Luscinda Mrs. Bowman: Teresa Panca = Mrs. = Leigh Mary the Buxom Mrs. Verbruggen late Mrs. Mountfort. = = = = = Don Quixote part 2d-Don Quixote = Bowen : Sancho Underhill: Ambrosio Verbruggen: Manuel Powell: Cardenio Bowman: Duke = Cibber: Bernardo (a Chaplain) =Trefusis: Page=Michael Leigh Pedro (a Physician) Freeman: Diego = Harris: Marcella Mrs. Bracegirdle: Dutchess= Mrs. Knight: Luscinda Mrs. Bowman: Donna Rodriguez Mrs. Kent: Teresa Mrs. Leigh: Mary the Buxom Mrs. Verbruggen :-both these Comedies were brought out at D. G.-the 2d part came out in the Summer-the 1st part is a good play, and the 2d a much better-the scenes in which Sancho is Governour have great merit-D'Urfey has hit off the characters of Don Quixote and Sancho very well, and has introduced a good deal of humour of his own in Mary the Buxom, tho' of the lowest species-in the preface he says that these plays had good success -that in the 2d part the character of Marcella was of his own invention, and that the song introduced in it was sung and acted by Mrs. Bracegirdle incomparably well-that Mary the Buxom was entirely his own-and by the excellent action of Mrs. Verbruggen was allowed by the best judges to be a master-piece of humour. The Epilogue to the 1st part of Don Quixote was spoken by Dogget, as Sancho riding on his Ass-the last two lines of it are peculiarly indecent. Married Beau, or the Curious Impertinent. The main plot of this C. is taken from the novel of the Curious Impertinent in Don Quixote-the Married Beau is Lovely-he believes himself. very handsome, and desires to be thought so by all Ladies, but especially by his wife-he requests his friend Polidor to attempt his wife's chastity-he feels confident that she will reject Polidor's addresses, but is curious to know whether she will do so, from a principle of honour, or from regard for her husband-Mrs. Lovely is a coquette, who loves to be courted and admired, but aims at no more-she is nevertheless, in the 3d act, taken in an unguarded moment, and yields to Polidor's solicitations-she soon becomes very sorry for what she has done --Polidor again solicits hershe gives him a refusal-he suspects her of an inclination for Thorneback-and tells Lovely that his wife is not what she ought to be-in the last act, Polidor once more pays his addresses to Mrs. Lovely-she pretends to be in a rage, well knowing that her husband is concealed, and within hearing-Lovely feels quite satisfied of his wife's affection for him—this C. is written by Crowne-it is chiefly in blank versethat part of it which concerns Lovely, Polidor and Mrs. Lovely is good-the other part of it has little to recommend it-there are no performers' names to the D. P.-but Dogget acted Thorneback, and spoke the Epilogue. Fatal Marriage, or the Innocent Adultery. Biron = Williams: Villeroy Betterton: Carlos Powell: Count Baldwin = Kynaston : Fernando Dogget: Frederick Verbruggen: Fabian Michael Leigh: Jaqueline Bowen: Sampson = Underhill: Isabella Mrs. Barry: Victoria Mrs. Bracegirdle: Julia = Mrs. Knight: Nurse Mrs. Leigh:-the tragic plot of this play is probable, the distress domestic, is very and the language in general pathetic-the comic plot fair-it ends with the 1st scene of the 4th act -Fernando is very jealous of his young wife Julia -Carlos has a design on her, but she is virtuousFernando's daughter, Victoria, is in love with Frederick-and he with her he wants to send her a letter -while he keeps Fernando in talk, his man, Jaqueline, pins the letter to Fernando's coat-Victoria elopes in boy's clothes-Fernando goes to Villeroy's wedding -his son, Fabian, whom he had turned out of doors, gives him a sleepy potion-they put him into a tomb, and when he wakes, they make him believe he has been dead he is reconciled to his children and promises not to be jealous of his wife—the last scene of the comic part seems to have been borrowed from Boccace Day 3. Novel 8-the Epilogue is very good -the last two lines contain a truth, but such a truth as one would hardly have supposed it possible for Mrs. Verbruggen to have addressed in so pointed a manner to the Ladies in the boxes.. The Fatal Marriage was revived at D. L. Dec. 2 1757 with the omission of the comic underplot-but the name was not changed to Isabella till several years after. = = = Canterbury Guests, or a Bargain Broken. Careless George Powell: Sir Barnaby Buffler Underhill Justice Greedy Bowen: Dash (a Scrivener) -Dogget: Alderman Furr Trefusis: Lovell Verbruggen: Durzo (a blunt sea Captain) = Bright: 1st Innkeeper M. Leigh: 2d Innkeeper and Jack Sawce =Pinkerman: Toby Kent: Hillaria (niece to Furr) =Mrs. Verbruggen: Jacinta (his daughter) Mrs. Rogers: Arabella (sister to Lovell) = Mrs. Knight : = = Mrs. Dazie and Mrs. Breeder (women of the town) - Mrs. Lawson and Mrs. Kent :-Alderman Furr had promised Jacinta to Sir Barnaby Buffler—they meet by appointment at an Inn in Canterbury—at night Toby, Sir Barnaby's servant, sees Hillaria, who is in boy's clothes, go into Jacinta's chamber-he listens to their discourse, and tells his master what he had heard-Sir Barnaby determines to Break the Bargain-Careless insists that he should repair Jacinta's honour-Sir Barnaby gives his half brother, Lovell, £400 a year to marry Jacinta-Careless and Durzo marry Hillaria and Arabella-this is on the whole a good C.-Sir Barnaby's letter to Jacinta, and his contract to marry her, are founded on similar circumstances in the Generous Enemies-Justice Greedy is taken from the New way to pay old debts; and Dash's mode of sitting at supper is suggested by what is said of Marrall in the same play-the women and children, who pretend to belong to Sir Barnaby, are borrowed from Mons. de Pourceaugnac, but Ravenscroft had before introduced them in his Careless Lovers-the characters of Careless and Hillaria are taken from that Comedy-and those of Durzo and Arabella from Ravenscroft's King Edgar and Alphreda-whole scenes are copied almost verbatim from each of these plays-particularly the former— in the 1st act Ravenscroft has made a strange mistake Sir Barnaby says in his letter "Esquire "Careless is my next heir"-it should have been Lovell from p. 34 it seems probable that this play was brought out in May-it was not printed till 1695, but it must have been acted in 1694. Innocent Usurper, or the Death of the Lady Jane = = Gray. Lord Gilford Dudley Betterton: Duke of Northumberland Williams: Gardner Bishop of Winchester = Sandford: Earl of Pembrook Kynaston: Duke of Suffolk Bowman: Lady Jane Mrs. Barry: Dutchess of Suffolk Mrs. Betterton :--this play was published in 1694, but the dedication is dated Oct. 1693-after the actors were nearly perfect in their parts the T. was prohibited from being acted, of which the author complains with good reason, more especially as it was written 10 years before-if the persons in power had insisted that Banks should change his title, and alter some few passages, they would have acted with propriety-but this is a sort of condescension of which Theatrical Despots have seldom been guilty. This T. is written partly in rhyme and partly in blank verse-it is not a very bad play-Banks has made the Dutchess of Suffolk an important character she is at first violently ambitious, and then she runs mad-her madness is a most unjustifiable perversion of the real fact-she died quietly in 1563. A new Life of Lady Jane Grey was published in 1822-notwithstanding her marriage, she is generally called Lady Jane Grey, but she signed her letters Jane Dudley. Mrs. Betterton's name does not occur after this year it seems highly probable that she did not act after the division of the company-the Editor of the B. D., in his life of Betterton, says that he married Mrs. Saunderson in 1670-this is a very great mistake-Betterton was married in 1663 at the latestMrs. Betterton's name appears to a part in the |