnolet  of  the  theatre,  an  excellent  aftor  in  disagree 
able  characters,"  was  "  admired  by  the  judicious, 
while  the  crowd  only  praised  him  by  their  prejudice." 
Antony  Aston  thus  speaks  of  him  : 

"  Mr.  Satidford,  although  not  usually  deem'd  an  Aftor  of  the 
firft  Rank,  yet  the  Chara&ers  allotted  him  were  such,  that  none 
besides,  then,  or  since,  ever  topp'd ;  for  his  Figure,  which  was 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  169 

diminutive  and  mean  (being  Round-shoulder'd,  Meagre-fac'd, 
Spindle-shank'd,  Splay-footed,  with  a  sour  Countenance,  and  long 
lean  Arms)  render'd  him  a  proper  Person  to  discharge  Jago,  fore 
sight,  and  Ma'lignili,  in  the  VILLAIN. — This  Person  afted  strongly 
with  his  Face, — and  (as  King  Charles  said)  was  the  best  Villain 
in  the  World." 

It  should  not,  however,  be  forgotten,  that  Sandford 
a&ed  characters  of  eccentric  comedy,  but  in  the  printed 
cast  of  Mrs.  Behn's  posthumous  play,  The  Widdow 
Ranfer,  410,  1690  (produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  the  winter 
of  1689),  it  is  extraordinary  to  find  that  Sandford's 
name  appeared  to  Daring,  a  young  and  gallant  officer, 
and  I  suspeft  that  there  must  be  a  mistake  here.  At 
any  rate  we  know  from  the  reply  of  the  patentees, 
December  10,  1694,  to  the  petition  of  the  aftors  that 
Sandford  got  £2  IO.T.  per  week,  but  "  by  reason  of  his 
Indisposition  &  his  Voice  often  failing  he  is  able  to 
A<a  but  seldom." 

p.  20.  MR.  MEDBURN.  Matthew  Medbourne, 
although,  perhaps,  not  to  be  accounted  an  aftor  of  the 
first  rank,  was  one  of  those  very  respe&able  performers 
who  might  safely  be  trusted  to  give  the  utmost  value 
to  characters  of  a  secondary  importance.  Thus  we 
find  that  he  played  Agis,  King  of  Sparta,  in  Otway's 
first  play  Alcibiades,  produced  in  the  autumn  of  1675  ; 
Lord  Drybone  in  Crowne's  The  Countrey  Wit,  pro 
duced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  1675-6  ;  Captain  Tilbury 
in  D'Urfey's  Madam  Fickle,  November,  1676 ;  the 
Cardinal  in  Mrs.  Behn's  Abdela^er ;  Don  Ruis  de 
Moncadein  Ravencroft's  The  Wrangling  Lovers;  Montano, 
the  Priest  of  Diana,  in  Settle's  pastoral  Paftor  Fido,  which 
all  belonged  to  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1676  ; 
Canidius  in  Sedley's  vapid  Antony  and  Cleopatra; 
Don  Pedro  in  Mrs.  Behn's  The  Rover,  I.,  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year.  He  was  the  author  of  an  adapta 
tion  from  Moliere,  Tartuffe,  or,  The  French  Puritan, 
which  was  produced  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  1670 
with  great  success,  and  which  seems  to  have  kept  the 
stage  for  some  years.  It  was  printed  in  1717,  and 


ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

revived  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  June  20,  1718,  to 
counteract  in  some  sort  Gibber's  Nonjuror,  Drury  Lane, 
December  6,  1718.  Medbourne,  a  Staunch  Catholic, 
was  a  member  of  a  club  which  met  twice  a  week  at  the 
Pheasant  Inn  in  Fuller's  Rents,  and  which  numbered 
persons  of  all  shades  of  thought,  any  discussion  of 
religion  and  politics  being  prohibited.  To  this  club  in 
1676  he  introduced  Titus  Oates,  paying  dearly  for  his 
indiscretion  a  few  years  later,  when  he  was  arrested  upon 
a  false  charge  of  being  implicated  in  the  so-called 
"  Popish  Plot,"  November  26,  1678,  and  thrown  into 
Newgate.  Here  he  died  March  19,  1679.  Says  Lang- 
baine,  "  One,  whose  good  parts  deserv'd  a  better 
fete." 

p.  20.  MR.  YOUNG.  Although  in  his  own  day 
he  was  by  some  much  admired,  little  is  known  of  this 
actor,  who  does  not  appear  to  have  remained  long  on 
the  Stage.  On  Wednesday,  October  16,  1667,  Pepys, 
who  was  at  the  Duke's  Theatre,  notes  : 

"  I  was  vexed  to  see  Young,  (who  is  but  a  bad  aftor  at  best) 
aft  Macbeth  in  the  room  of  Betterton  who,  poor  man  1  is  sick  : 
but,  Lord  1  what  a  prejudice  it  wrought  in  me  against  the 
whole  play,  and  everybody  else  agreed  in  disliking  this  fellow. 
Thence  home,  and  there  find  my  wife  gone  home ;  because 
of  thisv  fellow's  afting  of  the  part,  she  went  out  of  the  house 
again." 

We  muSt  not,  however,  take  Pepy's  criticism  too 
unreservedly,  for  Young  was  certainly  entrusted  with 
many  important  roles.  He  played  the  Cardinal  of 
Veradium  in  Orrery's  Muftapba  and  the  Dauphin  in 
the  same  author's  Henry  the  Fifth;  Demetrius  in 
Juliana,  and  Ascanio  in  Charles  the  Eighth,  both  by 
Crowne ;  Bassaneo  in  Edward  Howard's  The  Women's 
Conquest;  Arcon  in  Davenant's  The  Rivals;  Laertes  in 
Hamlet. 

p.  20.  MR.  NORRIS.  This  actor's  name  Stands  only 
to  a  very  small  line  of  characters.  Thus,  in  The  Dutches* 
of  Malfy  he  is  Pescara;  in  Mrs.  Behn's  A.bdela%er, 
Roderigo,  a  Creature  to  the  Moor ;  in  The  Rover,  II., 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  iyi 

Don  Carlo,  an  old  Grandee  ;  in  The  Feign* d  Courtesans, 
Morosini,  an  old  count ;  in  Banks'  The  Deftrutfion  of 
Troy,  Menelaus  ;  in  Shadwell's  Timon  of  Athens ;  Cleon, 
a  senator ;  in  Dryden's  Troilus  and  Cressida,  Nestor ; 
in  Lee's  Lucius  Junius  Brutus,  Horatius ;  in  The  Devil  of  a 
Wife,  Lady  Lovemore's  Father. 

p.  20.  MRS.  DAVENPORT.  This  lady  was  born 
March  3,  1642,  and  her  history  as  related  in  the 
Memoires  de  Grammont  is  too  well  known  to  require  a 
detailed  account.  Hamilton  says  :  "  Le  Comte  d'Oxford 
devint  amoureux  d'une  Comedienne  de  la  Troupe  du 
Due,  belle,  gracieuse,  &  qui  jouoit  dans  la  perfection. 
Le  Role  de  ROXELANE,  dans  une  Piece  Nouvelle  1'avoit 
mise  en  Vogue,  le  nom  lui  en  etoit  reste."  (Mtmoires, 
Cologne,  chez  Pierre  Marteau,  1713  ;  p.  295).  Having 
refused  to  become  the  mistress  of  Aubrey  de  Vere, 
twentieth  Earl  of  Oxford,  Mrs.  Davenport  consented 
to  marry  him,  and  discovered  too  late  that  the  sham 
ceremony  had  been  performed  by  the  Earl's  trumpeter 
in  a  canonical  habit.  The  only  redress  that  she  could 
obtain  was  a  settlement  of  £500  per  annum,  and  appa 
rently  she  perforce  accepted  the  situation.  Ashmole 
records  the  birth  of  the  Earl  of  Oxford's  son  by 
Roxolana,  April  17,  1664.  The  child  was  called 
Aubrey  Vere.  Apparently  Evelyn  knew  nothing  of  the 
brutal  trick,  as  on  Thursday,  January  9,  1662,  he 
notes  that  he  saw  The  Siege  of  Rhodes.  "  In  this  a&ed 
the  fair  and  famous  comedian  called  Roxolana  from 
the  part  she  performed ;  and  I  think  it  was  the  last, 
she  being  taken  to  be  the  Earl  of  Oxford's  Miss  (as  at 
this  time  they  begin  to  call  lewd  women)."  Tuesday, 
February  18,  1662,  Pepys  remarks  that  at  Lincoln's 
Inn  Fields  were  it  not  for  the  attraction  of  a  new 
a&ress,  a  little  girl,  "  the  loss  of  Roxolana  would  spoil 
the  house."  On  Whit  Tuesday,  May  20,  1662,  he  saw 
The  Siege  of  Rhodes,  "  but  it  is  not  so  well  done  as  when 
Roxolana  was  there,  who,  it  is  said,  is  now  owned  by 
my  Lord  of  Oxford."  Some  stupid  confusion  has  been 
made  by  the  erroneous  identification  of  Mrs.  Davenport 


172  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

with  one  of  the  two  sifters  of  the  same  name,  a&resses 
at  the  Tfieatre  Royal ;  and  again  since  she  created 
Roxolana  with  Mrs.  Marshall,  who  was  the  original 
Roxana  in  The  EJval  Queens^  fifteen  years  later  in 
167.6-7. 

p.  20.  MRS.  SAUNDERSON.  Mary  Saunderson,  who 
in  December,  1662,  became  the  wife  of  Betterton.  In 
her  marriage  licence,  which  is  dated  December  24  of 
that  year,  she  is  described  as  Mary  Saunderson,  of 
S.  Giles,  Cripplegate,  Spinster.  Her  mother  was  a 
widow,  Christian  name  not  recorded,  whose  consent 
to  the  marriage  was  attested  by  Enoch  Darrick,  of 
S.  Pancras,  Soper  Lane,  London,  Grocer.  Thomas 
Betterton  was  then  supposed  to  be  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  and  Mary  Saunderson  about  five  and 
twenty.  Pepys  greatly  admired  her  afting,  and  Gibber 
tells  us : 

"  Mrs.  Betterton  though  far  advanced  in  years,  was  so  great 
a  mistress  of  nature,  that  even  Mrs.  Barry,  who  a&ed  Lady  Macbeth 
after  her,  could  not  in  that  part,  with  all  her  superior  Strength, 
and  melody  of  voice,  throw  out  those  quick  and  careless  Strokes 
of  terror,  from  the  disorder  of  a  guilty  mind,  which  the  other 
gave  us,  with  a  facility  in  her  manner,  that  rendered  them  at  once 
tremendous  and  delightful.  Time  could  not  impair  her  skill, 
though  he  had  brought  her  person  to  decay.  She  was  to  the 
laSt,  the  admiration  of  all  true  judges  of  nature,  and  lovers  of 
Shakespeare,  in  whose  plays  she  chiefly  excelled,  and  without  a 
rival." 

Mrs.  Betterton's  health  seems  to  have  failed  early,  for 
in  December,  1694,  the  patentees  say  that  she  received 
5OJ.  a  week  "  constantly  pd  her  in  Complemt  to  Mr. 
Betterton  She  not  appears  in  any  pts  to  ye  satisfaction 
of  ye  Audience."  Betterton  died  April  28,  1710,  and 
Steele  tells  us  that  so  great  was  his  widow's  distress 
that  it  unsettled  her  reason  for  a  time.  However,  on 
March  10,  1712,  she  made  a  will,  in  which  several  of 
the  bequests  were  direfted  to  be  paid  "  out  of  the  arrears 
of  that  pension  which  her  Majesty  had  been  graciously 
pleased  to  grant  her."  Latterly,  indeed,  she  does  not 


EXPLANATORY  NOTES  173 

appear  to  have  been  in  prosperous  circumstances,  for 
she  received  a  benefit  at  Drury  Lane  on  June  4,  1711. 
She  died  in  April,  1712,  and  on  the  i3th  of  that  month 
she  was  buried  beside  her  husband  in  the  east  cloister 
of  Westminster  Abbey. 

p.  20.  MARY  DAVIES.  According  to  Pepys  this 
a&ress  was  a  natural  child  of  Thomas  Howard,  first 
Earl  of  Berkshire,  but  another  account  makes  her  the 
daughter  of  a  blacksmith,  at  Charlton,  in  Wiltshire. 
Her  beautiful  voice  and  her  grace  in  dancing  capti 
vated  the  town.  On  Saturday,  January  u,  1667-8, 
Mrs.  Knepp  told  Pepys  "  how  Mis  Davis  is  for  certain 
going  away  from  the  Duke's  house,  the  King  being  in 
love  with  her ;  and  a  house  is  taken  for  her,  and  fur 
nishing  ;  and  she  hath  a  ring  given  her  already  worth 
£600."  A  few  days  later,  Tuesday,  January  14,  he 
learned  that  Moll  Davis  was  reckoned  the  King's 
mistress,  "  even  to  the  scorne  of  the  whole  world.  .  .  . 
The  King,  it  seems,  hath  given  her  a  ring  of  £700 
which  she  shews  to  every  body,  and  owns  that  the 
King  did  give  it  her ;  and  he  hath  furnished  a  house 
for  her  in  Suffolk  Street  most  richly."  The  lady  lived 
in  Suffolk  Street,  Haymarket,  from  1667  to  1676 ; 
hence  she  went  to  a  house  in  the  south-west  corner  of 
S.  James  Square,  which  she  occupied  until  1687,  in 
which  year  apparently  she  died.  The  house  was 
formerly  No.  22  in  the  Square.  By  King  Charles, 
Moll  Davis  had  a  daughter,  May  Tudor,  who  married 
Francis,  second  Earl  of  Derwentwater.  Burnet 
remarks  that  the  reign  of  Moll  Davis  at  Court  was 
brief.  This  was  perhaps  owing  to  a  trick  played  upon 
her  by  Nell  Gwyn,  which  is  possibly  best  related  in  the 
words  of  Grainger : 

"  It  would  be  too  indelicate  to  mention  the  particular  conse 
quences  of  the  jalap,  which  was  given  to  Moll  Davies  at  supper  by 
Nell  Gwyn,  who  knew  that  she  was  to  lie  the  same  night  with  the 
King.  It  is  sufficient  to  hint  at  the  violence  of  its  operation,  and 
the  disastrous  effefts  :  such  effects  as  the  ancients  would  have 
attributed  to  Anteros,  a  malignant  deity,  and  the  avowed  enemy 


174  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

of  Cupid." — (Biographical  Hitfory  of  'England,  ed.  1775,  Vol.  IV., 
p.  187.) 

This  anecdote  is  also  somewhat  broadly  told  in 
Captain  Alexander  Smith's  Laves  of  the  Court  Beauties •, 
1715. 

p.  20.  MRS.  LONG.  This  lady  was  the  mistress  of 
the  Duke  of  Richmond,  who  died  in  1672.  Actually 
little  is  known  of  Mrs.  Long  beyond  what  is  recorded 
by  Downes,  who,  it  should  be  noted,  praises  her  highly. 
In  addition  to  the  various  characters  which  he  records, 
she  appeared  as  Diacelia  in  Stapylton's  The  Slighted 
Maid ;  Brianella  in  the  same  author's  The  Step  Mother  ; 
the  Queen  of  France  in  Orrery's  Henry  the  Fifth,  pro 
duced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  August,  1664 ;  Leu- 
cippe  in  The  Rivals  ;  Mandana  in  Edward  Howard's 
The  Women' 's  Conquett  ;  Osiris,  a  young  Prince,  in 
Settle's  Cambyses ;  Fickle  in  Revet's  The  Town- 
Shifts  ;  Paulina  in  Crowne's  Juliana ;  Mrs.  Nell  in 
Mr.  Anthony ;  Betty  Rash  in  The  Morning  Gamble ; 
and  Lady  Macduff  in  Macbeth. 

p.  20.  MRS.  ANN  GIBBS.  The  daughter  of  Thomas 
Gibbs,  of  Norwich,  "  Proftor  and  Publick  Notary." 
She  was  almost  certainly  the  same  person  who  married 
Thomas  Gawdy,  of  Claxton,  Norfolk,  at  S.  Clement 
Danes,  July  12,  1662.  Being  soon  left  a  widow  at 
some  date  within  the  years  1663-6,  she  married  Thomas 
Shadwell,  dramatist  and  sometime  poet-laureate.  Her 
name  often  appears  in  printed  casts  as  Mrs.  Shadwell. 
About  1685  she  retired  from  the  stage.  She  survived 
her  husband,  however,  and  we  know  that  she  was 
living  in  1709.  For  a  full  account  of  Mrs.  Shadwell 
see  my  edition  of  Shadweirs  Works,  Fortune  Press, 
1927,  Introduction,  pp.  xxviii-xxxi. 

p.  20.  MRS.  NORRIS.  This  lady  was  almost  cer 
tainly  the  wife  of  Norris  the  a&or.  Her  son,  who  was 
known  as  Jubilee  Dicky,  from  his  famous  performance 
in  Farquhar's  The  Constant  Couple,  1699,  became  one  of 
the  leading  comedians  of  the  day.  Mrs.  Norris  lived 
in  a  house  in  Salisbury  Court,  and  here  her  son  Henry 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  175 

was  born  in  1665.  "  The  Mother  of  this  little  great 
Comedian  was  one  of  the  first  Women  that  came  on  the 
Stage  as  an  Aftress."  Mrs.  Norris  was  well-known 
for  her  capital  personations  of  old  women  and  angry 
dowagers,  and  within  the  limits  of  her  particular  line 
she  won  very  great  applause.  On  one  occasion,  at 
least,  she  quarrelled  with  the  company  and  actually 
left  the  theatre,  for  there  is  extant  a  letter  addressed 
to  Betterton  dated  May  7,  1681,  which  runs  as 
follows : 

"  I  did  yesterday  signify  unto  you  that  Mrs.  Norris  should  bee 
received  into  yor  Company  againe  And  this  is  to  explain  that 
order  That  it  is  His  Mates  Pleasure  that  shee  reconcile  her  selfe 
unto  her  adversary,  and  submitt  herselfe  to  the  rules  and 
Govemement  of  the  Company  and  upon  this  condition  shee  is  to 
bee  admitted  as  formerly." 

Amongst  the  many  roles  of  Mrs.  Norris  we  find  such 
parts  as  Goody  Rash  in  Crowne's  The  Country  Wit, 
1675  ;  Callis,  an  old  governess,  in  The  Rover,  I.,  1677  ; 
Nuarcha,  an  antique  virgin,  in  Maidwell's  The  Loving 
Enemies,  1680 ;  Mother  Dunwell,  the  bawd,  in  The 
Revenge,  1680  ;  Petronella  Elenora,  a  worn-out  pro 
curess,  in  The  Rover,  II.,  1681  ;  Mrs.  Clacket  in  The 
City  Heiress,  March,  1681-2;  the  old  aunt  in  The 
London  Cuckolds,  November,  1681;  Mrs.  Turbulent  in 
The  Factious  Citizen,  1682. 

p.  20.  MRS.  HOLDEN.  This  lady  was  the  daughter 
of  John  Holden,  the  friend  and  publisher  of  Sir 
William  Davenant,  from  whose  house  Gondibert  was 
issued.  In  his  old  age  Thomas  Betterton  told  Pope 
that  as  a  youth  he  was  apprenticed  to  Holden,  and  there 
seems  no  reason  to  doubt  this  statement.  Of  Mrs. 
Holden  very  little  is  known,  and  she  appears  only  to 
have  played  parts  that  were  entirely  unimportant. 
Curiously  enough  her  name  is  preserved  in  a  stage 
direction  which  occurs  in  a  very  poor  alteration  of 
a  poor  play,  D'Urfey's  The  Injured  Princess,  or,  The 
Fatal  Wager,  an  adaptation  of  Cymbeline,  printed 
4to,  1682.  The  copy  reads  :  "  Act  II  Enter  behind 


Ij6  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

Cymbeline  Queen,  a  Purse,  Puanio,  Do&or  and  Guards, 
a  Viol,  Mrs.  Holten,  Sue."  Sue  is  Susanna  Percival, 
afterwards  Mrs.  Mountfort.  No  doubt  Mrs.  Holden 
and  Susanna  Percival  played  Sophronia  and  Aurelia, 
who  are  severally  in  attendance  upon  the  Queen  and 
upon  the  Princess.  These  are  very  minor  characters. 
There  is  a  slight  difficulty  which  must  be  noticed ;  in 
the  4to  the  play  is  printed  "As  it  was  A£ted  in  the 
Theatre-Royal,  By  his  Majesty's  Servants."  As  the 
play  is  advertised  in  the  Term  Catalogues,  Easter  (May), 
1682,  it  cannot  have  been  first  played  after  the  Union  of 
the  two  Companies  as  Odell  suggests,  SbakeSpeare  from 
EeUerton  to  Irving,  I.,  pp.  68-9.  Percival  was  a&ing  at 
Dorset  Garden,  and  it  does  not  seem  likely  that  his 
daughter  would  be  at  the  rival  theatre.  According  to 
D'Urfey's  Epilogue  the  play  had  been  written  nine 
years  before  its  presentation,  and  it  is  possible  that  it 
was  previously  a&ed  by  Davenant's  Company.  Odell 
tries  to  argue  from  the  Prologue,  but  this  is  useless,  as 
this  address  is  but  the  Epilogue  to  The  Fool  Tum'd 
Critick,  and  may  be  found  in  Covent  Garden  Drollery, 
1672. 

p.  20.  MRS.  JENNINGS.  Among  the  characters 
played  by  this  address  were,  Galatea  in  Mrs.  Behn's 
The  Forc'd  Marriage,  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields 
in  December,  1670 ;  Phedima,  who  loves  Darius,  in 
Settle's  tragedy  Catalyses,  1671. 

p.  20.  LINCOLN'S  INN  FIELDS.  The  probable  date 
when  the  first  Duke's  Theatre  was  opened  is  Friday, 
June  28,  1 66 1.  Pepys  definitely  notes  on  Tuesday, 
July  2,  1 66 1,  "  took  coach  and  went  to  Sir  William 
Davenant's  Opera ;  this  being  the  fourth  day  that  it 
hath  begun,  and  the  first  that  I  have  seen  it.  To-day 
was  a&ed  the  second  part  of '  The  Siege  of  Rhodes.'  " 
The  mistake  of  Downes,  "  Spring,  1662,"  must  be 
carefully  noted  for  correction. 

p.  20.  POTHECARIES-HALL.  Wheatley  has  incor- 
reftly  written  :  "  At  Apothecaries'  Hall,  where  Dave- 
nant  produced  the  first  and  second  parts  of  The  Siege  of 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  177 

RAoJes."  Accordingly  it  must  be  noticed  that  Downes 
explicitly  says  that  Apothecaries  Hall  was  used  for 
rehearsals,  not  for  any  production.  However,  in  a 
ballad  dire&ed  againft  Davenant  which  was  printed  in 
Sportive  Wit  early  in  1656  it  is  said  that  he  had  already 
hired  Apothecaries'  Hall  and  presented  a  masque  there. 

Already  I  have  hir'd  a  house, 

Wherein  to  sing  and  dance  ; 
And  now  the  Ladies  shall  have  Masques 

Made  a  la  Mode  de  France. 
This  house  was  Pothecaries  Hall 

I  tell  to  him  that  asks  ; 
Because  of  a  meeting  that  was  there, 

Which  he  said  was  one  of  his  Masques. 

The  Apothecaries  Hall  in  question  was  Cobham  House, 
purchased  by  the  Society  of  Apothecaries  from  Lady 
Ann  Howard  of  Effingham  in  1632  for  a  hall.  It  was 
destroyed  in  the  Great  Fire  of  1666,  and  Apothecaries 
Hall  was  rebuilt  in  1670. 

p.  20.  NEW  SCENES  and  DECORATIONS.  In  Wright's 
Hittoria  Hitfrionica  (1699),  Lovewit  says  : 

"  Presently  after  the  restoration,  the  King's  players  a&ed 
publickly  at  the  Red  Bull  for  some  time,  and  then  removed  to  a 
new  built  playhouse  in  Vere  Street,  by  Clare  Market.  There  they 
continued  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then  removed  to  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  Drury  Lane,  where  they  firSl  made  use  of  scenes,  which 
had  been  a  little  before  introduced  upon  the  publick  Stage  by  Sir 
William  D'Avenant,  at  the  duke's  old  theatre  in  Lincoln's-inn- 
fields,  but  afterward  very  much  improved,  with  the  addition  of 
curious  machines  by  Mr.  Betterton  at  the  New  Theatre  in  Dorset 
Garden,  to  the  great  expense  and  continual  charge  of  the 
players." 

Upon  this  Mr.  W.  J.  Lawrence  remarks  : 

"  Let  it  here  be  said  with  emphasis  that  not  the  slightest  flaw 
or  defect  is  to  be  found  after  the  minutest  examination  in  the 
above  Statement.  The  pifture-Slage  era  undoubtedly  began  with 
the  opening  of  the  Duke's  Theatre  in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  late 
in  June,  1661,  when  The  Siege  of  Rhodes  was  revived.  Before 
that  neither  scenery  nor  opera  had  been  seen  upon  the  Restoration 
Stage." 


178  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

In  conne&ion  with  this  the  whole  of  Mr.  Lawrence's 
Study,  "  The  Origin  of  the  English  pi&ure-stage," 
The  Elizabethan  Playhouse,  Second  Series,  1913,  must  be 
read. 

p.  21.  THE  WITS.  With  regard  to  this  play  Sir 
Henry  Herbert  has  the  following  : 

"  This  morning,  being  the  9th  of  January,  1663,  the  kinge 
•was  pleasd  to  call  mee  into  his  withdrawinge  chamber  to  the 
windowe,  wher  he  went  over  all  that  I  had  croSle  in  Davenants 
play-booke,  and  allowing  of  fat  fit  and  slight  to  bee  asseverations 
only,  and  no  oathes,  markt  them  to  Stande,  and  some  other  few 
things,  but  in  the  greater  part  allowed  of  my  reformations. 
This  was  done  upon  a  complaint  of  Mr.  Endymion  Porters  in 
December. 

"  The  kinge  is  pleasd  to  take  faith,  death,  slight,  for  assevera 
tions,  and  no  oaths,  to  which  I  soe  humbly  submit  as  my  masters 
judgment ;  but,  under  favour,  conceive  them  to  be  oaths,  and 
enter  them  here,  to  declare  my  opinion  and  submission. 

"  The  10  of  January,  1633,  I  returned  unto  Mr.  Davcnant  his 
playe-booke  of  The  Witts,  corrected  by  the  kinge." 

Accordingly  The  Wits  was  licensed  January  19, 
1633-4.  On  Tuesday  night,  January  28,  1633-4,  The 
Wits  was  afted  at  Court  before  the  King  and  Queen, 
and  "  well  likt."  This  play  was  extremely  popular 
upon  the  Restoration  stage,  and  it  was  seen  several 
times  by  Pepys,  who  notes,  Thursday,  August  15, 
1 66 1  :  "  Thence  to  the  Opera,  which  begins  again 
to-day  with  '  The  Witts  '  never  a&ed  yet  with  scenes  ; 
.  .  .  and  indeed  it  is  a  most  excellent  play,  and  admir 
able  scenes."  Various  alterations  were  made,  and 
Thursday,  April  18,  1667,  Pepys  writes  :  "  To  the 
Duke  of  York's  house,  and  there  saw  '  The  Wits,'  a 
play  I  formerly  loved,  and  is  now  corrected  and  en 
larged  :  but  though  I  like  the  a£ting  yet  I  like  not  much 
in  the  play  now."  On  Monday,  January  18,  1668-9, 
he  thought  the  play  "  a  medly  of  things,  but  some 
similies  mighty  good,  though  ill  mixed."  The  Wits 
was  revived  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  August  19,  1726. 

p.  21.  HAMLET.  This  was  perhaps  the  most 
popular  of  Shakespeare's  plays  upon  the  Restoration 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  179 

Stage.  It  will  be  readily  remembered  how  Pepys 
records  his  admiration  for  Betterton,  who  "  did  the 
Prince's  part  beyond  imagination." 

p.  21.  LOVE  AND  HONOUR.  This  play  was  licensed 
November  20,  1634,  and  was  originally  called  The 
Courage  of  Love.  It  was  then  named  The  Nonpareilles, 
or,  The  Matchless  Maids,  and  finally  by  its  present  title. 
Mildmay  has  a  note  on  December  12,  1634,  "  To  a 
play  of  Love  and  Honour.*'  It  proved  very  popular, 
both  before  and  after  the  Restoration.  On  Monday, 
October  21,  1661,  Pepys  notes :  "  To  the  Opera, 
which  is  now  newly  begun  to  a6t  again,  after  some 
alteration  of  their  scene,  which  do  make  it  very  much 
worse ;  but  the  play  *  Love  and  Honour/  being  the 
first  time  of  their  acting  it,  is  a  very  good  plot,  and  well 
done."  On  the  following  Wednesday  he  repeated 
his  visits  and  notes  "a  very  good  play  it  is."  On 
Friday  he  has  "  My  wife  and  I  to  the  Opera,  and  there 
saw  again  '  Love  and  Honour,'  a  play  so  good  that 
it  has  been  acted  but  three  times  and  I  have  seen  them 
all  and  all  in  this  week." 

p.  21.  CORONATION  SUIT.  In  the  same  way  it  is 
said  that  Queen  Mary  of  Modena  presented  her  corona 
tion  robes  to  Mrs.  Barry,  who  wore  them  as  Queen 
Elizabeth  in  a  revival  of  Banks'  The  Unhappy  Favourite, 
or,  The  Earl  of  Essex.  The  original  Queen  Elizabeth 
was  Anne  Quin.  An  engraving  of  1779  shows  us 
Mrs.  Melmoth  as  Queen  Elizabeth  dressed  in  an  ample 
brocaded  hoop  petticoat,  an  ermined  overskirt  with 
long  train,  her  hair  towered  high  and  powdered,  sur 
mounted  by  a  small  crown  and  large  feathers. 

p.  22.  ROMEO  AND  JULIET.  Pepys  tells  us  that  this 
was  produced  on  Saturday,  March  i,  1661-2,  under 
which  date  he  writes  : 

"  To  the  Opera,  and  there  saw  '  Romeo  and  Juliet,'  the  first 
time  it  was  ever  afted  ;  but  it  is  a  play  of  itself  the  worst  that  ever 
I  heard  in  my  life,  and  the  worst  afted  that  ever  I  saw  these  people 
do,  and  I  am  resolved  to  go  no  more  to  see  the  first  time  of 
a&ing,  for  they  were  all  of  them  out  more  or  less." 


180  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

It  is  only  fair  to  add  that  owing  to  various  domestic 
difficulties  the  diarist  was  in  a  thoroughly  bad  humour. 
Romeo  and  Juliet  was  one  of  the  plays  allotted  to 
Davenant  by  an  order  of  December  12,  1660. 

As  the  alteration  by  the  Hon.  James  Howard  has 
not  been  printed,  we  can  but  presume  that  it  was  in 
this  version  that  the  character  of  Count  Paris'  wife 
appeared.  Since,  however,  data  are  lacking  it  seems 
impossible  satisfactorily  to  disentangle  Downes'  nar 
rative.  It  is,  I  fear,  mere  guesswork  to  suppose  that 
Mrs.  Holden  acted  Lady  Capulet  in  Shakespeare's 
tragedy.  (Query :  In  this  case  could  the  jest  refer  to 

I.,  3,  l.?i?) 

Hazelton  Spencer,  Shakespeare  Improved,  1927  (p.  74), 
writes  :  "  Does  not  the  anecdote  indicate  that  Downes' 
pen  or  memory  slipped  for  Lady  Montague  ?  "  It  may 
be  so,  but  in  this  case  the  part  must  have  been  "  written 
up,"  for  no  clue  can  be  found  in  the  very  minor  role 
of  Shakespeare's  Lady  Montague,  and  here  again  we 
approach  a  new  version  and  are  lost  in  haaard. 

James  Howard,  a  son  of  the  Earl  of  Berkshire,  was 
the  author  of  two  capital  comedies,  All  Miflaken,  ory 
The  Mad  Couple,  4to,  1672,  and  The  Englixb  Monsieur y 
4to,  1674.  Both  had  been  afted  several  years  earlier 
and  had  proved  very  successful.  They  are  burlesqued 
in  The  Rehearsal,  and  it  is  interesting  to  notice  that  in 
each  of  these  Nell  Gwyn  created  an  original  character. 

p.  22.     THE  ADVENTURES  OF  FIVE  HOURS.     This 

?lay  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on  Thursday, 
anuary  8,  1662-3.  It  is  taken  from  Los  Empenos  de 
Sets  HoraSy  a  comedy  long  ascribed  to  Calderon,  and 
even  believed  to  be  his  by  Tuke.  It  is  almost  certain, 
however,  that  the  original  play  is  the  work  of  Don 
Antonio  Coello  y  Ochoa.  It  does  not  appear  that  the 
Earl  of  Bristol  had  any  hand  in  helping  Sir  Samuel 
Tuke,  and  Downes'  mention  of  this  nobleman  may  be 
counted  an  error.  The  Adventures  of  Five  Hours,  which 
was  long  popular  in  the  theatre,  was  revived  with 
some  alterations  at  the  Haymarket,  February  3,  1707, 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  l8l 

and  again  at  Drury  Lane,  O&ober  9,  1727.  Yet  further 
adapted  by  Thomas  Hull  under  the  name  The  Per 
plexities,  it  was  given  at  Co  vent  Garden,  January  31, 
1767.  Meyrick  Milton  reduced  Tuke's  play  to  three 
afts  as  The  Adventures  of  a  Night,  which  was  given  at 
the  Lyceum  Theatre,  Edinburgh,  June  19,  1893,  and 
as  a  matinee  at  the  Strand  Theatre,  London,  on  July  21 
of  the  same  year. 

The  Adventures  of  Five  Hours  was  reprinted,  London, 
1928,  and  for  fuller  details  see  my  Introduction  to  that 
edition. 

p.  23.  TWELFTH  NIGHT.  This  play  was  revived 
on  Wednesday,  September  n,  1661,  upon  which 
occasion  the  King  was  present.  Pepys  saw  it  on 
Tuesday,  January  6,  1662-3,  and  he  considers  it  "  a&ed 
well,  though  it  be  but  a  silly  play,  and  not  related  at 
all  to  the  name  or  day."  None  the  less,  it  appears  to 
have  been  popular,  although  it  could  never  please  the 
diarist,  for  on  Wednesday,  January  20,  1668-9,  when 
he  again  saw  it  "  as  it  is  now  revived,"  he  adds,  "  but, 
I  think,  one  of  the  weakest  plays  that  ever  I  saw  on  the 
stage."  In  March,  1703,  there  was  produced  at  Lin 
coln's  Inn  Fields  Lave  Betray'd,  or,  The  Adreable 
Ditapointment,  by  Charles  Burnaby,  which  is  to  a  large 
extent  a  very  poor  adaptation  of  Twelfth  Night,  whence, 
indeed,  some  fifty  lines  or  so  are  directly  borrowed. 
Even  amongst  the  Shakespearean  adaptations  it  must 
be  noted  as  an  indifferent  piece  of  work. 

Shakespeare's  Twelfth  Night  was  not  revived  after 
the  Restoration  until  it  was  given  at  Drury  Lane  in 
January,  1741. 

p.  23.  THE  VILLAIN.  This  excellent  tragedy  was 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on  Saturday,  Octo 
ber  1 8,  1662,  and  it  proved  so  great  a  success  that 
Pepys  tells  us  it  was  commended  throughout  the  whole 
town  "  as  if  there  never  had  been  any  such  play  come 
upon  the  stage."  The  consequence  was  that  when  he 
saw  it  himself  he  confesses  that  he  felt  a  trifle  dis 
appointed.  None  the  less  on  subsequent  visits  he 


l82  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

revised  his  first  impression,  and  on  Thursday,  January  i, 
1662-3,  he  writes,  "  we  saw  *  The  Villane  '  again  ;  and 
the  more  I  see  it,  the  more  I  am  offended  at  my  first 
undervaluing  the  play,  it  being  very  good  and  pleasant, 
and  yet  a  full  and  allowable  tragedy."  Langbaine 
notes  :  "  Villain^  a  Tragedy,  which  I  have  seen  a&ed 
at  the  Duke's  theatre  with  great  applause :  the  part 
of  Maligtii  being  incomparably  play'd  by  Mr.  Sand- 
ford"  The  Villain  enjoyed  a  place  in  the  repertory  of 
the  theatre  for  a  considerable  number  of  years. 

p.  23.     BEANPR&     Rather :  Ibauprt. 

p.  23.     BONTEFEU.    Rather  :  Boufcfeu. 

p.  23.  THE  RIVALS.  The  Riva/s  is  an  adaptation  by 
Davenant  of  The  Two  Noble  Kinsmen  by  Shakespeare 
and  Fletcher.  Although  not  printed  until  1668  (licensed 
September  19,  1668)  The  EJvals  appeared  upon  the 
stage  several  years  before  that  date,  probably  in  the 
spring  of  1664.  Pepys  saw  it  on  Saturday,  Septem 
ber  10,  1664,  and  although  he  makes  no  definite 
comment  it  is  practically  certain  that  not  even  this 
was  the  first  performance.  He  notes  :  "  Good  a&ing 
in  it ;  especially  Gosnell  comes  and  sings  and  dances 
finely,  but,  for  all  that,  fell  out  of  the  key,  so  that  the 
musique  could  not  play  to  her  afterwards,  and  so  did 
Harris  also  go  out  of  the  tune  to  agree  with  her." 
On  Friday,  December  2,  1664,  he  has  :  "  After  dinner 
with  my  wife  and  Mercer  to  the  Duke's  house,  and 
there  saw  '  The  Rivalls,'  which  I  had  seen  before ; 
but  the  play  not  good,  nor  anything  but  the  good 
actings  of  Betterton  and  his  wife  and  Harris."  The 
quarto,  1668,  gives  the  following  cast :  Arcon,  Mr. 
Young ;  Polynices,  Mr.  Smith ;  Provost,  Mr.  Sand- 
ford  ;  Theocles,  Mr.  Harris  ;  Philander,  Mr.  Betterton  ; 
Cunopes,  the  Provost's  man,  Mr.  Underbill ;  Heraclia, 
Mrs.  Shad  well ;  Celania  (whom  Downes  calls  Celia), 
daughter  to  the  Provost,  Mrs.  Davis  ;  Leucippe,  Mrs. 
Long.  It  will  be  noted  that  neither  Mrs.  Betterton 
nor  Mrs.  Gosnell  appears  in  the  printed  cast,  and  it 
seems  evident  that  in  a  revival  of  1667  Mrs.  Shadwell 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  183 

succeeded  Mrs.  Betterton,  and  Mrs.  Davis  succeeded 
Mrs.  Gosnell.  On  January  n,  1668,  Mrs.  Knepp, 
gossipping  with  Pepys,  told  him  how  Moll  Davis  "  is 
for  certain  going  away  from  the  Duke's  house,  the 
King  being  in  love  with  her  ;  and  a  house  is  taken  for 
her,  and  furnishing ;  and  she  hath  a  ring  given  her 
already  worth  £600."  As  Mrs.  Davis  originally 
attracted  the  attention  of  Charles  by  her  afting  in 
Celania,  it  is  highly  probable  that  she  first  filled  this 
r61e  in  1667.  The  house  was  in  Suffolk  Street,  Hay- 
market,  where  she  lived  from  1667  to  1676,  she  then 
migrated  to  a  house  in  the  south-west  corner  of  St. 
James's  Square. 

The  famous  song  "  My  lodging  it  is  on  the  cold 
ground  "  is  very  ludicrously  parodied  in  James  Howard's 
All  Mitfakeny  where  Mirida,  acted  by  Nell  Gwyn, 
sings  a  burlesque  which  commences  "  My  lodging  is 
on  the  cold  boards." 

p.  24.  KING  HENRY  THE  STH.  Henry  VIII.  was  one 
of  the  plays  assigned  to  Davenant  as  his  own  particular 
property.  On  Thursday,  December  10,  1663,  Pepys, 
calling  at  Wotton,  the  shoemaker's,  hears  news  "  of  a 
rare  play  to  be  acted  this  week  of  Sir  William 
Davenant's  :  the  story  of  Henry  the  Eighth  with  all 
his  wives."  It  does  not  actually  appear  that  Davenant 
made  any  alteration  of  Shakespeare  and  Fletcher's 
scenes,  and  by  "  of  Sir  William  Davenant's  "  is  meant 
no  more  than  that  the  play  was  to  be  performed  by 
Davenant's  company. 

In  the  third  week  of  December,  1663,  Henry  VIII. 
was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  with  such  splen 
dour  that  the  theatre  was  crowded,  and  the  magni 
ficence  of  the  production  became  a  theatrical  tradition. 
So  in  The  Rehearsal  (Theatre  Royal,  December  7,  1672) 
Bayes  speaks  of  the  dance  of  "  the  Angels  in  Harry  the 
Eight."  and  when  describing  the  tableau  he  has 
arranged  for  his  drama  he  cries  :  "  I'll  justifie  it  to  be 
as  grand  to  the  eye  every  whit,  I  gad,  as  that  great 
Scene  in  Harry  the  Eight,  and  grander  too,  I  gad ;  for 


184  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

instead  of  two  Bishops  I  bring  in  here  four  Cardinals." 
Fourteen  years  kter,  when  even  if  the  reference  be  to 
a  recent  revival  of  Shakespeare's  play  the  point  remains 
the  same,  in  Mrs.  Behn's  The  Luckey  Chance,  Bredwel 
has  a  jest  about  "  a  broken  six-penny  Looking-Glass, 
that  shew'd  as  many  Faces  as  the  Scene  in  Henry  the 
Eigth."  In  this  scene  of  the  procession  and  assisting 
crowds  a  great  many  faces  and  figures  at  windows  and 
on  balconies  were,  curiously  enough,  actually  painted 
upon  the  "  relieve  "  backcloth  and  wings. 

There  is  a  pifture  by  Greenhill  of  Henry  Harris  as 
Cardinal  Wolsey  from  which  a  fine  mezzotint  has 
been  engraved.  The  robes  are  theatrically  effective, 
but,  as  might  be  expected,  very  inaccurate. 

p.  24.  LOVE  IN  A  TUB.  The  Comical  ILevenge,  or, 
Love  in  a  Tub  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in 
March,  1664,  and  printed  in  that  same  year.  Evelyn, 
who  saw  the  play  on  April  27,  thought  it  "  a  facetious 
comedy " ;  but  Pepys  dubs  it  "  a  silly  play,"  and 
again  "  very  merry,  but  only  so  by  gesture,  not  wit 
at  all."  This  is  something  severe,  for  there  is  much  of 
farcical  merit  in  the  lighter  scenes.  The  play  remained 
in  the  theatrical  repertory  until  the  third  decade  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  and  could,  I  think,  even  now 
be  given  with  success. 

p.  25.  CUTTER  OF  COLEMAN-STREET.  This  is  a 
capital  comedy,  and  there  are  many  excellent  strokes  of 
humour  against  certain  persons  of  the  time.  The 
original  sketch  for  this  piece  was  entitled  The  Guardian, 
and  it  was  a&ed  at  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  on 
March  12,  1641-2,  before  Prince  Charles,  who  was 
then  on  his  way  to  York.  The  Cutter  is  a  far  better 
play.  (A  cutter  is  a  bully,  or  a  swaggering  fellow.) 
Dryden,  who  was  present  at  the  first  representation, 
told  Dennis  that  the  play  was  barbarously  treated,  and 
Cowley  himself  says  that  it  met  "  at  the  first  representa 
tion  with  no  favourable  reception,  and  I  think  there 
was  something  of  Fa&ion  against  it,  ...  afterwards 
it  got  some  run,  and  found  Friends  as  well  as  Adver- 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  185 

sarys."  The  reason  given  for  the  opposition  was  that 
the  scenes  were  a  satire  upon  the  old  Cavaliers  about 
town. 

p.  25.  THE  DUTCHESS  OF  MALFEY.  This  tragedy 
was  one  of  the  plays  assigned  to  Davenant  as  his 
monopoly.  It  was  seen  by  Pepys  on  Tuesday,  Septem 
ber  30,  1662,  "  well  performed,  but  Betterton  and 
lanthe  to  admiration."  He  also  saw  the  play  on 
Wednesday,  November  25,  1668.  The  quarto,  1678, 
gives  the  following  caSl :  Ferdinand,  Mr.  Harris ; 
Cardinal,  Mr.  Young ;  Antonio,  Mr.  Smith ;  Delio, 
Mr.  Medbourn ;  Bosola,  Mr.  Betterton ;  Casltruchio, 
Mr.  Richards ;  Sylvio,  Mr.  Cademan ;  Pescara,  Mr. 
Norris  ;  Malatefte,  Mr.  Price  ;  Roderigo,  Mr.  Cogun  ; 
Grisolan,  Mr.  Percival ;  Dutchess,  Mrs.  Betterton ; 
Cariola,  Mrs.  Norris  ;  Old  Lady,  Mrs.  Osborne  ;  Julia 
Mrs.  Shadwell.  This  reprint  followed  upon  a  revival 
at  Dorset  Garden  early  in  1676.  In  Tom  Essence, 
licensed  for  printing  November  4,  1678,  scene  2  of 
Act  IV.,  a  chamber  in  old  Monylove's  house  is  indi 
cated  as  "  Malfey's  Chamber,"  a  prompt  copy  note.  The 
publication  of  Webster's  tragedy  with  date  1678  (Term 
Catalogues •,  Michaelmas,  November  26, 1677),  shows  that 
this  play  proved  popular  and  held  its  place  in  the  Dorset 
Garden  repertory.  July  2  2, 1 707,  with  a  slightly  different 
title,  The  Unfortunate  Duchess  of  Malfy,  this  tragedy  was 
revived  at  the  Haymarket  with  Mrs.  Porter  as  the 
Duchess.  A  very  poor  version  of  the  play  by  Lewis 
Theobald,  which  was  called  The  Fatal  Secret,  was  given 
at  Covent  Garden,  April  4,  1733.  November  20,  1850, 
at  Sadler's  Wells,  The  Duchess  ofMalfi,  with  some  altera 
tions  by  R.  H.  Home,  was  revived  by  Phelps,  who 
played  Ferdinand.  Miss  Isabella  Glyn  achieved  a 
great  triumph  as  the  Duchess.  She  also  a&ed  this 
part  at  the  Standard  Theatre  in  Auguft,  1859,  and  again 
in  April,  1868.  At  Sadler's  Wells  in  1864  Miss 
Marriott  played  this  heroine.  On  Oftober  21  and 
October  25,  1892,  at  the  Opera  Comique,  The  Duchess 
of  Malfi  was  given  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  William 


l86  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Poel,  who  to  some  extent  rearranged  the  scenes. 
Miss  Mary  Rorke  played  the  title-role.  The  Duchess  of 
Malfi  was  given  by  the  Phoenix  under  my  dire&ion  at 
the  Lyric  Theatre,  Hammersmith,  for  two  performances 
in  November,  1919.  Ferdinand  was  acted  by  Robert 
Farquharson ;  the  Cardinal,  Ion  Swinley ;  Antonio, 
Nicholas  Hannen ;  Delio,  Murray  Kinnell ;  Bosola, 
William  J.  Rea ;  CasTxuccio,  Frederick  Marker ;  the 
Duchess,  Cathleen  Nesbitt ;  Cariola,  Florence  Buck- 
ton  ;  Julia,  Edith  Evans  ;  Old  Lady,  Blanche  Stanley. 
p.  25.  MUSTAPHA.  The  Tragedy  of  Muftapba,  Son  of 
Solyman  the  Magnificent,  a  typical  heroic  play,  was  pro 
duced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on  Monday,  April  3, 

1665.  Pepys,  who  was  present,  was  "not  contented 
with  it  at  all,"  but  on  subsequent  occasions  he  changed 
his  opinion,  and  on  Wednesday,  September  4,  1667, 
he  notes,  "  to  the  Duke  of  York's  playhouse,  and 
there  saw  *  Mustapha,'  which,  the  more  I  see,  the  more 
I  like;    and  is  a  moSt  admirable  poem,  and  bravely 
acted." 

p.  26.  MR.  YOUNG.  The  character  omitted  by 
Downes  which  was  a&ed  by  Young  is  the  Cardinal  of 
Veradium. 

p.  26.  MR.  CADEMAN.  For  whom  see  the  note  on 
p.  31. 

p.  26.  MRS.  WISEMAN.  Of  this  aftress  nothing 
is  known.  Probably  she  married,  when  she  would 
appear  under  another  name,  and  it  would  be  ha2ardous 
to  attempt  any  identification. 

p.  26.  MAY,  1665.  On  June  5,  1665,  the  King 
ordered  that  no  more  plays  should  be  afted  owing  to 
the  infection  of  the  plague,  and  the  theatres  remained 
closed  for  a  considerable  time.  The  first  performances 
seemed  to  have  been  recommenced  towards  the  end  of 

1666.  On  October  18,   1666,  Eveyln  saw  Mufiapha 
performed   at   the    Royal    Cockpit.      On    Thursday, 
October  25,  1666,  Mrs.  Knepp  told  Pepys  "  they  begin 
at  both  houses  to  aft  on  Monday  next."     On  Saturday, 
October  27,  he  heard,  "  the  playhouses  begin  to  play 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  187 

next  week."  This,  however,  seems  to  have  been  a 
premature  expe&ation,  and  on  Friday,  December  7, 
when  he,  Pepys,  crept  into  the  Theatre  Royal  "in 
might  pain  left  I  should  be  seen  by  any  body  to  be  at  a 
play,"  he  notes  that  the  theatres  have  "  a£ted  now  about 
fourteen  days  publickly."  So  we  may  safely  say  that 
they  did  not  open  until  the  end  of  November,  1666, 
although  performances  at  Court  and  probably  private 
performances  had  been  given. 

p.  26.  A  TRICK  TO  CATCH  THE  OLD  ONE.  This 
excellent  comedy  by  Thomas  Middleton  was  printed 
in  1608. 

p.  26.  THE  SPARAGUS  GARDEN.  This  is  a  good 
comedy  by  Brome.  It  was  printed  1640,  as  "  A&ed 
in  the  yeare  1635,  by  the  then  Company  of  Revels,  at 
Salixbury  Court." 

p.  26.  WIT  IN  A  CONSTABLE.  This  comedy  by 
Henry  Glapthorne,  which  was  written  in  1639  and 
printed  in  the  following  year,  is  not  without  merit, 
although  Pepys  writes,  Friday,  May  23,  1662  :  "  My 
wife  and  I  slunk  away  to  the  Opera,  where  we  saw 
'  Witt  in  a  Constable,'  the  first  time  that  it  was  afted  ; 
but  so  silly  a  play  I  never  saw  I  think  in  my  life." 

p.  26.  Tu  QUOQUE.  Greene's  Tu  Qupque  t  or,  The 
Citie  Gallant,  a  comedy  by  John  Cooke,  was  generally 
known  by  this  name  owing  to  the  clever  a&ing  of 
Thomas  Greene,  the  leading  comedian  among  the 
Queen's  men  in  the  character  of  Bubble,  who  on 
becoming  wealthy  ridiculously  assumed  the  manners 
and  phrases  of  fashion.  Tu  Qupque  was  revived  on 
Thursday,  September  12,  1667,  and  Pepys  says  that  it 
was  altered  by  Sir  William  Davenant.  The  revival 
appears  to  have  been  very  successful. 

In  1662  Edward  Browne,  the  son  of  Sir  Thomas, 
saw  Tu  Qupque  afted  at  the  King's  Arms,  Norwich, 
and  in  his  MS.  account  book  he  has  noted  that  he  paid 
eighteen  pence  for  admission. 

p.  26.  KING  LEAR.  Since  Downes  only  mentions 
King  Ltar  and  gives  no  details  it  is  possible  that  for 


l88  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

some  reason  it  did  not  please  the  town  as  well  as  some 
other  of  Shakespeare's  plays.  Certainly  it  never 
attained  the  popularity  of  Hamlet  and  Othello.  None 
the  less  it  was  occasionally  given,  and  we  know  that 
in  June,  1675,  it  was  seen  by  Nell  Gwyn  (Hift  MSS. 
Com.,  Appendix,  p.  266).  Tate's  alteration  was  pro 
duced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  the  spring  of  1681. 

p.  26.  THE  SLIGHTED  MAID.  This  play  by  Sir 
Robert  Stapylton  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields  early  in  1662-3,  probably  February.  The  play 
has  been  harshly  criticized,  but  it  is  by  no  means  a 
bad  piece  of  work,  and  the  plot  if  complicated 
is  sufficiently  clear.  Betterton  acted  Iberio ;  Harris, 
Salerno  ;  Underbill,  Peralta ;  Cademan,  Ariredo  ; 
Medburn,  Folimarini ;  Smith,  Lugo  ;  Young,  Corbulo ; 
Sandford,  Vindex;  Robert  Nokes,  Gioseppe;  Mrs. 
Long,  Diacelia ;  Mrs.  Williams,  Leandra ;  James 
Nokes,  Menanthe ;  Robert  Turner,  Joan ;  Mrs. 
Betterton,  Pyramena ;  and  Anne  Gibbs  (afterwards 
Mrs.  Shadwell),  Ericina,  who  (to  revenge  her  refusal 
by  Iberio)  assumes  the  person  of  her  dead  brother, 
Decio. 

p.  26.  THE  STEP-MOTHER.  This  was  produced  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  winter  of  1663,  and  licensed 
for  printing  December  26  of  that  year.  The  scene  is 
laid  in  Britain  early  in  the  fifth  century,  when  the 
island  had  just  been  abandoned  by  the  Romans.  There 
was  a  strong  cast,  Betterton  a£ting  Filamor,  and  his 
wife  Gesarina  ;  Young,  Adolph ;  Price,  Fromund  ; 
Underbill,  Tetrick ;  Smith,  Crispus ;  Sandford, 
Sylvanus ;  Medburn,  Capito ;  Lovell,  Gracchus ; 
Robert  Nokes,  Sergius  ;  Mrs.  Williams,  Pontia ;  Mrs. 
Long,  Brianella  ;  and  Mrs.  Davies,  VioHnda. 

p.  26.  LAW  AGAINST  LOVERS.  This  is  an  extremely 
bad  amalgamation  by  Sir  William  Davenant  of  Measure 
for  Measure  and  Much  Ado  About  Nothing.  It  was  seen 
by  Pepys  on  Tuesday,  February  18,  1661-2.  He 
considered  it  "  a  good  play  and  well  performed." 

p.  26.     'Tis  BETTER  THAN  IT  WAS.     These  two 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  189 

plays  by  George  Digby,  Earl  of  Bristol,  do  not  appear 
to  have  been  printed,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
they  were  translations  from  Calderon,  *T#  Better  Than 
It  Was  being  adapted  from  Me/or  Efta  que  Eftabay  and 
Worse  and  Worse  from  Peor  Efta  que  Eftaba.  They 
seem  to  have  been  successful,  and  on  Wednesday, 
July  20,  1664,  Pepys  writes  : 

"  I  left  the  lottery,  and  went  to  a  play,  only  a  piece  of  it,  which 
was  at  the  Duke's  house,  '  Worse  and  Worse ; '  juSl  the  same 
manner  of  play,  and  writ,  I  believe,  by  the  same  man  as  '  The 
Adventures  of  Five  Hours  ; '  very  pleasant  it  was,  and  I  begin 
to  admire  Harris  more  than  ever." 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  diarist  should  have  taken 
these  two  Spanish  plays  to  be  adaptations  by  the  same 
hand,  although  actually  such  was  not  the  case.  Worse 
and  Worse  was  performed  at  Court  on  Monday,  Novem 
ber  26,  1666. 

p.  26.  THE  GHOSTS.  This  piece  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  printed,  but  on  Monday,  April  17,  1665, 
Pepys  notes :  "  We  all  to  a  play,  '  The  Ghosts,'  at 
the  Duke's  house,  but  a  very  simple  play." 

In  one  of  the  many  variations  of  The  Session  of  the 
Poets  (To  the  Tune  of  "  Cook  Laurel  "  :  Poems  on  State- 
Affairs  t  Vol.  I.,  1710,  pp.  206-211)  we  have : 

Damn'd  Holden  with's  dull  German  Princess  appear'd 
Whom  if  D'Avenani  he  got  as  some  do  suppose, 

Apollo  said  the  Pillory  should  crop  off  his  Ears, 
And  make  them  more  suitable  unto  his  Nose. 

p.  26.  PANDORA.  In  a  private  letter  to  myself 
Mr.  W.  J.  Lawrence  writes  as  follows  : 

"  Relative  to  Downes's  mention  of  Sir  William  Killigrew's 
Pandora,  it  is  curious  that  this  play  should  have  been  produced 
at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  viewing  the  knight's  relationship  to 
4  Resident  Tom.'  Pandora  was  licensed  for  printing  on  AuguSl  23, 
1664,  and  firsT:  printed  in  Killigrew's  Three  Plays,  8vo,  1665. 
This  has  a  general  title  as  well  as  separate  titles,  and  the  title  of 
Pandora  is  dated  1664.  With  it  is  given  Waller's  lines,  (as  below). 
From  these  one  is  at  a  loss  to  determine  whether  Killigrew  after 
rewriting  his  play,  and  changing  the  blank  verse  into  prose,  had 
the  new  version  given  on  the  Stage,  or  whether  he  simply  rewrote 


190  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

it  for  publication.     I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  both  versions 
were  a&ed : — 

' '  To  Mr.  Killigrew. 

"  '  Upon  his  altering  his  play,  Pandora,  from  a  Tragedy  into 
a  Comedy,  because  not  approved  on  the  Stage. 

"  '  Sir,  you  would  rather  teach  our  age  the  way 

Of  judging  well,  than  thus  have  changed  your  play ; 

You  had  obliged  us  by  employing  wit, 

Not  to  reform  Pandora,  but  the  pit ; 

For  as  the  nightingale,  without  the  throng 

Of  other  birds,  alone  attends  her  song, 

While  the  loud  daw,  his  throat  displaying,  draws 

The  whole  assembly  of  his  fellow-dams  ; 

So  muSt  the  writer,  whose  productions  should 

Take  with  the  vulgar,  be  of  vulgar  mould, 

Whilst  nobler  fancies  make  a  flight  too  high, 

For  common  view,  and  lessen  as  they  fly.' 

"  I  should  be  disposed  to  say  that  Pandora  had  been  produced 
sometime  in  1663." 

p.  27.  CAMBYSES.  Mr.  W.  J.  Lawrence  writes  : 
"  Downes  has  blundered  in  dating  Cambysts.  It  was 
first  acted  early  in  1671.  Born  in  1648,  Settle  was  no 
more  than  eighteen  in  1666.  If  a&ed  in  1666,  how  came 
it  that  no  other  play  of  Settle's  was  produced  before 
1673  ?  "  Cambyses  was  afted  at  the  New  Tennis  Court, 
Oxford,  July  12,  1671.  From  the  first  it  was  an  exceed 
ingly  popular  play,  and  not  undeservedly  from  a 
theatrical  point  of  view.  It  ran  into  four  editions 
(1671 ;  1672 ;  1687 ;  1698)  before  the  end  of  the  century. 

p.  27.  THE  OTHER  PARTS.  Cambyses  King  of  Persia  : 
A.  Tragedy.  "  Acted  by  His  Highness  the  Duke  of  York's 
Servants.  Written  by  Elkanah  Settle,  Gent.  .  .  . 
Licensed,  March  6,  1670.  Roger  UEtfrange,  London, 
Printed  for  William  Cademan  ...  1671  ...  The 
Actors  Names.  Cambyses,  the  true  King  of  Persia. 
Mr.  Bettertott ;  Prexaspes,  His  Favourite.  Mr.  Harris; 
Otanesy  Father  to  Phedima  and  Orznda,  Heir  to  the 
Persian  Crown,  Mr.  Crosby;  Darius,  Contracted  to 
Phedimat  Mr.  Smith ;  [Of ones  and  Darius]  Persian 
Princes,  Generals  of  Cambyses's  Army;  Artaban,  A 
Persian  Lord  of  Cambyses' 's  Train,  Mr.  Norris ;  Osiris, 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  191 

a  Young  Captive  Prince,  Contra&ed  to  Mandana,  Mrs. 
Long;  Smerdis,  an  Impostor,  Usurper  of  the  Persian 
Crown,  Reigning  in  the  Name  of  Smerdis,  Younger 
Brother  to  Cambyses,  privately  Murder'd  by  Prexaspes, 
known  only  to  Prexaspes,  and  Pataiithes,  Mr.  Mel 
bourne  ;  Patasithes,  His  Friend,  left  Deputy  of  Persia, 
during  Cambyses' s  Progress  into  Egypt,  Mr.  Sandford ; 
Theramnes,  A  Disguis'ed  Syrian  Prince,  now  General 
of  Smerdis' s  Army,  privately  in  Love  with  Orinda,  Mr. 
Young;  Pbedima,  in  Love  with  Darius,  Mrs.  Jennings; 
Orinda,  Her  Sister,  Mrs.  Dixon ;  Mandana,  A  Captive 
Princess,  Heiress  to  the  Egyptian  Crown,  Daughter  to 
Amasis,  slain  by  Prexaspes,  at  Cambyses's  Command, 
Mrs.  Bettertort.  Auretta  and  Atossa,  waiting  Ladies  to 
Phedima  and  Orinda.  Two  High  Priesls,  Persian 
Magicians.  Captain  of  Guards  to  Smerdis.  Villains, 
Ghosts,  Spirits,  Masquers,  Messengers,  Executioners, 
Guards,  and  Attendants.  The  Scene,  Suta  and  Cam 
byses's  Camp,  near  the  Walls  of  Suta." 

p.  27.  THE  GRATEFUL  SERVANT.  The  Grateful 
Servant,  published  in  1630  (on  or  about  February  26), 
was  licensed  by  Sir  Henry  Herbert,  November  3, 
1629,  as  The  Faithful  Servant,  and  produced  at  the 
Cockpit.  The  play  was  deservedly  popular.  Leonora, 
the  Princess  of  Milan,  disguises  herself  as  a  page,  by 
name  Dulcino,  who  attends  upon  the  Count  Foscari. 

p.  27.  THE  WITTY  FAIR  ONE.  This  comedy  was 
licensed  by  Sir  Henry  Herbert  on  October  3,  1628, 
and  when  afted  at  the  private  house  in  Drury  Lane, 
the  author  tells  us  "  it  wanted  no  grace  upon  the  stage." 
It  was  printed,  4to,  1633.  The  scene  Hes  at  London 
and  Croydon,  and  it  may  be  accounted  an  excellent 
comedy. 

p.  27.  THE  SCHOOL  OF  COMPLEMENTS.  On  February 
n,  1624-5,  Sir  Henry  Herbert  licensed  "for  the 
Cockpit  Company ;  A  new  Play,  called,  Love-Tricks 
with  Compliments."  Of  this  delightful  fantasy  Schipper 
not  untruly  says  that  it  is  a  comedy  "  welches  zwischen 
verschiedenen  Arten  der  Komodie,  der  Intrigen- 


192  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Komodie,  der  Posse  und  der  Pastoral-und  Sitten- 
Komodie  hinund  herschwankt."  So  delicate  a  dream 
like  play  certainly  requires  the  most  careful  handling, 
and  perhaps  it  was  not  entirely  suited  to  the  Restora 
tion  theatre.  On  Monday,  August  5,  1667,  Pepys 
writes  :  "  My  wife  and  I  to  the  Duke  of  York's  house, 
and  there  saw  '  Love  Trickes,  or  the  School  of  Compli 
ments  ; '  a  silly  play,  only  Miss  (Davis's)  dancing  in 
a  shepherd's  clothes  did  please  us  mightily."  Again 
on  Tuesday,  January  7,  1667-8,  he  went  to  look  for 
his  wife  and  her  maid  at  the  two  theatres  and  "  into  the 
pit,  to  gaze  up  and  down  to  look  for  them,  and  there 
did  by  this  means,  for  nothing,  see  an  adl:  in  *  The 
Schoole  of  Compliments  '  at  the  Duke  of  York's  house, 
and  '  Henry  the  Fourth  '  at  the  King's  house ;  but,  not 
finding  them,  nor  liking  either  of  the  plays,  I  took  my 
coach  again,  and  home."  Nevertheless,  this  revival 
of  The  School  of  Compliments  was  very  popular  and  a 
quarto  reprint  was  issued  in  1667,  as  "  A6ted  by  His 
Royal  Highness,  the  Duke  of  York's  servants  at  the 
Theatre  in  Little  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields." 

p.  27.  THE  WOMAN'S  A  WEATHER  COCK.  This 
bright  and  breezy  comedy  by  Nathan  Field  was  first 
a&ed  in  1609  and  printed,  410,  1612.  It  should  per 
haps  be  remarked  that  Waldron  in  his  reprint  of  the 
Rosrius  AnglicanuSy  1789,  has  blundered  badly  here  and 
changed  Downes'  "  Three  Comedies  of  Mr.  Sherly's  " 
into  "  Four  Comedies  of  Mr.  Shirley's,"  by  which  it 
would  appear  that  he  attributed  Woman's  a  Weather 
Cock  to  this  dramatist.  The  word  "  and  "  should  have 
been  inserted  by  Downes  before  the  fourth  title  to 
make  the  matter  unambiguous. 

p.  27.  RICHARD  THE  THIRD.  The  English  Princess, 
ort  The  Death  of  Richard  III.  is  an  heroic  tragedy  in  rhyme 
by  John  Caryl,  the  scenes  are  laid  at  the  head-quarters 
of  King  Richard  and  the  Earl  of  Richmond,  when  they 
are  in  sight  of  one  another  at  Bosworth  Field.  Nothing 
at  all  is  taken  from  Shakespeare,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  play  consists  of  romantic  love  scenes,  which  are 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  193 

entirely  unhistorical.  The  English  Princess  is  Elizabeth, 
the  daughter  of  Edward  IV.  In  his  Prologue  the  poet 
says  : 

But  to  plain  Hollinshead,  and  down-right  Stow, 
We  the  coarse  Web  of  our  Contrivance  owe. 

The  play  was  written  in  1666,  and  produced  at  the 
Duke  of  York's  Theatre  in  March,  1666-7.  It  was 
seen  by  Pepys  on  Thursday,  March  7.  He  thought  it 
"  a  most  sad,  melancholy  play,  and  pretty  good ;  but 
nothing  eminent  in  it,  as  some  tragedys  are." 

p.  27.  KING  HENRY  THE  5TH.  This  heroic  tragedy 
by  Lord  Orrery  has  nothing  at  all  in  common  with 
Shakespeare  save  the  historical  names.  It  was  pro 
duced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  August,  1664,  so 
Downes  has  blundered  badly  in  his  dating.  On 
Saturday,  August  13,  1664,  Pepys  notes  :  "  To  the  new 
play,  at  the  Duke's  house,  of  '  Henry  the  Fifth ; '  a 
most  noble  play,  writ  by  my  Lord  Orrery;  wherein 
Betterton,  Harris,  and  lanthe's  parts  are  most  incom 
parably  wrote  and  done,  and  the  whole  play  the  most 
full  of  height  and  raptures  of  wit  and  sense,  that  ever  I 
heard."  The  King  and  Owen  Tudor,  who  are  dear 
friends,  are  rivals  for  the  hand  of  the  Princess  Cath 
arine,  and  this  gives  occasion  for  a  good  many  scenes 
of  the  typical  love  and  quixotic  honour. 

When  this  drama  was  printed,  folio,  1668,  the  cast 
was  given,  and  this  differs  in  some  particulars  from  the 
details  entered  by  Downes.  There  is  no  such  character 
as  Clermont,  but  Medbourne  a&ed  the  Count  of 
Blamount,  and  the  Duke  of  Bedford  is  assigned  to 
Underbill.  Mrs.  Betterton  played  the  Princess  Cath 
arine,  and  the  Queen  of  France  was  a&ed  by  Mrs. 
Long.  With  regard  to  the  costumes  it  should  be  noted 
that  these,  as  Downes  tells  us,  had  been  used  before,  in 
Davenant's  Love  and  Honour.  See  pp.  21-2. 

p.  28.  GUSMAN.  Waldron  has  made  a  sad  hash  of 
this  passage,  which  is  perfectly  clear  if  we  supply  a 
period  after  the  words  "  Mr.  Anthony" 

Gtt^man  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on 


194  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Friday,  April  16,  1669.  Pepys  was  present  and  thought 
it  a  "  very  ordinary  "  play,  and  Shadwell  told  him  that 
Lord  Orrery  wrote  this  play,  "  trying  what  he  could  do 
in  comedy,  since  his  heroique  plays  could  do  no  more 
wonders."  Henry  Harris,  the  actor,  who  was  standing 
by,  said  that  it  would  not  take,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
if  we  may  believe  Downes,  it  was  not  unsuccessful, 
and  certainly  with  lively  acting  it  may  well  have  proved 
entertaining  enough. 

Mr.  Anthony  was  not  licensed  until  August  27,  1687, 
and  not  printed  until  1690,  so  the  date  can  only  be 
approximately  conjectured.  In  the  cast  we  find  that 
Joe  Haines  acted  as  Mr.  Plot.  He  had  left  Killigrew's 
company  on  account  of  his  inference  to  Charles  Hart 
during  the  revival  of  Catiline,  which  was  given  at  the 
Theatre  Royal  in  December,  1668.  In  1672,  however, 
he  had  returned.  And  probably  we  shall  not  be  far 
wrong  if  we  assign  the  production  of  Mr.  Anthony  to 
1671.  Nokes  acted  Mr.  Anthony,  and  Angel,  Cudden. 
These  two  in  the  third  aft  have  a  farcical  duel,  Mr. 
Anthony  being  armed  with  a  bow  and  arrows,  and 
Cudden  with  two  cudgels.  It  will  be  noted  that 
Downes  is  in  error  here  when  he  writes  of  a  blunder 
buss. 

p.  28.  SIR  MARTIN  MARRALL.  This  excellent 
comedy  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on 
Thursday,  August  15,  1667.  It  was  a  great  favourite 
with  Pepys,  who  speaks  of  it  as  "  the  most  entire  piece 
of  love,"  and  as  "  a  play  made  by  my  Lord  Duke  of 
Newcastle,  but,  as  every  body  says,  corrected  by 
Dryden."  It  is  certainly  entered  on  the  books  of  the 
Stationers'  Company,  June  24,  1668,  as  the  Duke's 
play,  and  it  may  be  remarked  that  it  was  acted  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  whereas  Dryden  was  bound  by 
contract  to  write  for  the  Theatre  Royal.  Possibly 
this  fact,  and  the  respect  that  he  entertained  for  his 
noble  patron,  would  have  prevented  him  from  imme 
diately  claiming  the  play.  If,  as  seems  probable,  the 
Duke's  part  merely  consisted  in  making  a  translation 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  19$ 

from  Moliere,  he  certainly  is  undeserving  of  any  serious 
mention,  for  with  great  skill  Dryden  has  introduced 
and  vastly  improved  various  hints  from  UA.mant 
inditcrety  OM,  le  Maitre  efourdi,  a  comedy  in  five  a&s,  in 
verse,  by  Philippe  Quinault,  which  was  produced  at 
the  Hotel  de  Bourgogne  in  1654,  but  not  printed  until 
ten  years  later,  Rouen  and  Paris,  izmo,  1664.  It  may 
be  remarked  that  both  Moliere  and  Quinault  are  much 
indebted  to  Nicolo  Barbieri's  Ulnawertitot  1629. 

Few  plays  were  more  successful  on  the  Restoration 
Stage  than  Sir  Martin  Mar-aH,  which  remained  in  the 
theatrical  repertory  until  the  second  decade  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

p.  28.  His  MAN,  MR.  SMITH.  This  passage  reduced 
Waldron  to  despair,  but  although  awkwardly  ex 
pressed,  the  meaning  seems  clear  enough.  Downes 
says  that  Nokes  as  Sir  Martin  and  Henry  Harris  as  his 
man  Warner  were  both  so  excellent  that  they  have 
never  been  equalled,  although  later  William  Smith 
and  several  other  a&ors  who  played  Warner  have  come 
very  near  the  original  representative  of  that  part, 
Harris. 

p.  28.  MR.  PRIEST.  Josias  Priest.  This  famous 
dancer  afted  the  small  part  of  the  Landlord,  who  in  the 
last  aft  enters  "  disguis'd  like  a  Tony  "  and  dances  a 
jig.  It  was  Josias  Priest  who  invited  Purcell  to  compose 
a  musical  entertainment  for  the  young  ladies  of  his 
school  at  Chelsea,  and  accordingly  the  great  musician 
wrote  for  them  in  1689  or  the  early  part  of  1690  his 
opera  Dido  and  Aeneas. 

Flecknoe's  lines  on  Madam  Da  vies  for  "  her  excellent 
Dancing  and  Singing "  are  well  known.  They  may 
be  found  in  Euterpe  Reviv'd,  1675  (p.  64),  commencing 
thus  : 

How  I  admire  thee,  Davies  ! 

Who  would  not  say,  to  see  thee  dance  so  light, 

Thou  wert  all  air,  or  else  all  flame  and  spright — 

p.  28.  SHE  WOU'D.  Etherege's  second  comedy 
was  produced  at  the  Duke's  Theatre  on  Thursday, 


196  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

February  6,  1667-8,  and  Pepys  who  was  present 
gives  a  very  graphic  pifture  of  the  crowded  house, 
with  the  King  in  his  box,  the  Duke  of  Buckingham, 
Lord  Buckhurst,  Sir  Charles  Sedley  and  the  author  him 
self  sitting  in  the  pit.  At  first,  however,  the  play 
seemed  a  failure  and  the  audience  generally  blamed  it 
"  as  a  silly,  dull  thing."  This,  however,  was  largely 
to  be  attributed  to  the  a&ors  who  "  were  out  of  humour, 
and  had  not  their  parts  perfeft."  In  his  Preface  to  The 
Humorists ,  4to,  1671,  Shad  well  says  : 

"  Imperfed  Action  had  like  to  have  deStroy'd  She  Would  if 
she  Could,  which  I  think  (and  I  have  the  Authority  of  some  of  the 
beSt  Judges  in  England  for't)  is  the  be§l  Comedy  that  has  been 
written  since  the  ReSlauration  of  the  Stage :  And  even  that,  for 
the  imperfect  representation  of  it  at  first,  received  such  pre 
judice,  that,  had  it  not  been  for  the  favour  of  the  Court,  in  all 
probability  it  had  never  got  up  again,  and  it  suffers  for  it ;  in  a 
great  measure  to  this  very  day." 

In  1702  Dennis,  defending  his  adaptation  of  The  Merry 
Wives  of  Windsor  y  which  he  called  The  Comical  Gallant , 
mentions  the  disfavour  which  Cowley's  Cutter  of 
Coleman  Street  met  with  at  its  first  representation,  and 
adds  that  She  Wotfd  if  She  Cotfd  "  met  with  no  better 
usage  from  the  People  at  first,  tho'  at  the  same  time  it 
was  efteem' d  by  the  Men  of  Sense,  for  the  trueness  of 
some  of  its  Chara&ers,  and  the  purity  and  freeness 
and  easie  grace  of  its  Dialogue.  I  need  not  say,  that 
both  those  Plays  have  been  since  a£ted  with  a  general 
applause."  We  find,  indeed,  that  She  wotfd  if  She 
Coifd  was  played  at  intervals  until  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  the  last  revival  being  probably 
that  at  Covent  Garden,  December  21,  1750. 

p.  29.  THE  QUEEN  OF  ARRAGON.  This  tragi 
comedy  by  William  Habington  was  originally  presented 
at  the  Blackfriars  and  printed,  folio,  1640.  On  April  9, 
1640,  Sir  Henry  Herbert  notes  : 

"  On  thursday,  the  9  of  Aprill,  1640,  my  Lord  Chamberlen 
beSlow'd  a  play  on  the  Kinge  and  Queene,  call'd  Cleodore,  Queene 
oj  Arragon,  made  by  my  cozen  Abington.  It  was  performed  by 
my  lords  servants  out  of  his  own  family,  and  his  charge  in  the 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  197 

cloathes  and  sceanes,  which  were  very  riche  and  curious,  In  the 
hall  at  Whitehall. 

"  The  king  and  queen  commended  the  generall  entertaynment, 
as  very  well  a&ed,  and  well  set  out. 

"  It  was  a&ed  the  second  tyme  in  the  same  place  before  the 
king  and  queene." 

Monday,  Oftober  19,  1668,  Pepys  notes  :  "  My  wife 
and  I  to  the  Duke  of  York's  playhouse  ;  and  there  saw, 
the  first  time  afted,  '  The  Queene  of  Arragon/  an  old 
Blackfriars  play,  but  an  admirable  one,  so  good  that 
I  am  astonished  at  it,  and  wonder  where  it  hath  lain 
asleep  all  this  while,  that  I  have  never  heard  of  it 
before."  The  Prologue  and  Epilogue  for  this  revival 
were  written  by  Butler.  The  Queen  of  Arragon  was  one 
of  those  plays  which  by  an  order  August  20,  1668, 
were  particularly  allotted  to  Davenant. 

p.  29.  CUPID'S  REVENGE.  This  fine  tragedy  by 
Beaumont  and  Fletcher  was  first  afted  on  January  i, 
1 6 1 2-3 .  In  1 668  the  monopoly  of  this  play  was  granted 
to  Davenant,  and  on  Monday,  August  17  of  this  year, 
it  was  revived  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  under  the  name 
Love  Despised.  It  is  remarkable  that  this  excellent  drama 
did  not  pass  into  the  repertory  of  the  theatre. 

p.  29.  THE  IMPERTINENTS.  The  Sullen  Lovers,  or, 
The  Impertinent*,  Shadwell's  firslt  play,  was  produced  at 
Dorset  Garden  on  Saturday,  May  2,  1668,  and  was 
printed,  4to,  1668,  with  a  dedication  to  the  Duke  of 
Newcastle.  It  is  a  capital  comedy,  but  some  of  the 
success,  no  doubt,  depended  upon  the  personalities, 
since  Sir  Robert  Howard  appears  as  Sir  Positive  At-all ; 
Edward  Howard  as  Poet  Ninny;  Lord  St.  John  as 
Woodcock;  and  Susanna  Uphill,  the  adress,  who 
afterwards  married  Sir  Robert,  as  Lady  Vaine.  It  was 
hardly  to  be  expe&ed  that  so  topical  a  play  should  take 
a  definite  place  in  the  repertory  of  the  theatre,  and  upon 
a  revival  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  O&ober  5,  1703,  it 
was  announced  as  "  Not  a&ed  28  years."  Since  that 
time  this  comedy  seems  entirely  to  have  been  laid  aside. 
For  fuller  details  see  the  Introduction  to  my  edition  of 
Shadwell,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  xl-lx,  together  with  the  notes 


198  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

and  excursus  upon  the  play  itself.  I  will  here  take  the 
opportunity  of  corre&ing  a  slip  I  have  made  on  p.  5 , 
Vol.  I.,  of  my  edition  of  Shadwell.  I  have  said  that 
The  Sullen  Lovers  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden. 
This,  of  course,  should  be  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields. 

p.  29.  BEING  ACTED  12  DAYS  TOGETHER.  Owing 
to  the  bad  punctuation  of  this  passage  the  sense  is 
obscure  and  it  has  often  been  mistaken.  A  period 
should  be  put  after  the  word  "  together."  After 
"  1670,"  a  comma  should  be  substituted  for  the  period  ; 
and  after  the  word  "  there,"  another  comma  for  this 
period.  Downes  says  that  ShadwelFs  comedy  The 
Impertinent*  at  its  initial  production  had  a  run  of  twelve 
days.  He  then  adds  that  when  the  Duke  of  York's 
company  were  commanded  to  attend  the  King  and 
Court  at  Dover  in  May,  1670,  Shadwell's  play  The 
Impertinent*  and  John  Caryl's  play  Sir  Salomon,  which 
two  comedies  were  a&ed  at  Dover,  gave  particular 
pleasure  both  to  the  French  and  their  hosTts. 

p.  29.  DOVER.  It  may  be  noted  that  on  May  22 , 1 670, 
during  this  visit  the  Treaty  of  Dover  was  signed. 

p.  29.  SIR  SOLOMON  SINGLE.  John  Caryl's  comedy 
Sir  Salomon,  or,  The  Cautious  Coxcomb,  which  was  pro 
duced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  probably  in  1669,  and 
printed,  4to,  1671,  is  avowedly  founded  upon  Moliere's 
•L'Ecole  des  femmes.  It  is  a  remarkably  good  play.  Sir 
Arthur  Addel  is  described  as  "  a  noisy  bawling  fop." 
When  the  play  was  revived  some  thirty-five  years  later 
Dogget  afted  this  part,  and  at  Drury  Lane,  May  21, 
1714,  it  was  played  by  Norris  for  his  benefit. 

p.  30.  THE  WOMAN  MADE  A  JUSTICE.  This  piece  is 
not  extant,  and  we  know  nothing  more  of  it  beyond 
this  notice. 

630.  THE  AMOROUS  WIDOW.  This  comedy,  which 
rgely  indebted  to  Moliere's  George  Dandin,  out  Le 
Mart  Confondu,  with  hints  from  other  comedies  by  the 
same  author,  is  a  well-sustained  and  amusing  enough 
piece.  It  proved  a  great  favourite  and  passed  into  the 
theatrical  repertory.  Mrs.  Brittle  was  a  favourite  role 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  199 

with  Mrs.  Oldfield,  and  Barnaby  Brittle  was  afted  by 
such  comedians  as  Dogget,  Norris  and  Colley  Gibber. 
A  spurious  and  lying  Life  of  Mrs.  Oldfield,  which  was 
published  in  1730,  says  that  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  retired 
from  the  Stage  because  the  town  considered  that  Mrs. 
Oldfield  was  her  superior  in  the  part  of  Mrs.  Brittle. 

"  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  accordingly  a&ed  Mrs.  Brittle  on  one 
night,  and  Mrs.  Oldfield  afted  the  same  part  on  the  next  night, 
the  preference  was  adjudged  to  Mrs.  Oldfield,  at  which  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle  was  very  much  disgusted,  and  Mrs.  Oldfieki's  benefit 
being  allowed  by  Swiney  to  be  in  the  season  before  Mrs.  Brace- 
girdle,  added  so  much  to  the  affront,  that  she  quitted  the  Stage 
immediately." 

There  does  not  seem  to  be  a  word  of  truth  in  all  this, 
although  possibly  there  was  some  slight  rivalry  between 
the  two  a&resses.  Mrs.  Bracegirdle  retired  from  the 
Stage  in  1707,  and  she  died  in  September,  1748. 

The  Amorous  Widow  was  revived  at  intervals  until  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  is  the  original  of 
various  after-pieces  and  farces,  one  of  which,  by  name 
Barnaby  Brittle,  was  produced  at  Co  vent  Garden,  April  1 8, 
1781,  and  was  occasionally  seen  until  well  within  the 
nineteenth  century. 

p.  30.     CUNNIGHAN.     Rather :   Cuningham. 

p.  30.  THE  UNJUST  JUDGE.  The  Roman  Virgin,  ort 
Unjuft  Judge  was  printed,  4to,  1679,  as  "  A&ed  at  the 
Duke's  Theatre."  This  is  merely  an  alteration  of 
Webster's  Appita  and  Virginia,  which  was  printed,  410, 
1659.  Langbaine  says  that  it  "  was  alter'd  (as  I  have 
heard  by  Mr.  Cartbwright)  by  Mr.  Befterton"  Betterton's 
version  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on 
Wednesday,  May  12,  1669,  when  it  was  seen  by  Pepys, 
who  notes  :  "  A  new  play,  the  firsl:  day  a&ed,  *  The 
Roman  Virgin,'  an  old  play,  and  but  ordinary,  I 
thought." 

On  February  5,  1709,  Betterton  played  Virginius  in 
Appius  and  Virginia,  by  Dennis.  This  is  a  very  dull  and 
heavy  drama  which  was  only  a&ed  four  times.  There 
are  plays  upon  this  subject  by  Henry  Crisp,  Moncrief, 


200  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Frances  Brooke,  Bidlake  and  others.  Probably  the 
beSl  known  is  the  Virginim  of  J.  Sheridan  Knowles, 
which  was  produced  at  Covent  Garden,  May  17,  1820, 
and  continued  to  be  a&ed  until  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,  when  on  occasion  it  was  yet  to  be  seen 
in  the  provinces. 

p.  30.  THE  MAN'S  THE  MASTER.  This  comedy, 
which  was  printed  4to,  1669,  is  taken  from  two  plays 
by  Scarron,  Jodelet ,  ou,  le  Mai&re  Valet  (itself  from  a 
Spanish  source),  a£ted  in  1645,  and  L' Her/tier  ridicule. 
It  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on  Thurs 
day,  March  26,  1668.  Pepys  who  was  present  did 
not  care  for  the  play  :  "  The  prologue  but  poor,  and 
the  epilogue  little  in  it,  but  the  extraordinariness  of  it, 
it  being  sung  by  Harris  and  another  in  the  form  of  a 
ballet."  Harris  played  Don  John  and  Underbill  Jodelet. 
With  various  needless  alterations  The  Marfs  the  Matter 
was  revived  at  Covent  Garden,  November  3,  1775. 

p.  30.  WESTMINSTER  ABBY.  Sir  William  Davenant 
died  on  Tuesday,  April  7,  1668,  and  on  the  following 
Thursday  Pepys  notes  : 

"  Up  and  down  to  the  Duke  of  York's  playhouse,  there  to  see, 
which  I  did,  Sir  W.  Davenant's  corpse  carried  out  towards 
Westminster,  there  to  be  buried.  Here  were  many  coaches  and 
six  horses,  and  many  hackneys,  that  made  it  look,  methought,  as 
if  it  were  the  buriall  of  a  poor  poet.  He  seemed  to  have  many 
children,  by  five  or  six  in  the  first  mourning  coach  all  boys." 

Davenant's  house  adjoined  the  theatre. 

p.  31.  MR.  CADEMAN.  He  played  Don  Lewis. 
Among  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  papers  is  the  following 
petition,  which  is  entitled  "  The  Case  of  Philip  Cademon, 
Gent.",  which  may  be  dated  about  1696.  It  says  that 
Sir  William  Davenant  was  indebted  to  Cademan  in  a 
bond  of  £100,  and  it  was  agreed  that  in  consideration 
of  an  acquittance  from  the  debt  and  on  account  of  his 
afting,  Cademan  should  be  paid  30^.  a  week  from  the 
theatre. 

"  And  in  ye  year  1673  as  he  was  Afting  his  Part  upon  ye  Stage, 
he  received  a  Wound  from  the  late  Mr.  Harris  ye  player  wth  a 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  2OI 

foyle  under  his  right  Eye,  wch  touch'd  his  Brain  by  means  whereof 
he  loSt  his  memory  his  speech  and  the  use  of  his  right  side,  wch 
made  him  incapable  of  afting  any  more  Notwithstanding  wch  his 
Salary  was  continu'd  until  Mr.  Rich  had  ye  management  of  yc 
playhouse  (as  indeed  all  persons  had  it  for  their  Lives  that  were 
disabled  from  a&ing  by  Sickness  or  other  Misfortunes  .  .  .) 
and  when  Mr.  Rich  thought  it  reasonable  that  Mr.  Cademan 
should  do  something  for  his  Salary,  and  ordered  him  to  sit  and 
deliver  out  Tickets  wch  he  did  until  he  was  disabled  by  Sickness 
in  ye  year  1695  But  after  he  was  restored  to  his  health  he  offered 
to  serve  in  ye  same  Capacity  he  did  before  But  Mr.  Rich  refused 
to  suffer  him  and  has  ever  since  denyd  to  pay  him  his  Salary." 

It  would  appear  from  Dowries  that  the  petition  was 
allowed  and  that  Cademan  Still  received  his  pension. 

Cademan  played  Pisaro  in  Mrs.  Behn's  The  Forc'd 
Marriage  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  December,  1670; 
Lovewell  in  Revet's  The  Town-Shifts  at  the  same  house 
in  the  spring  of  1671  ;  at  Dorset  Gardens  the  GhoSt  of 
the  Duke  of  Milan  in  Crowne's  Charles  the  Eighth, 
November,  1671  ;  Young  Jorden  in  The  Citizen  turtfd 
Gentleman,  July,  1672  ;  Lovell  in  The  Careless  Lovers, 
March,  1672-3  ;  Pedro  in  The  Reformation,  summer  or 
early  autumn,  1673  J  Donalbain  in  Macbeth  ;  Guilden- 
Slern  in  Hamlet. 

p.  31.  LOVE'S  KINGDOM.  This  was  probably  a&ed 
at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  1664,  in  which  year  it  was 
printed  as  :  "A  Paftoral  Trage-Comedy.  Not  as  it 
was  Acted  at  the  Theatre  near  Lincoln's -Inn,  but  as  it 
was  written,  and  since  correfted  by  Richard  Flecknoe." 
There  is  a  re-issue  of  1674.  Love's  Kingdom  is  an  altera 
tion  of  an  earlier  piece  by  this  author  "  Love's  Dominion, 
a  Dramatick  Piece,  full  of  Excellent  Morality  ;  written 
as  a  Pattern  for  the  Reform  Stage,"  8vo,  1654.  Love's 
Kingdom  "  had  the  misfortune  to  be  hissed  by  the 
Audience."  Perhaps  for  us  the  moSt  interesting  part  of 
Love's  Kingdom  is  Flecknoe's  Short  Discourse  of  the- 
English  Stage,  which  may  be  found  attached  to  the  play, 
and  which  may  not  untruly  be  considered  a  valuable 
piece  of  work. 

p.  31.  The  Royal  Shepherdess.  This  romantic  Paftoral 
was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on  Thursday, 


202  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

February  25,  1668-9.  Langbaine  tells  us  that  it  was 
"  Acted  with  good  Applause."  It  is  an  adaptation  for 
the  Stage  of  a  play  which  never  appeared  in,  and  indeed 
was  not  written  for,  the  theatre,  The  Rewards  of  Vertue, 
"By  one  Mr.  Fountain  of  Devonshire"  410,  1661.  For 
further  details  see  my  edition  of  Shadwell,  Vol.  I., 
pp.  95  and  97,  Notes  upon  the  Source  and  Theatrical 
History  of  this  play. 

p.  31.  Two  FOOLS  WELL  MET.  It  must  be  carefully 
remarked  that  Downes  has  blundered  badly  here,  since 
he  dates  this  play  too  early  by  twenty  years.  The 
Fortune-Hunters^  or,  Two  Fools  Well  Met,  which  is  a  very 
good  comedy  of  its  kind  by  James  Carlisle,  was  pro 
duced  at  Drury  Lane  in  the  early  spring  of  1688-89. 
It  proved  a  popular  play  and  was  revived  more  than 
once  in  the  eighteenth  century.  Probably  the  last  time 
it  was  seen  on  the  stage  was  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in 
1728. 

Possibly  Downes  intended  to  mention  here  a  revival 
of  some  play  by  Lodowick  Carlell,  probably  The  Fool 
would  be  a  Favourite. 

p.  31.  THE  COFFEE-HOUSE.  Tarugp's  Wiles y  or,  The 
Coffee-House  by  Thomas  St.  Serf  is  taken  from  the  No 
puede  ser  of  the  famous  Spanish  dramatist,  Augustin 
Moreto,  a  play  that  afterwards  formed  the  ground 
work  of  Crowne's  Sir  Courtly  Nice.  Tarugo's  Wiles  was 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on  Saturday,  October 
j,  1667,  and  Downes  is  quite  mistaken  when  he  says 
that  it  "  Expir'd  the  third  Day."  We  know  that  it  was 
acted  on  Tuesday,  October  8,  and  again  in  the  following 
week  on  Tuesday,  October  15.  Moreover,  had  this 
comedy  been  so  complete  a  failure  Buckhurst  could 
scarcely  have  penned  his  address  "  To  Sir  Thomas  St. 
Serfe  :  On  the  Printing  bis  Play,  calTd  Tarugo's  Wiles," 
which  commences : 

Tarugo  gave  us  Wonder  and  Delight, 
When  he  oblig'd  the  World  by  Candle-light. 

It  is  curious  that  St.  Serf  should  here  be  termed 
"  Sir  Thomas."  The  surname  is  indifferently  spelled, 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  203 

St.  Serf;  Sincerf ;  Syncerf;  Sinserf ;  Sydserf;  Sydceff. 
Thomas  was  one  of  the  four  sons  of  a  Bishop  of 
Galloway,  a  prelate  afterwards  translated  to  Orkney. 

p.  31.  ALL-PLOT.  Except  for  this  mention  nothing 
is  known  of  this  play. 

p.  31.  MRS.  ALDRIDGE.  Mary  Aldridge,  who  was 
afterwards  Mrs.  Lee,  and  after  Lady  Slingsby,  was  for 
some  fifteen  years  the  leading  actress  of  the  Duke's 
company.  Apparently  she  made  her  debut  as  Olinda, 
a  small  part  of  seven  and  twenty  lines,  in  Mrs.  Behn's 
The  Fore*  Marriage,  December,  1670.  Among  her  very 
many  important  parts  were  the  first  three  heroines  of 
Otway,  Deidamia  in  Alcibiades  ;  Queen  Elizabeth  in 
Don  Carlos ;  and  Berenice  in  Titus  and  Berenice.  She 
retired  from  the  stage  in  1685-6.  Dame  Mary  Slingsby, 
widow,  from  S.  Mary's  parish,  was  buried  in  old  S. 
Pancras  graveyard,  March  i,  1694.  For  a  full  account 
of  this  great  actress  see  my  edition  of  Otway,  Vol.  I., 
Introduction,  pp.  xxix-xxxiii. 

p.  31.  MRS.  LEIGH.  Elinor  Leigh,  an  actress  of  the 
very  firslt  rank  in  her  own  line,  who  during  the  long 
period  of  nearly  forty  years  that  she  was  upon  the  stage 
played  an  immense  number  of  characters.  In  my 
Introduction  (pp.  ccxxxvii-ccxl)  to  Shadwell's  works 
I  have  given  over  sixty  of  these  from  1677  to  1707. 
After  June  10,  1707,  Mrs.  Leigh's  name  no  longer 
appears  in  the  casts,  and  in  October  of  that  year  Mrs. 
Powell,  who  would  certainly  have  been  her  successor, 
is  playing  her  parts.  We  know  that  Mrs.  Leigh  was 
alive  in  1709,  when,  with  other  performers,  she  signed 
a  petition  to  Queen  Anne.  Of  this  famous  actress  Colley 
Gibber,  having  spoken  of  Anthony  Leigh,  says  : 

"  Mrs.  Leigh,  the  wife  of  Leigh  already  mentioned,  had  a  very 
droll  way  of  dressing  the  pretty  foibles  of  superannuated  beauties. 
She  had,  in  herself,  a  good  deal  of  humour,  and  knew  how  to 
infuse  it  into  the  affe&ed  mothers,  aunts  and  modest  Stale  maids, 
that  had  missed  their  market ;  of  this  sort  were  the  modish 
mother  in  the  Chances,  affefting  to  be  politely  commode,  for  her 
own  daughter  ;  the  coquette  prude  of  an  aunt,  in  Sir  Courtly  Nice, 
who  prides  herself  in  being  chasle  and  cruel,  at  fifty ;  and  the 


204  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

languishing  Lady  Wubfort,  in  The  Way  of  the  World.  In  all 
these,  with  many  others,  she  was  extremely  entertaining,  and 
painted,  in  a  lively  manner,  the  blind  side  of  nature." 

p.  31.  WIFE  OF  MR.  ANTONY  LEIGH.  Before  this 
passage  was  corre&ed  by  an  erratum  it  ran :  "  Note, 
About  the  Year  1670,  Mrs.  Aldridge,  after  Mrs.  Lee, 
after  Lady  Slingsby,  also  Mrs.  Leigh  Wife,  Mr.  John  Lee, 
Mr.  Crosby,  Mrs.  Johnson,  were  entertain'd  in  the  Dukes 
House."  The  mention  of  John  Lee  here  is  curious, 
since  there  was  an  aftor  of  this  name,  although  he  never 
rose  above  the  completest  insignificance.  I  have  sug 
gested  elsewhere  that  John  Lee  was  the  first  husband  of 
Mary  Aldridge,  who  thus  became  Mrs.  Mary  Lee.  In 
the  spring  of  1680,  this  lady's  name  appears  in  the  casts 
as  Mrs.  Lee,  whilst  in  the  winter  of  that  year  she  is 
Lady  Slingsby  or  Madam  Slingsby.  Her  husband  was 
probably  Sir  Charles  Slingsby,  second  Baronet  of 
Bifrons,  Kent. 

John  Lee  a&ed  Alexas  in  Samuel  Pordage's  Herod 
and  Mariamne,  produced  in  October,  1673  ;  Dumain  in 
Settle's  Love  and  Revenge,  November,  1674 ;  Titiro  in 
Settle's  Pafior  Fido  ;  and  Sebastian  (a  part  of  seventeen 
lines)  in  Abdela^er,  during  the  winter  of  1676  ;  Sancho, 
servant  to  Lucetta  (four  short  answers,  not  fifty  words 
all  told),  in  The  Rover  (I.) ;  Noddy  in  The  Counterfeit 
Bridegroom,  a  summer  vacation  play ;  and  Pedro  in 
Porter's  The  French  Conjuror,  1677.  John  Lee  dis 
appears  from  the  stage  after  this  year,  almost  certainly*, 
owing  to  his  death,  and  it  was  in  1680  that  his  widow 
became  Lady  Slingsby. 

p.  31.  MR.  CROSBY.  This  a&or  is  said  to  have 
been  remarkably  good-looking  and  graceful.  Although 
Downes  says  that  he  was  "  entertain'd  "  in  the  Duke's 
House  "  About  the  Year  1670  "  it  appears  that  he  was 
a&ing  when  a  mere  lad,  probably  not  more  than  ten 
years  old,  as  in  a  performance  of  Ignoramus  at  Whitehall 
before  the  King  and  Queen,  November  i,  1662,  he 
afted  Banacar,  a  black  Moor  boy.  We  find  his  name 
in  the  printed  casts  to  a  large  number  of  roles,  of 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  205 

which  such  as  the  following  are  typical  of  his  line : 
Mr.  Cleverwit,  Lucia's  lover,  in  Ravenscroft's  farcical 
The  Citizen  Turn'd  Gentleman,  produced  at  Dorset 
Garden  in  July,  1672  ;  Lewis  in  Lwe  and  Revenge, 
November,  1674;  Sylvio  in  Settle's  Paftor  Fido  ; 
Alonzo  in  Abdela^ar,  during  the  winter  of  1676 ; 
Leander  Fancy  in  Sir  Patient  Fancy  t  January,  1677-8  ; 
Paris  in  John  Banks'  The  Detfruftion  of  Troy,  during  the 
winter  of  1678. 

p.  31.  MRS.  JOHNSON.  This  lady  was  considered 
one  of  the  lovefieft  actresses  upon  the  Stage.  Many 
years  later  when  Etherege,  writing  to  Middleton, 
wishes  to  emphasize  the  beauty  of  his  own  fascinating 
Julia,  he  describes  her  as  "  A  Comedian  no  less  handsom 
and  no  less  kind  in  Dutchland,  than  Mrs.  Johnson 
was  in  England."  In  November,  1686,  when  he  tells 
of  the  arrival  of  "  a  Company  of  Strolers,  who  are 
lately  come  from  Nurenberg  to  divert  us  here "  in 
Ratisbon,  he  is  warm  in  his  praises  of  "  a  Comedian 
in  the  Troop  as  handsom  at  leasl:  as  the  faire  made  of 
the  Weft,  w°h  you  have  seen  at  Newmarket,  and  makes 
as  much  noise  in  this  little  Town,  &  gives  as  much 
jealousies  to  y6  Ladys  as  ever  Mrs.  Wright,  or,  Mrs. 
Johnson  did  in  London."  Among  the  characters 
played  by  Mrs.  Johnson  were  Statyra  in  Edward 
Howard's  Woman's  Conqtteft  ;  Ismena  in  Arrowsmith's 
The  Reformation  ;  Honour  Muchland  in  Nevil  Payne's 
The  Morning  Ramble  ;  and  Morena  in  The  Empress  of 
Morocco. 

p.  31.  THE  NEW  THEATRE.  It  was  not  very  long 
after  the  death  of  Sir  William  Davenant  that  the  Duke's 
Company  began  to  discuss  the  building  of  a  new  and 
larger  theatre.  In  1669  or  early  in  1670  they  were 
considering  various  sites  "  behind  Salisbury  House  in 
the  Strand,"  and  eventually  they  selected  a  part  of 
Dorset  Garden  with  a  frontage  on  the  Thames  and  a 
wharf  next  to  Dorset  Stairs.  The  sharers  agreed  to 
raise  a  sum  of  £3,000,  but  this  proved  quite  inadequate. 
In  a  petition  of  Charles  Davenant,  Charles  Killigrew, 


206  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

and  Christopher  Rich,  dated  1709,  the  cost  is  said  to 
have  been  about  £5,000,  but  later  investigations  based 
upon  a  Statement  of  Thomas  Cross,  treasurer  of  the 
theatre,  show  that  the  a&ual  sum  expended  was  as 
much  as  £9,000.  Dorset  Garden  is  said  to  have  been 
designed  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  and  it  was  certainly 
constru&ed  with  the  most  sumptuous  magnificence. 

It  should  be  noted  that  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death  in  1668  Charles  Davenant  was  a  child  of  twelve, 
and  therefore  he  could  hot  have  aded  for  his  mother, 
as  Downes  says,  since  he  was  under  her  tutelage. 
Lady  Davenant  herself  assumed  control,  the  artistic 
responsibilities  being  entrusted  to  Betterton  and  Harris. 
It  was  not  until  June,  1673,  that  Lady  Davenant  relin 
quished  her  power  to  her  son,  Charles,  who  was  even 
then  a  minor,  being  seventeen  years  old.  At  length  in 
1677  he  came  into  full  possession  of  his  theatrical 
heritage. 

p.  32.  KING  CHARLES  THE  VIII.  The  Hiftory  of 
Charles  the  Eighth  of  France,  or,  the  Invasion  of  Naples  by 
the  Frenfby  a  tragedy  by  Crowne,  was  produced  at 
Dorset  Garden  in  November,  1671.  Charles  VHI. 
was  afted  by  Betterton ;  Ferdinand  by  Harris ;  the 
Prince  of  Salerne  by  Smith;  and  Isabella  by  Mrs. 
Betterton.  The  drama  is  written  in  rhyme.  There  are 
many  highly  romantic  incidents  together  with  a  good 
deal  of  gorgeous  show.  All  the  ingredients  of  heroic 
tragedy,  love  and  honour,  battles  and  disguises,  ghosts 
and  a  magician,  are  deftly  mixed.  The  play  is  not 
without  interest,  for  it  may  be  read  with  pleasure,  and 
doubtless  it  a&s  much  better  than  it  reads. 

p.  32.  THE  NEXT  NEW  COMEDY.  This  need  not,  I 
suspeft,  be  taken  literally.  Edward  Ravenscroft's  The 
Citizen  turrfd  Gentleman,  410,  1672,  which  was  re-issued 
as  Manamoucbi,  410,  1675,  was  produced  at  Dorset 
Garden  early  in  July,  1672,  probably  July  4.  As  is 
Ravenscroft's  wont,  it  is  skilfully  made  up  from 
Moliere,  from  Monsieur  de  Poureeaugnac  and  Le  Bourgeois 
gentilbomme.  The  English  writer  is  even  more  broadly 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  207 

farcical  than  his  original,  but  it  can  hardly  be  denied 
that  he  is  very  amusing,  and  we  can  quite  understand 
how  highly  King  Charles  was  entertained  by  the  afting 
of  Nokes  as  Old  Jorden. 

In  the  Dedication  to  Prince  Rupert,  4to,  1672, 
Ravenscroft  says  that  the  play  was  performed  thirty 
times,  mosltly  with  the  Prince  present.  (This  does  not 
mean  thirty  times  successively.)  The  quarto  also  has  a 
"  Prologue  spoken  at  the  Middle  Temple."  Dryden's 
prologue  to  The  Assignation,  afted  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields  in  the  winter  of  1672  (4to,  1673),  has  some  very 
sharp  hits  at  Ravenscroft's  success  : 

You  muSl  have  Mamamouchi,  such  a  Fop 

As  would  appear  a  Monger  in  a  Shop  ; 

He'll  fill  your  Pit  and  Boxes  to  the  brim, 

Where,  Ram'd  in  Crowds,  you  see  your  selves  in  him. 

Sure  there's  some  spell  our  Poet  never  knew 

In  hullibabilah  de,  and  Chu,  chu,  chu  ; 

But  Marabarah  sahem  moSt  did  touch  you ; 

That  is,  Oh  how  we  love  the  Mamamouchi  1 

Grimace  and  habit  sent  you  pleas'd  away ; 

You  damn'd  the  poet,  and  cried  up  the  Play. 

Ravenscroft  retaliated  in  his  Prologue  to  The  Careless 
Lovers,  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  March,  1672-73. 

p.  32.  HE  HAVING  AFFRONTED  MR.  HART.  The 
details  of  this  are  given  in  The  Life  of  the  Late  Famous 
Comedian,  Jo  Hqynes,  1701 : 

"  There  happened  to  be  one  night  a  play  a&ed,  called  Catiline's 
Conspiracy,  wherein  there  was  wanting  a  great  number  of  senators. 
Now  Mr.  Hart  being  chief  of  the  house,  would  oblige  Jo  to  dress 
for  one  of  these  senators,  although  Jo's  salary,  being  then  505. 
per  week,  freed  him  from  any  such  obligation.  But  Mr.  Hart, 
as  I  said  before,  being  sole  governor  of  the  playhouse,  and  at  a 
small  variance  with  Jo,  commands  it,  and  the  other  muSt  obey. 

<c  Jo  being  vexed  at  the  slight  Mr.  Hart  had  put  on  him,  found 
out  this  method  of  being  revenged  on  him.  He  gets  a  Scaramouch 
dress,  a  large  full  ruff,  makes  himself  whiskers  from  ear  to  ear, 
puts  on  his  head  a  long  Merry- Andrew's  cap,  a  short  pipe  in  his 
mouth,  a  little  three-legged  Stool  in  his  hand  ;  and  in  this  manner 
follows  Mr.  Hart  on  the  stage,  sets  himself  down  behind  him,  and 
begins  to  smoke  his  pipe,  laugh,  and  point  at  him.  Which  comical 
figure  put  all  the  house  in  an  uproar,  some  laughing,  some 


208  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

clapping,  and  some  hollowing.  Now  Mr.  Hart,  as  those  who 
knew  him  can  aver,  was  a  man  of  that  exactness  and  grandeur 
on  the  Stage,  that,  let  what  would  happen,  he'd  never  discompose 
himself,  or  mind  anything  but  what  he  then  represented ;  and 
had  a  scene  fallen  behind  him,  he  would  not  at  that  time  look 
back,  to  have  seen  what  was  the  matter ;  which  Jo  knowing 
remained  Still  smoking.  The  audience  continued  laughing,  Mr. 
Hart  a&ing,  and  wondering  at  this  unusual  occasion  of  their 
mirth ;  sometimes  thinking  it  some  disturbance  in  the  house, 
again  that  it  might  be  something  amiss  in  his  dress :  at  laSl 
turning  himself  towards  the  scenes,  he  discovered  Jo  in  the 
aforesaid  posture  ;  whereupon  he  immediately  goes  off  the  Stage, 
swearing  he  would  never  set  foot  on  it  again,  unless  Jo  was 
immediately  turned  out  of  doors,  which  was  no  sooner  spoke 
than  in  pra&ice." 

p.  32.  THE  GENTLEMAN  DANCING-MASTER. 
Wycherley  wrote  for  Killigrew's  Company,  but  on 
Thursday,  January  2j,  1671-2,  the  Theatre  Royal, 
Standing  in  Bridges  Street  and  Russel  Street,  had  been 
destroyed  by  fire,  with  all  their  scenes  and  wardrobe. 
The  homeless  a&ors,  half  ruined  by  this  disaster,  were 
only  too  glad  to  migrate  to  the  disused  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields,  whence  Betterton  and  his  fellows  had  recently 
removed.  It  was  to  be  expected,  however,  that  in 
such  difficult  circumstances  they  could  undertake  a 
new  production,  and  so  Wycherley,  seeing  at  best  a 
very  distant  prospect  of  The  Gentleman  Dancing  Matter 
being  given  by  this  company,  handed  over  his  script 
to  Dorset  Garden,  where  the  piece  was  produced  in 
March,  1672.  (It  should  be  noted  how  confused  the 
chronology  of  Downes  has  become  here.  He  puts 
The  Citizen  turn'd  Gentleman,  which  was  produced  in 
July,  before  The  Gentleman  Dancing  Matter,  which  was 
given  in  March.) 

Wycherley's  comedy  is  to  some  extent  founded  upon 
Calderon's  El  Maettro  de  Dammar.  For  full  details  see 
my  edition  of  Wycherley,  Vol.  I.,  Introduction, 
pp.  39-45. 

The  Gentleman  Dancing  Matter  was  performed  at 
Drury  Lane  in  1692-3,  and  again  in  1702.  A  revival 
was  given  at  the  Maddermarket  Theatre,  Norwich, 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  209 

under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Nugent  Monck,  in  the 
autumn  of  1924.  On  December  20,  1925,  one  per 
formance  of  Wycherley's  comedy  was  seen  at  the 
Regent  Theatre,  London,  but  it  was  poorly  done  and 
proved  unsuccessful,  nor  was  it  helped  by  the  importa 
tion  of  a  meaningless  Prologue  and  Epilogue  newly 
written  for  the  occasion.  A  dabbler,  evidently  with  no 
particular  knowledge  of  the  Restoration  dramatists, 
had  ineptly  discovered  "  the  germ  "  of  a  scene  in  The 
Way  of  the  World  in  The  Gentleman  Dancing  Matfer.  He 
ingenuously  remarks  that  "  No  writer  on  Wycherley 
or  Congreve  seems  yet  to  have  "  noticed  the  resem 
blance,  and  it  is  very  safe  to  add  that  no  future  writer 
will  do  so. 

p.  33.  EPSOM  WELLS.  This  most  popular  comedy 
was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden,  December  2,  1672. 
It  remained  in  the  repertory  for  rather  more  than  fifty 
years. 

p.  33.  THE  REFORMATION.  Langbaine  writes : 
"  This  Play  is  ascribed  to  Mr.  Arrowsmitb  ;  and  is  a 
very  good  Comedy."  It  was  printed  4to,  1673  ;  Term 
Catalogues  t  Michaelmas  (November  24)  1673  ;  so  it  is 
permissible  to  date  the  production  at  Dorset  Garden 
in  the  summer  or  early  autumn  of  that  year.  Although 
the  scene  is  laid  in  Venice  it  may  be  noted  that  an 
English  Tutor,  afted  by  Underbill,  is  introduced 
(Act  IV.,  Scene  i),  and  he  is  given  some  very  caustic 
speeches  on  the  popular  heroic  tragedy  of  the  day, 
dry  bobs  whose  bite  echoes  The  Rehearsal. 

Downes  comments  that  the  "  Reformation  in1  the 
Play  "  is  "  the  Reverse  to  the  Laws  of  Morality  and 
Virtue  "  seems  meaningless,  as  actually  nothing  of  the 
sort  is  the  case,  and  he  either  writes  at  random  or  is 
confusing  The  Reformation  with  another  play. 

p.  33.  MACBETH.  To  speak  quite  precisely,  we  must 
say  that  Davenant's  version  of  Macbeth  was  first  printed, 
quarto,  1674,  although  the  quarto  of  1673  (in  other 
respecTs  a  reprint  of  the  First  Folio)  introduces  the 
song  "  Black  Spirits  and  White  "  and  several  Davenant 


210  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

variants  in  the  witch  scenes.  The  quarto,  1674, 
represents  Davenant's  alteration,  which  was  made,  no 
doubt,  as  early  as  1663-4.  This  quarto  (1674)  was 
reprinted  1687,  1689,  1695,  1697  and  1710.  Malone 
says  that  Davenant's  Macbeth  was  produced  in  1663  ; 
it  was  certainly  seen  by  Pepys  on  Saturday,  Novem 
ber  5,  1664,  when  he  notes  that  it  was  "  admirably 
acted."  On  Friday,  December  28th,  1666,  the  diarist 
has  :  "  To  the  Duke's  house,  and  there  saw  '  Macbeth ' 
most  excellently  acted,  and  a  most  excellent  play  for 
variety."  On  Monday,  January  7,  1666-7,  ne  writes  : 

"  To  the  Duke's  house,  and  saw  '  Macbeth,'  which,  though  I 
saw  it  lately,  yet  appears  a  moSt  excellent  play  in  all  respects,  but 
especially  in  divertisement,  though  it  is  a  deep  tragedy ;  which 
is  a  Strange  perfection  in  a  tragedy,  it  being  moSl  proper  here  and 
suitable. 

Davenant's  version  kept  the  stage  until  Garrick  revived 
Shakespeare's  tragedy  at  Drury  Lane,  January  7,  1744. 
For  a  full  discussion  of  Davenant's  Macbeth  see  Hazelton 
Spencer,  Shakespeare  Improved,  pp.  152-174. 

p.  33.  MR.  LOCK.  Matthew  Lock  no  doubt  wrote 
certain  music  for  Davenant's  version  of  Macbeth  at  its 
first  production,  or  almost  immediately  after,  and  of 
this  some  is  extant,  e.g.,  the  "  Witches'  Dance "  in 
ApoBff's  Banquet,  1669,  but  the  famous  Macbeth  music, 
long  ascribed  to  Lock,  is  now  known  to  be  by  Henry 
Purcell,  and  was,  of  course,  composed  for  a  kter 
revival,  probably  that  of  1688-9.  See  "  Who  Wrote 
the  Famous  'Macbeth'  Music?"  by  Mr.  W.  J. 
Lawrence,  The  Elizabethan  P/aybouse  and  other  Studies  (I.). 

p.  33.  MR.  CHANNELL.  Luke  Channell  was  a 
famous  dancing-master.  Monday,  September  24,  1660, 
Pepys  went  "  to  a  dancing  meeting  in  Broad  Street,  at 
the  house  that  was  formerly  the  glass-house,  Luke 
Channell,  Master  of  the  School,  where  I  saw  good 
dancing."  Channell  is,  no  doubt,  the  Luke  Cheynell 
mentioned  in  Sekft  City  Queries,  Part  I.,  London,  1660, 
by  Mercurius  Philalethes,  as  a  "  hop  merchant,"  a 
common  term  for  a  dancing  master,  see  Dictionary  of  the 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  211 

Canting  Crew.  Mr.  Luke  Channen  (/.*.,  Channell) 
organized  a  private  entertainment  for  the  Portuguese 
Ambassador  on  March  26,  1653,  for  which  occasion 
Shirley  wrote  his  masque  Cupid  and  Death.  When 
published  4to,  1653,  the  Poet  particularly  compli 
mented  the  "  gentlemen  that  performed  the  dances," 
declaring  them  to  be  "  masters  of  their  quality." 

p.  33.     MR.  JOSEPH  PREIST.    Josias  Priest. 

p.  33.  LOVES  JEALOUSY.  Rather  The  Fatal  Jealousiey 
produced  at  Dorset  Garden,  August  3,  1672.  This 
excellent  tragedy  by  Nevil  Payne  was  licensed  for  print 
ing  November  2, 1672,  and  published,  quarto,  with  date 
1673.  The  scene  lies  at  Naples,  and  the  intrigue 
largely  turns  upon  the  cunning  impostures  of  a  sup 
posed  Witch,  a£ted  by  Mrs.  Norris,  whose  nephew, 
Jasper,  a  villain,  was  played  by  Sandford.  Nokes  in 
petticoats  afted  the  Nurse. 

p.  33.  THE  MORNING  RAMBLE.  The  Morning 
Ramble,  or.  The  Town-Humours,  produced  at  Dorset 
Garden  in  November,  1672 — probably  on  Novem 
ber  4 — is  a  comedy  of  easy  dialogue  and  distin&ive 
chara&erization,  but  practically  no  plot.  None  the 
less  it  is  a  good  play,  and  one  that  must  always  give 
pleasure.  The  time  of  the  action  is  from  about  two 
in  the  morning  until  eight  o'clock.  Betterton  a&ed 
Townlove ;  Harris,  Merry ;  Smith,  Ruffle ;  Underbill, 
Fullam ;  Mrs.  Shadwell,  Rose ;  Mrs.  Johnson,  Honour 
Muchland ;  and  Mrs.  Long,  Betty  Rash. 

p.  34.  THE  JEALOUS  BRIDEGROOM.  The  Fortd 
Marriage,  or.  The  Jealous  bridegroom,  the  first  of  Mrs. 
Behn's  plays,  was  produced  in  December,  1670,  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields.  The  scene  is  "  Within  the  Court 
0/Trance,"  where  we  have  Philanda,  Alcippus,  Orgulius, 
Galatea,  Erminia,  Aminta,  with  her  woman  Lysette. 
Of  its  rococo  kind  it  is  quite  a  good  tragi-comedy.  It 
seems  to  have  been  revived  in  1689-90. 

p.  34.  OTWAY  THE  POET.  See  the  Introduction  to 
my  edition  of  Otway,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  xix.-xxii. 

p.  34.    THE  KING.    This  role  was  immediately  given 


212  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

to  Westwood,  whose  name  Stands  in  the  printed  cast 
of  the  play,  4to,  1671.  Westwood  played  such  small 
roles  as  Eumenes  in  Edward  Howard's  The  Women* s 
Conqueft,  produced  in  the  winter  of  1670 ;  Tom 
Faithfull  in  Edward  Revet's  The  Town-Shifts,  or,  the 
Suburb-Jttftice,  April,  1671  ;  Battista  in  Crowne's 
Juliana,  or,  the  Princess  of  Poland,  August,  1671. 

p.  34.  MR.  NAT  LEE.  Nathaniel  Lee's  failure 
cannot  have  been  quite  so  overwhelming  as  Otway's 
collapse,  since  in  August,  1672,  he  was  playing  the  small 
part  of  the  Captain  of  the  Watch  in  Nevil  Payne's 
tragedy,  The  Fatal  Jealowie.  He  possibly  acted  Mar- 
ceilus  in  Hamlet,  as  the  quarto,  1676,  gives  "  MarceUut — 
Mr.  Lee."  On  the  other  hand,  this  might  have  been 
Mr.  John  Lee. 

p.  34.  HALT.  It  has  not,  I  think,  before  been 
noticed  that  the  occasion  of  Downes'  failure  is  men 
tioned  by  Pepys.  Downes  afted  Haly,  who  is  described 
in  the  printed  cast  as  "  Eunuch  Bassa."  Tuesday, 
July  2,  1 66 1,  the  diarist  notes  : 

"  Took  coach  and  went  to  Sir  William  Davenant's  Opera,  this 
being  the  fourth  day  that  it  hath  begun,  and  the  first  that  I  have 
seen  it.  To-day  was  aftcd  the  second  part  of  Tbt  Siege  of  Rhodes. 
.  .  .  The  King  being  come,  the  scene  opened ;  which  indeed  is 
very  fine  and  magnificent,  and  well  aded,  all  but  the  Eunuch, 
who  was  so  much  out  that  he  was  hissed  off  the  Stage." 

Haly  is  a  part  of  five  and  forty  lines. 

p.  34.  ALCIBIADES.  Otway's  first  play,  which  was 
produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  1675,  possibly  in  Septem 
ber  of  that  year.  Among  the  Lord  Chamberlain's 
papers  there  is  an  entry :  "  [1675]  Sept  22  King  and 
Queene  at  Alcibiades  and  a  box  for  the  Mayds  of  Honor 
£25."  This  was  probably  the  first  performance.  The 
tragedy  was  favourably  received,  and  there  was  a 
revival  in  December,  1687. 

p.  34.  NERO.  Nathaniel  Lee's  first  play,  The  Tragedy 
of  Nero,  Emperour  of  Romt,  was  produced  at  Drury 
Lane,  May,  1674,  with  Charles  Hart  in  the  title-role 
and  Mrs.  Marshall  Poppxa. 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  213 

p.  34.  THE  TEMPEST.  The  problems  and  difficulties 
concerning  the  Restoration  versions  of  Shakespeare's 
play,  vexed  questions  to  which  attention  was  first 
drawn  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Lawrence  in  his  article  "  Did 
Thomas  Shadwell  write  an  Opera  on '  The  Tempest '  ?  " 
The  Elizabethan  Playhouse  and  Other  Studies  (I.),  have 
been  discussed  in  detail  by  Mr.  Lawrence,  Mr.  G. 
Thorn-Drury,  and  myself.  It  is  now  generally 
accepted  that  the  quarto,  1670,  represents  the  Dryden- 
Davenant  alteration  of  the  play,  The  Tempeft,  or,  The 
"Enchanted  Island,  which  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields  on  Thursday,  November  7, 1 667 ;  whilst  the  quarto 
of  1674,  which  (with  the  exception  of  the  folio,  1701) 
has  been  included  among  Dryden's  dramatic  works,  is 
indeed  the  operatic  version  of  The  Tempetf,  ory  The 
Enchanted  Island  due  to  Shadwell.  I  have  reprinted 
the  Dryden-Davenant  quarto,  1670,  in  my  Shakespeare 
Adaptations ',  1922.  The  Shadwell  opera  I  have  given 
in  my  edition  of  Sbadwett's  Complete  Works,  Fortune 
Press,  1927,  Vol.  II.  See,  in  particular,  Vol.  II., 
pp.  349-354,  "Variants  between  the  Davenant- 
Dryden  Comedy,  4to,  1670,  and  the  Opera,  4to,  1674." 
For  details  of  the  discussion  see  Vol.  I.,  Introduction, 
pp.  civ.-cix.  Mr.  Thorn-Drury  holds  that  Dryden 
himself  was  responsible  for  the  operatic  version  of 
The  Tempett,  although  he  allows  that  Shadwell  may  have 
lent  a  hand  "  as  it  proceeded  on  its  successful  career." 
Mr.  Lawrence  and  myself,  accepting  Downes*  explicit 
statement,  argue  that  the  operatic  version  is  by  Shadwell. 

p.  34.  HAVING  ALL  NEW  IN  IT.  This  refers  to  the 
decor.  Shadwell's  libretto  is  adapted  from  the  Dryden- 
Davenant  comedy. 

p.  34.  MYRIADS  OF  ARIEL  SPIRITS.  At  the  conclusion 
of  the  opera  "  Scene  changes  to  the  Rising  San  and  a  number 
of  Aerial  Spirits  in  the  Air" 

p.  35.    GOING  TO  DINNER.    Aft  IV.,  Scene  2. 

p.  35.  MR.  COGGAN.  He  acted  Roderigo  in  The 
Dutchess  of  Malfy ;  and  evidently  played  very  minor 
roles. 


214  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

p.  35.  MR.  GIBBONS.  Of  this  a£tor  nothing  is 
known.  Other  players  of  the  Duke's  House  about 
this  time  whose  names  occur  in  printed  casts  but 
concerning  whom  nothing  has  been  traced  are : 
Rathband,  who  a&ed  Barnardo  in  Hamlet  (4to,  1676)  ; 
Burford,  Gonsalvo  in  Crowne'  Charles  the  Eighth  (410, 
1672),  Pedro  in  Nevil  Payne's  The  Fatal  Jealoutie  (4to, 
1673)  ;  Bamfield,  Ossolinsky  in  Crowne's  Juliana  (410, 
1671)  ;  Sherwood,  Toby  in  Ravenscroft's  The  Careless 
Lovers  (410,  1673)  ;  Stingey  in  Revet's  The  Town-Shifts 
(410,  1671)  ;  Whaley,  Runwell  in  the  same  play ;  Mrs. 
Caff,  Mariana  in  Arrowsmith's  The  Reformation  (4to, 

1673). 

p.  35.  MR.  ANTHONY  LEE.  Rather  Leigh,  for  so  he 
signed  his  name.  See  his  signature  as  a  witness  to  the 
will  of  Thomas  Shadwell,  which  has  been  reproduced 
in  facsimile  in  my  edition  of  The  Complete  Works  of 
Thomas  ShadjveO,  1927,  Vol.  I.,  p.  ccxxx.  It  will  be 
noted  that  Anthony  Leigh's  wife  also  signed  her 
surname  Leigh.  In  the  printed  ca$ts,  however,  the 
name  is  often  erroneously  gives  as  Lee. 

Anthony  Leigh,  during  his  Stage  career  of  something 
less  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  created  a  very  great 
number  of  parts  of  the  fira  importance,  and  Gibber 
tells  us  :  "  Characters  that  would  make  the  reader 
yawn,  in  the  closet,  have  by  the  Strength  of  his  acHon 
been  lifted  into  the  loudeSl  laughter,  on  the  Stage." 
It  is  universally  agreed  that  in  his  line  he  always 
topped  perfe&ion,  and  there  was  no  contemporary 
critic  who  did  not  consider  that  Leigh's  genius  was 
unsurpassed  and  indeed  unsurpassable.  Again,  to 
quote  Gibber : 

"  Leigh  was  of  the  mercurial  kind  ...  in  humour  he  loved 
to  take  a  full  career,  but  was  careful  enough  to  Slop  short,  when 
juSl  upon  the  precipice.  He  had  great  variety  in  his  manner,  and 
was  very  famous  in  very  different  characters." 

According  to  a  Prologue  which  Collier  in  his  unprinted 
Hiftory  of  the  Reparation  Stage  quotes  as  from  a  con- 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  2IJ 

temporary  MS.  in  his  possession  Anthony  Leigh  was  a 

limner. 

Some  of  our  men  can  dance,  and  some  can  trim, 
Noakes  has  a  toy  shop,  Tony  Leigb  can  limn. 

But  the  lines  are  doubtful.  Leigh  died  in  December, 
1692,  when  he  is  spoken  of  as  "  Anthony  Leigh 
of  the  Parish  of  S.  Bridgett  Als  Brides,  London, 
Gent." 

p.  3  5 .  MR.  GILLO.  Gillow,  although  never  attaining 
any  particular  prominence,  was  of  the  number  of 
those  actors  who  are  extremely  useful,  and  who  even 
win  applause  in  a  wide  field  of  secondary  characters. 
In  the  reply  of  the  Patentees,  December  10,  1694,  to 
the  Petition  of  the  Players,  it  is  suggested  that  Betterton 
carefully  repressed  the  merit  of  the  younger  members 
of  his  company,  and  the  Patentees  definitely  blame 
Alexander  Davenant,  since  even  before  1687  he  had 
allowed  Betterton  "  to  brow  beate  and  discountenance 
young  Actors  as  Mr.  Giloe  Carlisle  Mountford  & 
others."  Gillow,  in  Dryden  and  Lee's  famous  drama 
The  Duke  of  Guise,  produced  at  Drury  Lane,  Decem 
ber  i,  1682,  played  Melanax,  a  Spirit,  and  it  is  true  that 
Dryden  says  the  part  was  "murder'd  in  the  Afting" 
Amongst  other  roles  played  by  Gillow,  which  will 
sufficiently  show  his  line,  were  :  Isidore  in  Shadwell's 
Timon  of  Athens,  Dorset  Garden,  early  January,  1677-8, 
or  even  possibly  the  preceding  December ;  Don  Luis 
in  Leanard's  The  Counterfeits,  May,  1678  ;  Diomedes 
in  Banks'  The  Defiruttion  of  Troy,  produced  at  Dorset 
Garden  in  the  autumn  of  1678  ;  Phorbas  in  CEdipus,  by 
Dryden  and  Lee,  Dorset  Garden,  January,  1678-9 ; 
Count  O&avio  in  Mrs.  Behn's  The  Feigfd  Courtesans, 
Dorset  Garden,  March,  1678-9 ;  Orsino  in  Lee's 
Casar  Borgia,  Dorset  Garden,  autumn  of  1679 ;  Bar- 
berino  in  Tate's  A  Duke  and  no  Duke,  Drury  Lane, 
August  1 8, 1684  ;  Arius  in  the  same  author's  Contfantine 
the  Great,  Drury  Lane,  November  12,  1684;  and  Don 
Garcia  in  D'Urfey's  The  Banditti,  Drury  Lane,  Decem 
ber,  1685,  or  early  in  1686.  After  1687  Gillow's  name  is 


2l6  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

no  longer  found,  and  he  probably  died  about  this  time 
or,  at  any  rate,  retired  from  the  Stage. 

A  Mrs.  Gillow  acted  Ardella  in  Otway's  Alcibiades, 
produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  September,  1675  ; 
Garcia  in  Don  Carlos,  performed  at  the  same  house  in 
the  summer  of  1676 ;  Lucetta  in  Mrs.  Bchn's  Tbt 
Rover  (I.),  Dorset  Garden,  March,  1677 ;  and  some 
other  very  insignificant  roles.  This  lady  was  probably 
the  wife,  perhaps  some  other  relative  of  Gillow.  If 
she  were  Gillow's  sifter,  and  later  married,  she  would, 
of  course,  subsequently  appear  under  another  name. 

p.  35.  MR.  JEVON.  Thomas  Jevon  was  born  in 
1652  and  died  December  20,  1688,  being  buried  in 
Hampstead  churchyard  on  the  24th  of  that  month. 
Langbaine,  writing  in  1691,  mentions  him  as,  "  A 
Person  lately  dead,  and  one  sufficiently  known  to  all 
that  frequent  the  Theatre,  both  for  his  Excellencies  in 
Dancing  and  Acting."  According  to  one  account, 
which  is  probably  correct,  he  had  originally  been  a 
dancing  master,  and  there  are  several  allusions  to  his 
grace  and  agility.  He  is  said  to  have  been  of  a  very 
slight  thin  figure.  Although  he  was  not  upon  the 
stage  for  a  longer  period  than  some  fourteen  or  fifteen 
years,  he  created  a  large  number  of  parts  in  the  popular 
successes  of  the  day.  Among  these  were  the  Poet  in 
ShadwelTs  Timon  of  Athens,  Dorset  Garden,  December, 
1677,  or  January,  1677-8  ;  Caper  in  Otway's  Friendship 
in  Fashion,  Dorset  Garden,  early  April  1679  >  Fourbin 
in  The  Souldiers  Fortune,  at  the  same  house  early  in 
1679-80  ;  Foppington  in  Mrs.  Behn's  The  City-Heiress, 
Dorset  Garden,  early  in  1682  ;  the  Gentleman-Usher 
in  Tate's  King  Lear,  Dorset  Garden,  early  spring  of 
1 68 1 ;  and  in  May,  1688,  at  Drury  Lane,  when  after 
two  or  three  performances  Nokes  threw  up  the  role 
of  Belfond  Senior,  he  instantly  followed  this  great 
comedian,  and  it  says  much  for  his  powers  that  he 
achieved  a  great  success.  When  The  Squire  of  Alsatia 
was  printed,  4to,  1688,  Jevon's  name  appears  as  Belfond 
Senior  in  the  cast.  Jevon  was  our  first  English  harle- 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  2IJ 

quin,  and  he  played  this  part  in  Mountford's  pantomime 
at  Dorset  Garden  in  1686-7,  which  was  printed  some 
ten  years  later,  4to,  1697,  as  "  The  Life  and  Death  of 
Doftor  Faustus,  Made  into  a  Farce  with  the  Humours 
of  Harlequin  and  Scaramouch :  As  they  were  several 
times  A&ed  By  Mr.  Lee  (Leigh)  and  Mr.  Jevon,  At  The 
Queen's  Theatre  in  Dorset  Garden."  In  the  spring  of 
1687  he  also  a&ed  Harlequin  in  Mrs.  Behn's  delightful 
fantasy  The  Emperor  of  the  Moon. 

Jevon  is  the  author  of  one  play,  a  capital  farce  in 
three  a&s  entitled  The  Devil  of  a  Wife,  or,  A  Comical 
Transformation,  which  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden 
in  March,  1685-6.  Printed,  4to,  1686,  by  1735  it  had 
run  to  an  eighth  edition.  In  a  slightly  altered  form  as 
The  Devil  to  Pay,  produced  at  Drury  Lane,  August  6, 
1731,  this  farce  kept  the  stage  till  the  first  quarter  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  and  at  minor  theatres  and  in 
the  provinces  was  to  be  seen  of  even  more  recent  years. 
As  late  as  December,  1852,  an  adaptation  called  The 
Eoiket-Maker' 's  Wife  was  produced  at  Niblo's  Garden, 
New  York. 

p.  3  5 .  MR.  PERCIVAL.  Thomas  Percival  was  a  useful 
aftor,  but  of  undistinguished  mediocrity.  He  is  better 
known  as  the  father  of  Susanna  Percival,  the  famous 
a&ress  who  married  William  Mountford,  and  en 
secondes  noces  became  Mrs.  Verbruggen.  In  167$ 
Percival  appeared  as  Fortinbras  in  Hamlet',  in  the 
Introduction,  pp.  Ixxxiv.-xc.  to  my  ShakeSpeare  Adapta 
tions,  1922,  I  give  a  list  of  the  parts  afted  by  Percival, 
and  it  will  be  remarked  that  they  are  all  of  a  very  minor 
importance,  such  as  Grisolan  in  The  Dutchess  of  Malfi ; 
Spinosa,  a  conspirator  in  Venice  Preserved ;  Artemidorus 
in  Julius  Ceesar.  In  September,  1693,  Percival  was 
arrested  on  a  charge  of  clipping  coin,  and  being  found 
guilty  he  was  condemned  to  death  on  the  following 
October  17.  The  sentence,  however,  was  commuted 
to  transportation,  and  he  got  as  far  as  Portsmouth, 
where  he  died  and  was  buried. 

p.  35.    MR.  WILLIAMS.    Joseph  Williams,  who  be- 


2l8  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

came  a  very  important  aftor  and  played  many  leading 
parts.  He  was,  for  example,  the  original  Theodosius 
in  Lee's  Theodsius,  or,  The  Force  of  Love ;  the  Prince  of 
Cleve  in  the  same  author's  The  Princess  of  Cleve ; 
Polydore  in  The  Orphan  to  the  Castalio  of  Betterton ; 
Vainlove  in  The  Old  Batchehur ;  Mellefont  in  The 
Double-Dealer.  In  1695,  when  there  was  so  great  a 
division  in  the  actor's  camp,  at  first  Joseph  Williams 
migrated  with  Betterton  and  his  followers  to  the  little 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  theatre.  However,  upon  some 
disagreement,  before  they  began  to  play  he  departed 
from  them  and  returned  to  Drury  Lane.  One  of  his 
last  characters  was  Roebuck  in  Farquhar's  Love  and  a 
Bott/e,  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  1699.  His  name 
does  not  appear  after  1700.  Gibber  says  that  his 
merit  was  very  great,  yet  his  industry  "  was  not  equal 
to  his  capacity,  for  he  loved  his  bottle  better  than  his 
business." 

p.  35.  MR.  BOMAN.  John  Bowman,  born  in  1651, 
was  celebrated  as  a  youth  for  the  beauty  of  his  voice. 
His  name  occurs  in  the  printed  casts  to  a  very  large 
number  of  parts,  many  of  which  are  of  great  import 
ance.  He  was  celebrated  for  his  fops  of  fashion,  and 
he  was  the  original  Lord  Froth  in  The  Double-Dealer  ; 
Tattle-  in  Love  for  Love  ;  and  Petulant  in  The  Way  of 
the  World.  He  lived  to  a  green  old  age,  and  Davies 
says  that  he  "  was  supposed  to  be  near  ninety  years 
old  when  he  died  ;  no  coquette  was  ever  more  careful 
to  conceal  her  age  than  this  after  :  to  those  who  asked 
him  his  age,  his  constant  reply  was,  *  Sir,  I  am  very  well' " 
It  is  recorded  that  when  Volpone  was  revived  in  1731, 
with  Mills  as  Volpone  and  Wilks  as  Mosca, 

"  the  part  of  the  firSl  avocatore,  or  superior  judge  was  represented 
with  great  propriety  by  the  venerable  Mr.  Bowman,  at  that  time 
verging  to  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  This  aftor  was  the  last 
of  the  Bettertonian  school.  By  the  remains  of  this  man,  the 
spe&ators  might  guess  at  the  perfection  to  which  the  old  masters 
in  a£ting  had  arrived.  Bowman  pronounced  the  sentence  upon 
the  several  delinquants,  in  the  comedy,  with  becoming  gravity, 
grace,  and  dignity." 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  219 

In  an  obituary  notice  in  the  Scots  Magazine  for  March, 
1739,  Bowman  is  spoken  of  as  the  oldest  actor  and  singer 
in  England. 

p.  35.  MRS.  BARRY.  Elizabeth  Barry,  born  in  1658, 
according  to  theatrical  tradition  owed  her  extraordinary 
success  upon  the  Stage  to  the  tuition  of  Rochester. 
Gibber  says,  **  There  was,  it  seems,  so  little  hope  of 
Mrs.  Barry,  at  her  first  setting  out,  that  she  was,  at  the 
end  of  the  first  year,  discharged  the  company,  among 
others  that  were  thought  to  be  a  useless  expense  to  it." 
Rochester,  however,  determined  to  make  her  great, 
and  for  many  months  he  so  trained  her  that  upon  her 
return  to  the  theatre  she  was  recognized  as  a  finished 
a&ress,  and  before  long  her  genius  blazed  out  in  all  its 

flory.  In  the  Preface  to  his  tragedy  Cleomenes,  The 
partan  Heroe,  4to,  1692,  in  which  pky  Mrs.  Barry 
created  Cassandra,  Dryden  wrote :  "  Mrs.  Barry, 
always  excellent,  has  in  thu  Tragedy  exceU'd  herself y  and 
gained  a  deputation  beyond  any  Woman  whom  I  have  ever 
seen  on  the  theatre"  Mrs.  Barry  retired  from  the  stage 
in  1710,  her  last  appearance  being  Lady  Easy  in  Colley 
Gibber's  The  Careless  Husband,  at  the  Haymarket, 
June  13,  of  that  year.  For  some  time  past  she  had  only 
appeared  at  irregular  intervals.  In  A£ton  churchyard 
there  was  formerly  the  following  memorial :  Near 
this  Place  Lies  the  Body  of  Elizabeth  Barry,  Of  the 
Parish  of  S.  Mary  le  Savoy,  Who  departed  this  life  the 
7th  of  Novem.  1713.  Aged  55  years. 

p.  35.  MRS.  CURRER.  Elizabeth  Currer  was  born 
in  Dublin,  and  owing  to  her  beauty  and  extraordinary 
spirit  a  few  years  after  she  had  joined  the  Duke's 
Company  she  became  a  great  favourite  with  the  town. 
There  are  constant  allusions  to  her  beauty  and  her 
popularity.  She  played  many  characters  of  importance, 
such  as  Lady  Fancy  in  Mrs.  Behn's  Sir  Patient  Fancy, 
produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  January,  1677-8 ; 
Madam  Tricklove  in  D'Urfey's  Squire  Oldsapp,  pro 
duced  at  the  same  house  in  the  summer  of  1678  ; 
Eugenia  in  Ravenscroft's  comedy  The  London  Cuckolds, 


220  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

Dorset  Garden,  November,  1681 ;  and  Mrs.  Featly  in 
the  same  author's  Dame  Dobson,  produced  in  the  early 
autumn  of  1683.  Probably  the  lea§t  original  part 
acted  by  Mrs.  Currer  was  the  Widow  Ranter  in  Mrs. 
Behn's  posthumous  play  of  the  same  name,  produced 
at  Drury  Lane  in  the  late  winter  of  1689.  Her  most 
famous  character  was  Aquilina  in  Venice  Preserved, 
produced  at  Dorset  Garden  on  February  9,  1681-2. 
Davies  says  ;  When  Leigh  and  Mrs.  Currer  performed 
the  parts  of  doting  cully  and  rampant  courtezan,  the 
applause  was  as  loud  as  the  triumphant  Tories,  for  so 
they  were  at  that  time,  could  beftow." 

In  the  Epilogue,  spoken  by  Jevon,  to  Like  Father, 
Like  Son,  or,  The  Miftaken  Brothers,  produced  April  5, 
1682,  an  alteration  by  Mrs.  Behn  of  Randolph's 
Zealous  Lovers,  the  following  couplet  refers  to  Mrs. 
Currer : 

Sweet  MiSlris  CoraS  here  has  lost  her  Lover, 
Pshaw  English  or  Irish  ground  shall  find  another. 

p.  35.  MRS.  BUTLER.  Charlotte  Butler  was,  accord 
ing  to  Gibber,  "  the  daughter  of  a  decayed  knight," 
and  was  recommended  to  the  theatre  by  King  Charles, 
who  had  indeed  given  her  her  Christian  name. 

"  She  proved  not  only  a  good  a£tress,  but  was  allowed  in  those 
days,  to  sing  and  dance  to  great  perfe&ion.  In  the  dramatic 
operas  of  Dioclesian  and  King  Arthur,  she  was  a  capital  and  admired 
performer.  In  speaking,  too,  she  had  a  sweet-toned  voice, 
which,  with  her  naturally  genteel  air  and  sensible  pronounciation, 
rendered  her  wholly  mistress  of  the  aimiable,  in  many  serious 
characters.  In  parts  of  humour,  too,  she  hadda  manner  of 
blending  her  assuasive  softness,  even  with  the  gay,  the  lively, 
and  the  aluring." 

In  J.  Payne  Collier's  Hiftory  of  the  Retforatiott  Stage 
(MS.  at  Harvard),  it  is  said  on  p.  202  that  Mrs.  Butler 
made  her  debut  in  a  comedy  called  Fools  have  Fortune, 
or,  Luck's  All.  This  comedy  was  not  printed,  and  there 
does  not  appear  to  be  any  mention  of  it  elsewhere,  but 
Collier  avers  that  the  Prologue  and  Epilogue  arc  in  a 
contemporary  MS.  in  his  possession.  The  Prologue 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  221 

speaks  of  Mrs.  Butler  as  a  "  new  woman  "  making  her 
firft  appearance,  and  to  prevent  misconception  her 
name  is  inserted  in  the  margin.  This  is  very  possibly 
corre£t,  although  Collier's  forgeries  were  so  many 
that  one  may  well  hesitate  to  accept  his  word  without 
further  evidence.  The  lines  Collier  quotes  from  this 
Prologue  are  as  follows  : 

'Tis  seldom  a  new  play  with  you  prevails, 
But  a  new  aftress  almost  never  fails. 
New  did  I  say  ?     Nay  though  the  town  before, 
Had  rumpled,  read,  and  thumb'd  her  o'er  and  o'er. 
But  on  the  Stage  no  sooner  she  appears, 
And  presently  the  sparks  prick  up  their  ears, 
And  all  in  clusters  round  the  scenes  do  take 
Like  boys  about  a  bush  to  catch  a  snake. 
The  charming  silver  hand  the  prize  does  win 
And  then  the  snake  does  quickly  cast  her  skin, 
And  in  embroidery  Struts,  and  point  Vtnet 
Who  t'other  day  was  draggled  to  the  knee. 

We  are  told  that  reference  was  then  made  to  the 
depressed  state  of  the  stage  as  threatening  to  drive  the 
players  to  other  occupations. 

Not  but  if  wit's  extinftion  lies  decreed, 
We  have  more  trades  to  trust  to  for  a  need. 
Poets  can  fall  a  writing  those  romances 
Which  they  call  Protestant  Intclligances. 
Some  of  the  men  can  dance,  and  some  can  trim 
Noafus  has  a  toy  shop,  Tony  Leigh  can  limn. 
And  I  believe  'tis  known  to  most  of  you, 
Our  female  a&resses  have  toyshops  too. 

We  actually  know  from  several  other  sources 
(e.g.,  Tom  Brown's  Letter  of  News  from  Mr.  Joseph 
Haines  .  .  .  December  21,  1701),  that  James  Nokes, 
the  famous  comedian,  kept  a  toy-shop  "  over  against 
the  Exchange."  It  is  not,  I  believe,  elsewhere  recorded 
that  Anthony  Leigh  was  a  limner.  If  this  Prologue  is 
not  genuine,  but  forged,  one  can  only  say  that  it  is  an 
extraordinarily  clever  and  adroit  piece  of  work.  The 
faft  that  Fools  have  Fortune  has  not  been  traced  need 
not  weigh  against  it,  for  we  find  that  several  plays 
have  entirely  disappeared.  For  example,  nothing  is 


3.ZZ  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

known  of  The  Retfory  ;  The  Sea  Captains  ;  The  PoKtian  ; 
No  Fool  like  the  Old  Fool ;  and  others  which  occur  in 
the  Lord  Chamberlain's  lifts  as  having  been  seen  by 
Charles  II. 

Since  the  patentees  very  unwisely  refused  Mrs. 
Butler  an  addition  of  lor.  a  week  to  her  salary,  which 
was  then  40^.,  she  accepted  an  offer  made  by  Joseph 
Ashbury  and  crossed  to  Dublin  to  appear  on  the  Irish 
Stage.  The  theatre  in  Smock-alley  had  been  closed 
during  the  troubles  between  King  James  II.  and  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  but  was  opened  by  Mr.  Ashbury  on 
March  23,  1691-2. 

p.  35.  MRS.  SLAUGHTER.  She  a&ed  Cornelia, 
Widow  Queen  of  Cyprus,  in  Crowne's  Charles  the 
Eighth,  produced  at  Dorset  Garden,  November,  1671. 
Genest  with  great  probability  suggests  that  she  became 
Mrs.  Osborne,  whose  name  frequently  occurs.  In  a 
lift  of  Royal  Comedians  under  James  II.,  Margaret 
Osborne  is  duly  entered. 

p.  35.  MRS.  KNAPPER.  Mrs.  Napper  played  very 
small  parts,  generally  waiting-women,  such  as  Betty, 
Emilia's  woman  in  A  Fond  Husband,  spring  of  1676 ; 
Betty  in  Tom  Essence,  autumn  of  same  year ;  Silvia, 
attendant  to  Fickle,  in  Madam  Fickle,  autumn,  1676. 
In  Settle's  Paftor  Fido,  winter  of  1676,  she  pkyed  Celia 
"  Confident  to  Corisca."  Her  name  is  seldom  found. 

p.  35.  MRS.  TWIFORD.  This  lady  was  an  accom 
plished  aftress,  and  won  no  little  applause.  Among 
her  many  roles  not  mentioned  by  Downes  were 
Aurelia  in  D'Urfey's  The  Rjoyalift,  Dorset  Garden, 
January,  1681-2 ;  Beatrice  in  Ravenscroft's  Dame 
Dobson,  autumn  of  1683  ;  Fiametta  in  Tate's  A  Duke 
and  No  Duke,  autumn  of  1684;  Mildred  in  the  same 
author's  version  of  Eatfward  Hoe,  entitled  Cuckold's 
Haven,  or,  An  Alderman  no  Conjurer,  autumn  of  1685  ; 
Menalippe  in  D'Urfey's  A  Commonwealth  of  Women, 
summer  of  1685  ;  Christina  in  the  same  author's  The 
Banditti,  early  summer  1685-6 ;  Lettice  in  Jevon's 
Devil  of  a  Wife,  March,  1685-6. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  223 

p.  3  5 .  THE  SIEGE  OF  CONSTANTINOPLE.  A  very  good 
tragedy  which  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in 
November,  1 674,  and  published,  4to,  1675.  Shaftesbury 
in  this  play  is  very  pointedly  satirized  as  the  Chancellor. 

p.  35.  THE  CONQUEST  OF  CHINA.  This  robustious 
drama  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  1675,  perhaps 
in  May,  on  2  8th  of  which  month  it  was  seen  by  the 
King.  Jevon  a&ed  Legozun,  a  Prince  of  China.  The 
tragedy  is  fast  and  furious,  and  we  meet  with  such  Stage 
direction  as,  "  They  all  fall  on  their  Swords  "  and  "  Dy 
omnes"  It  is  obvious  that  the  incident  related  by 
Downes  must  have  taken  place  at  a  rehearsal. 

In  the  Preface  to  The  Libertine,  4to,  1676,  Shad  well 
sneers  at  the  author  who  "is  believed  to  have  been 
three  years  drudging  upon  the  Conquetf  of  China  but 
he  ought  not  to  be  called  a  Poet,  who  cannot  write  ten 
times  better  in  three  weeks." 

p.  35.  FEBRUARY,  1673.  This  date  is  very  incorrect. 
Psyche  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  on  February  27, 
1674-$.  The  vocal  music  was  composed  by  Matthew 
Locke ;  the  instrumental  music  by  Giovanni  Baptista 
Draghi,  the  famous  Italian  Maestro,  who  was  in  Queen 
Catherine's  service ;  the  elaborate  scenery  was  painted 
by  the  admired  Stephenson ;  the  dances  were  arranged 
and  superintended  by  St.  Andree,  the  principal  cory 
phaeus  of  his  time.  The  whole  was  under  the  most 
careful  supervision  of  Betterton  himself.  Shadwell's 
opera  is  largely  borrowed  from  the  French  tragedie- 
ballet  Psyche  which  was  produced  in  January,  1671. 
For  full  details  see  Psyche  and  the  notes  upon  that  play 
in  my  edition  of  The  Complete  Works  of  Thomas  Sbadwetty 
Vol.  II.,  1927. 

p.  36.  SIR  PATIENT  FANCY.  It  must  be  carefully 
noted  that  the  chronology  of  Downes  is  here  entirely 
wrong. 

Sir  Patient  Fancy  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in 
January,  1677-8. 

The  Rover,  or,  The  Banish' t  Cavaliers ',  Part  I.,  was  pro 
duced  at  Dorset  Garden,  March,  1676-7. 


224  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

The  Second  Part  of  The  Rover  was  produced  at 
Dorset  Garden  in  the  spring  of  1679. 

Alcibiades  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  1675, 
probably  in  September. 

Madam  Fickle  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in 
November,  1676. 

Don  Carlos  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  1676, 
probably  in  June. 

p.  36.  IT  LASTED  SUCCESSIVELY  10  DAYS.  It  must 
be  noticed  that  ten  performances  then  constituted  a 
long  run,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Downes' 
Statement  is  entirely  accurate.  Dr.  Johnson  in  his  Life 
of  Otway  mentions  a  tradition  that  Don  Carlos  "is  said 
to  have  been  played  thirty  nights  together."  He 
continues : 

"  This  however  it  is  reasonable  to  doubt,  as  so  long  a  con 
tinuance  of  one  play  upon  the  Stage  is  a  very  wide  deviation  from 
the  practice  of  that  time ;  when  the  ardour  for  theatrical  enter 
tainments  was  not  yet  diffused  through  the  whole  people,  and 
the  audience,  consisting  nearly  of  the  same  persons,  could  be 
drawn  together  only  by  variety." 

A  run  of  thirty  nights  was  unheard  of  in  the  Restoration 
theatre,  although  the  writer  of  a  recent  Handbook  to 
Rttforation  Drama  (!)  shows  himself  inclined  to  accept 
the  greater  number.  But  he  merely  betrays  his  ignor 
ance  of  the  theatrical  conditions  of  the  time.  His 
pages  are  indeed  superficial,  ignorant,  and  silly. 

p.  36.  IT  GOT  MORE  MONEY.  Barton  Booth  in  a 
letter  to  Aaron  Hill  says  :  "  Mr.  Bettcrton  observed 
to  me  many  years  ago  that  Don  Carlos  succeeded  much 
better  than  Venice  Preserved  or  The  Orphan,  and  was 
infinitely  more  applauded  and  followed  for  many  years." 
Davies,  writing  in  1784,  records  :  "  Don  Carlos  con 
tinued  long  a  favourite  drama ;  it  was  revived  about 
fifty  years  since,  at  the  theatre  in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields." 
This  would  appear  to  have  been  the  last  revival. 

p.  36.  THE  MAN  OF  MODE.  This,  the  third  and  last 
comedy  by  Sir  George  Etherege,  was  produced  at 
Dorset  Garden  on  March  ri,  1676.  At  the  beginning 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  225 

of  the  eighteenth  century  Wilks  was  much  admired  as 
Dorimant,  and  Colley  Gibber  as  Sir  Fopling  Flutter, 
and  by  their  fine  performance  of  these  parts  the  play 
long  remained  a  favourite.  One  of  the  last  performances 
seems  to  have  been  a  revival  at  Covent  Garden  in 
March,  1766. 

A  theatrical  history  of  Etherege's  comedies  is  a 
desideratum.  Anything  of  the  kind  was  altogether 
omitted  in  the  latest  recension  of  Etherege,  an  arid 
and  uninspired,  though  doubtless  painstaking,  reprint, 
and  this  although  the  editor  is  said  to  have  been  in 
travail  of  the  three  plays  as  long  as  Pliny's  elephant. 
(Decem  annis  gestare  in  utero  uulgus  existimat.) 
Parturiunt  montes  .  .  . 

p.  36.  THE  SOLDIERS  FORTUNE.  This  excellent 
comedy  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  early  in 
1679-80.  The  King  saw  the  play  on  March  i  of 
that  year,  and  possibly  this  was  the  original  performance. 
There  was  a  magnificent  cast,  including  Betterton  as 
Captain  Beaugard ;  Smith  as  Courtinc ;  and  Mrs. 
Barry  as  Lady  Dunce.  Especially  great  were  Nokes  as 
Sir  Davy  Dunce  and  Leigh  as  Sir  Jolly  Jumble.  Gibber 
has  recorded  the  infinite  entertainment  which  they 
afforded  their  audiences  in  these  sprightly  scenes. 

The  Souldiers  fortune  remained  popular  for  well- 
nigh  half  a  century.  Probably  the  last  revival  was  that 
at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  on  January  9,  1723.  On 
March  8,  1748,  at  Covent  Garden,  it  was  given  as  an 
after-piece,  being  cut  down  to  a  couple  of  a&s.  For 
ampler  details  of  this  comedy  see  my  edition  of  Tbt 
Works  of  Thomas  Otway,  1926,  Vol.  I.,  Introduction, 
pp.  Ixxxi-lxxxvi ;  and  the  play  itself  with  the  notes  in 
the  second  volume. 

p.  36.  THE  FOND  HUSBAND.  A.  fond  Husband,  or, 
The  Plotting  Sifters.  One  of  D'Urfey's  best  comedies, 
was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  the  spring  of  1676, 
licensed  for  printing  June  15, 1676, 4to,  1677.  Anthony 
Leigh  was  especially  famous  in  the  character  of  old 
Fumble,  "  a  superanuated  Alderman,  that  dotes  on 


226  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Black  Women  ;  He's  very  deaf  and  almost  blind ;  and 
seeking  to  covet  his  imperfe&ion  of  not  hearing  what 
is  said  to  him,  answers  quite  contrarily."  Steele  in 
The  Guardian  (82;  June  15,  1713)  says  of  A  Fond 
Husband :  "  This  comedy  was  honoured  with  the 
presence  of  King  Charles  the  Second  three  of  its  first 
five  nights."  It  kept  the  boards  until  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

p.  36.  CIRCE.  This  opera  by  Charles  Davenant  was 
produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  March,  1676-7.  It  is 
cleverly  contrived  to  afford  scope  for  the  most  striking 
spectacular  effects.  It  was  revived  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields  in  July,  1704,  and  again  in  April,  1719. 

p.  37.  THE  SIEGE  OF  TROY.  Rather  The  Deftruftion 
of  Troy  y  which  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  the 
winter  of  1678  (licensed  for  printing  January  29, 
1678-9).  It  is  a  good  tragedy,  and  the  last  scene 
the  burning  of  Troy  was  no  doubt  very  effective. 
There  is  a  long  cast.  Heftor  was  adted  by  Harris ; 
Paris,  Crosby ;  Troilus,  Joseph  Williams ;  Achilles, 
Betterton ;  Ulysses,  Smith ;  Helena,  Mrs.  Price ; 
Andromache,  Mrs.  Betterton;  Polyxena,  Mrs.  Barry; 
and  Cassandra,  Mrs.  Mary  Lee.  The  Epilogue  was 
spoken  by  Mrs.  Anne  Quin. 

p.  37.  ANNA  BULLEN.  Vertue  Jbtray'dy  or,  Anna 
Buflen  is  a  very  pathetic  tragedy  whose  tenderness  often 
awakens  real  emotion,  and  upon  the  stage  must  have 
proved  extremely  moving.  It  was  produced  at  Dorset 
Garden,  April  5,  1682  (Bindley),  with  Smith  as  King 
Henry ;  Gillow,  Cardinal  Wolsey  ;  Betterton,  Piercy  ; 
Joseph  Williams,  Rochford ;  and  Mrs.  Barry,  Anna 
Bullen. 

As  is  well  known  Narcissus  Luttrell  made  a  very 
extensive  collection  of  broadsides  and  contemporary 
satires,  upon  which  it  was  his  wont  to  inscribe  the  date 
of  purchase.  Of  these  broadsides  not  a  few  are  the 
Prologues  and  Epilogues  of  new  plays  which  were  thus 
immediately  issued.  The  date  written  on  these  Pro 
logues  is  generally  that  of  the  date  of  the  adtual  pro- 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  2Z"J 

duftion  of  the  play,  and  always  an  approximate  date. 
Very  many  of  these  pieces  passed  into  the  hands  of 
James  Bindley  (pb.  1818),  First  Commissioner  in  the 
Stamp  Office,  the  friend  of  Malone.  His  library  was 
sold  1818-21,  and  the  greater  part  of  this  collection  is 
now  in  the  Bodleian  Library.  Accordingly  in  quoting 
a  date  thus  derived  it  will  be  given  with  Bindley's 
name. 

Davies  says :  "  Anna  BuOen  has  not  been  revived 
since  the  death  of  Mrs.  Oldfield,  who  a&ed  the  Prin 
cipal  Part."  This  is  not  correct,  for  there  were 
performances  at  Covent  Garden  in  1750,  1758,  and 
1766,  since  which  last  year  Banks'  tragedy  has  probably 
not  been  given.  At  least  half  a  dozen  plays  and 
dramatic  poems,  not  to  mention  two  pantomimes,  in 
the  nineteenth  century  have  taken  Ann  Boleyn  as  their 
heroine. 

p.  37.  THE  FEIGN'D  CURTEZANS.  The  Feign* d 
CurthpnSy  or,  A  Night's  Intrigue,  4to,  1679.  This  ex 
cellent  comedy  by  Mrs.  Behn  was  produced  at  Dorset 
Garden  in  April,  1679,  and  it  seems  difficult  to  believe 
that  such  capital  fare  did  not  pass  into  the  theatrical 
repertory.  There  was  a  revival  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields, 
August  8,  1716. 

p.  37.  THE  CITY  HEIRESS.  The  City  Heiress,  or,  Sir 
Timothy  Treat-All  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden 
May  15,  1682  (Bindley),  Sir  Timothy  Treat-All,  afted  by 
Nokes,  is  "  an  old  seditious  Knight,  that  keeps  open 
House  for  Commonwealthsmen  and  true  blue  fol 
lowers."  There  is  some  very  pleasant  satire  on  Shaftes- 
bury,  and,  although  not  entirely  original,  the  scene  of 
the  pretended  burglary  is  one  of  the  most  exquisitely 
humorous  situations  to  be  found  in  any  comedy.  If  in 
spite  of  its  great  merit  it  did  not  become  a  stock  play, 
this  must  be  ascribed  to  the  dire&ly  political  nature  of 
much  of  its  sparkling  wit,  a  feature  in  many  details 
necessarily  ephemeral,  although  in  truth  there  is  much 
of  general  application  which  has  not  lost  its  point  even 
to-day. 


228  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

One  of  the  latest  revivals  of  The  City  Heiress  was 
that  at  the  Haymarket  on  July  10,  1707,  for  the  benefit 
of  Husband  and  Pack,  when  it  met  with  a  very 
favourable  reception. 

p.  37.  TIMON  OF  ATHENS.  Shadwell's  alteration  of 
Shakespeare's  great  tragedy  was  produced  at  Dorset 
Garden,  probably  early  in  January,  1677-8,  or  possibly 
even  in  the  preceding  December  with  Betterton  as 
Timon;  Smith,  Alcibiades;  and  Harris,  Apemantus. 
It  seems  probable  that  part,  at  least,  if  not  the  whole, 
of  the  original  music  for  ShadwclTs  drama  was  com 
posed  by  Louis  Grabu.  Henry  Purcell's  Timon  music 
is  dated  by  Barclay  Squire  about  1694.  For  a  full 
theatrical  history  of  the  play  see  my  edition  of  Tbt 
Complete  Works  of  Thomas  ShadweU,  Vol.  II.,  in  which 
Timon  of  Athens  is  reprinted. 

p.  37.  THE  LIBERTINE  AND  VIRTUOSO.  For  reprints 
and  full  accounts  of  these  plays  see  my  "  Shadwell," 
Vol.  II.  The  Ubertine  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden 
in  June,  1675,  probably  about  the  i5th  of  that  month. 
Betterton  a&ed  Don  John,  and  Underbill,  Jacomo,  his 
man. 

The  Virtuoso,  a  satire  upon  scientific  pedantry,  was 
produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  May,  1676.  Sir  Formal 
Trifle  was  played  by  Anthony  Leigh;  Sir  Samuel 
Hearty,  by  Nokes  ;  and  old  Snarl  by  Cave  Underbill. 
This  is  one  of  the  best  of  Shadwell's  comedies,  and  we 
are  surprised  to  find  that  it  did  not  keep  the  stage 
longer  than  until  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

p.  37.  THE  SPANISH  FRYAR.  The  Spanish  Fryar,  or, 
The  Double  Discovery.  This  excellent  comedy,  which 
stands  in  the  front  rank  of  English  plays,  was  produced 
at  Dorset  Garden  in  March,  1679-80.  Anthony  Leigh 
adled  Dominic  with  great  applause,  and  at  Knole  there 
exists  a  portrait  of  him  in  this  chara&er.  On  November 
13,  1706,  at  the  Haymarket,  Bullock  played  the  Friar  to 
the  Torrismond  of  Betterton — his  original  role.  At 
the  same  house,  March  18,  1707,  Betterton  was  seen 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  229 

as  Dominic  for  his  benefit.  The  Spanish  Fryar  was  long 
popular.  Towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century 
it  was  abridged  to  three  a&s.  One  of  the  latest  revivals 
was  at  the  Haymarket,  May,  1787. 

p.  37.  CEDIPUS.  Downes  blunders  sadly  with  regard 
to  this  play,  for  Drydcn  definitely  tells  us  :  "I  writ  the 
Firslt  and  Third  Ads  of  (Edipus,  and  drew  the  Scenery 
of  the  whole  Play"  The  reft  belongs  to  Nat  Lee. 
Qzdipus  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  early  in 
1678-9,  probably  in  January.  The  last  revival  was  at 
Covent  Garden,  January  10,  1755. 

p.  37.  THE  ORPHAN.  This  fine  tragedy  was  pro 
duced  at  Dorset  Garden  early  in  1680,  probably 
February.  Monimia  has  been  played  by  moft  of  the 
great  English  addresses  of  the  paft — Mrs.  Oldfield, 
Mrs.  Porter,  Mrs.  Seymour,  Mrs.  Gibber,  Mrs.  Prit- 
chard,  Mrs.  Yates,  Mrs.  Bellamy,  and  Miss  O'Neill. 
Otway's  drama  definitely  held  the  Stage  until  the  retire 
ment  of  this  lasl:  tragedienne.  In  May,  1925,  two  per 
formances  of  The  Orphan  was  given  at  the  Aldwych 
Theatre,  London.  The  play  was  so  misunderstood 
and  patently  mishandled  by  the  producer  and,  unfor 
tunately,  altogether  misca£t,  that  the  production  proved 
a  lamentable  failure. 

p.  38.  VENICE  PRESERVED.  Produced  at  Dorset 
Garden,  February  7,  1681-2. 

p.  38.  THE  FATAL  MARRIAGE.  Produced  at  Drury 
Lane,  February,  1693-4. 

p.  38.  SHE  FORC'D  TEARS.  Writing  of  Mrs.  Barry, 
Davies  says  :  "  In  the  play  of  the  Orphan,  when,  on 
leaving  CaStalio,  in  the  laft  act,  she  buslt  out  into  that 
affe&ing  exclamation,  '  O  poor  Ca&alio  I '  she  never 
failed  to  shed  tears  herself,  nor  was  it  possible  for  the 
audience  to  restrain  from  corresponding  lamentations." 

p.  38.  TITUS  AND  BERENICE.  It  musTt  be  remarked 
that  here  the  chronology  is  very  confused.  Titus  and 
Berenice,  licensed  (for  printing)  by  Roger  L'Esltrange, 
February  19,  1676-7,  was  probably  produced  some  two 
or  three  months  before.  Bettertoa  pkyed  Titus  and 


230  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

Mrs.  Mary  Lee,  Berenice.  The  tragedy  seems  to  have 
kept  the  Stage  only  a  few  years. 

The  Cheats  of  Scapin  long  remained  popular,  and  was 
aftcd  as  a  short  after-piece  season  after  season  in  the 
eighteenth  century.  November  6,  1812,  at  Covent 
Garden,  The  Cheats  of  Scapint  "  Not  acted  many  years," 
was  given  for  one  performance,  with  Mathews  as 
Scapin.  However,  the  farce  Still  lingered  at  the  minor 
theatres  and  in  the  provinces. 

p.  38.  THEODOSIUS.  Lee's  tragedy  was  produced  at 
Dorset  Garden  in  the  autumn  of  1680.  It  remained 
immensely  popular  for  more  than  a  century.  Probably 
the  latest  revival  was  Drury  Lane,  January  20,  1797. 

p.  38.  NERO.  Love's  first  play,  The  Tragedy  of  Nero t 
Emperour  of  Rome,  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  May, 
1674.  Hart  acted  Nero  ;  Mohun,  Britannicus ;  Cart- 
wright,  Seneca  ;  Mrs.  Marshall,  Poppea  ;  Mrs.  Corey, 
Agrippina ;  and  Mrs.  Cox,  Odtavia.  It  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  revived  after  the  union. 

p.  38.  THE  COURT  OF  AUGUSTUS.  Gloriana,  or,  The 
Court  of  Augustus  Casar,  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane 
in  January,  1675-6.  This  fine  tragedy  is  founded 
upon  episodes  in  La  Calprenede's  romance  CUopdtre. 
Augustus  Caesar  was  played  by  Mohun;  Marcellus, 
KynaSton ;  Caesario,  Hart ;  Ovid,  Clarke ;  Gloriana, 
Mrs.  Marshall ;  and  Julia,  Mrs.  James. 

p.  38.  THE  PRINCE[SS]  OF  CLEVE.  This  play  was 
produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  the  winter  of  1681,  but 
not  printed  until  several  years  later,  410,  1689. 
(Advertised  in  Gazette,  May  16,  1689).  The  serious 
scenes  are  pathetic  and  interesting ;  the  comic 
episodes  very  good — when  it  was  issued  from  the 
press  several  gaps  occur  in  the  list  of  performers. 
Joseph  Williams  acted  the  Prince  of  Cleve;  Mrs. 
Barry  the  Princess ;  and  Betterton,  Nemours.  The 
play  is  founded  upon  the  famous  novel  by  Madame 
de  la  Fayette,  which  was  published  at  Paris  in  1677 
under  the  name  of  her  secretary,  Segrais.  The  "  science 
du  cceur,"  which  Fontenelle  admired  in  the  romance 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  23! 

has  been  preserved  in  the  English  drama.  The  Princess 
ofCIeve,  "  the  most  fam'd  Romance.  Written  in  French 
by  the  greatest  wits  of  France.  Englished  by  a  Person 
of  Quality  at  the  request  of  some  friends,"  was  pub 
lished  by  Bentley  and  Magnes,  8vo,  1679. 

p.  38.  THE  PRINCE  OF  CLEVE.  Rather:  "The 
Princess  of  Cleve" 

p.  38.  THE  LANCASHIRE  WITCHES.  As  this  play 
was  originally  written  it  was  full  of  profanity  and 
inflammable  political  matter.  However,  when  the 
script  was  submitted  to  Charles  Killigrew,  with  a  care 
lessness  that  was  highly  culpable,  he  only  excised  the 
most  flagrantly  offensive  passages.  But  during  re 
hearsals  serious  complaints  were  made,  and  Charles 
Killigrew  hastily  re-examined  the  manuscript.  In 
consequence  of  this  second  reading  he  cut  out  a  very 
great  deal  more  of  the  play,  all  that  in  the  printed  copies 
is  given  in  the  italic  letter.  At  length  after  protracted 
delays  The  ^Lancashire  Witches  was  presented  at  Dorset 
Garden  in  the  autumn  (probably  September)  of  1681. 
Anthony  Leigh  played  Tegue  O'Divelly.  We  are 
hardly  surprised  to  know  that  even  in  its  revised  condi 
tion  the  play  aroused  very  serious  opposition.  None 
the  less,  amid  the  wonderment  of  flyings  and  machines 
a  good  deal  of  the  coarse  abuse  and  political  rancour 
passed  unheeded,  and  it  was  indeed  these  novelties 
which  secured  a  fairly  long  life  upon  the  stage.  It 
should  be  noted,  however,  that  future  revivals  of  this 
play  were  "  carefully  revis'd,"  and  it  is  clear  that  a  good 
deal  of  the  piece  was  drastically  shorn,  whilst,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  "Dances,  Risings,  Sinkings,  and 
Flying  of  the  Witches  "  were  elaborated.  In  a  word, 
the  play  became  mainly  spe&acular.  The  last  time  that 
it  was  seen  was  in  1736.  For  a  full  account  of  this  play 
see  my  edition  of  The  Complete  Works  of  Thomas 
ShadweUy  Introduction,  pp.  clxviii-clxxxiv ;  also  Vol. 
IV.,  the  reprint  of  the  play  itself  with  the  Histories  and 
Notes. 

p.  39.    UNITED  PATENTS.    The  Theatre  Royal  Com- 


232  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

pany  had  for  some  years  been  in  great  difficulties,  and 
as  was  natural  their  rivals  took  advantage  of  the 
situation.  In  April,  1682,  the  theatre  was  compelled 
to  close,  and  early  the  next  month  on  May  4,  articles  of 
union  were  signed  between  Charles  Killigrew  on  the 
one  hand,  and  on  the  other  Betterton,  Charles  Davenant 
and  Smith. 

p.  39.  HE  DY'D  SOME  TIME  AFTER.  Charles  Hart 
died  at  his  country  house,  Stanmore  Magna,  Middlesex, 
on  Thursday,  August  18,  1683,  and  was  buried  there  on 
the  following  Saturday,  August  20. 

p.  39.  40  SHILLINGS  A  WEEK.  According  to  the 
agreement  Charles  Hart  was  to  be  paid  ]s.  every  day 
during  his  life  when  a  piece  was  performed  at  the 
theatre,  "  excepting  on  days  the  young  men  or  young 
women  play  for  their  own  profit  only." 

p.  39.  MAJOR  MOHUN.  Michael  Mohun  was 
especially  badly  used  by  the  articles  of  union,  and  he 
was  constrained  to  petition  the  King.  This  document 
commences : 

"  Sheweth  That  yo«-  pef  hath  faithfully  served  yor  Ma»«  & 
Father  (of  ever  Blessed  Memory)  48  yeares  in  y«  quality  of  an 
Aftor,  and  in  all  y«  Warrs  in  England  &  Ireland  &  at  y«  Seegc  of 
Dublin  was  desperately  wounded  &  13  monethes  a  Prisoner, 
and  after  that  yor  petr  served  yor  Mate  in  y«  Regm*  of  Dixmead 
in  Flaunders  &  came  over  with  yor  Mate  into  England  where 
yor  Sacred  Pleasure  was  that  he  should  Aft  againe,  as  he  hath 
ever  since  vpon  all  Occasions  continued.  .  .  ." 

The  petition  says  that,  owing  to  the  union,  instead  of 
the  share  and  a  quarter  in  the  scenes,  clothes  and  plays 
of  the  Theatre  Royal,  he  is  merely  offered  20J-.  a  day 
upon  such  days  when  they  have  any  use  for  his  services, 
and  as  it  is  plain  that  the  Duke's  Company  could  not 
have  studied  the  plays  belonging  to  the  Theatre  Royal 
he  will  not  very  often  be  called  upon  to  aft,  therefore 
he  humbly  prays  that  the  King 

"  will  be  graciously  pleased  to  Order  the  prsent  Company  to 
allow  him  the  same  Conditions  as  Mr-  Hart  and  M""-  KinaSlon 
haue,  (whos  Shares  were  all  equall  before)  whereby  he  may  be 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  233 

enabled  to  support  himselfe  &  5  children  And  yor  pet*  shall  as 
in  duty  bond  pray  &c." 

It  is  good  to  know  that  on  November  23,  1682,  Lord 
Arlington  gave  orders  that  Mohun  was  to  be  granted 
absolutely  the  same  conditions  as  Hart  and  KynaSton, 
and  this  was  reinforced  by  a  second  order,  December  5, 
1682,  which  commanded  that  Mohun  should  have  the 
same  weekly  pension,  commencing  from  November  23 
laslt,  as  Charles  Hart  enjoyed,  and,  moreover,  he  was 
"  to  be  imployed  prsendy,  &  to  have  his  owne  parts 
to  Aft."  It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  Mohun 
played  after  the  union. 

p.  39.  MR.  WILTSHIRE.  John  Wiltshire  was  a  young 
aftor  of  considerable  merit  who  had  joined  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  1676.  Before  the  union  he  played,  amongst 
other  parts,  Thcssalus  in  The  RJvaJ  Queens*  March, 
1676-7 ;  Plush  in  Leanard's  The  Country  Innocence ',  or, 
The  Chambermaid  turn* d  Quaker,  March,  1677  ;  Cynthio 
in  Scaramouch  a  Philosopher ;  Harlequin  a  School-Boy,  Bravo, 
Merchant,  and  Magician,  May,  1677 ;  Oswald  in 
Ravenscroft's  King  Edgar  and  Alfreda,  winter  of  1677  ; 
Passal  in  Edward  Howard's  The  Man  of  Newmarket, 
spring,  1678.  He  certainly  joined  Betterton  some 
two  years  before  the  a&ual  union  of  the  com 
panies,  as  we  find  he  played  at  Dorset  Garden  Shift 
in  The  Rover  II.,  which  was  produced  in  February, 
1680,  and  Lucius  in  Lee's  Theodosius,  given  in  the  autumn 
of  the  same  year.  At  this  same  house  he  acted  Young 
Clifford  in  Crowne's  The  Misery  of  Civil  War,  early  in 
1680.  In  December  of  that  year  he  was  Collatinus  in 
Lee's  LatJus  Junius  Brutus.  In  November,  1681,  he  was 
Loveday  in  The  London  Cuckolds.  Early  in  1682  he 
afted  Friendly  in  Mr.  Turbulent,  or,  The  MelanchoUicks, 
and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  Antonio  in  Mrs. 
Behn's  The  False  Count.  After  the  union  he  played  the 
Cardinal  of  Guise  in  The  Duke  of  Guise,  produced  at  Drury 
Lane,  December  i,  1682 ;  Gerrard  in  Ravenscroft's 
Dame  Dob  son,  produced  June  i,  1683  (Bindley) ;  Lycinius 
in  Lee's  Conttantine  the  Great,  November  12  of  the  same 


234  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

year ;  Bacurius  in  a  revival  of  A  KingandNo  King;  Tride- 
well  in  The  Northern  Lass,  March  21,  1683-4 ;  Messala  in 
Juliut  Casar;  Alberto  in  Southerne's  The  Disappoint 
ment ',  April  5,  1684;  Lavinio  in  Tate's  A  Duke  and 
No  Duke,  August  18  of  the  same  year.  Early  in  1685, 
upon  obtaining  a  captain's  commission,  Wiltshire  left 
the  stage.  He  was  killed  during  his  first  engagement 
in  Flanders. 

p.  39.  MRS.  COOK.  Sarah  Cook  was  of  very 
humble  origin,  for  her  mother  kept  a  tiny  shop.  She 
seems  to  have  joined  the  nursery  at  an  early  age.  One 
of  her  first  recorded  characters  is  Gillian  in  Leanard's 
Country  Innocence,  Theatre  Royal,  March,  1677.  Before 
the  union  she  afted  several  important  parts,  such  as 
the  Countess  of  Rutland  in  Banks'  The  Unhappy 
Favourite,  or,  The  Earl  of  Essex,  produced  in  the  autumn 
of  1 68 1 ;  and  Semanthe  in  Southerne's  The  LqyaJ 
Brother,  given  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year. 
She  was  particularly  celebrated  for  speaking  prologues 
and  epilogues,  and  to  her  was  entrusted  Dryden's 
Epilogue  to  The  Duke  of  Guise.  She  also  spoke  "  the 
firSt  day"  the  Prologue,  written  by  Mrs.  Behn  to 
Rochester's  Valentinian,  produced  February  20,  1683-4 
(Bindley),  and  Dryden's  Epilogue  to  Lee's  Contfantine 
the  Great,  November  12,  1684,  in  which  tragedy  she 
played  Serena.  She  had  leading  roles  in  a  large  number 
of  revivals,  including  Edith  in  Roffo,  Duke  of  Normandy, 
and  Portia  in  Julius  Casar.  Writing  from  Ratisbon, 
March,  1688,  to  Jephson  Etherege  says :  "  Sarah  Cooke 
was  always  fitter  for  a  player  than  for  a  Mrs.,  and  it  is 
properer  her  lungs  should  be  wasted  on  ye  Stage  then 
that  she  should  die  of  a  disease  too  gallant  for  her." 
She  died  in  April,  1688,  as  is  mentioned  in  a  letter, 
May  5,  of  that  year  from  Lord  Granville  to  Sir  William 
Levesan. 

p.  39.  MRS.  MONFORT.  Susanna  Percival,  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  Percival  the  actor.  In  March, 
1688,  Etherege  in  a  letter  to  Jephson  writes :  "  Mrs. 
Percivall  had  only  her  youth  and  a  maidenhead  to 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  235 

recommend  her,  wch  makes  me  thinke  you  do  not  take 
it  to  heart  that  Mrs.  Mumford  is  so  discreet."  After  the 
death  of  her  husband,  December,  1692,  Mrs.  Mountfort 
married  John  Verbruggen.  Gibber  has  devoted  the 
most  brilliant  pages  of  his  Apology  to  the  praises  of 
her  genius,  and  in  A  Comparison  "Between  the  Two  Stages, 
1702  (a  work  often,  but  it  appears  erroneously,  attri 
buted  to  Gildon),  she  is  said  to  be  infinitely  superior 
to  either  Mrs.  Oldfield  or  Mrs.  Rogers.  She  died  in 
the  year  1703. 

p.  39.  MR.  MONFORT.  William  Mountford,  who 
was  of  a  Staffordshire  family,  is  Slated  in  the  Biographia 
Dramatica  to  have  been  born  in  1659,  but  perhaps  1661 
would  be  the  more  correct  date.  He  joined  Betterton's 
Company  when  a  mere  lad,  and  in  the  cast  of  Leanard's 
The  Counterfeits,  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  May, 
1678,  we  have :  "  Boy,  Young  Mumford."  In  The 
Revenge,  or,  A  Match  in  Newgate,  produced  at  the  same 
theatre  in  1680,  Jack,  the  barber's  boy,  is  given  to 
Mumford.  His  first  part  after  the  union  was  Alphonso 
Corso  in  The  Duke  of  Guise,  December  i,  1682.  Within 
a  couple  of  years  he  had  established  himself  as  an  actor 
of  the  first  rank,  and  he  created  a  very  large  number  of 
important  parts.  Gibber  regarded  him  as  a  genius  of 
the  first  order : 

"  Of  person  he  was  tall,  well  made,  fair,  and  of  an  agreeable 
aspeft  ;  his  voice  clear,  full,  and  melodious  ;  in  tragedy  he  was 
the  most  affeding  lover  within  my  memory.  His  addresses  had 
a  resistless  recommendation  from  the  very  tone  of  his  voice  .  .  . 
he  had,  besides  all  this,  a  variety  in  his  genius  which  few  capital 
actors  have  shown,  or,  perhaps,  have  thought  it  any  addition  to 
their  merit  to  arrive  at.  He  could  entirely  change  himself; 
could  at  once  throw  off  the  man  of  sense,  for  the  brisk,  vain, 
rude,  and  lively  coxcomb,  the  false,  flashy  pretender  to  wit,  and 
the  dupe  of  his  own  sufficiency :  of  this  he  gave  a  delightful 
instance  in  the  character  of  SparJkisb,  in  Wycherley's  '  Gauntry 
Wife.'  In  that  of  Sir  Courtly  Nice,  his  excellence  was  Still  greater  : 
there  his  whole  man,  voice,  mien,  and  gesture,  was  no  longer 
Mountfort,  but  another  person." 

Mountford  was  stabbed  in  Howard  Street,  Strand, 
by  Lord  Mohun,  a  fellow  of  the  vilest  character,  on 


236  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

the  night  of  December  9,  1692.  He  lingered  until 
noon  on  the  following  day,  a  Saturday.  That  evening 
he  was  to  have  afted  Bussy  D'Ambois  at  the  theatre, 
and  it  will  be  remembered  in  the  play  that  Bussy  is 
foully  assassinated  by  Monsieur  and  the  Duke  of  Guise, 
who  shoot  him  with  pistols  in  the  back. 

p.  39.  MR.  CARLILE.  James  Carlisle  was  a  member 
of  a  Lancashire  family,  whose  partiality  for  the  stage 
induced  him  to  join  Betterton's  Company  whilst  yet 
quite  young.  His  name  occurs  to  several  parts, 
although  none  of  these  may  be  considered  of  very 
great  importance.  Thus  he  afted  Aumale  in  The  Duke 
of  Guise,  Drury  Lane,  December  i,  1682  ;  Lesbino  in 
Southerne's  The  Disappointment,  April  5,  1684  (Bindley) ; 
Pate  in  a  revival  of  Brome's  The  Northern  Lass,  March 
21,  1683-4;  Cinna,  the  conspirator,  in  Julita  Casar ; 
Brunetto  in  A  Duke  and  No  Duke.  Having  obtained 
a  commission  under  the  Prince  of  Orange,  he  was  killed 
in  the  Irish  wars  at  the  Battle  of  Aughrin,  July  1 1, 1691. 

Carlisle  has  left  one  play,  The  Fortune  Hunters,  or, 
Two  Fools  well  Met,  which  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane 
in  the  early  spring  of  1688-9, 4to,  1689,  advertised  in  the 
Gazette,  June  27,  1689. 

p.  40.  THE  MOOR  OF  VENICE.  Othello  was  among  the 
greatest  of  Betterton's  creations,  and  Steele,  in  the  Tatler, 
has  given  us  a  fine  picture  of  this  great  aftor  in  that  part : 

"  I  have  hardly  a  notion  that  any  performer  of  antiquity  could 
surpass  the  aftion  of  Mr.  Betterton  in  any  of  the  occasions  in 
which  he  has  appeared  on  our  stage.  The  wonderful  agony 
which  he  appeared  in,  when  he  examined  the  circumstance  of  the 
handkerchief  in  OtheUo  ;  the  mixture  of  love  that  intruded  upon 
his  mind  upon  the  innocent  answers  Dtsdemona  makes  betrayed 
in  his  gesture  such  a  variety  and  vicissitude  of  passions,  as  would 
admonish  a  man  to  be  afraid  of  his  own  heart,  and  perfe&ly 
convince  him,  that  it  is  to  stab  it,  to  admit  the  worst  of  daggers, 
jealousy.  Whoever  reads  in  his  closet  this  admirable  scene,  will 
find  that  he  cannot,  except  he  has  as  warm  an  imagination  as 
Shakespeare  himself,  find  any  but  dry,  incoherent,  and  broken 
sentences  ;  but  a  reader  that  has  seen  Betterton  aft  it,  observes 
there  could  not  be  a  word  added  ;  that  longer  speech  had 
been  unnatural,  nay  impossible,  in  Othello's  circumstances.  The 
charming  passage  in  the  same  tragedy,  where  he  tells  the  manner 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  237 

of  winning  the  affection  of  his  mistress,  was  urged  with  so  moving 
and  graceful  an  energy,  that  while  I  walked  in  the  cloisters,  I 
thought  of  him  with  the  same  concern  as  if  I  waited  for  the 
remains  of  a  person  who  had  in  real  life  done  all  that  I  had  seen 
htm  represent." 

p.  40.  VALENTINIAN.  Rochester  died  at  High 
Lodge,  Woodstock  Park,  July  26,  1680,  and  there  is  in 
the  British  Museum  a  manuscript  of  Valentinian 
prepared  for  the  Theatre  Royal  before  the  union. 
The  following  cast  was  suggested :  Valentinian,  Mr. 
Hart ;  Aecius,  Mr.  Mohun ;  Maximus,  Mr.  Winter- 
shall  ;  Pontius,  Mr.  Lydal ;  Chylax,  Mr.  Cartwright ; 
Lycias,  Mr.  Clarke  ;  Lucina,  Mrs.  Marshall ;  Claudia, 
Mrs.  Cox ;  Marcellina,  Mrs.  Boutcll ;  Ardelia,  Mrs. 
Corey ;  Phorba,  Mrs.  Knepp.  Valentinian  was  pro 
duced  at  Drury  Lane  February  20,  1683-4,  and  printed, 
4to,  1684.  Valentinian  remained  in  the  repertory  for 
about  thirty  years.  From  a  MS.  list  we  are  able  to 
complete  the  cast  of  the  original  performance.  Nokes 
played  Balbus  ;  Leigh,  Chylax  ;  Alexander,  Licinius  ; 
Freeman,  Proculus ;  Mountfort,  Lycias ;  Mrs.  Boutell, 
Celandia;  and  Mrs.  Leigh,  Marcellina.  After  1692 
Bowen  succeeded  Nokes  as  Balbus  ;  and  we  find  that 
Mrs.  Mills  adted  Celandia  ;  and  Mrs.  Osborne,  Marcel 
lina.  When  Goodman  left  the  theatre  Valentinian 
was  played  by  young  George  Powell. 

p.  40.  ALBION  AND  ALBIANUS.  Luttrel  has  a  manu 
script  note  saying  that  the  first  representation  of  this 
opera  was  on  Saturday,  June  6.  No  doubt  the  sixth 
performance  took  place  on  Saturday,  June  13.  From 
a  letter  written  by  King  James  II.  to  the  Prince  of 
Orange,  June  15,  i68j,  it  appears,  that  though  the 
Duke  of  Monmouth  landed  at  Lyme,  in  Dorsetshire, 
on  Thursday  evening,  June  n,  an  account  of  his 
landing  did  not  reach  the  King  at  Whitehall  till  Saturday 
morning  the  i3th.  The  news  was  communicated  to 
the  House  of  Commons  by  a  message  from  the  King, 
which  was  delivered  by  the  Earl  of  Middleton.  Having 
voted  and  drawn  up  an  address  to  His  Majesty,  desiring 


ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

him  to  take  care  of  his  sacred  person,  they  adjourned 
until  four  o'clock,  in  which  interval  they  went  to 
Whitehall,  presented  their  address,  and  then  met  again. 
It  may  be  supposed,  therefore,  that  the  news  got  abroad 
about  this  time,  and  soon  reached  the  theatre,  where 
the  audience  were  assembled  at  the  representation  of  the 
opera. 

p.  40.  MONSIEUR  GRABUE.  Louis  Grabu,  Master  of 
the  King's  Music,  had  composed  the  score  to  the 
English  version  of  Perrin's  Ariane  et  Baffbus  (Ariadne, 
ory  The  Marriage  of  Baffbta),  produced  at  the  Theatre 
Royal  in  celebration  of  the  marriage  of  James,  Duke  of 
York,  with  Mary  of  Modena.  He  also  composed  the 
settings  for  songs  and  entertainments  in  several  other 
plays,  notably  the  music  for  ShadwelTs  Timon  of  Athens, 
produced  in  Dorset  Garden  early  in  January,  1677-8, 
or  possibly  even  in  December,  1677.  The  "  Warrant 

to  Edward,  Earl  of  Manchester,  to  swear  in  

Grabu  as  Master  of  the  English  Music"  is  dated 
November  iz,  1666,  and  Pepys,  Wednesday,  Feb 
ruary  20,  1666-7,  notes  :  "  They  Talk  also  how  the 
King's  viallin,  Bannister,  is  mad  that  the  King  hath  a 
French  man  come  to  be  chief  of  some  part  of  the  King's 
musique."  On  Friday,  November  15,  1667,  Pelham 
Humphreys,  laughing  at  the  King's  music,  boasted  to 
Pepys  "that  Grebus,  the  Frenchman,  the  King's 
master  of  the  musick,  how  he  understands  nothing, 
nor  can  play  on  any  instrument,  and  so  cannot  compose  : 
and  that  he  will  give  him  a  lift  out  of  his  place." 

In  a  contemporary  pasquil  upon  the  failure  of  Albion 
and  Albianui  the  following  lines  occur  : 

Each  aftor  on  the  Stage  his  luck  bewailing, 

Finds  that  his  loss  is  infallibly  true  ; 
Smith,  Nokes,  and  Leigh  in  a  fever  with  railing, 

Curse  poet,  painter,  and  Monsieur  Grabu. 

Betterton,  Betterton,  thy  decorations 

And  the  machines  were  well  written,  we  knew ; 

But  all  the  words  were  such  Stuff  we  want  patience, 
And  little  better  is  Monsieur  Grabu. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  239 

Damme,  says  Underbill,  I'm  out  of  two  hundred, 
Hoping  that  rainbows  and  peacocks  would  do  : 

Who  thought  infallible  Tom  could  have  blunder'd 
A  plague  upon  him  and  Monsieur  Grabu. 

Lane,  thou  hast  no  applause  for  thy  capers, 

Tho'  all  without  thee  would  make  a  man  spew  ; 

And  a  month  hence  will  not  pay  for  the  tapers, 
Spite  of  Jack  Laureat  and  Monsieur  Grabu. 

Bayes,  thou  wouldst  have  thy  skill  thought  universal, 

Tho'  thy  dull  ear  be  to  music  untrue  ; 
Then  whilst  we  strive  to  confute  the  Rehearsal, 

Prithee  leave  thrashing  of  Monsieur  Grabu. 

p.  40.  SIR  COURTLY  NICE.  Crowne,  whose  work 
had  greatly  pleased  Charles  II.,  asked  that  he  might  be 
granted  a  position  in  some  office  which  would  secure 
him  for  life.  The  King  graciously  gave  him  a  promise 
to  this  effect,  but  desired  that  first  another  comedy 
might  be  seen  from  his  pen.  The  dramatist  excused 
himself,  saying  that  he  was  very  slow  at  finding  his 
plots.  Thereupon  the  King  handed  him  Moreto's 
comedy  No  puede  ser,  and  told  him  to  take  his  plot 
thence.  As  may  be  supposed,  the  poet  worked  hard 
and  soon  had  his  play  completed  and  handed  to  the 
actors.  Upon  the  very  last  morning  of  the  rehearsals 
news  reached  the  theatre  of  the  King's  illness.  Charles 
died  some  three  days  afterwards,  and  the  poet's  hopes 
were  dashed  to  the  ground.  For  full  details  of  these 
circumstances  see  the  Introduction  to  my  defloration 
Comedies,  1921,  in  which  collection  Sir  Courtly  Nice  is 
included.  Crowne's  comedy,  which  was  originally 
produced  May  4,  1685  (Bindley),  continued  to  be  acted 
until  towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century,  since 
when  it  does  not  appear  to  have  been  revived.  After 
Mountford,  two  actors  have  been  celebrated  in  the  role 
of  Sir  Courtly,  Colley  Gibber  and  Henry  Woodward. 

p.  40.  NOTE  MR.  GRIFFIN.  Although  awkwardly 
expressed  the  sense  here  is  quite  clear.  Downes  says 
that  Griffin  was  so  excellent  in  the  character  of  Surly 
and  Sir  Edward  Belfond  (The  Squire  of  Alsatia)  that  no 
other  actor  has  equalled  him.  Moreover,  the  only 


240  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

a&or  who  played  Manly  in  Wycherley's  The  Plain- 
Dealer  better  than  he  was  the  original  creator  of  that 
role,  Charles  Hart. 

p.  41.  THE  SQUIRE  OF  ALSATIA.  The  Squire  0, 
Alsatia,  which  originally  was  to  have  been  called 
Alsatia  Bully,  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  on  May  12, 
1688.  On  May  5  of  that  year  Lord  Granville  writes  to 
Sir  William  Leveson :  "  We  are  promised  this  week 
another  new  play  of  Shadwell's  called  The  Alsatia  Butty, 
which  is  very  much  commended  by  those  who  have  had 
the  private  perusal  of  it."  The  Squire  of  Alsatia  was 
from  the  firslt  extraordinarily  popular,  "  no  Comedy,  for 
these  many  years,  having  fitted  the  Theatre  so  long  together," 
says  Shadwell  in  his  Dedication  of  the  printed  play 
4to,  1688,  to  the  Earl  of  Dorset.  This  excellent 
comedy  kept  the  Stage  for  about  eighty  years.  The  last 
revival  seems  to  have  been  that  at  Covent  Garden  in 
the  autumn  of  1756.  For  a  full  account  of  the  play, 
see  my  The  Complete  Works  of  Thomas  Shadwell,  Vol.  I., 
Introduction,  pp.  cxcvi.-cciv.,  as  also  the  reprint  of 
the  play  in  Vol.  IV.,  with  the  Notes. 

p.  41.  MR.  LEIGH  WAS  EMINENT.  Colley  Gibber, 
in  his  Apology,  particularly  praises  Leigh  as  Sir  William 
Belfond.  Scapin  is  the  principal  character  in  Otway's 
adaptation  from  Moliere,  The  Cheats  of  Scapin.  Old 
Fumble  appears  in  D'Urfey's  A  Fond  Husband.  Sir 
Jolly  Jumble  is  in  Otway's  The  Souldiers  Fortune.  Sir 
Formal  Trifle  is  in  Shadwell's  The  Virtuoso.  At  Knole 
there  hangs  a  portrait  of  Anthony  Leigh  as  Dominic  in 
Dryden's  The  Spanish  Fryar.  Troilus  and  Cressida,  or, 
Truth  Found  too  Late,  by  Dryden,  was  produced  at 
Dorset  Garden  in  March,  1679-80. 

p.  41.  THE  TRUE  WIDOW.  A  True  Widow  was 
probably  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  December, 
1678.  Shadwell  dates  his  Dedication,  February  16, 
1678-9.  He  acknowledges  that  his  comedy  was  a 
failure,  and  there  is  no  record  of  any  revival.  None 
the  less,  it  is  a  good  play  and  one  which  deserved  a 
much  better  fate. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  241 

p.  41.  SIR  ANTHONY  LONE.  Rather:  "  Sir  Anthony 
Love." 

p.  41.  SIR  ANTHONY  LOVE.  Sir  Anthony  Love,  or, 
The  Rambling  Lady,  a  capital  comedy  by  Thomas 
Southerne,  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  late  in  1690. 
The  Gazette  advertises  the  quarto,  December  22,  of  that 
year.  Mrs.  Mountfort  won  a  veritable  triumph  in  the 
title-role,  Sir  Anthony,  who  is  Mrs.  Lucy  disguised.  In 
the  Dedication,  4to,  1691,  Southerne  says  that  the  town 
acknowledged  "  that  they  never  saw  any  part  more 
masterly  played."  And  a  little  later  he  adds  "  I  am 
gratefully  sensible  of  the  general  good  nature  of  the 
town  to  me." 

p.  41.  THE  SCOWRERS.  This  comedy  by  Thomas 
Shadwell  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  the  late 
winter  of  1690,  probably  December.  "  How  this 
Play  succeeded  on  the  Stage,"  says  Langbaine,  "  I 
know  not."  However,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that 
it  was  well  received,  since  Shadwell  was  accustomed  to 
retaliate  if  any  one  of  his  plays  proved  a  failure,  and 
very  vigorously  to  justify  his  scenes.  Nowhere  does 
he  suggest  that  The  Scowrers  was  anything  but  a  success. 
On  August  22,  1717,  it  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane  as 
"  Not  a&ed  20  years."  Since  that  season  it  seems  to 
have  fallen  out  of  the  repertory,  but  the  play  is  so 
extremely  topical  that  this  can,  perhaps,  hardly  be  a 
matter  for  surprise. 

p.  41.  AMPHYTRION.  Amphitryon,  or,  The  Two 
Sosicu,  "  one  of  the  happiest  effusions  of  Dryden's 
comic  muse,"  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  early  in 
October,  1690.  The  Gazette  advertises  the  quarto  (with 
vocal  music)  November  3,  1690.  It  kept  the  stage  for 
more  than  one  hundred  years,  but  about  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century  it  was  most  absurdly  tinkered  at  by 
Dr.  Hawkesworth,  whose  revision  appeared  at  Drury 
Lane,  December  15,  1756.  On  November  18,  1826,  it 
was  revived  at  the  same  house,  but  cut  down  to  a  couple 
of  a&s.  On  Monday,  October  28,  1872,  a  version  of 
Amphitryon,  arranged  by  John  Oxenford,  was  produced 


242  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

at  the  Royal  Court  Theatre,  Sloane  Square,  then  under 
the  management  of  Marie  Litton.  In  spite  of  the  most 
deplorable  changes,  this  revival  proved  a  marvellous 
success,  and  according  to  The  Era  "  Peal  upon  peal  of 
merriment  followed  the  progress  of  the  play."  In 
May,  1922,  two  performances  of  Amphitryon  were  given 
by  the  Phoenix  under  my  direction  at  Daly's  Theatre. 
The  play  was  performed  in  its  entirety  accompanied  by 
Henry  PurcelTs  music,  a  production  which  was  received 
with  great  applause. 

p.  41.  LOVE  IN  AND  LOVE  OUT  OF  FASHION.  With 
the  exception  of  this  mention  by  Downes,  nothing  is 
known  of  this  piece. 

p.  41.  GREENWICH  PARK.  This  comedy  by  Mount- 
fort  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  the  early  spring  of 
1691.  The  quarto  is  advertised  in  the  Gazette,  May  25. 
The  play,  which  is  a  very  good  one  and  which 
was  supported  by  a  magnificent  cast,  including  the 
author  and  his  wife,  Anthony  Leigh,  Nokes,  Underbill, 
Mrs.  Barry  and  Mrs.  Corey,  met  with  some  criticism, 
but  was  certainly  not  to  be  accounted  anything  like  a 
failure.  The  Eiographia  Dramatica  goes  so  far  as  to  say 
that  it  was  a&ed  "  with  very  good  success."  Certainly 
there  were  revivals  during  the  earlier  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  the  last  of  these  probably  being 
that  at  Drury  Lane  in  October,  1730. 

p.  41.  CLEOMENES.  Cleomenes,  the  Spartan  Heroe, 
was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  April,  1692.  Owing  to 
Dryden's  illness  Southerne  assisted  him  in  finishing  the 
play.  At  first  it  was  forbidden  as  containing  some 
dangerous  political  allusions,  but  great  interest  being 
made  on  Dryden's  behalf  this  fine  drama  was  allowed, 
and  in  the  theatre,  as  the  author  himself  tells  us,  it 
proved  a  triumphant  success.  Mrs.  Barry  was  especi 
ally  admired  in  the  role  of  Cassandra.  Dryden  says  in 
his  Preface :  "  I  can  scarcely  refrain  from  giving 
everyone  of  the  A£tors  their  particular  Commenda 
tions."  Cleomenes  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane,  August 
8,  1721. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  243 

p.  41.  TROILUS  AND  CRESSIDA.  Troilus  and  Cre ssida, 
ort  Truth  Found  too  Late,  a  skilful  adaptation  from 
Shakespeare  by  Dryden,  was  produced  at  Dorset 
Garden  in  the  early  months  of  1679.  It  is  entered  on 
the  Stationers'  Books,  April  14,  1679.  Troilus  was 
played  by  Betterton,  and  Cressida  by  Mrs.  Mary  Lee. 
The  most  striking  performance,  however,  was  that  of 
Anthony  Leigh  as  Pandarus,  whose  part  Dryden  much 
heightened,  and  which  proved  a  great  favourite  in  the 
theatre.  Troilus  and  Cressida  kept  the  Stage  with  much 
applause.  On  June  2,  1709,  at  Drury  Lane,  Betterton 
afted  Thersites ;  Estcourt,  Pandarus ;  and  Wilks, 
Troilus.  The  latest  revival  would  seem  to  have  been 
that  at  Co  vent  Garden,  December  20,  1733. 

p.  41.  OESAR  BORGIA.  Casar  Borgia  :  the  Son  of 
Pope  Alexander  the  Sixth,  a  tragedy  by  Nathaniel  Lee, 
was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  September,  1679, 
and  proved  extraordinarily  successful.  Caesar  Borgia 
was  played  by  Betterton ;  the  Duke  of  Gandia,  Joseph 
Williams ;  Machiavel,  Smith ;  Cardinal  Sforza,  Anthony 
Leigh ;  and  Bellamira,  Mrs.  Mary  Lee.  Twenty-five 
years  later  Caesar  Borgk  was  a  favourite  character  with 
George  Powell.  On  August  19,  1707,  at  the  Hay- 
market,  Verbruggen  played  Borgia  to  the  Bellamira  of 
Mrs.  Porter,  and  at  Drury  Lane,  January  3,  1719,  we 
find  Barton  Booth  appeared  as  Borgia  with  the  same 
lady  as  his  heroine.  The  tragedy  which  was  announced 
as  "  Not  afted  12  years  "  was  given  twice  that  season. 
This  was  among  the  latest  revivals. 

p.  41.  ALL  BUT  AMPHITRION.  This  note  by  Downes 
is  unintelligible.  If  he  wished  to  say  that  of  the  nine 
plays  he  has  mentioned  here  all  but  Amphytrion  suc 
ceeded  indifferently  he  is  entirely  mistaken,  since,  as  we 
have  seen,  several  were  extremely  well  received.  If  he 
wished  to  say  that  Amphytrion  succeeded  indifferently 
this  is  a  gross  error,  for  the  play  was  very  successful, 
and  certainly  became  "  a  stock-play."  This  seems  a 
curious  reason  for  omitting  to  give  the  cast,  which, 
however,  is  fortunately  supplied  by  the  printed  quarto. 


244  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

p.  42.  THE  OLD  BACHELOR.  The  Old  Batcbelour 
was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  January,  1693.  It  had 
a  run  of  fourteen  successive  nights,  and  so  extraordinary 
a  triumph  became  a  piece  of  theatrical  tradition.  In  a 
satirical  play,  The  Female  Wits,  which  laughs  at  Mrs. 
Manley,  Mrs.  Fix,  and  Mrs.  Trotter,  the  last  who  is 
named  Calista  has  written  a  drama  which  in  her  own 
opinion  will  be  a&ed  for  fifteen  or  sixteen  nights. 
"Why,  madam,"  exclaims  Mrs.  Wellfed  (Mrs.  Fix), 
"  that  will  be  a  night  longer  than  The  Old  Bachelor" 
The  Old  Batchelour  remained  upon  the  Stage  until  towards 
the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century,  although  the  later 
revivals  of  this  date  seem  to  have  been  altered  and  cut 
to  some  degree.  The  last  revival  of  this  play  was  given 
by  the  Phcenix  under  my  direction  at  the  Regent 
Theatre,  June  i  and  2,  1924,  when  William  J.  Rea 
played  Heartwell ;  Esme  Percy,  Bellmour ;  and 
Isabel  Jeans,  Laetitia. 

p.  42.  THE  FATAL  MARRIAGE.  The  Fatal  Marriage 
was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  February,  1693-4.  It 
at  once  passed  into  the  theatrical  repertory,  and  there 
have  been  few  great  English  tragic  addresses  of  the  past 
who  have  not  sustained  the  character  of  Isabella.  The 
play  is  founded  upon  a  novel  by  Mrs.  Behn,  The  History 
of  the  Nunt  or,  The  Fair  Vow-Breaker,  12010,  1689, 
licensed  October  22,  1688  ;  which  was  reprinted  for 
the  first  time  from  the  original  (until  then  unknown) 
in  my  edition  of  Mrs.  Behn's  Works,  1915. 

On  December  2,  1757,  Garrick's  version  of  The 
Fatal  Marriage  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane,  with 
himself  as  Biron  and  Mrs.  Gibber  as  Isabella.  The 
a6tual  name  of  the  tragedy,  however,  was  not  changed 
to  Isabella  till  some  years  after.  The  alteration  is  bad. 
Mrs.  Siddons  and  Miss  O'Neill  were  both  greatly 
applauded  as  Isabella.  The  play  was  a&ed  until  well- 
nigh  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  and  probably  in  the 
provinces  and  at  minor  theatres  it  might  have  been 
seen  in  even  more  recent  years. 

p.  42.     THE  DOUBLE-DEALER.     The  Double-Dealer 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  245 

was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  early  in  November,  1693. 
This  comedy  proved  a  great  favourite  throughout  the 
eighteenth  century.  On  December  3,  1784,  at  Drury 
Lane,  it  was  announced  as  "  Not  a£ted  1 1  years,"  and 
as  this  appears  to  be  correct  its  popularity  musTt  at  last 
have  been  on  the  wane.  At  the  same  theatre,  February 
27,  1802,  Kemble  appeared  as  Maskwell,  but  only  one 
performance  seems  to  have  been  given.  On  May  14 
and  15,  1916,  The  Double-Dealer  was  revived  at  the 
Queen's  Theatre,  London,  for  two  performances,  and 
received  with  applause. 

p.  42.  MR.  DOGGETS.  In  The  Old  Batchelour  Dogget 
a&ed  Fondlewife,  and  Mrs.  Barry,  Lastitia. 

In  The  Fatal  Marriage  Dogget  aded  Fernando  and 
Mrs.  Barry,  Isabella. 

In  The  Double-Dealer  Mr.  Dogget  a&ed  Sir  Paul 
Plyant,  and  Mrs.  Barry,  Lady  Touchwood. 

p.  42.  THE  BOARDING  SCHOOL.  Love  for  Money,  or, 
The  Boarding  School  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  the 
winter  of  1689,  since  D'Urfey  says  that  he  wrote  the 
play  in  June  of  that  year.  It  should,  however,  be  noted 
that  Mr.  W.  J.  Lawrence  would  date  it  circa,  July- 
November,  1690.  It  is  argued  that  an  earlier  produc 
tion  would  hardly  have  been  satirized  in  Wit  for  Money, 
1691  (Term  Catalogues,  Easter,  May,  1691).  On  the 
other  hand,  if  D'Urfey  had  his  play  ready  in  1689  he 
would  not  have  waited  to  put  it  forward  upon  the 
Stage,  and  it  proved  so  very  successful — a  second 
edition  appearing  in  1696 — that  a  satire  of  1691  would 
hardly  have  been  out  of  date. 

Many  of  the  scenes  in  Love  for  Money  are  political,  and 
it  says  much  for  the  real  excellence  of  this  comedy  that 
it  was  revived  in  1708  and  again  in  1718.  A  ballad 
farce  in  two  a£ts,  The  Boarding  School  Romps,  or,  The 
Sham  Captain,  by  Charles  Coffey,  which  was  produced 
at  Drury  Lane,  January  29,  1733,  is  taken  from  this 
comedy. 

p.  42.  THE  MARRIAGE  HATER  MATCH'D.  This 
comedy  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  January, 


246  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

1691-2,  and  although  on  the  firft  day  as  being  criticized 
perhaps  a  little  too  long,  it  was  none  the  less  very  well 
received,  and  Motteux  tells  us  that  it  was  given  six 
nights  in  succession.  It  proved  popular  enough  to 
remain  in  the  repertory  for  some  ten  years,  and  when 
revived  at  Drury  Lane,  March  8,  1708,  it  is  announced 
"  Not  a&ed  there  for  5  years."  Dogget  played  Solon, 
"  a  dull  softly  Fool,  till  vex'd,  but  then  robuStly  Stout 
and  jealous  of  Danger."  In  Love  for  Money,  or,  The 
Boarding  School  his  role  was  "  Deputy  Nicompoop,  Deputy 
of  a  Ward,  a  softly  sneaking  uxorious  Citizen,  Husband 
to  Lady  Addleplot,  and  ridiculously  fond  of  her  and 
the  Romp  his  Daughter." 

p.  42.  KING  ARTHUR.  King  Arthur,  or,  The  British 
Worthy,  "  a  Dramatick  Opera "  by  Dryden,  with 
PurceU's  music  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in 
January,  1691-2.  This  fine  piece  of  work  was  received 
with  great  applause  and  continued  popular  throughout 
the  eighteenth  century.  It  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane, 
November  16,  1842.  In  February  (14-18),  1928,  a 
pleasing  amateur  production  was  given  at  the  New 
Theatre,  Cambridge. 

p.  42.  THE  PROPHETESS.  The  Prophetess,  or,  The 
History  of  Dioclesian,  an  alteration  from  The  Prophetess, 
licensed  May  14,  1622,  which  is  ascribed  by  Oliphant 
to  Fletcher  and  Massinger,  was  produced  at  Dorset 
Garden  in  1690.  The  Gazette,  June  16  of  that  year 
advertises  the  quarto;  the  score  followed  in  1691. 
Mr.  E.  J.  Dent,  Foundations  of  English  Opera,  says :  "  Bet- 
terton  did  little  more  than  elaborate  the  scenes  where  the 
original  authors  simply  indicated  *  music  and  song.'  The 
musical  scenes  are,  however,  very  long,  and  a  propor 
tionate  curtailment  of  the  original  dialogue  was  neces 
sary."  The  Prophetess  was  several  times  revived  during 
the  eighteenth  century,  the  lasT:  occasion  being  at  Covent 
Garden  in  May,  1784.  The  Prologue  to  Betterton's 
produ&ion,  a  very  clever  piece  of  work  by  Dryden,  is 
not  printed  with  the  play,  and  on  account  of  the 
political  allusions  it  was  forbidden  by  Lord  Dorset 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  247 

after  it  had  been  spoken  the  firslt  time.  This  was  due 
to  Shadwell,  who,  happening  to  be  present  in  the 
theatre  on  the  firslt  performance,  immediately  carried  a 
complaint  to  the  Secretary  of  State.  It  was  firslt  printed 
anonymously  in  Poems  on  Affairs  of  State,  Part  127., 
1698. 

In  his  account  of  The  Prophetess  under  "John 
Fletcher "  Langbaine  says  that  the  play  "  has  lately 
been  reviv'd  by  Mr.  Dryden"  but  this  probably  means 
nothing  more  than  that  Dryden  may  have  made  the 
suggestion  to  Betterton,  and  have  given  some  help  in 
the  alteration. 

p.  42.  THE  FAIRY  QUEEN.  This  opera,  which  is 
founded  upon  A  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,  was  pro 
duced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  April,  1692.  The  libretto 
has  been  attributed  to  Elkanah  Settle. 

For  these  three  operas  one  may  consult  the  works  of 
Mr.  W.  J.  Lawrence,  as  also  Mr.  Barclay  Squire's 
Study  of  PurcelFs  Dramatic  Music.  See  further 
Professor  Dent's  Foundations  of  Englith  Opera.  The 
Fairy  Queen  is  also  dealt  with  in  Hazelton  Spencer's 
Shakespeare  Improved. 

p.  43.  BURY  FAIR.  ShadwelFs  excellent  comedy  was 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  the  spring  of  1689,  probably 
in  April  of  that  year.  After  having  remained  in  the 
repertory  for  some  ten  or  twelve  years  it  gradually 
dropped  into  the  background,  and  was  only  seen  at 
intervals,  the  laslt  revival  probably  being  that  on 
Oftober  10,  1716,  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields. 

p.  43.  WIT  WITHOUT  MONEY.  This  comedy  was 
not  infrequently  revived  during  the  eighteenth  century. 
On  January  4,  1707,  it  was  given  at  the  Haymarket. 
There  are  some  acknowledged  alterations,  but  these 
are  all  decidedly  for  the  worse.  Wilks  afted  Valentine, 
a  role  in  which  formerly  Mohun  had  excelled ;  and  Mrs. 
Oldfield,  Lady  Hartwell. 

p.  43.  THE  TAMING  OF  A  SHREW.  This  was  a 
revival  of  Lacy's  alteration  Sauny  the  Scott,  or,  The 
Taming  of  the  Shrew,  originally  produced  at  the  Theatre 


248  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

Royal  in  Bridges  Street,  April,  1667,  when  the  author 
a&ed  Sauny.  It  was  printed,  4to,  1698  :  "  As  it  is  now 
A&ed  at  the  Theatre-Royal.  Written  by  J.  Lacey, 
Servant  to  His  Majesty.  And  Never  before  Printed." 
Arthur  Bedford,  in  his  A  Serious  Remontfrance  .  .  . 
1719,  violently  attacks  Sauny  the  Scott. 

p.  43.  THE  MAIDEN  QUEEN.  Celadon  was  a&ed  by 
Mountford.  At  a  revival,  Drury  Lane,  March  26,  1706, 
Miss  Cross  played  Florimel  for  her  benefit. 

p.  43.  BELLAMIRA.  Eettamira,  or,  The  Miftress  was 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  May,  1687.  The  play  is 
taken  from  Terence's  Eunuchus,  and  it  is  an  agreeable 
comedy  with  some  easy  dialogue.  It  does  not  appear 
to  have  kept  the  stage. 

p.  43.  ISLAND  PRINCESS.  The  Island  Princess,  or, 
The  Generous  Portuguese  is  an  operatic  version  of  Fletcher's 
popular  play  The  Island  Princess.  An  alteration  by 
Nahum  Tate  had  been  a&ed  at  Drury  Lane  in  April, 
1687.  Motteux  has  mutilated  the  original  without 
discrimination,  and  a  contemporary  satire,  The  Grove  ; 
or,  The  Rival  Muses,  1701,  has  the  following  caustic 
allusion : 

"  Motteux  and  Durfey  are  for  nothing  fit, 

But  to  supply  with  Songs  their  want  of  Wit. 
».    Had  not  the  Island  Princess  been  adorn'd, 

With  Tunes,  and  pompous  Scenes,  she  had  been  scorn'd. 
What  was  not  Fletcher's,  no  more  Sense  contains, 
Than  he  that  wrote  the  Jubilee,  has  Brains  ; 
Which  ne'er  had  pleas'd  the  Town,  or  purchas'd  Fame, 
But  that  'twas  christen'd  with  a  modish  Name." 

p.  43.  A  SEA  VOYAGE.  This  refers  to  D'Urfey's  A 
Common-Wealth  of  Women,  which  is  by  no  means  a 
bad  alteration  of  The  Sea  Voyage,  an  excellent  comedy 
by  Fletcher,  and  (as  most  writers  are  inclined  to  think) 
Philip  Massinger.  D'Urfey's  alteration,  which  was 
originally  produced  at  Drury  Lane  August  24,  1685, 
(Bindley),  was  generally  given  after  the  first  run  under 
the  restored  title,  A  Sea  Voyage.  It  was  revived  at 
Drury  Lane  as  late  as  April  21,  1746. 

It  may  be  noted  that  Fletcher's  play  was  revived  at 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  249 

the  Theatre  Royal,  Bridges  Street,  on  Wednesday, 
September  25,  1667,  and  continued  a  favourite  for 
several  years. 

p.  43.  THE  ENGLISH  FRYAR.  The  English  Frier ,  or, 
The  Town  Sparks,  by  Crowne,  was  produced  at  Drury 
Lane  early  in  1689-90.  The  quarto  is  advertised  in  the 
Gazette,  May  i,  1690.  There  are  some  good  scenes, 
but  the  part  which  introduces  the  English  Friar  is  very 
Stupid.  This  comedy  does  not  appear  to  have  remained 
in  the  repertory. 

p.  43 .  BUSSY  D'AMBOIS.  Charles  Hart,  "  that 
eternally  Renowned,  and  BeSt  of  A&ors,"  was  so 
excellent  in  his  performance  of  Bussy  D'Ambois  that 
Chapman's  drama  was  allowed  "  amongst  the  Rank  of 
the  Topping  Tragedies  of  that  Time."  Both  Dryden 
and  D'Urfey  bear  witness  to  the  amazing  perfection 
of  Hart's  performance,  and  the  latter  writer  says  that 
once  this  great  a&or  had  gone  the  play  could  not  be 
attempted.  "  For  a  long  time  after  it  lay  buried  in 
Mr.  Hart's  Grave,  who  indeed  only  could  do  that 
noble  Character  Justice."  Accordingly  the  tragedy 
was  something  altered  by  D'Urfey,  who  called  his 
version  Bussy  D'Ambois,  or.  The  Husband's  Revenge,  and 
this  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  early  in  1690-1. 
With  great  difficulty  Mountfort,  who  feared  to  come 
after  so  great  a  man  as  Mr.  Hart,  was  induced  to  play 
Bussy.  His  performance,  however,  was  loudly 
applauded,  and  gave  lively  satisfaction  to  the  town. 
After  his  death  the  play  was  laid  aside.  It  has  already 
been  remarked  that  Bussy  was  the  character  which 
Mountford  should  have  afted  at  the  theatre  on  the 
evening  of  the  day  he  died. 

p.  43.  THE  MASSACRE  OF  PARIS.  This  tragedy  by 
Nathaniel  Lee  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  Novem 
ber,  1689,  but,  as  is  particularly  mentioned  in  the 
Epilogue,  it  had  been  written  some  time  before, 
although  prevented  from  appearing  on  the  Stage,  and 
the  author  says  that  he  actually  used  two  whole  scenes 
from  it  in  The  Duke  of  Guise.  The  Massacre  of  Paris  was 


250  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

revived  at  Co  vent  Garden,  October  3 1  and  November  i, 


It  should  be  carefully  remarked  that  Downes  has 
written  this  list  of  plays  without  any  attempt  at  a 
chronological  sequence  or  order  of  any  kind. 

p.  43.  A  DIFFERENCE  HAPPENED.  On  August  30, 
1687,  Alexander  Davenant  had  taken  the  place  of  his 
brother  Charles,  and  on  March  24,  1690,  he  sold  his 
share  to  Christopher  Rich.  With  which  was  equally 
associated  Sir  Thomas  Skipwith,  and  it  appears  that 
others  also  were  interested  with  Alexander  Davenant 
in  the  management  of  the  theatre.  Davenant,  however, 
had  for  a  long  while  been  defrauding  the  actors,  and 
when  his  cheats  were  on  the  eve  of  discovery  in  Octo 
ber,  1693,  he  fled  from  the  country.  There  had  also 
been  a  series  of  internal  quarrels  among  the  actors 
themselves,  and  the  result  was  that  Betterton,  on  behalf 
of  most  of  the  company,  in  December,  1694,  laid  a 
petition  before  the  Lord  Chamberlain.  Rich  and  the 
other  patentees  filed  their  answers,  and  on  December  10 
the  contending  parties  were  ordered  to  attend  Lord 
Dorset  at  Sir  Robert  Howard's  house  at  Westminster 
between  10  and  u  o'clock  on  Monday,  December  17. 
It  appeared,  however,  that  no  satisfactory  arrangement 
could  be  arrived  at,  and  accordingly  on  March  25, 
1695,  a  new  licence  was  granted  to  the  revolting 
actors,  and  on  April  30,  1695,  they  opened  at  the  new 
theatre,  which  had  been  fitted  up  in  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields. 

p.  44.  LOVE  FOR  LOVE.  This  comedy,  which  is  by 
many  considered  Congreve's  dramatic  masterpiece, 
was  produced  Monday,  April  29,1695.  In  A  Comparison 
between  the  two  Stages,  1702  (which  is  often,  but  seem 
ingly  with  no  reason,  attributed  to  Gildon),  it  is  said : 
"  You  know  the  new-house  opened  with  an  extra 
ordinary  good  Comedy,  the  like  has  scarce  been  heard 
of."  For  well-nigh  one  hundred  years  Love  for  Love 
maintained  its  popularity,  and  it  is  not  until  the  end 
of  the  eighteenth  century  that  this  great  comedy  is  on 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  251 

the  wane.  In  the  nineteenth  century  performances  are 
chronicled  at  intervals — 1806,  1812,  1813,  1819,  1825. 
But  even  so  it  must  not  be  assumed  that  these  are  the 
only  occasions  upon  which  the  play  was  given.  Novem 
ber  19,  1842,  with  a  previous  announcement  that  it 
had  been  adapted,  Lave  for  Lave  was  performed  at 
Drury  Lane.  June  12,  1848,  there  was  a  revival  at 
the  Haymarket.  On  November  n,  1871,  John 
Hollingshead  produced  at  the  Gaiety  a  deplorable 
hash  of  Congreve,  which  was  impudently  entitled 
Love  for  Love.  One  is  glad  to  record  that  the  wretched 
thing  lived  only  a  few  days.  On  April  15  and  16, 
1917,  Love  for  Love  was  given  in  its  entirety  at  the 
Aldwych  Theatre,  and  had  a  most  favourable  reception. 
This  success  was  repeated  when  Congreve's  comedy 
was  produced  by  the  Phoenix  under  my  dire&ion  at 
the  Lyric  Theatre,  Hammersmith,  March  20  and  22, 
1921.  Of  yet  more  recent  years,  the  play  has  been  seen 
at  Oxford  and  some  few  other  cities. 

p.  44.  LOVERS'  LUCK.  The  Lover's  Luck,  by  Thomas 
Dilke,  is  perhaps  the  best  of  this  author's  three  comedies. 
Humours,  something  in  the  vein  of  Shadwell,  are  here 
to  be  met.  The  play  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields  in  the  winter  of  1695. 

p.  44.     DILKS.     Rather  :    "  Dilke" 

p.  44.  THE  GRAND  CYRUS.  Cyrus  the  Great,  or,  The 
Tragedy  of  Love  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields 
about  the  second  week  in  December,  1695.  The  unfor 
tunate  death  of  Smith,  from  a  chill,  which  put  an  end 
to  the  play,  has  already  been  noticed.  The  tragedy, 
which  is  founded  upon  episodes  in  Mile,  de  Scudery's 
famous  romance,  Le  Grand  Cyrus,  is  truly  heroic  in 
character,  and,  as  the  author  tells  us,  it  had  been  written 
many  years  before,  but  was  debarred  the  stage  "  Through 
Spite  and  Envy."  The  4to,  1696,  is  dedicated  to  the 
Princess  Anne,  whose  protection  is  implored. 

"  For  the  Great  Cyrus  being  but  a  Child, 
And  in  his  Cradle  destin'd  to  be  kill'd." 


252  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Betterton  acted  Cyrus ;  Smith,  Cyaxares,  King  of 
Media  ;  Kynaston,  Hystaspes  ;  Bowman,  Croesus  ; 
Mrs.  Boutell,  Thomyris,  Queen  of  Scythia ;  Mrs. 
Barry,  Panthea  ;  and  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  Lausaria. 

p.  44.  THE  MOURNING  BRIDE.  This  tragedy  was 
originally  produced  at  the  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  theatre 
early  in  1697.  In  the  Preface  to  his  poem  Prince  Arthur, 
published  in  the  summer  (June-July)  of  1697,  Black- 
more  writes  :  "  This  tragedy  has  mightily  obtained." 
Ninety  years  later  Davies  remarks  :  "  It  is  Still  a  very 
favourite  play."  Garrick,  Kemble,  Mrs.  Porter,  Mrs. 
Gibber,  Mrs.  Pritchard,  Peg  Woffington  and  Mrs. 
Siddons  have  all  appeared  in  this  tragedy.  The  Mourning 
Bride  fell  out  of  the  repertory  not  later  than  1812.  In 
order  to  complete  the  full  cycle  of  Congreve's  plays 
which  had  been  given  between  1916  and  1925,  I  gave 
a  special  production  of  The  Mourning  Bride  on  Novem 
ber  22,  1925,  at  the  New  Scala  Theatre.  This  was  the 
first  time  that  Congreve's  tragedy  had  been  seen  in 
London  for  one  hundred  years. 

p.  44.  BOADICEA.  Boadicea,  Queen  of  Britain,  by 
Charles  Hopkins,  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields 
in  1697.  It  is  written  in  rhyme,  but  it  is  rather  of  the 
pathetic  school  of  Southerne  than  resembling  Tyrranick 
Love  and  The  Conquest  of  Granada.  A  Comparison 
between  the  two  Stages  has  :  "  Boadicia.  This  is  Cha. 
Hopkins's  and  did  very  well."  Betterton  a&ed  Cassa- 
belan,  the  General  of  the  Britons,  and  Mrs.  Barry, 
Boadicea. 

p.  44.  OVIDEAN  STILE.  A  Comparison  between  the 
two  Stages  mentions  the  first  tragedy  by  Hopkins, 
Pyrrbus,  King  of  Epirus  (1695)  thus  :  "  Heres  Pyrrhus, 
King  of  Epire.  Whose  is  that  ?  Charles  Hopkins's, 
an  Irish  gentleman  of  good  sense,  and  an  excellent 
Ovidian.  What  was  it's  fate?  Damn'd."  Charles 
Hopkins  is  called  an  Ovidian  because  of  his  two 
famous  poems,  The  Hitfory  of  Love  and  The  Art  of  Love, 
which  were  supposed  to  be  in  the  style  of  the  Latin 
poet. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  255 

p.  44.  HEROICK  LOVE.  This  tragedy,  written  by 
George  Granville,  Lord  Lansdowne,  was  produced  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  winter  of  1697.  The  theme 
is  borrowed  from  the  Homeric  legends,  but  the  whole 
atmosphere  is  very  far  removed  from  the  Iliad.  Thus 
we  have  Agamemnon,  played  by  Betterton,  who  is  the 
ultra-romantic  lover  of  Chruseis,  Mrs.  Barry.  Achilles, 
played  by  Verbruggen,  is  a  slave  to  the  charms  of 
Briseis,  Mrs.  Bracegirdle.  The  criticism  of  this  play 
in  A.  Comparison  between  the  two  Stages  is  much  to  the 
point: 

"  Heroic  Lave.  That  I  think  is  Mr.  Granville's.  'Tis  so,  and 
the  language  is  very  correft :  but  with  submission  to  him,  his 
fable  is  not  well  chosen  ;  there's  too  little  business  in't  for  so 
long  a  representation  :  but  if  Mr.  G.  had  taken  the  Story  at  a 
greater  length,  and  contriv'd  the  incidents  to  surprize,  he  had 
made  it  an  admirable  tragedy." 

p.  44.  LOVES  A  JEST.  This  comedy  by  Peter 
Antony  Motteux  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields  in  the  autumn  of  1696.  The  main  theme,  which 
is  slight,  is  derived  from  the  Italian,  and  the  incident 
of  the  marriage  of  Squire  Illbred  to  Frankly,  who  is 
disguised  in  female  attire,  and  the  subsequent  confusion 
arising  from  this  trick  may  be  paralleled  in  a  vast 
number  of  Italian  plays.  Indeed,  the  farcical  boy  bride 
can  be  traced  as  far  back  as  Plautus,  and  has  been  used 
again  and  again.  We  may  instance  Aretino's  //  Mare- 
scalcoy  and  the  Alessandro  of  Alessandro  Piccolomini, 
which  was  the  source  of  Chapman's  May-Day.  The 
most  famous  of  the  plays  which  utilizes  this  deception 
is,  of  course,  Jonson's  Epitome. 

Love's  a  JesJ  would  be  a  capital  comedy  were  the 
dialogue  a  little  more  light  and  lively.  Yet  it  is  far 
from  a  bad  piece.  Betterton  a&ed  Railmore  ;  Under 
bill,  Sir  Topewell  Clownish;  Trefusis,  Illbred; 
Bailey,  Frankly ;  and  Mrs.  Barry,  Lady  Single.  The 
play  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane,  August  31,  1711,  by 
the  summer  company  with  Mills,  Johnson,  Bullock, 
Bowman,  and  Mrs.  Porter  in  the  cast. 


254  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

p.  44.  MATEOX.  Rather  :  "  Motteux" 
p.  44.  THE  ANATOMIST.  This  is  an  amusing  comedy 
with  some  excellent  a&ing  parts  written  by  Edward 
Ravenscroft.  It  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields 
in  November,  1696.  In  a  letter  written  by  Robert 
Jennens,  Thursday,  November  19,  1696,  we  have  : 

"  There  has  been  for  four  or  five  days  together  at  the  play 
house  in  Lincolns  Inn  Fields  aftcd  a  new  farce  translated  out  of 
the  French  by  Mr.  Monteux  [should  be  Ravenscroft]  called 
the  Shame  Doctor  or  the  AnatomisT:,  with  a  great  concert  of  music, 
representing  the  loves  of  Venus  and  Mars,  well  enough  done 
and  pleases  the  town  extremely.  The  other  house  has  no  company 
at  all,  and  unless  a  new  play  comes  out  on  Saturday  revives  their 
reputation,  they  mu$l  break." 

When  originally  given  each  of  the  ads  of  The 
Anatomist  concluded  with  an  aft  of  a  musical 
piece  written  by  Motteux,  The  Loves  of  Mars  and  Venus  y 
which  is  supposed  to  be  exhibited  for  the  entertain 
ment  of  the  characters  in  the  comedy,  and  the  play 
was  printed,  4to,  1697,  as  "  the  Anatomist ;  or,  The 
Sham-Doftor.  Written  by  Mr.  Ravenscroft.  With 
The  Loves  Of  Mars  And  Venus,  A  Play  set  to  Music, 
written  by  Mr.  Motteux,  as  they  are  a&ed  together  at 
the  New  Theatre  in  Little  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields." 
William  Bowen  played  Crispin,  the  Sham  Doftor; 
Underbill,  the  Do£tor ;  and  Mrs.  Leigh,  the  Doctor's 
Wife.  The  Anatomist  was  so  extraordinarily  successful 
that  a  little  later  it  was  afted  as  a  separate  play  without 
the  musical  entertainment ;  and  on  November  1 8, 
1743,  it  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane,  but  reduced  to  a 
farce  of  two  a&s.  The  do&or  had  been  turned  into  a 
Frenchman,  and  Blakes  was  very  celebrated  for  the 
humour  he  infused  into  the  role  of  Monsieur  le  Medecin. 
The  Anatomist  as  a  farce  remained  very  popular  until 
the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

p.  45.  DON  QUIXOT.  The  Comical  History  of  Don 
Quixote,  Part  I.,  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in 
1694,  and  Part  II.  immediately  followed.  As  D'Urfey 
tells  us,  both  these  plays  were  extraordinarily  successful. 
Don  Quixote  was  a&ed  by  Bowen ;  Sancho  Panza 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  255 

in  Part  I.  by  Dogget,  in  Part  II.  by  Underbill ;  Marcella 
by  Mrs.  Bracegirdle ;  Teresa,  Sancho's  wife,  by  Mrs. 
Leigh  ;  and  "  Mary  the  buxom,  Sancho's  Daughter,  a 
rude,  laughing,  clownish  Hoyden,  incomparably  afted 
by  Mrs.  Verbruggen"  Cervantes  is  extraordinarily 
difficult  to  adapt  for  the  Stage,  and  it  must  be  acknow 
ledged  that  D'Urfey  has  used  his  material  with  the 
greatest  skill.  He  has  introduced  something  of  his 
own  too  that  is  extremely  amusing.  Part  I.  opens  with 
Don  Quixote  tilting  at  the  Windmill.  There  are  various 
episodes  at  the  wayside  inn,  a  scene  with  the  galley- 
slaves,  and  the  funeral  of  Chrysostom,  when  is  sung 
the  beautiful  dirge  "  Sleep,  poor  Youth,  Sleep  in 
Peace."  Part  II.  is  chiefly  concerned  with  Sancho 
Panza's  governorship  and  the  elaborate  tricks  played 
upon  Don  Quixote  at  the  Court  of  the  Duke  and 
Duchess.  Some  two  years  later  D'Urfey  gave  The 
Comical  Hitfory  of  Don  Quixote,  With  The  Marriage  of 
Mary  the  Buxome.  Don  Quixote  was  a&ed  by  Powell, 
and  Sancho  by  Newth.  Unfortunately  Part  III.  was 
not  so  successful,  and  this  the  author  largely  attributes 
to  the  fa£t  that  the  Puppet  Show  in  the  fourth  a& 
was  placed  so  far  from  the  audience  that  they  could  not 
hear  anything  that  was  being  said.  The  Puppets  were 
designed  to  be  afted  by  children. 

It  may  be  noticed  that  there  are  well-nigh  a  couple 
of  dozen  comedies,  operas,  burlesques  and  pantomimes 
founded  upon  Don  Quixote,  but  of  all  these,  whether 
serious  dramatizations  or  merely  farcical  entertain 
ments,  D'Urfey's  Don  Quixote  is  incontestably  the  most 
skilful,  the  liveliest,  and  the  best. 

Jeremy  Collier,  in  his  A  Short  View  of  the  Immorality, 
and  Profaneness  of  the  Engluh  Stage,  1698,  gives  D'Urfey 
a  severe  jobation,  and  particularly  devotes  Chapter  V., 
Seftion  2,  to  "  Remarks  on  the  Comical  History  of  Don 
Quixot." 

p.  45.  BOTH  PARTS  MADE  INTO  ONE.  This  is  very 
obscure.  It  seems  very  unlikely  that  the  first  and  second 
parts  were  made  into  one  play  and  so  a£ted.  Each 


ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

part  is  of  considerable  length  and  full  of  incident. 
It  is  probable  that  Downes  merely  intended  to  write 
"  Part  the  FirSt  and  Part  the  Second."  When  D'Urfey's 
Don  Quixote  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane,  June  17,  1713, 
and  again  at  Co  vent  Garden,  May  17,  1739,  it  was  t^ie 
second  part  which  was  given  on  these  occasions. 

p.  45.  THE  SHE-GALLANTS.  This  is  a  very  good 
comedy  by  George  Granville,  Lord  Lansdowne,  who 
was  born  in  1667.  It  was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields  late  in  1695  with  a  fine  caSt,  which  included 
Underbill  as  Sir  Toby  ;  Betterton,  Bellamour ;  Dogget, 
Vaunter ;  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  Angelica  ;  Mrs.  Boutell, 
ConStancia  ;  Lady  Dorimen,  Mrs.  Barry  ;  and  Plackett, 
her  maid,  Mrs.  Leigh.  There  can  be  no  grounds  for 
the  exception  taken  to  this  comedy  of  which  Downes 
complains.  It  was  revived  at  Drury  Lane  in  1746. 
The  real  reason  for  the  opposition  was  that  a  certain 
party  regarded  some  of  the  scenes  as  a  reflection  upon 
the  Government.  The  author  was  well  known  for  his 
Staunch  loyalty,  but  as  the  play  had  actually  been  written 
more  than  a  dozen  years  before  it  came  upon  the  Stage, 
it  is  not  possible  that  it  should  have  reflected  upon  the 
existing  condition  of  affairs.  Lord  Lansdowne  after 
wards  altered  The  She-Gallants,  and  printed  the  play 
thus,  as  Once  a  Lover  Always  a  Lover,  in  the  third  volume 
of  his  works,  izmo,  1736. 

p.  45.  IPHIGENIA.  This  tragedy  was  produced  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  1699,  and  printed,  4to,  1700. 
The  scene  is  laid  in  a  wild  country  on  the  top  of  a 
mountain  before  the  temple  of  Diana  Taurica,  and  the 
plot  is  founded  upon  the  Iphigenia  in  Tauris  of  Euripides, 
although  Dennis  has  not  done  well  to  introduce  the 
Queen  of  the  Scythians,  a  part  a&ed  by  Mrs.  Barry. 
Betterton  played  OreStes,  and  Mrs.  Bracegirdle, 
Iphigenia.  This  tragedy  was  produced  early  in 
December,  and  Dennis  says  that  although  applauded 
on  the  firSt  night  it  met  with  certain  disfavour  at  the 
third  presentation,  and  Still  more  cool  was  the  reception 
when  it  was  given  for  the  fourth  time. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  257 

p.  45.  THE  FATE  OF  CAPUA.  This  tragedy  was 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  early  in  1700,  and 
published  April  29  of  that  year.  The  play  commences 
not  long  after  the  battle  of  Cannae.  The  scene  lies  in 
Capua,  and  the  theme  of  the  tragedy  is  largely  con 
cerned  with  the  struggle  between  those  who  are  of 
»  Hannibal's  faftion  and  the  partisans  of  the  Roman 

interest.  It  is  a  good  tragedy  and  deserves  suc 
cess,  but  it  does  not  appear  ever  to  have  been 
revived.  Betterton  acted  Virginius,  and  Mrs.  Barry, 
Favonia. 

p.  45.  JUSTICE  BUSY.  J.  O.  Halliwell,  A  Dictionary 
of  Old  English  Plays,  London,  1860  (p.  136)  has  noted  : 
"  Justice  Busy  :  or,  the  Gentleman  Quack  :  A  Comedy 
by  J.  Crowne,  acted  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  about  1699. 
Not  printed,  but  the  songs  introduced  into  it  were 
published  separately  with  the  music."  The  words  and 
music  of  the  song  to  which  Downes  refers  may  be 
found  in  a  collection  of  songs  catalogued  in  the  British 
Museum  under  John  Eccles  [K.7.I.2.  (49)]:  "I'll 
hurry  thee  hence,  in  the  comedy  Juftice  Buisy"  London, 
1700  (p.  63).  "A  Song  in  the  Comedy  call'd  Jufiice 
Baiij,  or  the  Gentleman  Quack  ;  Set  by  Mr.  John  Eccles, 
Sung  by  Mrs.  Bracegirdle ;  and  exactly  engrav'd  by 
Tho.  Cross." 

I'll  hurry,  hurry,  hurry,  hurry,  thee, 

hurry,  hurry,  hurry,  hurry  thee  hence,  with  such  Violence 

The  Lightning  from  my  Chariot-wheels,  and  my  Horses  heels, 

and  my  Horses  heels,  shall  make  the  Pavement  shine  : 

If  any  man  stops  my  furious  Race, 

Ye  Stones  in  the  Street  shall  fly  in  his  Face  : 

The  Stones  in  the  Street  shall  fly,  shall  fly,  shall  fly  in  his  Face  : 

As  Nature  does  in  mine,  in  mine, 

As  Nature  does  in  mine. 

In  D'Urfey's  Wit  and  Mirth  ;  or  Pitts  to  Purge  Melan 
choly,  London,  1719,  V.,  323,  is  given  another  "  Song 
in  the  Comedy  call'd  Justice  Buisy,  or  the  Gentleman 
Quack ;  Set  by  Mr.  John  Eccles,  Sung  by  Mrs.  Brace- 
girdle." 


258  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

No,  no,  ev'ry  Morning  my  Beauties  renew, 

Where-ever  I  go,  I  have  Lovers  enough  ; 

I  Dress  and  I  Dance,  and  I  Laugh  and  I  Sing, 

Am  lovely  and  lively,  and  gay  as  the  Spring  : 

I  Visit,  I  Game,  and  I  cast  away  Care, 

Mind  Lovers  no  more,  than  the  Birds  of  the  Air, 

Mind  Lovers  no  more,  than  the  Birds  of  the  Air. 

p.  45 .  THE  WAY  OF  THE  WORLD.  This  comedy  was 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  early  in  March,  1700. 
On  Tuesday,  i2th  of  that  month,  Dry  den,  writing  to 
Mrs.  Steward,  remarks  :  "  Congreve's  new  play  has 
had  but  moderate  success,  though  it  deserves  better." 
Downes  informs  us  of  the  charm  of  Mrs.  Bracegirdle 
in  the  role  of  Millamant,  and  tradition  further  tells  us 
that  Mrs.  Elinor  Leigh  was  very  great  as  Lady  Wish- 
fort.  In  theatrical  records  several  English  aftresses 
have  won  distinguished  success  as  Millamant :  Mrs. 
Oldfield,  Peg  Woffington,  Mrs.  Pritchard,  Ethel  Irving, 
Edith  Evans.  Mrs.  Leigh  has  had  her  successor  in 
Mrs.  Saunders,  Kitty  Clive,  Mrs.  Mattocks,  Mrs. 
Glover,  Mrs.  Theodore  Wright,  and  Margaret  Yarde. 
The  Way  of  the  World  remained  in  the  repertory  until  the 
beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  On  Saturday, 
December  17,  1842,  it  was  revived  at  the  Haymarket 
under  Webster's  management.  Unfortunately  there 
were  some  foolish  alterations  and  these  spelled  failure. 
The  play  was  a&ed  here  for  the  twelfth  and  last  time  on 
Tuesday,  January  10,  1843.  On  April  17,  1904,  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Philip  Carr,  The  Way  of  the  World 
was  presented  at  the  Court,  and  proved  so  successful 
that  on  Monday,  November  7,  of  the  same  year,  a  public 
production  was  given  at  the  Royalty.  There  were 
further  revivals  at  the  King's  Hall,  Covent  Garden, 
May  12  and  14,  1918  ;  and  on  March  19,  1923,  at  the 
Maddermarket  Theatre,  Norwich.  Edith  Evans  was 
greatly  applauded  as  Millamant  when  Congreve's 
comedy  was  revived  at  the  Lyric  Theatre,  Hammer 
smith,  on  Thursday,  February  7,  1924.  The  play  was 
again  given  at  the  Gar  rick  Theatre  in  1927,  and  it  has 
also  been  seen  in  some  provincial  centres. 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  259 

p.  45.  THE  AMBITIOUS  STEP-MOTHER.  This  tragedy 
was  produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  winter  of 
1700,  probably  in  December,  and  was  published 
January  29,  1700-1.  It  is  certainly  a  good  tragedy,  and 
one  which  must  have  proved  very  effeftive  upon  the 
stage.  Betterton  played  Memnon  ;  Booth,  Artaban  ; 
and  Mrs.  Barry,  Artemisa,  the  ambitious  stepmother. 
Barton  Booth  is  said  to  have  made  his  debut  at  Smock 
Alley  Theatre,  Dublin,  in  June  or  July,  1698,  and  to 
have  remained  there  until  the  end  of  1700,  so  probably 
Artaban  was  the  first  chara&er  he  created  in  England. 
It  has  been  said  that  his  first  appearance  was  as  Maximus 
in  Valentinian,  when  he  acquitted  himself  so  well  that 
Betterton  conceived  a  very  high  opinion  of  his  powers. 
Nicholas  Rowe  had  been  at  Westminster  with  Booth, 
and  it  is  supposed  that  he  gave  him  the  part  of  Artaban. 

p.  45.  TAMERLANE.  This  tragedy  was  produced  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  winter  of  1701,  probably  in 
December,  as  it  was  published  during  the  following 
January.  Betterton  played  Tamerlane ;  Verbruggen, 
Bajazet ;  Powell,  Moneses  ;  Mrs.  Barry,  Arpasia ;  and 
Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  Selima.  This  proved  a  very  favourite 
play,  and  it  continued  to  be  afted  until  well  within  the 
nineteenth  century.  It  is  by  no  means  a  bad  tragedy, 
but  nothing  could  be  more  foolish  and  more  erroneous 
than  the  implied  political  parallel.  The  play  in  the 
latter  years  that  it  continued  on  the  stage  was  often 
given  only  on  November  4,  the  birthday  of  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  and  upon  the  succeeding  night,  since 
this  date  was  the  anniversary  of  his  landing  in  England. 

A  sequel  to  Tamerlane,  by  an  unknown  hand,  which 
carried  on  the  subjeft  of  Rowe's  play,  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  printed  and  was  not  seen  upon  the  stage. 
In  addition  to  Marlowe's  drama  a  Tamerlane  the  Great, 
written  by  Charles  Saunders,  was  produced  at  Drury 
Lane  early  in  1681,  and  printed  the  same  year. 

p.  46.  THE  FAIR  PENITENT.  This  tragedy  was 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  spring  of  1703. 
It  is,  so  far  as  the  plot  is  concerned,  taken  from  Massin- 


260  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

ger's  The  Fatal  Dowery,  but  in  treatment  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  imagine  anything  less  in  the  Elizabethan 
way.  It  muSt  be  acknowledged  that  the  play  is  very 
poetic  and  that  there  are  passages  of  no  Uttle  beauty. 
It  maintained  its  place  in  the  repertory  as  long  as 
romantic  tragedy  was  applauded  upon  the  Stage. 

p.  46.  THE  BITER.  This  farce  was  produced  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  December,  1704.  A  Story  is 
related  by  Dr.  Johnson  that  Rowe  sat  in  the  theatre 
and  laughed  loudly  at  his  jokes  whilst  the  reSt  of  the 
house  remained  in  frozen  silence,  but  it  is  hardly 
credible  that  an  audience  could  have  been  so  glum,  for 
The  Btfer  is  a  bustling,  busy  piece,  with  an  abundance  of 
good  characters  and  excellent  situations.  It  has  been 
severely  spoken  of  by  some  modern  writers,  who 
probably  have  not  read  the  play.  Betterton  as  Sir 
Timothy  Tallapoy,  the  sinologist,  and  Mrs.  Leigh  as 
Lady  Stale  had  two  first-rate  roles,  and  it  is  difficult  to 
think  that  they  were  not  extremely  diverting. 

A  "  Biter  "  was  a  kind  of  pracHcal  joker. 

p.  46.  ABRA-MULE.  This  tragedy,  by  Dr.  Joseph 
Trapp,  Abra-Mul£y  or,  Love  and  Empire,  is  very  respeft- 
ably  written,  and  it  remained  in  the  repertory  until  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  was  produced  at 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  second  or  third  week  of 
January,  1704.  Betterton  afted  Mahomet  IV,  Emperor 
of  the  Turks ;  Powell,  Solyman,  his  brother ;  Ver- 
bruggen,  Pyrrhus  ;  and  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  Abra-Mule. 

p.  46.  MONSIEUR  L'AsBE.  The  names  of  these 
foreign  artists  continually  occur  in  contemporary 
announcements.  Thus  on  December  12,  1705,  at  the 
Haymarket,  All  for  Love  was  given  with  dancing, 
"  especially  the  Grand  Dance  "  performed  by  M.  L'Abb^, 
Mde.  Barques,  M.  Davencourt,  and  others. 

p.  46.  MARIA  GALLIA.  This  famous  vocalist  was  the 
wife  of  Gioseppe  Saggione.  She  appeared  in  many  of 
the  Italian  and  English  operas  which  were  becoming  so 
fashionable  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

p.  46.    MARGARITA  DELPINE.    Francesca  Margherita 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  261 

de  1'Epine  came  to  London  in  1692  with  her  husband, 
Giacomo  Greber,  a  German  musician  of  no  mean  fame. 
This  lady  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  Italian  vocalist  of 
marked  distinction  who  sang  in  England. 

p.  47.    CAINS.    A  misprint  for  "  Caiut" 

p.  47.  MRS.  LINDSEY.  This  lady  enjoyed  a  great 
reputation  for  her  beautiful  voice. 

p.  47.  MRS.  HUDSON.  The  name  of  this  singer, 
which  frequently  occurs,  is  among  the  list  of  those  who 
have  contracts  with  the  Haymarket  Company. 

p.'  47.  MR.  RUEL.  The  list  of  dancers  who  belonged 
to  the  Haymarket  Company  is  as  follows  :  Master  to 
compose  &  teach  Labbe ;  De  Ruell ;  Charrier ;  Mrs. 
Elford  ;  Mrs.  Mayers  ;  Devonshire  girle  ;  Miss  Evans. 
Their  names  very  often  occur  in  the  theatrical  docu 
ments  of  the  time.  Thus  November  2, 1705,  there  is  an 
order  addressed  to  Rich  forbidding  him  to  employ  the 
dancer  Du  Ruel  or  his  wife  who  are  engaged  with  the 
Haymarket  Company.  However,  on  the  following 
November  29,  a  letter  is  sent  to  Rich,  who  is  informed 
that  Du  Ruel  has  received  a  discharge  from  the  Hay- 
market. 

p.  47.  DEVONSHIRE  GIRL.  The  Devonshire  Girl 
made  her  first  appearance  as  a  dancer  at  Drury  Lane, 
December  8,  1702,  which  evening  D'Urfey's  The  Batby 
or,  The  Weftcrn  Lass,  was  afted  for  the  author's  benefit. 

p.  48.  THE  THEATRE  IN  THE  HAY-MARKET.  The 
foundation-stone  was  laid  on  April  18,  1704.  See  The 
Early  Years  of  the  Fir  ft  English  Opera  House,  by  W.  T. 
Lawrence,  The  Musical  Quarterly,  January,  1921,  for  a 
detailed  and  authoritative  account  of  the  first  Italian 
operas  and  their  singers  in  England. 

p.  48.  9TH  OF  APRIL,  1705.  The  exacl:  date  was 
Easter  Monday.  Colley  Gibber,  writing  thirty  years 
later,  makes  a  mistake  as  to  the  date,  which  he  places  in 
1706,  and  he  continues  : 

"  Sir  John  Vanbrugh  and  Mr.  Congreve  opened  their  new 
Haymarket  theatre  with  a  translated  opera,  to  Italian  music 
called  The  Triumph  of  Love,  but  this  not  having  in  it  the  charm  of 


262  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Camilla,  either  from  the  inequality  of  the  music  or  voices,  had 
but  a  cold  reception,  being  performed  but  three  days,  and  those 
not  crowded." 

Camilla  was  composed  by  Marc  Antonio  Bononcmi 
with  libretto  by  Silvio  Stampaglia.  This  was  transkted 
by  Owen  MacSwiney,  and  published  quarto  1706. 
The  opera  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane,  March  29, 
1706.  This  was  the  first  appearance  in  England  of  the 
male  soprano  Valentini  Urbani  (Signor  Valentini),  who, 
as  the  hero,  Turnus,  sang  in  Italian.  The  performance 
was  bilingual,  as  Mrs.  Tofts  played  Camilla  in  English. 
This  opera  proved  a  great  success.  The  original 
Epilogue  was  spoken  by  Mrs.  Oldfield. 

Gibber  has  been  folio  wed  by  several  Stage  historians, 
but  The  Triumph  of  'Love  was  not  produced  until  the 
following  July,  when  it  was  given  at  the  deserted 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  Theatre,  whence  Betterton  and  his 
fellows  had  temporarily  migrated  to  the  Queen's. 

Michael  Kelly,  however,  tells  us  that  the  first  produc 
tion  at  the  new  Queen's  Theatre  was  "  Signor  Giacome 
Greber's  Loves  of  Ergafio  set  to  Italian  music,"  and  the 
accuracy  of  this  Statement  can  at  once  be  confirmed  by 
a  reference  to  the  rare  little  Tonson  quarto  of  1705, 
"  The  Loves  of  Ergatfo.  A  Pastoral  Represented  at  the 
Opening  of  the  Queen's  Theatre  in  the  Haymarket. 
Compos'd  by  Signior  Giacomo  Greber."  This  slim 
libretto  is  printed  with  an  English  translation  facing  the 
Italian,  and  was,  no  doubt,  for  sale  in  the  theatre.  It  is 
an  elegant,  but  slight,  thing  in  three  afts,  with  the 
following  characters  :  Amore  (Cupid),  who  sings  the 
lyric  prologue  ;  Ergasto,  Licori,  Filli,  Filandro.  The 
Argument  runs  thus  :  "  Ergatfus  going  to  the  Chace  in 
Arcadia,  Two  Nymphs,  Licori  and  Phillif,  fall  in  love 
with  him ;  the  former  having  first  freed  herself  from 
the  Love  of  a  faithless  Shepherd.  Ergatfta  corresponds 
with  Licori's  Love  ;  and  Phillif,  perceiving  that  Ergatfus 
was  resolv'd  to  be  constant  to  Licori,  changes  her 
Resolution,  and  intends  to  Love  Filandro,  Ergafius's 
Companion,  but  at  length  finds  he  is,  and  acknowledges 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  263 

him  to  be,  her  Brother."  From  this  Argument  Con- 
greve's  reference,  "  Two  faithful  Lovers,  and  one 
constant  Woman,"  may  be  appreciated.  The  character 
of  Licori  was  sustained  by  "  the  Italian  Boy." 

The  Prologue  spoken  at  the  Opening  of  the  Queen's 
Theatre  was  written  by  Sir  Samuel  Garth. 

p.  48.  THE  GAMESTER.  A  comedy  by  Mrs.  Susannah 
Centlivre  produced  early  in  1704-5,  probably  in 
January.  It  was  largely  founded  upon  L>e  Joueur,  of 
Jean  Frangois  Regnard,  which  was  written  in  1696. 
The  two  comedies,  however,  are  markedly  different  in 
tone,  and  Mrs.  Centlivre  introduces  a  sentimental 
morality  which  in  this  instance  is  far  from  displeasing. 
Betterton  played  Lovewell,  and  Mrs.  Barry,  Lady 
Wealthy.  The  play  remained  in  the  theatrical  repertory 
for  full  half  a  century,  one  of  the  latest  revivals  being 
that  at  Drury  Lane  in  October,  1756. 

p.  48.  DUKE  AND  No  DUKE.  A  Duke  and  No  Duke 
was  produced  at  Drury  Lane,  August  18,  1684.  This 
farce  by  Nahum  Tate  is  nothing  more  than  an  alteration 
of  Sir  Aston  Cockain's  Trappolin  creduto  Principe  which 
was  published,  8vo,  1658.  Cockain  tells  us  that  his 
original  design  was  taken  from  a  play  which  he  saw 
twice  a£ted  at  Venice.  Of  Trappolin  creduto  Principe 
Langbaine  says  :  "  This  Play  was  reviv'd  on  our  Stage 
since  the  King's  Return,  and  a  new  Prologue  writ  by 
Duffefy  printed  in  his  Poems  pag.  82,  and  has  since  that 
been  alter'd  by  Mr.  Tafe,  and  a&ed  at  the  Theatre  in 
Dorset-Garden  1685  (November,  1684)."  Tate's  farce 
is  said  greatly  to  have  diverted  King  Charles.  Trappolin 
was  played  by  Anthony  Leigh.  With  various  alterations 
this  farce  remained  on  the  stage  until  the  nineteenth 
century.  It  was  converted  into  a  ballad  opera,  and 
again  into  a  burletta,  in  both  of  which  forms  it  gave 
complete  satisfaction  to  the  audiences. 

p.  48.  THE  CONQUEST  OF  SPAIN.  This  tragedy  by 
Mrs.  Mary  Fix  was  printed,  4to,  1705.  It  is  entirely 
borrowed  from  William  Rowley's  All's  Loft  by  Lutf, 
which  was  printed,  4to,  1633,  as  "Divers  times  Atted 


264  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

by  the  Lady  Elizabeth's  Servants.  And  now  lately  by 
her  Majesties  Servants,  with  great  applause,  at  the 
Pbanix  in  Drury  Lane"  Immediately  after  the  Restora 
tion  Rowley's  tragedy  had  been  revived  at  the  Red  Bull, 
but  soon  disappeared. 

p.  48.  ULYSSES.  This  tragedy  by  Nicholas  Rowe  was 
produced  at  the  Haymarket,  November  23,  1705. 
Betterton  acted  Ulysses ;  Booth,  Telemachus ;  and 
Mrs.  Barry,  Penelope.  It  is  a  correct  and  frigid  piece 
without  any  interest.  It  seems  to  have  been  played  at 
rare  intervals  for  ten  years,  and  there  was  a  revival  at 
Covent  Garden,  March  23,  1756. 

p.  48.  THE  CONFEDERACY.  This  comedy,  which  was 
often  acted  as  The  City  Wives  Confederacy  t  was  produced 
at  the  Haymarket  on  Tuesday,  October  30,  1705.  The 
cast  was  a  brilliant  one,  including  Michael  Leigh  as 
Gripe ;  Dogget,  Moneytrap ;  Booth,  Dick ;  Mrs. 
Barry,  Clarrisa ;  Mrs.  Porter,  Araminta ;  Mrs.  Brad- 
shaw,  Gorilla  ;  and  Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  Flippanta.  The 
play  completely  established  itself  in  the  repertory,  and 
with  few  intervals  was  given  season  after  season  until 
1825.  Nor  did  it  then  wholly  disappear  from  the 
stage,  for  it  was  still  to  be  seen  in  the  provinces,  and 
there  was  a  London  revival  in  1841.  The  Confederacy 
was  one  of  the  most  popular  plays  produced  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Philip  Carr,  and  it  was  given  at  the 
Royalty  Theatre  in  November,  1904.  It  was  further 
seen  at  the  Repertory  Theatre,  Birmingham,  in  1921, 
and  at  Oxford  in  1926.  This  by  no  means  exhausts  the 
record  of  provincial  revivals  during  the  twentieth 
century.  The  Confederacy  is  from  Les  Bourgeoises  a  la 
Mode  of  Florent  Dancourt,  which  was  acted  in  Paris  in 
1682. 

p.  49.  TRELOOBY.  This  farce  is  nothing  more  than 
a  racy  native  version  of  Moliere's  Monsieur  de 
Pourceaugnac.  It  was  printed,  quarto,  as  :  "  Monsieur 
de  Pourceaugnac,  or,  Squire  Trelooby.  Acted  at  the 
Suscription  Mutick  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  Lincoln's  Inn 
Fields.  March  30.  1704.  By  Select  Comedians  from 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  265 

both  Houses."  Dogget  a&ed  Squire  Trelooby ; 
Gibber,  Wimble ;  Betterton,  Love  well ;  and  Mrs. 
Bracegirdle,  Julia.  The  farce  was  reprinted  for  the 
first  time  in  my  colle&ed  edition  of  Congreve,  Vol.  III., 
1923.  See  the  Introdu&ion,  Vol.  I.,  and  the  notes 
upon  the  play  for  a  full  account  of  this  piece. 

p.  49.  THE  MISTAKE.  This  comedy  was  produced 
on  Thursday,  December  27,  1705.  It  is  little  more 
than  a  translation  of  Moliere's  Le  Dtpit  Amoureux, 
itself  owing  something  to  Italian  originals,  which  was 
produced  at  Beziers  in  1654  and  given  in  Paris,  Decem 
ber,  1658. 

In  The  Mitfake  Betterton  played  Don  Alvarez ; 
Booth,  Don  Carlos  ;  and  Dogget,  Sancho.  Although, 
as  Downes  says,  not  "  Enroll'd  a  Stock-Play,"  The 
Mistake  was  very  frequently  seen  during  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  in  1811  it  is  still  spoken  as  a  comedy 
which  appeared  from  time  to  time.  At  Covent  Garden, 
on  February  n,  1790,  was  produced  an  adaptation 
entitled  'Lover's  Quarrels,  and  this  much  abbreviated 
version  remained  a  favourite  for  several  years. 

p.  49.  THE  REVOLUTION  OF  SWEEDEN.  This 
tragedy  was  produced  on  February  7,  1706.  On  the 
whole  it  is  not  an  uninteresting  drama,  although 
somewhat  lacking  in  fire  and  spirit.  The  historical 
characters  are  transformed  into  purely  romantic  figures, 
and  one  feels  that  it  should  have  been  wrought  in  the 
heroic  manner  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  before.  Better- 
ton  a&ed  Count  Arwide  ;  Booth,  Gustavus  ;  and  Mrs. 
Barry,  Constantia,  wife  to  Arwide. 

p.  49.  THE  BRITISH  ENCHANTERS.  The  British 
Enchanters,  or,  No  Magtfk  Like  Love,  written  by  George 
Granville,  Lord  Lansdowne,  was  produced  at  the 
Haymarket,  February  21,  1706,  and  printed  without 
the  author's  name,  4to,  the  same  year.  In  Granville's 
colle&ed  works,  three  volumes,  1736,  it  is  given  as 
"  A  dramatick  Poem  with  Scenes,  Machines,  Musick, 
and  Decorations,  &c."  The  libretto  is  certainly  very 
well  written,  and  the  Preface  especially  interesting. 


266  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

Betterton  played  Ccelius,  a  king  of  Britain ;  Ver- 
bruggen,  Amadis  of  Gaul ;  Booth,  Constantius, 
Emperor  of  Rome ;  Bowman,  Arcalaus,  a  wicked 
enchanter ;  Mrs.  Barry,  Arcabon,  an  enchantress ; 
Mrs.  Bowman,  Urganda,  a  good  enchantress ;  and 
Mrs.  Bracegirdle,  Oriana.  The  entertainment  was 
extremely  magnificent  and  fullest  opportunity  is  given 
for  scenic  effect.  In  his  Preface  the  author  says  : 

"  This  Dramatick  Attempt  was  the  firSl  Essay  of  a  very  infant 
Muse,  rather  as  a  Task  at  such  Hours  as  were  free  from  other 
Exercise,  than  any  way  meant  for  publick  Entertainment :  But 
Mr.  Betterton  having  had  a  casual  Sight  of  it  many  Years  after  it 
was  written,  begg'd  it  for  the  Stage,  where  it  found  so  favourable 
a  Reception,  as  to  have  an  uninterrupted  Run  of  at  leaSl  Forty 
Days.  The  Separation  of  the  principal  Aftors  which  soon 
followed  ;  and  the  Introduction  of  the  Italian  Opera,  put  a  Stop 
to  its  farther  Appearance." 

With  certain  alterations  of  no  great  moment  The 
British  Enchanters  was  revived  at  the  Haymarket, 
February  22,  1707. 

p.  49.  ARRIDED.  Cf.  Every  Man  out  of  his  Humour, 
a£ted  i  j  99,  4to,  1600,  II.,  i  :  Faftidiota  Brisk.  Fore 
Heavens,  his  humour  arrides  me  exceedingly.  Carlos 
Buffone.  Arrides  you  ?  Faff.  Brisk.  Ay,  Pleases  me. 

p.  "49.  THE  TEMPLE  OF  LOVE.  This  opera  was  pro 
duced  on  March  7,  1706. 

p.  49.  MONSIEUR  SIDGEON.  Gioseppe  Saggione, 
whose  wife,  Maria  Gallia,  took  part  in  the  pro- 
dudion. 

p.  49.  MR.  LAURENCE.  In  a  list  of  performers, 
which  is  dated  December  24,  1709,  Mr.  Lawrence  is 
given  as  one  of  the  singers  attached  to  the  theatre. 

p.  49.  THE  KINGDOM  OF  BIRDS.  Wonders  in  the 
Sun,  or,  The  Kingdom  of  the  Birds,  "  a  Comick  Opera," 
was  produced  at  the  Haymarket,  April  5,  1706.  The 
names  of  the  a&ors  are  not  given,  but  we  know  that 
Pack  played  Moderation  in  the  second  a£t,  and  that 
Mrs.  Mary  Baldwin  sang  the  role  of  the  nightingale, 
whilst  Mrs.  Porter,  Mrs.  Willis,  and  Mrs.  Bradshaw 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  267 

also  appeared.  The  idea  of  the  opera,  which  Mr.  W.  J. 
Lawrence  has  pithily  described  as  "  a  Jules  Verne  Tale 
with  a  spice  of  Rostand's  Cbantecleer"  seems  to  be 
taken  from  The  Man  in  the  Moone,  by  Domingo  Gonsalez 
(/'.*.,  Francis  Godwin,  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  and  after  of 
Hereford),  8vo,  1638,  and  izmo,  1657.  Gonsalez  is 
drawn  up  to  the  lunar  world  in  an  extraordinary 
machine,  to  which  are  harnessed  twenty-five  gansas, 
"  a  covey  that  carried  him  along  lustily."  The  intro 
duction  of  the  birds,  King  Dove,  Plumply  Lord 
Pheasant,  Croak  Lord  Raven,  Sir  Robin  Redbreast, 
Sir  Pratler  Parrot  and  the  rest,  which  is  not  without 
some  humour,  was  undoubtedly  suggested  to  D'Urfey 
by  Aristophanes.  Several  composers  were  laid  under 
liberal  contribution  for  the  music ;  amongst  others, 
Draghi,  Eccles  and  Lully.  Whincop  says  that  the 
opera  had  "  several  Ballads  in  it  that  took  very  much 
with  the  Common  People." 

In  the  Dedication  to  The  Recruiting  Officer,  produced 
at  Drury  Lane,  April  8,  1706,  and  printed,  4to,  during 
the  same  year,  Farquhar  laughs  at  the  failure  of  the 
opera,  and  defends  himself  from  a&ing  his  comedy  "  on 
Mr.  Durfey's  third  night." 

p.  49.  JULY,  1706.  It  should  be  remarked  that 
Downes  is  mistaken  here ;  Wonders  in  the  Sun  was 
produced  April  5,  1706. 

p.  50.  MR.  FAIRBANK.  This  Fairbank  was  a  dancer, 
and  must  be  carefully  distinguished  from  his  son, 
Henry  Fairbank,  who  was  at  this  time  playing  at 
Drury  Lane,  where,  on  April  8,  1706,  he  appeared  as 
Thomas  Apple-Tree  in  The  Recruiting  Officer.  He  had 
joined  the  theatre  about  1697,  and  amongst  his  earliest 
parts  was  Van  Scoten,  a  Dutch  footman  in  D'Urfey's 
The  Campaigners,  or,  The  Pleasant  Adventures  at  Brussels, 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  early  in  1698.  In  a  revival  of 
Lacy's  Sauny  the  Scot  about  the  same  time  he  afted 
Tranio,  Winlove's  man.  In  Mrs.  Centlivre's  first  play, 
The  Perjured  Husband,  or,  The  Adventures  of  Venice, 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  September,  1700,  he  was 


268  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

Ludovico,  a  Frenchman ;  in  D'Urfey's  The  Old  Mode 
<&  The  New,  or,  Country  Miss  with  her  Furbeloe,  first 
a&ed  March  u,  1703,  he  played  Combwig,  an  airy 
valet ;  and  in  the  same  author's  The  Modern  Prophets, 
or,  New  Wit  for  a  Husband,  Drury  Lane,  May,  1709, 
Sal  Magottile,  a  whimsical  doftor ;  in  Gibber's  The 
Double  Gallant,  or,  The  Sick  Lady's  Cure,  which  was 
produced  at  the  Haymarket,  November  i,  1707,  he 
played  Supple.  Hence,  it  will  be  seen  that  his  range  of 
characters  did  not  rise  to  parts  of  any  importance. 

p.  50.  MR.  SWINNY.  Owen  Swiny  or  McSwiny, 
died  O&ober  z,  1754.  A  full  account  of  the  transactions 
to  which  Downes  here  makes  allusion  may  be  found 
in  Gibber's  Apo/qgy,  Chapter  IX.  For  details  of 
McSwiny's  extraordinary  career  see  Mr.  W.  J.  Law 
rence's  article,  "  A  Famous  Wexford  Man,"  in  The 
New  Ireland  Review  for  August,  1908. 

p.  50.  MR.  KEENE.  Chetwood  gives  the  following 
account  of  Theophilus  Keen  : 

"  I  Mention  this  Gentleman,  as  receiving  Instructions  from 
the  late  Joseph  A.sbbury,  Esq  ;  Mr.  Keen  was  an  excellent  Scholar, 
and  a  very  good  A&or  :  But,  having  some  Share  in  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  Theatre  in  Uncolri 's-Inn-Fields,  under  Mr.  Rich, 
either  for  the  want  of  Performers,  or,  perhaps,  overlooking  his 
Talents  (a  Fault  sometimes  very  good  A&ors,  of  both  Sexes,  are 
guilty  of,)  he  Stood  for  parts  something  out  of  his  Road,  as 
Oroonoko,  Earl  of  Essex,  Edgar  in  King  luear  ;  when,  in  the  Part 
of  Gloiter  in  the  same  Play,  and  others  of  that  CaSt,  no  Aftor  of 
his  Time  could  excel  him.  Altho'  a  very  good  Figure  and 
Voice,  his  Person  wanted  Elegance  for  the  soft  Characters . 

"  It  was  reported,  the  ill  Success  of  the  Theatre,  when  he 
was  Sharer  in  Profit  and  Loss,  broke  his  Heart.  He  died  in  the 
Year  1719  and  was  bury'd  in  the  Body  of  the  Church  of  St. 
Element-Danes,  by  a  voluntary  Subscription  from  both  Houses. 
It  was  what  we  term  in  England  a  Walking  Funeral ;  and  there 
were  upwards  of  Two  hundred  Persons  in  deep  Mourning. 
His  Life  was  published  by  Mr.  Savage,  illegitimate  Son  to  the  Earl 
of  EJvers.  Several  Would-be-Wits  wrote  Copies  of  Verses  upon 
his  Death  :  One  I  remember  ending  with  this  Line  : 

"  And  Death  was  found  too  Sharp  for  Mr.  Keen" 
It  may  be  remarked  that  this  account  is  not  striftly 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  269 

accurate.  Keen  did  not  play  Gloster  in  King  Lear,  but 
Kent,  and  it  seems  very  doubtful  whether  at  any  time 
he  appeared  as  Edgar.  As  an  a&or  he  was  much 
admired,  and  in  the  King  in  Hamlet ',  a  part  he  played 
to  the  Hamlet  of  Betterton,  he  was  received  with  great 
applause.  In  The  Recruiting  Officer  he  created  Mr. 
Ballance ;  and  also  Freeman  in  The  Beaux  Stratagem. 
Amongst  his  favourite  roles  were  the  following : 
Brutus  ;  Macbeth ;  lago  ;  Clause  in  The  Royal  Mer 
chant  (Beggar's  Bush) ;  Boroskie  in  The  Lqya/  Subject ; 
the  King  in  King  Henry  IV.  ;  Voltore  in  Volpone  ;  the 
Cardinal  in  The  Duchess  of  Malfi ;  Montezuma  in  The 
Indian  Emperour  ;  The  Emperor  in  Aureng-Zebe ; 
Dorax  in  Don  Sebaftian  ;  Clytus  in  The  Rival  Queens  ; 
Maherbal  in  Sophonisba,  or,  Hannibal's  Overthrow  ;  Lord 
Burleigh  in  The  Unhappy  Favourite  ;  Sir  Edward  Belfond 
in  The  Squire  of  Alsatia. 

p.  50.  MR.  NORRIS.  Henry  Norris,  who  was 
generally  known  as  "  Dicky  Norris "  or  "  Jubilee 
Dicky  "  from  his  superlative  performance  of  the  part 
Dicky  in  Farquhar's  The  Conftant  Couple,  or,  A  Trip  to 
the  Jubilee,  produced  at  Drury  Lane  in  November, 
1699,  was  the  son  of  the  celebrated  aftress,  Mrs. 
Norris,  who  had  been  one  of  the  earliest  members  of 
Sir  William  Davenant's  Company,  and  was  among  the 
first  women  that  ever  came  on  the  stage.  Henry 
Norris  was  born  in  Salisbury  Court  in  1665,  and 
Nature  having  given  him  a  droll  face  with  a  diminutive 
figure,  he  seemed  cut  out  for  a  comedian.  Certainly 
he  excelled  in  low  comedy,  although  we  are  told  that 
he  could  declaim  any  tragic  part  with  great  power  and 
pathos,  but  his  stature  would  not  suffer  him  to  essay 
heroes  in  the  theatre.  He  married  Mrs.  Knapton,  the 
sifter  of  the  first  wife  of  Robert  Wilks,  and  left  several 
children.  His  eldest  son  succeeded  him  in  comedy, 
but  was  found  to  have  a  small  share  of  his  father's 
talents.  Henry  Norris  died  in  1734.  His  first  appear 
ance  was  at  Dublin  in  1695  ;  hence  he  came  back  to 
England,  and  was  playing  at  Drury  Lane  in  the  winter 


ZJO  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

of  1699.  He  played  a  vast  number  of  characters. 
Among  those  which  he  created  were  :  Pizalto  in  Mrs. 
Centime's  The  Perjur'd  Husband;  Sancho  in  Lave 
Makes  a  Man  ;  Sir  Anthony  Addle  in  Courtship  a-la- 
Mode  ;  Mrs.  Fardingale  in  The  funeral;  Petit  in  The 
Inconstant ;  Scrub  in  The  Beaux  Stratagem.  In  revivals 
he  acted  :  Cutbeard,  Epicoene  ;  Sir  Politick  Woud'be, 
Volpone  ;  Littlewit,  Bartholomew  Fair  ;  Prigg,  Beggar's 
Buih  ;  the  Mad  Welshman,  The  Pilgrim  (altered) ;  Sir 
Oliver  Cockwood,  She  Wou'd  if  She  Cou'd  ;  Gomez, 
The  Spanish  Fryar  ;  Bisket,  Epsom  Wells  ;  Sir  Timothy 
Shacklehead,  The  Lancashire  Witches ;  Testimony,  Sir 
Courtly  Nice  ;  Daniel,  Oroonoko  ;  Barnaby  Brittle,  The 
Amorous  Widow  y  in  which  role  Mrs.  Oldfield,  who 
played  Mrs.  Brittle,  considered  him  far  superior  to 
Colley  Gibber, 
p.  50.  MRS.  OLDFIELD.  Colley  Gibber  says  : 

"  In  the  year  1699,  Mrs.  Oldfield  was  first  taken  into  the  house, 
where  she  remained  about  a  twelve  month  almost  a  mute,  and 
unheeded,  till  Sir  John  Vanbrugh,  who  first  recommended  her, 
gave  her  the  part  of  Alinda,  in  the  '  Pilgrim  '  revised." 

It  would  be  incorrect  to  say  that  Alinda  was  the  first 
part  played  by  Mrs.  Oldfield,  but  it  was  certainly  the 
first  part  in  which  she  attracted  attention.  In  a  few 
years'  she  had  established  herself  as  one  of  the  favourite 
actresses  of  the  day.  She  died  October  23,  1730. 

p.  51.  MR.  WILKS.  Robert  Wilks  was  born  at 
Rathfarnham  near  Dublin  in  the  year  1670.  At 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  received  an  appointment  as 
a  clerk  to  Mr.  Secretary  Southwell,  but  his  whole  mind 
being  set  upon  the  stage,  and  his  acquaintance  lying 
chiefly  among  actors,  he  soon  determined  to  try  his 
fortune  in  the  theatre.  Accordingly  he  appeared  at 
Smock  Alley  as  Othello,  and  was  received  with  the 
greatest  applause.  Here  he  continued  for  nearly  two 
years,  until  his  friend  Richards,  who  had  been  a  well- 
known  figure  at  Dorset  Garden  and  Drury  Lane,  gave 
him  letters  of  recommendation  to  Betterton,  who 
received  him  kindly  and  entered  him  as  a  member  of 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  271 

his  company.  This  would  be  about  the  year  1691- 
The  firft  part  he  played  in  London  was  Lysippus  in 
The  Maid's  Tragedy  to  the  Melantius  of  Betterton.  He 
soon  advanced  in  the  popular  favour,  but  the  managers 
refusing  an  increase  of  salary  he  accepted  the  invitation 
of  Joseph  Ashbury  and  returned  to  Ireland.  Not 
many  months  later  the  murder  of  Mountfort,  in 
December,  1692,  left  the  London  Stage  at  a  very  great 
disadvantage,  and  before  long  Wilks  was  requested  to 
return,  at  a  salary  which,  it  is  said,  was  equal  to  that  of 
Betterton  himself.  Mr.  Ashbury  was  unwilling  to  part 
from  him,  and  it  was  only  with  difficulty  that  he  could 
leave  Ireland.  From  that  time  his  success  was  assured, 
and  he  remained  one  of  the  chief  organs  of  the  London 
Stage  until  his  death,  September  27,  1732. 

"  Mr.  Wilk's  Excellence  in  Comedy  was  never  once  disputed, 
but  the  beStJudges  extol  him  for  the  different  Parts  in  Tragedy  ; 
as  Hamlet,  Cafialio  in  the  Orphan,  Ziphares,  in  Mitbridates,  Edgar, 
in  King  Lear,  Norfolk  in  the  Albion  Queens,  Piercy  in  Anna  Bul/en, 
Earl  of  Essex,  Shore,  Macduff,  Moneses  in  Tamerlane,  Jaffier  in 
Venice  Preserv  d  ;  and  a  countless  Catalogue  of  other  Parts  in 
Tragedy,  which  he  was  allowed  to  perform  in  their  full  Perfec 
tion." 

p.  5 1.  MR.  CHARLES  HART.  Actually  it  was  William 
Mountford  whom  Wilks  copied,  and  "  often  confess'd 
he  was  the  Glass  that  he  ever  adjusted  himself  by,"  so 
Chetwood  tells  us. 

p.  51.  MR.  CYBER.  Colley  Gibber  was  born  in 
London,  November  6,  1671.  His  own  Stage  career 
he  has  related  in  the  famous  Apology.  In  November, 
1730,  he  was  appointed  Poet  Laureate  in  succession  to 
Laurence  Eusden.  Colley  Gibber  died  December  12, 

1757- 

p.  51.  NOT  MUCH  INFERIOR  IN  TRAGEDY.  Gibber 
himself  says  that  if  he  succeeded  in  some  particular 
characters  in  tragedy  it  was  "  a  merit  dearly  purchased." 
He  continues  : 

"  If  the  multitude  were  not  in  a  roar  to  see  me  in  Cardinal 
Wolsely,  I  could  be  sure  of  them  in  Alderman  Fondlewife.  If 
they  hated  me  in  logo,  in  Sir  Fopling  they  took  me  for  a  fine  gentle- 


27*  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

man  ;  if  they  were  silent  at  Sypbax,  no  Italian  eunuch  was  more 
applauded  than  when  I  sung  in  Sir  Courtly.  If  the  morals  of 
JEsop  were  too  grave  for  them,  Jufiite  Shallow  was  as  simple,  and 
as  merry  an  old  rake,  as  the  wisest  of  our  young  ones  could 
wish  me.  And  though  the  terror  and  detestation  raised  by 
King  EJcbard,  might  be  too  severe  a  delight  for  them,  yet  the  more 
gentle  and  modern  vanities  of  a  Poet  Bays,  or  the  well-bred  vices 
of  a  Lord  Foppington,  were  not  at  all  more  than  their  merry  hearts, 
or  nicer  morals  could  bear." 

p.  51.  MR.  ESCOURT.  Richard  Estcourt  was  born  at 
Tewkesbury  in  1668.  When  quite  a  boy  he  attempted 
to  join  a  party  of  Strolling  players,  but  was  prevented 
and  shortly  afterwards  taken  to  London,  where  he  was 
bound  prentice  to  an  apothecary  in  Hatton  Garden. 
However,  before  long  he  managed  to  break  his 
articles,  and  after  having  appeared  at  various  pro 
vincial  centres  he  crossed  to  Ireland,  and  was  engaged 
in  Dublin,  where  his  great  merit  was  shortly  recognized. 
He  possessed  an  extraordinary  talent  for  imitation, 
and  could  exa&ly  copy  any  aftor  whom  he  had  ever 
seen.  The  consequence  was  that  when  he  first  appeared 
at  Drury  Lane  in  the  character  of  Dominic  in  The 
Spanuh  Fryary  he  gave  an  exaft  impersonation  of 
Anthony  Leigh,  the  great  original.  He  was  greatly 
addicted  to  the  practice  of  gagging,  and  this,  not 
without  cause,  met  with  some  censure  from  the  critics. 
The  most  important  role  which  Estcourt  created  in 
London  was  Serjeant  Kite  in  The  Recruiting  Officer.  In 
revivals  he  played  a  very  large  number  of  first-rate 
parts,  such  as  Crack,  Sir  Courtly  Nice  ;  Captain  Bluff, 
The  Old  Eatchelour ;  Teague,  in  The  Committee  ;  First 
Grave-digger,  Hamlet;  Antonio,  Venice  "Preserved; 
Bayes,  The  Rehearsal;  Falstaff,  Henry  IV.;  Trincalo, 
The  Tempett  ;  Mercury,  Amphitryon;  Sir  Sampson 
Legend,  Love  for  Love ;  Tom  Otter,  Epicane ;  Sir 
Epicure,  Mannon,  The  Alchemift ;  Mustapha,  Don 
Sebafiian ;  the  Quack,  The  Country-Wife ;  Pandarus, 
Troilui  and  Cressida.  Estcourt  has  left  one  comedy, 
The  Fair  Example,  or,  The  Modith  Citizens,  which  was 
produced  at  Drury  Lane,  April  10,  1703,  and  revived 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  273 

at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  O&ober  and  December,  1717. 
He  is  also  the  author  ot  Prunella,  an  interlude  introduced 
in  The  Rebearsa/,  being  a  burlesque  upon  the  Italian 
opera. 

The  Speffafor,  January  i,  1711-2,  contains  an  adver 
tisement  to  announce  that  on  this  day  Estcourt  was 
opening  the  Bumper  Tavern  in  Jane  Street,  Covent 
Garden.  He  now  retired  from  the  Stage.  He  died  in 
the  year  1733. 

p.  52.  MR.  BOOTH.  Barton  Booth  was  born  in 
1 68 1,  of  a  Lancashire  family.  He  was  educated  at 
Westminster,  and  it  is  said  that  his  first  thoughts  were 
turned  to  the  theatre  by  the  applause  he  met  when  he 
performed  a  part  in  the  Andria  upon  the  occasion  of  the 
Latin  play.  However  that  may  be,  he  left  school  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  and  when  he  was  eighteen  he  appeared 
upon  the  Irish  boards,  where  in  June,  1698,  he  a&ed 
Oroonoko  with  very  great  applause.  Before  long  he 
returned  to  London,  and  it  has  been  said  that  after 
Betterton's  death  he  was  something  kept  in  the  back 
ground  by  Wilks,  who  put  his  friend  Mills  before  him. 
Nevertheless,  his  great  success  as  Cato  in  Addison's 
play,  which  was  produced  at  Drury  Lane,  April  14, 
1713,  definitely  established  him  in  the  front  rank.  He 
remained  a  great  favourite  with  the  town,  who  loudly 
applauded  him  as  Jaffier,  Timon,  Antony,  Henry  VIII., 
Lothario,  Cassio,  Castalio,  Valentine,  and  many 
more.  In  the  year  1727  this  popular  aftor  was 
seized  with  an  exhausting  illness  from  which  he 
never  wholly  recovered.  He  died  Tuesday,  May  10, 
1733,  at  Hampstead,  and  was  buried  at  Cowley,  near 
Uxbridge. 

p.  52.  MR.  JOHNSON.  Benjamin  Johnson,  com 
monly  called  Ben  Johnson,  was  born  in  1665.  He  was 
originally  intended  to  adopt  the  profession  of  an  artist, 
and  for  some  years  he  studied  with  that  objedl:  in  view. 
However,  he  took  more  pleasure  in  the  sock  and 
buskin  than  in  his  canvas  and  colours,  and  before  long 
transferred  his  allegiance  to  the  theatre. 


ZJ4  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

"  He  arrived  to  as  great  a  Perfe&ion  in  Afting,  as  his  great 
namesake  did  in  Poetry.  He  seemed  to  be  proud  to  wear  that 
eminent  Poet's  double  Name,  being  more  particularly  great  in 
all  that  Author's  Plays  that  were  usually  performed,  vi^.  Wasp 
in  the  Play  of  Bartholomew-Fair,  Corbaccio  in  the  Fox,  Morose,  in 
the  Silent  Woman,  and  Ananica  in  the  Alebymifl." 

Johnson  came  to  Drury  Lane  in  1695,  and  his  first 
original  part  seems  to  have  been  Sir  William  Wisewou'd 
in  Gibber's  earliest  play,  Love's  Latf  Shift,  or,  The  Fool 
in  Fashion,  which  was  produced  at  that  house  in 
January,  1695-6.  "  Mr.  Johnson  played  to  the  last  Year 
of  his  Life,  with  the  same  standard  Reputation ;  and 
died  in  Auguft,  1742,  in  the  yyth  Year  of  his  Age." 
On  May  25,  1742,  he  had  afted  Foresight  in  Love  for 
Love,  and  on  the  following  night  he  was  the  Fisherman 
in  The  Rehearsal,  when  Bayes  was  performed  by  Gar- 
rick.  During  his  admirable  career  of  well-nigh  half 
a  century  on  the  London  stage  he  was  seen  in  a  very 
great  number  of  parts.  Among  those  he  originally 
created  were  :  Captain  Driver  in  Southerne's  Oronooko  ; 
Coupler  in  The  Relapse  ;  Alderman  Smuggler  in  The 
Conhant  Couple ;  Sago,  a  Drugster,  in  The  Basset- 
Table ;  Sir  Solomon  Sadlife  in  The  Double  Gallant; 
Sir  David  Watchem  in  The  Man's  Bewitch' d ;  Sk  John 
English  in  The  Country  Lasses  ;  Vellum,  the  Steward  in 
The  Drummer.  His  was  also  a  very  important  line  in 
revivals,  for  amongst  other  characters  he  sustained : 
Obadiah,  The  Committee ;  First  Gravedigger,  Hamlet; 
Old  Fumble,  The  Fond  Husband ;  Moody,  Sir  Martin 
Mar-all;  Sir  David  Dunce,  The  Souldiers  Fortune; 
Jacomo,  The  Libertine  ;  Qodpate,  Epsom  Wells  ;  Savil, 
The  Scornful  Lady ;  the  Mufti,  Don  Sebastian;  Ned 
Blunt,  The  Rover  ;  as  also  such  Shakespearean  roles  as 
Polonius,  Caliban,  Shallow,  and  Old  Gobbo.  It  will 
be  remarked  that  Downes  says  that  Johnson  is  "  a  true 
Copy  of  Mr.  Underbill,"  and  it  may  be  noticed  that  many 
of  the  characters  which  Johnson  played  had  originally 
been  created  by  that  great  comic  original,  for  example, 
Obadiah,  Sulpitius  (Caius  Mariui),  Moody,  Jacomo, 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  275 

Clodpate,  the  Mufti,  Ned  Blunt,  and  several  more. 
Davis  highly  praises  Johnson's  a&ing,  and  Lloyd  in  his 
poem  The  Aftor,  writes  : 

"  Old  Johnson  once,  tho'  Gibber's  perter  vein 
But  meanly  groups  him  with  a  num'rous  train, 
With  Steady  face  and  sober  hum'rous  mein, 
Fill'd  the  Strong  outlines  of  the  Comic  scene. 
What  was  writ  down  with  decent  utt'rance  spoke, 
Betray'd  no  symptom  of  the  conscious  joke  ; 
The  very  man  in  look,  in  voice,  in  air, 
And  tho'  upon  the  Stage,  appear'd  no  Play'r." 

p.  52.  MOROSE.  Morose  in  Epicoene ;  Corbaccio, 
Volpone  ;  Mr.  Hothead,  Sir  Courtly  Nice. 

p.  52.  MR.  DOGGET.  Thomas  Dogget  was  born  in 
Castle  Street,  Dublin.  His  first  appearance  in  London 
seems  to  have  been  as  Deputy  Nicompoop  in  D'Urfey's 
Lave  for  Money,  and  in  January,  1691-2,  at  Drury  Lane 
he  completely  established  himself  in  the  favour  of  the 
town  by  his  performance  of  Solon  in  the  same  author's 
The  Marriage-Hater  Match'd.  This  role,  indeed,  re 
mained  one  of  his  great  successes,  and,  as  Downes 
remarks,  he  was  equally  famous  for  Ben  in  Love  for 
Love,  Fondlewife  (Nikin)  in  The  Old  Batchelour,  and 
Shylock  in  George  Granville's  adaptation  from  Shake 
speare  The  ]ew  of  Venice ',  which  was  given  at  Lincoln's 
Inn  Fields  in  the  spring  of  1701.  In  D'Urfey's  The 
Richmond  Heiress,  in  which  Dogget  played  Quickwit,  a 
comedy  produced  at  Drury  Lane  early  in  1692-3,  there 
is  a  scene  of  considerable  interest  where  the  characters 
discuss  various  actors  of  the  day,  and  among  these 
Dogget  is  singled  out  for  particular  praise.  Anthony 
Aston  says  : 

"  Dogget  was  the  most  faithful  and  pleasing  actor  that  ever 
was,  for  he  never  deceived  his  audience,  because  while  they  gazed 
at  him,  he  was  working  up  the  joke,  which  broke  out  suddenly 
in  involuntary  acclamations  and  laughter ;  he  was  the  best  face 
painter  and  gesticular  ;  and  a  thorough  master  of  several  dialefts 
tho'  ignorant  of  the  Scottish  dialect  he  was  a  most  excellent 
Satiny.  Dogget  in  person  was  a  little  lively  man,  in  behaviour  he 
was  modest,  cheerful,  and  complacent ;  he  sung  in  company  very 
agreeably,  and  in  public,  very  comically." 


Zf6  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

In  1709  Dogget  became  co-lessee  of  the  Haymarket 
with  Gibber  and  Wilks,  and  there  is  some  account  of 
him  in  the  Apology.  In  December,  1713,  he  retired 
from  the  stage,  although  he  played  once  more  for  a  few 
nights  in  1717.  On  August  i,  1716,  the  following 
notice  appeared : 

"  This  being  the  day  of  his  Majesty's  happy  accession  to  the 
throne,  there  will  be  given  by  Mr.  Dogget  an  Orange  coloured 
Livery  with  a  Badge  representing  Liberty,  to  be  rowed  for  by 
6  watermen  that  are  out  of  their  time  within  the  year  paSt — they 
are  to  row  from  London  Bridge  to  Chelsea — it  will  be  continued 
annually  on  the  same  day  for  ever — they  are  to  Start  exaftly  at 
4  o'clock." 

Dogget  has  left  one  play,  The  Country-Wake,  which  was 
produced  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  in  the  spring  of 
1696,  and  in  which  the  author  played  Young  Hob, 
with  Betterton  as  Woodvill  and  Mrs.  Barry  as  Lady 
Testie.  This  is  a  good  comedy,  yet  in  later  years  it 
was  reduced  to  one  aft,  and  thus  played  at  Drury  Lane 
October  6,  1711,  with  the  author  in  his  original 
character.  It  still  remained  in  the  repertory,  but  from 
time  to  time  was  considerably  varied  and  altered.  In 
1767  it  was  turned  into  a  musical  farce  and  given  on 
ApriT  1 1  at  Drury  Lane  as  Flora,  or,  Hob  in  the  WeU,  in 
which  guise  it  proved  very  popular,  and  continued  a 
favourite  afterpiece  for  a  great  number  of  years. 
Dogget  died  at  Eltham,  in  Kent,  where  he  had  a  com 
fortable  estate,  September  22,  1721. 

p.  52.  MR.  PINKETHMAN.  In  A  Comparison  between 
the  Two  Stages,  1702,  Pinkethman  is  spoken  of  as  :  "  The 
Flower  of  Bartbolotxew-Fzix,  and  the  Idol  of  the  Rabble. 
A  fellow  that  over-does  every  thing,  and  spoils  many  a 
part  with  his  own  stuff."  If  we  may  trust  the  very 
many  contemporary  notices,  this  criticism  is  hardly 
too  severe  upon  a  comedian  who,  however  facetious 
and  entertaining,  was  wont  to  take  unpardonable 
liberties,  both  with  his  author  and  his  audience.  The 
first  character  to  which  his  name  appears  is  the  very 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  277 

minor  role  of  Stitchum,  a  tailor,  in  Shadwell's  post 
humous  comedy  The  Volunteers,  which  was  given  at  the 
Theatre  Royal,  Drury  Lane,  very  shortly  after  the 
author's  death,  that  is  to  say,  at  the  end  of  November, 
or  in  the  first  days  of  December,  1692.  A  few  weeks 
later  he  is  afting  the  Porter  at  the  music-meeting  with 
some  half  a  dozen  lines  to  speak  in  Southerne's  The 
Maid's  Last  Prayer,  or,  Any,  rather  than  Fail,  produced 
in  January,  1692-3.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three 
years,  however,  his  comic  talents  were  recognized,  and 
in  December,  1696,  at  Drury  Lane,  he  afted  Sir  Merlin 
Marteen,  an  important  part  in  Mrs.  Behn's  The  Younger 
Brother.  He  also  played  Major  Rakish  in  Gibber's 
Woman1  s  Wit,  which  was  produced  about  the  same  time. 
In  November,  1699,  he  was  Beau  Clincher  in  The 
Conitant  Couple  ;  in  December,  1700,  he  created  Don 
Lewis  in  Love  makes  a  Man,  an  execrable  rehash  of  two 
fine  old  plays  of  Fletcher  by  Colley  Gibber ;  and  in 
November,  1702,  Trappanti  in  She  Wou'd  and  She 
Wou'd  Not.  Pinkethman's  last  appearances  seem  to 
have  been  at  Drury  Lane  in  the  spring  of  1 724,  when  he 
was  seen  as  Justice  Tutchin  in  a  revival  of  Ram  Alley, 
and  twice  for  his  particular  benefit,  in  The  Humorous 
Lieutenant  and  in  Epsom  Wells.  Pinkethman  had  a 
theatre  of  his  own  at  Richmond,  and  usually  managed 
a  booth  at  Bartholomew  Fair. 

p.  52.  MR.  MILLS.  John  Mills  was  an  a£tor  of  con 
siderable  talents,  who,  it  is  said,  somewhat  suffered 
through  being  entrusted  with  parts  to  which  his 
powers  were  not  equal.  Owing  to  his  friendship  with 
Wilks,  whose  authority  then  to  a  large  degree  regulated 
the  castings  of  plays,  he  was  given  many  roles  of  the 
first  importance,  while  Powell  and  Booth  were  some 
thing  set  in  the  background.  An  example  of  this  is 
instanced  by  Davies  : 

"  Soon  after  the  death  of  Betterton,  Wilks  with  great  partiality, 
gave  Macbeth  to  Mr.  John  Mills,  a  player  whom  he  patronized. 
But  Mills  was  deficient  in  genius  to  display  the  various  passions 
and  turbulent  scenes  of  the  chara&er.  Mills  was,  in  person, 


278  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

inclined  to  the  athletic  size ;  his  features  large,  though  not 
expressive  ;  his  voice  was  manly  and  powerful,  but  not  flexible  ; 
his  adion  and  deportment  decent  ...  I  have  seen  him  in 
Macbeth  ;  but  neither  his  manner  of  speaking,  his  a&ion,  nor 
his  deportment,  made  any  impression  on  my  mind  greatly  to 
his  advantage.  He  spoke,  indeed,  the  celebrated  soliloquoy  on 
the  progress  of  time,  beginning  with  '  To-morrow  I  to-morrow 
and  to-morrow  1  '  with  propriety  and  feeling,  and  it  produced 
considerable  effeft  on  the  audience.  It  was  a  matter  of  concern, 
to  judges  of  theatrical  merit,  to  see  such  aftors  as  Booth  and  Powell, 
condemned  to  represent  the  inferior  parts  of  Banquo  and  Lennox, 
when  Mills  was  so  improperly  set  over  their  heads." 

One  of  the  best  characters  acted  by  Mills  was  Pierre  in 
Venice  Preserv'd. 

"  Mills  afted  Pierre  so  much  to  the  tafte  of  the  public,  that  the 
applause,  bestowed  on  him  in  this  part,  exceeded  all  that  was 
given  to  his  be§l  efforts  in  every  thing  else.  The  aftors  joined 
their  voices  to  that  of  the  public :  I  confess,  I  never  saw  Mills 
in  Pierre  without  a  great  degree  of  approbation.  Why  he  and 
Quin  wore  a  white  hat  in  this  part  I  could  not  learn." 

One  of  the  earliest  roles  created  by  Mills  was  Jack 
Stanmore  in  Southerne's  Oroonoko,  at  Drury  Lane, 
January  or  February,  1695-6.  On  December  4,  1736, 
at  Drury  Lane,  he  played  the  King  in  Henry  IV '., 
Part  ILy  and  this  was  the  last  time  he  appeared.  Davies 
says  :  "  I  saw  him  hurrying  to  the  playhouse  between 
five  and  six  in  the  evening."  A  few  days  later  he  was 
indisposed,  and  on  December  14,  when  Venice  Pre- 
serv'd  was  given,  Quin  had  to  supply  his  place  as 
Pierre.  On  December  23  Mills  was  announced  to 
play  Macbeth,  but  again  Quin  was  called  upon  as  his 
substitute.  Mills  died  before  the  close  of  the  month. 

p.  52.  MR.  POWEL.  George  Powell  was  brought 
up  to  the  stage,  his  father  having  been  an  actor.  From 
all  accounts  he  might  have  excelled  both  in  tragedy  and 
in  comedy,  for  he  had  very  great  natural  gifts,  but  he 
ruined  his  chances  owing  to  his  negligence  and  his 
debauchery,  since  it  is  said  that  he  was  frequently 
foxed,  and  consequently  being  very  imperfect  upon 
the  stage  he  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  audience. 
Owing  to  these  unfortunate  habits  he  suffered  very  great 


EXPLANATORY   NOTES  279 

mortifications,  since  Wilks  who  was  by  no  means  so 
good  an  a£tor  attained  a  far  greater  success.  Gibber 
says  : 

"  Powell  had  from  nature  much  more  than  Wilks ;  in  voice 
and  ear,  in  elocution,  in  tragedy,  and  humour  in  comedy,  greatly 
the  advantage  of  him  ;  yet,  as  I  have  observed,  from  the  negleft 
and  abuse  of  those  valuable  gifts,  he  suffered  Wilks  to  be  of 
thrice  the  service  to  our  society." 

Booth  told  Gibber  that  when  a  young  man  he  had  been 
for  some  time  too  frank  a  lover  of  the  bottle  ; 

"  But  having  had  the  happiness  to  observe  into  what  con 
tempt  and  distresses  Powell  had  plunged  himself  by  the  same  vice, 
he  was  so  Struck  with  the  terror  of  his  example,  that  he  fixed  a 
resolution  (which,  from  that  time  to  the  end  of  his  days,  he 
Strictly  observed)  of  utterly  reforming  it." 

In  A.  Comparison  between  the  Two  Stages,  Powell  is 
spoken  of  with  disdain  as  :  "  An  idle  Fellow,  that 
neither  minds  his  Business,  nor  lives  quietly  in  any 
Community."  In  spite  of  his  failings  Powell  was 
undoubtedly  an  aftor  of  something  very  like  genius, 
and  he  played  a  great  number  of  parts  of  the  first  im 
portance.  One  of  his  earliest  characters  appears  to 
have  been  Don  Cinthio  in  Mrs.  Behn's  The  Emperor  of 
the  Moon,  which  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  about 
Easter,  1687.  He  was  the  original  Muley-Zeydan  in 
Don  Sebaftian  (as  Mr.  Powell,  jun.) ;  Carlos  in  Love 
Triumphant ;  Bellmour  in  The  Old  Batcbelour  ;  Brisk  in 
The  Double-Dealer;  Worthy  in  The  Re/apse;  Colonel 
Standard  in  The  Conftant  Couple.  In  various  revivals  he 
played  Prospero,  Macbeth,  Timon  of  Athens,  King 
Lear,  Hotspur,  Cassius,  Hamlet,  Cassio,  Falstaff, 
Volpone,  (Edipus,  Don  John,  Alexander  the  Great, 
Rollo,  Face,  Almanzor,  Pinchwife,  Polydore,  Warner, 
Valentinian,  Castalio,  Florio,  Palamade,  and  many 
more,  an  extraordinary  range  of  parts,  both  in  comedy 
and  in  tragedy.  He  died  December  14,  1714,  and  was 
buried  on  December  18,  his  funeral  being  attended  by 
all  the  aftors  at  Drury  Lane. 

p.    52.     MR.   BULLOCK.      In    1702   A   Comparison 


280  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

between  the  Two  Stages  speaks  of  William  Bullock  as  : 
"  The  best  Comedian  that  has  trod  the  Stage  since  Nokes 
and  "Lee  (Anthony  Leigh)  and  a  fellow  that  had  a  very 
humble  Opinion  of  himself."  Davies  says  : 

"  Bullock  was  an  aftor  of  great  glee  and  much  comic  vivacity. 
He  was,  in  his  person,  large ;  with  a  lively  countenance,  full  of 
humorous  information.  .  .  .  The  comic  ability  of  Bullock  was 
confirmed  to  me  by  Mr.  Macklin,  who  assured  me,  very  lately, 
that  he  was,  in  his  department,  a  true  genius  of  the  Stage.  I 
have  seen  him  aft  several  parts  with  great  applause ;  especially 
the  Spanish  Frier,  at  a  time  when  he  was  about  eighty." 

Davies  is  writing  in  1784,  and  his  last  statement  cannot 
be  correct,  for  Bullock  must  have  been  at  least  ten  or 
fifteen  years  short  of  fourscore.  The  first  character 
to  which  his  name  appears  is  that  of  Sly  in  Colley 
Gibber's  Love's  Latt  Shift,  which  was  produced  at 
Drury  Lane  in  January,  1695-6  ;  in  December,  1696, 
he  played  Sir  Morgan  Blunder  in  Mrs.  Behn's  The 
Younger  Brother,  and  in  the  same  month  he  created  Sir 
Tunbelly  Clumsey  in  Vanbrugh's  The  Relapse.  In 
November,  1699,  he  was  Clincher  Junior  in  The  ConHant 
Couple,'  and  thereafter  he  plays  a  large  number  of 
leading  comic  roles.  In  revivals  he  afted  Falstaff; 
the  First  Gravedigger  in  Hamlet ;  Dogberry ;  Sir 
Amorous  La  Foole  ;  Cokes  ;  Kastril,  the  Angry  Boy ; 
Trincalo ;  Thersites  ;  the  Mufti  in  Don  Sebaftian ; 
Lopez,  the  Spanish  Curate ;  Timothy  Squeeze  in 
Shadwell's  The  Miter;  Teague  O'Divelly  in  The 
Lancashire  Witches  ;  Sir  Martin  Mar-all ;  Cacafogo  ; 
Sir  Jasper  Fidget;  Bisket  in  Epsom  Wells.  His  last 
performance  at  Covent  Garden  was  the  Host  in  The 
Merry  Wives  of  Windsor,  April  25,  1739,  but  during  the 
following  summer  he  had  a  booth  at  Bartholomew 
Fair,  and  here  he  seems  occasionally  to  have  a£ted. 
Bullock  died  in  1740.  He  had  three  sons,  Christopher, 
Hildebrand  and  William ;  all  three  were  upon  the 
stage,  and  Christopher  attained  a  real  excellence.  In  the 
casts  he  generally  appears  as  Bullock  Junior.  He  died 
after  a  long  and  distressing  illness  in  1723. 


EXPLANATORY    NOTES  281 

p.  52.  THE  BONDMAN.  Betterton  acted  Pisander, 
who  is  disguised  as  a  slave  named  Marullo,  in  Mas- 
singer's  The  Bondman ;  Arenas  in  The  Loyal  Sub/eft ; 
Memnon  in  The  Mad  Lover ;  Solyman  in  The  Siege  of 
Rhodes.  The  reference  here  is  to  Davenant's  drama ; 
Betterton  also  played  Solyman  in  Orrery's  Mmtapha. 

p.  52.  RICHARD  THE  THIRD.  Shakespeare's 
Rschard  the  Third  was  allotted  to  Killigrew  in  January, 
1668-9.  ^n  Covent  Garden  Drollery,  1672,  is  printed  a 
"  Prologue  to  Richard  the  third "  :  see  my  edition  of 
Covent  Garden  Drollery,  p.  11  (Fortune  Press,  1927).  In 
spite  of  Hazelton  Spencer's  refusal  to  admit  this  as 
evidence  that  Shakespeare's  play  was  produced  between 
1661-1699,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  it  may  be  taken 
as  ample  proof  (Shakespeare  Improved,  1297,  p.  133, 
n.  22).  However,  after  the  union  Betterton  may 
have  acted  Richard  III.  The  play  was  popular.  In 
Higden's  A.  Modern  Essay  on  the  Thirteenth  Satyr  of 
Juvenal,  4to,  1686,  there  is  an  allusion  to  "  visions 
bloodier  than  King  Dicks"  and  in  D'Urfey's  The 
Fool's  Preferment,  4to,  1688,  Aft  III.,  Lyonel  cries  : 
"  A  Horse ;  a  Horse  ;  my  Kingdom  for  a  Horse." 
On  the  other  hand,  Downes  is  possibly  alluding  to 
Betterton's  Richard  III.  in  Caryl's  The  English  Princess, 
ory  The  Death  of  Richard  III.,  for  which  see  supra,  p.  27. 
From  a  misunderstanding  of  a  passage  in  Gibber's 
•Apology  it  has  been  supposed  that  Samuel  Sandford 
played  the  title-role  in  Shakespeare's  Richard  III.,  but 
Gibber  does  not  say  so. 

p.  52.  KING  LEAR.  Betterton  probably  acted  King 
Lear  in  Shakespeare's  play,  as  it  was  given  without 
alteration  in  the  earlier  years  after  the  Restoration,  as 
well  as  in  Tate's  adaptation  that  was  produced  at 
Dorset  Garden  in  the  spring  of  1681. 

p.  52.  TIMON  OF  ATHENS.  In  Shadwell's  alteration 
which  was  produced  at  Dorset  Garden  early  in  January, 
1677-8,  or  possibly  even  in  the  preceding  December. 

p.  52.  SIR  JOHN  FALSTAFFE.  In  the  earlier  years 
after  the  Restoration  William  Cartwright  was  the 


282 


ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 


acknowledged  Falftaff.  For  several  years  after  the 
union  of  1682,  when  Henry  IV.  was  thus  at  Betterton's 
disposal,  he  had  played  Hotspur.  During  the  season 
1699-1700,  in  midwinter,  at  Little  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields, 
he  produced  his  own  version,  K,  Henry  IV.  with 
the  Humours  of  Sir  John  Faltfaffe.  This  was  printed, 
4to,  1700,  and  is  little  more  than  an  acting  version  with 
various  cuts.  In  a  letter  written  by  Villiers  BathurSl  to 
Dr.  Arthur  Charlett,  MaSler  of  University  College,  dated 
Bond  Street,  January  28, 1699-1700,  the  following  occurs: 

"  The  Wits  of  all  qualities  have  lately  entertained  themselves 
with  a  revived  humour  of  Sir  John  FalStaff  in  Henry  the  Fourth, 
which  has  drawn  all  the  town,  more  than  any  new  play  that  has 
bin  produced  of  late ;  which  shews  that  Shakespeare's  wit  will 
always  la£t :  and  the  criticks  allow  that  Mr.  Betterton  has  hitt  the 
humour  of  FalStaff  better  than  any  that  have  aimed  at  it  before." 

p.  52.  A  PROLOGUE.  This  is  very  inaccurate.  The 
couplet  does  not  occur  in  a  Prologue  but  in  a  Compli 
mentary  Address  *'  To  Mr.  Granville,  On  His  Ex 
cellent  Tragedy,  Called  Heroick  Love,"  which  was  pre 
fixed  to  the  play  when  it  was  published,  4to,  1698.  The 
lines  which  Downes  has  misquoted  should  run  thus  : 

Their  Setting  Sun  Still  shoots  a  Glim'ring  Ray, 
Like  Ancient  Rome,  MajeStick  in  Decay. 


SATYR  ON  THE  PLAYERS:  NOTES 

p.  56.  STROWLING  COISH.  Coysh  was  an  a&or  of 
very  inferior  rank.  He  played  such  small  parts  as 
Plautus  in  Lee's  The  Tragedy  of  Nero,  Emperour  of  Rome, 
produced  at  Drury  Lane,  May,  1674;  Jeffrey  in 
DufFett's  burlesque  of  Shadwell,  Psyche  Debauched, 
first  given  about  EasTter,  1675  ;  Arisltander,  a  soothsayer, 
in  The  Rival  Queens,  March,  1676-7  ;  Sir  Robert  Malory 
in  Leanerd's  The  Country  Innocence,  March,  1677 ; 
Bramble  in  the  same  author's  The  Rambling  Juftice, 
1677-8  ;  the  Second  Physician  in  D'Urfey's  Trick  for 
Trick,  early  (probably  February)  1677-8  ;  and  Swift, 
a  servant,  in  the  same  author's  Sir  Barnaby  Whigg, 
August-September,  1681.  In  New  Songs  and  Poems 
a  la  Mode  by  P.  W.  Gent,  1677,  is  a  prologue  and  an 
epilogue  written  for  The  Indian  Emperour  as  "  A£ted 
by  the  Duchess  of  Portsmouth's  Servants  "  assisted  by 
Poel  (Powell)  and  Coysh.  See  also  Duffett's  New 
Songs,  1676  (p.  96). 

p.  56.  CAVE.  Cave  Underbill.  Davies,  Dramatic 
Miscellanies,  1784.  Vol.  III.,  pp.  133-4,  says  that  Under 
bill  was  "  one  of  the  gill-drinkers  of  his  time  ;  men  who 
resorted  to  taverns,  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  under 
pretence  of  drinking  Bristol  milk  (for  so  good  sherry 
was  then  called)  to  whet  their  appetites,  where  they 
indulged  themselves  too  often  in  ebriety." 

p.  56.  GOODMAN  THE  THIEF.  Cardell  Goodman 
actually  took  to  the  road  as  a  highwayman.  He  used 
"to  take  the  air  (as  he  called  it)  and  borrow  what 
money  the  firft  man  he  met  had  about  him."  He  was, 
however,  arrested  early  in  his  career,  and  he  received  a 
pardon  from  King  James  II. 

p.  57.  SLINGSBY.  Mary  Aldridge,  afterwards  Mrs. 
Mary  Lee,  and  en  secondes  noces  Lady  Slingsby. 

p.  57.  SHADWELL.  Anne  Shadwell,  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Shadwell  (Og). 

p.  58.     SARAH.     Sarah  Cook. 


284  ROSCIUS   ANGLICANUS 

p.  58.  SAVIN.  Juniperui  Sabina.  A  small  bushy 
evergreen  shrub,  the  dry  tops  of  which  were  used 
medicinally.  Savin  is  strongly  poisonous.  It  possesses 
emmenagogic  properties,  and  hence  was  commonly 
employed  in  procuring  abortion.  So  in  ShadwelTs 
The  Roya/  Shepherdesse,  4to,  1669,  Act  I.,  old  Geron 
mutters  :  "  How  could  I  imagine  that  any  of  these  sort 
of  Women  would  keep  themselves  honest  three  minutes, 
when  they  fear'd  neither  the  danger  of  taking  Savin, 
nor  a  great  Belly  ? "  Dryden  in  his  translation  of 
Juvenal  (1693),  VI.,  773-9,  writes  : 

Such  is  the  Pow'r  of  Herbs  ;  such  Arts  they  use 
To  make  them  Barren,  or  their  Fruit  to  lose. 
But  thou,  whatever  Slops  she  will  have  bought, 
Be  thankful,  and  supply  the  deadly  Draught : 
Help  her  to  make  Manslaughter ;  let  her  bleed, 
And  never  want  for  Savin  at  her  need. 
For,  if  she  holds  till  her  nine  Months  be  run, 
Thou  may'St  be  Father  to  an  fiitbiop's  Son. 

p.  59.  PETTY.  This  a&ress,  when  very  young, 
joined  the  Dorset  Garden  in  1676.  One  of  the  earliest, 
if  not  actually  her  first,  role  was  Dorinda,  "  A  young 
Nymph  in  Love  with  Sylvia,"  in  Settle's  Pattor  Fido,  pro 
duced  during  the  autumn  of  that  year.  In  the  course  of 
the  play  attention  is  more  than  once  drawn  to  Dorinda's 
youth,  as  in  Act  II.,  Scene  3,  where  Gerana  says : 

Think  of  Loving  Sylvio  seaven  years  hence. 
Dorinda.     And  muSt  I  Stay  so  long,  so  long  a  time  ? 
Gerana.      Your  beauty  then  will  be  in  all  its  prime. 

In  the  Epistle  Dedicatory  to  the  quarto,  licensed 
December  26,  1676,  Settle  particularly  says  "  the  part 
of  Dorinda  was  made  up  new  to  fit  it  for  the  person 
design'd  to  Act  it."  In  the  Epilogue  by  Mrs.  Behn  to 
her  alteration  of  Randolph's  Jealous  Lovers,  Uke 
father,  like  Son,  produced  April  5,  1682,  Jevon  the 
speaker,  says  : 

Here  MiStris  Petty,  Hah  I  she's  grown  a  very  Woman, 
Thou'Sl  got  me  Child,  better  me  than  no  Man. 

In  the  printed  casts  we  find  that  Mrs.  Petty's  name 
stands  to  a  large  number  of  roles.  She  played  Peggy, 


SATYR  ON  THE  PLAYERS:  NOTES    285 

an  innocent  young  country  girl,  in  The  London  Cuckolds, 
November,  1681  ;  Philippa  in  D'Urfey's  The  Rqyafitf, 
produced  at  Dorset  Garden  in  January,  1681-2  ;  Lady 
Diana  Talbot,  Virtue  Betray  'a1,  or,  Anna  Bui/en,  produced 
April  5,  1682  ;  Clara  in  The  False  Count,  October,  1682  ; 
Lady  Rich  in  Dame  Dob  son,  June  i,  1683.  About  the 
year  1685  she  seems  to  have  left  the  Stage. 

p.  59.  SUEPERCIVAL.  Who  married  WilUam  Mount- 
fort,  and  en  secondes  noces  became  Mrs.  Verbruggen. 

p.  59.  HER  COFFEE  FATHER.  Thomas  Percival  the 
a&or.  He  was  arrested,  and  in  O&ober,  1693,  con 
demned  to  death  for  clipping.  The  sentence  was, 
however,  altered  to  transportation.  He  got  as  far  as 
Portsmouth,  but  died  and  was  buried  there.  See  my 
ShakeSpeare  Adaptations,  Introdu&ion,  pp.  Ixxxiii-xc. 

p.  59.  TWYFORD.  In  his  MS.  History  of  the  Retfora- 
tion  Stage  (Harvard),  Vol.  I.,  p.  205,  Collier  refers  to  a 
piece  in  his  collection  entitled  "  A  New  Ballad  showing 
how  one  Tim  Twiford  a  player  of  the  King's  Company 
was  carried  to  the  Marshalsey  for  money  he  owed  to  his 
Laundress,  and  what  he  did  there."  He  characterizes  it 
as  very  smutty  and  only  quotes  the  conclusion  : 

Beware  ye  players,  all  beware 
Of  poor  Tim  Twiford's  fate, 
And  learn  to  live  upon  your  share 
Although  it  be  not  great. 

For  players  too  must  pay  their  debts, 
Or  in  cold  prison  lie, 
At  which  each  proud  stage  Strutter  frets, 
And  some  do  almost  cry. 

No  longer  can  they  strut  and  huff 
Though  once  they  could  do  so, 
And  smooth  or  rough,  they  get  enough 
To  pay  the  debts  they  owe. 

It  is  certainly  a  curious  faft  that  no  other  copy  of  this 
Ballad  has  come  to  light,  and  so  far  as  I  know  there  has 
not  been  traced  in  lift,  printed  or  otherwise,  an  a&or  of 
the  name  Twyford  belonging  to  the  Theatre  Royal. 
Collier  was  aware  that  an  aftress,  Mrs.  Twyford,  was 
a  member  of  the  Duke's  Company.  However,  he  does 


286  ROSCIUS    ANGLICANUS 

not  appear  ever  to  have  met  with  the  Satyr  on  the 
Players.  The  Ballad  must,  I  think,  be  considered  one 
of  his  forgeries.  At  the  same  time  it  is  certainly  a 
curious  coincidence  that  Mrs.  Twyford's  husband  should 
be  spoken  of  as  "  Close  in  Custody,"  and  seemingly  for 
debt.  The  discrepancy  of  Tim  Twyford  being  said  to 
belong  to  the  King's  Company,  whilst  Mrs.  Twyford 
was  a  member  of  the  Duke's  Company  will  not  escape 
notice. 

p.  59.  OSBORN.  It  has  been  suggested  that  Margaret 
Osborne  was  originally  Mrs.  Slaughter.  Mrs.  Osborne's 
name  occurs  in  a  list  of  players  under  James  II.,  and  is 
frequent  in  the  printed  casts.  Her  line  was  small,  and 
she  a&ed  such  roles  as  Flora  in  The  Fatal  Jealousy, 
August,  1672 ;  Mrs.  Ckppam,  The  Careless  Lovers, 
March,  1673  ;  Lelia,  The  Reformation,  autumn,  1673  ; 
Luce,  Tom  Essence,  autumn,  1676 ;  Elvira,  Abdela^er, 
winter,  1676  ;  Florella,  The  Orphan,  early  (probably 
February)  1680  ;  Jane,  The  London  Cuckolds,  November, 
1 68 1  ;  Jacinta,  The  False  Count,  Oftober,  1682  ;  Hellen, 
Dame  Dobson,  autumn,  1683  ;  Arkdne,  The  Common 
wealth  of  Women,  summer,  1685. 

p.  59.  NORRIS,  AND  HER  DAUGHTER.  The  son  of 
Mrs.  Norris,  "  Jubilee  Dicky,"  was  famous,  but  I 
believe  her  daughter  has  not  been  identified.  If  the 
younger  lady  were  married  she  would,  of  course, 
appear  in  the  printed  casts  under  her  husband's  name, 
and  she  may  have  been  one  of  the  many  minor  per 
formers  concerning  whom  nothing  is  known  save  that 
they  pkyed  some  small  roles  of  trifling  importance. 
Such,  for  example,  were  Mrs.  Crofts  who  afted  Teresa 
in  The  Spanish  Fryar,  March,  1679-80  ;  Mrs.  Le  Grand 
who  afted  Eugenia  in  The  Counterfeit  Bridegroom, 
August,  1677,  and  Phrinias  in  Shadwell's  Timon  of 
Athens,  December,  1677,  or  early  in  the  following 
January ;  and  Mrs.  Rachel  Lee  who  adled  Judy,  Lady 
Susan's  woman,  in  Southerne's  The  Maid's  Latf  Prayer, 
or,  Any,  Rather  than  Fail,  Drury  Lane,  January,  1692-3.