66 main plot is taken from Moliere's Mock Doctor, the catastrophe is borrowed from Moliere's Love's the best Doctor-the Dumb Lady was not printed till 1672, but it was probably acted about this time, as Softhead, in the 1st act, says " I'll die a Virgin Martyr "-Massinger's Virgin Martyr had been revived in 1668-Lacy concludes his Epistle to the Reader, with hoping that his play will prove as beneficial to the printer, as it had formerly been to himself—there are no performers' names to the D. P., but Lacy no doubt acted Drench, the Farrier. Marcelia, or the Treacherous Friend-licensed Oct. 9 1669-this is an indifferent T. C. by Mrs. Boothby-there are no performers' names to the D. P. Jan. 27. L. I. F. 1669. Pepys says Pepys says "To the Duke's house, “and there saw the Five Hours' Adventure, which "had not been acted a good while before, but once" -a third edition of the Adventures of Five Hours was printed in 1671-it had been revised and corrected by the author. Feb. 25. Royal Shepherdess this T. C. was acted 6 times-it is printed without the names of the performers-it was written by Fountain, and fitted for the stage by Shadwell—the plot is unnatural, and probably borrowed from some Romance-there are 3 good comic characters-the serious scenes are indifferent-but some good lines occur-particularly "The mighty are "Like mighty mountains, high, but seldom fertile." The authors introduce the Salii in Arcadia, not knowing, or forgetting, that the Salii were Priests instituted by Numa at Rome-Langbaine says, that Fountain's play was printed in 1661, as the Reward of Virtue. 66 March 3. Lady's Trial-Pepys says "acted only by the young people of the house, but the house "very full" this play was written by Ford-it was printed in 1639, and had been acted at the Cockpit -the scene lies at Genoa-in the last act the Lady is put on her Trial, and her husband is fully convinced of her innocence that part of the play which concerns the Lady is very good-the other parts of it have but little to recommend them. = = = = Sir Sir Solomon, or the Cautious Coxcomb. Arthur Addel-Nokes : Sir Solomon Single = Betterton: Peregrine Woodland Harris: Young Single =Smith: Wary Sandford: Timothy Underhill : Mrs. Betty Mrs. Johnson: Mrs. Julia Mrs. Betterton this play was singularly well acted, and performed for 12 days together-(Downes)—that part of it which concerns Sir Solomon-Peregrine -Timothy and Mrs. Betty-is professedly taken from Moliere's School for Wives-there is an important underplot-this C. was written by Carylit is on the whole a good play-it was not printed till 1671, but it was certainly acted in the season of 1669-1670 at the latest-Sir Solomon is a part quite out of Betterton's usual line of acting, and a proof of the versatility of his talents-it is a character that would have suited Dowton or Munden. SIR JOHN COVENTRY AND CHARLES THE 2D. In 1669 it was proposed in the House of Commons to lay a tax on the playhouses-this was opposed by the Court-it was said that the players were the King's Servants, and a part of his pleasure-Sir John Coventry asked, whether did the King's pleasure lie among the men or women that acted?-as the King loved a joke; and as his connexion with Mrs. Davis and Nell Gwyn was notorious, it might have been supposed that this pleasantry would have passed without any particular notice; but the King was determined to take a severe revenge; and accordingly some of the Guards waylaid Sir John as he was going home-he defended himself with great bravery, but was soon disarmed-they then cut his nose to the bone, and so left him—that matter was executed by orders from the Duke of Monmouth, for which he was severely censured, because he then lived in habits of friendship with Coventry, so that his subjection to the King was not thought an excuse, for directing so vile an attempt on his friend, without sending him secret notice of what was designed-the Duke of York told Burnet that he said all he could to divert the King from his resolution-Coventry had his nose so well sewed up, that the scar was scarce to be dis cerned-but the House of Commons were in a furious uproar, and passed a bill of banishment against the persons who had assaulted Sir John, putting in it a clause, that it should not be in the King's power to pardon them this affair gave great advantages to all those who opposed the Court-(Burnet)-Andrew Marvell in his poem called Royal Resolutions makes the King say— I'll have a rare son, in marrying, tho' marr'd, "Shall govern (if not my kingdom) my Guard, "And shall be successor to me or Gerrard. "And whate'er it cost me, I'll have a French whore, "As bold as Alice Pierce, and as fair as Jane Shore; "And when I am weary of her, I'll have more. "Which if any bold Commoner dare to oppose, "I'll order my Bravos to cut off his nose, "Tho' for't I a branch of Prerogative lose. "I'll wholly abandon all public affairs "And pass all my time with buffoons and players, “And saunter to Nelly, when I should be at Burnet says that the King never forgave any thing that was done personally against himself and Charles Fox observes that it is not conceivable on what pretence the partizans of Charles the 2d have given him the praise of clemency and forgiveness. Marvell in one of his epistles gives a particular account of the attack on Sir John Coventry, and of the persons concerned in it. T. R. 1670. = Conquest of Granada in 2 parts-Moors-Almanzor= Hart: Abdelmelech = Mohun: Boabdelin (King of Grenada) = Kynaston: Osmyn = Beeston: Abenamar Cartwright: Selin Wintershal: Almahide= Mrs. Ellen Gwyn: Lyndaraxa= Mrs. Marshal : Benzaida = Mrs. Bowtel: Spaniards-Ferdinand (King of Spain) = Littlewood: Duke of Arcos = Bell: Isabel (Queen of Spain) = Mrs. James :-The Moors are besieged in Granada-Almanzor, who is a stranger from Africa, performs prodigies of valourhe persists in his love for Almahide, notwithstanding that she is married to Boabdelin—at the conclusion, Boabdelin being killed, there is no longer any obstacle to the union of Almanzor and Almahide-Dryden in the preface to Tyrannick Love says" the unities "of time and place are more exactly kept, than "I have since preserved them in the Conquest "of Granada "--from these expressions Malone thinks it probable that the 2 parts of the Conquest of Granada were produced in the autumn of 1669, and the spring of 1670-he adds-❝ they were not entered "on the stationers' books till Feb. 1670-71, nor pub"lished till 1672"-the Conquest of Granada is one play in 2 parts--not 2 distinct plays-for this reason it is not improbable that the 2d part might be brought out on the night after the 1st part-they who had seen the 1st part would naturally be inclined to see the 2d-and they who had not seen the 1st, would not easily understand the 2d-it could hardly have been put off so long as Malone supposes-Nell Gwyn |