The Dramatic Works of John Crowne: The country wit. The ambitious statesman. Sir Courtly Nice. DariusWilliam Paterson, 1874 |
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aunt Barzana beauty Bell BELLGUARD Bessus Betty blood Booby brave Chris comedy Const Constable cou'd Crowne damn'd dare Darius daughter Daup Dauphin dear death devil door Duchess of Albemarle Duke enemy Enter Exeunt Exit Farewel father favour fear fellow fool fortune friends gentleman give Gowran guard heart Heaven honour humble servant humour innocent Isab JOHN CROWN King King's Lady Faddle ladyship Lord Dry Lord Drybone lordship Macedonian madam married Memnon Merry NABARZANES never noble Persian play poet poor pray Prince Ramb Ramble rogue SCENE shew shou'd Sir Co Sir Courtly Nice Sir Mannerly Sir Tho Sir Thomas Rash sirrah slave soul Surly swear sword thee there's thing thou art thought thousand Tis true town twill Vendosme villain virtue What's whilst whore wife woman women worship wou'd
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Page 344 - Mrs. Barry, in characters of greatness, had a presence of elevated dignity ; her mien and motion superb, and gracefully majestic ; her voice full, clear, and strong, so that no violence of passion could be too much for her : and when distress or tenderness possessed her, she subsided into the most affecting melody and softness. In the art of exciting pity, she had a power beyond all the actresses I have yet seen, or what your imagination can conceive.
Page 169 - K. Thou art to all men just, but to thyself. D. I do not love, sir, like too many generals, To steal renown out of the public baggage. K. Instead of that thou givest away thy own ; Praise is the only thing thou runn'st away from. D. I'm not ambitious much of any Kingdom, But least of all to have one in the air ; Where, let a man have ne'er such large dominion, A hurricane will be a greater Prince. The force of that can tear up trees and rocks : But all the stormy praise, that all the heroes Can by...
Page 165 - A fool indeed, has great need of a title ; It teaches men to call him Count and Duke, And to forget his proper name of fool. Gold is of use to every sort of knave ; It helps the ambitious knave to offices, Th...
Page 268 - A writer of the age of Charles the Second uses "plackets" in the sense of aprons (perhaps of petticoats') ; " The word Love is a fig-leaf to cover the naked sense, a fashion brought up by Eve, the mother of jilts : she cuckolded her husband with the Serpent, then pretended to modesty, and fell a making plackets presently.
Page 3 - THIS Play," say the Editors of the Biographia Dramatica, " contains a good deal of low humour, and was a great favourite with King Charles II." Langbaine observes, " this Comedy is of that kind which the French call Basse Comedie, or Low Comedy, one degree removed from Farce." Having been approved of by his Majesty, it was equally approved of by the public, although a faction had arrayed itself to oppose its success. A large portion of the plot as well as of the language, has been taken from Moliere's...
Page 235 - Politiques,' made his application immediately to the King himself ; and desired his Majesty to establish him in some office that might be a security to him for life. The King had the goodness to assure him he should have an office, but added, that he would first see another comedy.
Page 248 - Ten ages scarce such royal worths display As England lost and found in one strange day : One hour in sorrow and confusion hurl'd, And yet the next the envy of the world. Nay, we are blest, in spite of us 'tis known, Heaven's choice for us was better than our own. To stop the blessings that o'erflow this day, What heaps o...
Page 206 - Offering himself either to Sleep or Death ; And neither will accept the dismal wretch : At length a Slumber, in its infant arms, Takes up his heavy soul, but wanting strength To bear it, quickly lets it fall again ; At which the wretch starts up, and walks about All night, and all the time it...
Page 5 - ... one word of their own in the theatre. Poor Cave is so mortified, that he quibbles and tells you, he pretends only to act a part fit for a man who has one foot in the grave, viz. a grave-digger. All admirers of true comedy, it is hoped, will have the gratitude to be present on the last day of his acting, who, if he does not happen to please them, will have it even then to say, that it is his first offence.
Page 239 - at an entertainment of the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, in the year 1685, called for Mr. Mountfort to divert the company, as his lordship was pleased to call it. He being an excellent mimic, my lord made him plead before him in a feigned cause, in which he aped all the great lawyers of the age, in their tone of voice, and in their action and gesture of body, to the very great ridicule, not only of the lawyers, but of the law itself; which to me (says...