網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

ing that her endeavours to get Granger for a husband are not likely to succeed, takes up with Sir Symphony-this gives the title to the play-there is little plot-one incident is very good-Wishwell is courted for the influence which she has over Lady Malepert-she wants to confine Lady Malepert to men who have no recommendation but their money —she is afraid of Gayman as Lady Malepert likes him-Sir Ruff Rancounter, through the medium of Wishwell, offers to give £1000 for passing a night with Lady Malepert —Sir Ruff tells Gayman of the appointment-Gayman contrives to have Sir Ruff kept out of the way-and goes to Lady Malepert's -Wishwell lets him in-and Lady Malepert receives him as Sir Ruff the lines, quoted by Ranger from Congreve, are taken from an excellent song inserted in this play, which Malone supposes to be his first acknowledged essay presented to the public-on this supposition the Maid's last Prayer, tho' not printed till 1693, must have been acted sooner-probably the latter end of 1692.

=

The Traytor was reprinted in 1692 with the following cast-Lorenzo - Kynaston: Sciarrah = Williams: Duke of Florence = Hodgson : Pisano= Cibber Florio (brother to Sciarrah and Amidea) = Alexander: Cosmo = Harris: Depazzi (a comic character) = Haines: Page = Tommy Kent: Amidea= Mrs. Bracegirdle: Oriana = Mrs. Lassels: Morossa (her mother)=Mrs. Cory :-Lorenzo, the Traytor, is the kinsman and favourite of the Duke, but secretly his enemy-the Duke is in love with Amidea, and attempts to debauch her-her brother, Sciarrah, is so offended at this, that he purposes to kill the

Duke-Amidea prevails on him to postpone his purpose-she threatens the Duke to kill herself and he asks her forgiveness for his attempt on her honourPisano was engaged to Amidea-he deserts her, and is on the point of being married to Oriana-Sciarrah kills him--and by so doing forfeits his life to the Duke-Lorenzo tells Sciarrah that he may obtain his pardon by giving up his sister to the Duke-and that otherwise she would be ravished after his death -Sciarrah, to prevent this, kills Amidea-the Duke comes to Sciarrah's house in the hope of enjoying Amidea-on approaching her bed, he finds her lying there dead-Lorenzo kills the Duke-he and Sciarrah fight they are both killed-the Editors of the B. D. tell us that the scene lies in London-this is such a mistake as one would have supposed it hardly possible to have been committed the Traytor is on the whole a pretty good play-it appears to have been written by Rivers and to have been revised and improved by Shirley-it was printed in 1635-and revived at T. R. between 1660 and 1682, when the Traytor was considered as one of Mohun's best parts -see L. I. F. Oct. 11 1718-and C. G. Feb. 10 1819.

Downes says "Between these Operas" (King Arthur, the Prophetess, and the Fairy Queen) "there "were several other plays acted, both old and modern,

66

as-Bury Fair-Wit without Money—the Taming "of a Shrew-the Maiden Queen-the Mistress, by "Sir Charles Sydly," &c.-Waldron in reprinting Roscius Anglicanus has made several shameful blunders the worst of them is perhaps that which he here makes he omits two most important words

66

the Mistress-and enumerates the plays just mentioned in this manner-" Bury Fair-Wit without "Money-the Taming of a Shrew the Maiden Queen, by Sir Charles Sedley," &c-any person who knows that the Maiden Queen was written by Dryden—and who has only seen Waldron's edition of R. A.-must be puzzled to the last degree on finding Downes (apparently) attribute the Maiden Queen to Sedley.

The Taming of a Shrew was doubtless acted as altered by Lacy to Sauny the Scot-it was probably at this time that Dogget acted Sauny.

Downes had lately mentioned "Love in, and Love "out of Fashion," of which nothing more is known. The Stage about this time lost three of its principal performers.

Lord Mohun, a man of vile character, had by a kind of sympathy of disposition contracted an intimacy with one Captain Hill, whom nature seems to have intended for a cut-throat-Hill had long entertained a passion for Mrs. Bracegirdle, which she rejected with the contempt it deserved this Hill attributed, not to his own demerits, but to her partiality for some other person: and as Mountfort was a handsome man, frequently acted with her, and always showed her respect, he fixed on him, tho' a married man, as the supposed bar to his success-being grown desperate, he determined to employ violence, and with the assistance of Lord Mohun and some soldiers whom he had hired, he attempted to force her into a coach, as she came out of the house where she had supped--but her mother and the gentleman, at whose house she had been, interposing till farther assistance could come

up, she was rescued and safely escorted home-Lord Mohun and Hill, thus disappointed of their prey, with dreadful imprecations vowed vengeance on Mountfort-Mrs. Bracegirdle's friends hearing these threats immediately sent to Mrs. Mountfort, and recommended her to warn her husband not to come home that night-but unfortunately no messenger Mrs. Mountfort sent was able to find him in the mean time Lord Mohun and Captain Hill paraded the streets with their swords drawn till about midnight, when Mountfort on his return home was met and saluted in a friendly manner by Lord Mohun— but while that scoundrel was holding him in conversation, the assassin Hill, being at his back, first gave him a desperate blow on the head with his left hand, and immediately afterwards, before Mountfort had time to draw and stand on his defence, he, with the sword which he held ready in his right, ran him. through the body-this last circumstance Mountfort declared as a dying man to his friend Bancroft the Surgeon who attended him—(B. D.)—he was stabbed on the 9th of December and languished till the 10th, when he died—Hill immediately made his escape-but Lord Mohun was seized and brought to his trial Jan. 31st 1692-3, when, it not appearing that he directly assisted Hill in the assassination, he was acquitted-14 Lords found him guilty, and 69 not guilty. (From some Magazine.)

Thus fell Mountfort in his 33d year, generally lamented by his friends and by all lovers of the theatre. (Cibber.)

In the preface to Mountford's works printed in 1720, he is said to be the son of a gentleman

[blocks in formation]

in Staffordshire, and to have spent his younger days in that county-the editor of the B. D. thinks it probable that he went on the stage young-if he had paid attention to what Downes says of Mountfort at the Union, he would have seen it was more than probable—the cast of the Counterfeits in 1678 puts the matter past a doubt, the part of the boy is said to be acted by Young Mumford-the difference in the spelling is immaterial, as at this time every name, that could possibly be spelt two ways, was sure to be spelt wrong-many instances have been given of this -one more may be added-Downes calls Cibber, Mr. Cyber.

Mountfort is said to have sung very agreeably and to have danced finely.

Mountfort's characters.

D. G. 1678. *Boy in Counterfeits. 1680. Barber's boy in Revenge.

T. R. 1682. *Alphonso Corso in Duke of Guise. 1684. *Heartwell in Dame Dobson-Metellus Cimber-Nonsense in Northern Lass.

1685. *Sir Courtly Nice.

[blocks in formation]

1687. Pymero in Island Princess-*Don Charmante in Emperor of the Moon.

1688. *Young Belfond in Squire of Alsatia*Lyonel in Fool's Preferment-*Dorenalus in Injured Lovers.

1689. *Wildish in Bury Fair-*Young Wealthy in Fortune Hunters.

1690. *Charles the 9th in Massacre of Paris

« 上一頁繼續 »