Selim. Thy impious threats are lost! I know that death And torments are my doom. Yet, ere I die, I'll strike thy soul with horror. Off, vile habit ! If thou dar'st, Now view me!-Hear me, tyrant!-while, with voice That he, who aim'd the dagger at thy heart, Act 4. Sc. 1. Selim. I wrench'd the dagger from him; and gave back Act 2. Se. 1. THE APPRENTICE: A FARCE, BY ARTHUR MURPHY. THE intention of this entertaining dramatic satire, was to expose and ridicule the absurd and prevalent passion of apprentices and other young persons, for uniting themselves into those mischievous societies called SpoutingClubs; in the ambition to become theatrical kings, lovers, and heros. Being in general without either the appropriate talents or education for the stage, these aspirants mistook noise and nonsense for energy, eloquence, and dramatic genius; and thus, whilst they mutilated and corrupted the works of the authors whom they recited, they rejected common-sense, despised the ordinary duties of life, and too often fatally destroyed both their time and their reputation. The present attempt "To check these heros, and their laurels crop, To bring them back to reason,—and the shop,” contributed in some degree to restrain their folly, though it could not entirely suppress it; and the entertainment received considerable applause. The Apprentice was the first dramatic work of Murphy, and was produced at Drury-Lane, January 2nd, 1756, during the very short time he was on the stage, by the advice of his friend Foote; and it is remarked in a contemporary critique, that such a satire on actors would probably not have been brought forward, if the author himself had not been one of them. The principal original performers were Yates, who acted Wingate; Vaughan, who played Simon, Gargle's servant, with a considerable degree of genuine natural simplicity, seldom met with on the stage; and Woodward, who represented Dick, The Apprentice, with infinite humour, both in his action and manner of dressing him. Garrick wrote the Prologue, and the author himself delivered it, habited in a full suit of black, both as the usual dress for such speeches, and as mourning for the doubtful fate of himself and of the piece which was to come; and Mrs. Clive spake a very witty Epilogue, in her own person, as an actress not included in the performance. The whole original run of The Apprentice appears to have been but about eleven nights; when it was interrupted by the production of Garrick's Florizel and Perdita, and Catherine and Petruchio, from Shakspeare's Winter's Tale and Taming of the Shrew, which came out together on January 21st. After the original performer of Dick, the Younger Bannister has been the most celebrated and excellent actor of the character, and was particularly admired for his delivery of the original Prologue. The scene of The Apprentice is London, and the time of action is within twenty-four hours. Dick. Give me another horse! bind up my wounds!'-This will do rarely-And then I have a chance of getting well married- -Oh! glorious thought!- -By heaven! I will enjoy it, though but in fancy. -But what's o'clock ?-it must be almost nine. I'll away at once this is club-night.-'Egad I'll go to them for awhile.-The spouters are all met-little they think I'm in town-they'll be surprised to see me. -Off I go, and then for my assignation with my master Gargle's daughter-poor Charlotte!-she's locked up, but I shall find means to settle matters for her escape: she's a pretty theatrical genius.-If she flies to my arms like a hawk to its perch, it will be so rare an adventure, and so dramatic an incident. 'Limbs, do your office, and support me well; DOUGLAS : A TRAGEDY, BY THE REV. JOHN HOME. AN ancient Scottish Ballad, entitled Child Maurice, is the well-known foundation of this very celebrated drama; and which, according to native tradition, commemorates facts, the very scenes whereof are yet pointed out in the Forest of Dundaff in Stirlingshire, and a precipitous cliff overhanging the water of Carron, on the lands of Halbertshire, where once stood the Castle of Lord Barnard, the Randolph of the Tragedy. A small brook joining the Carron, about five miles above these lands, and a hill near the source of the stream,-are yet called "the Earl's burn," and "the Earl's hill," in memory of the unfortunate Child, who "was an Earl's son ;" and he himself is still said to have been exceedingly beautiful, and remarkable for the length and elegance of his yellow hair, which covered him like a golden mist. The action of the present piece occupies one day, during an invasion of the Danes, a considerable time subsequent to the First Crusade in A.D. 1065; though they never entered Scotland as foes after it. The Tragedy of Douglas was originally brought out at Edinburgh, Decem. ber 14th, 1756, Norval being played by Digges, and was repeated for several acting-nights, with very considerable applause; there having never been so great a run upon any piece in Scotland. The Presbytery of Glasgow, however, on February 2nd, 1757, addressed "an Admonition and Exhortation" to the Presbytery of Edinburgh, containing a complaint against Mr. Home, as a Clergyman of the Scottish Church, for having written, composed, and procured this drama to be acted; and also for having been present at it's representation, more than once, with several other ministers: upon which Home immediately resigned his charge. After having been refused by Garrick, Douglas was first performed in London, at Covent-Garden, March 14th, 1757, when Barry was the original Norval, Smith, Glenalvon, and Mrs. Woffington Lady Randolph ; but it's run was not more than ten nights the first season. Since that time Cooke has been celebrated as Glenalvon, Mrs. Siddons as Lady Randolph, and the two Kembles, Holman, H. Johnston, and Master Betty, as Norval. The first appearance of the latter in London in that very appropriate character, was at Covent-Garden, December 4th, 1804, and at Drury-Lane on the 10th of the same month. He looked and performed it with such excellence, that when he previously acted it at Edinburgh, the author of Douglas, then in his 70th year, who was present, declared that it was the first time he had ever seen the part personified as he originally conceived and composed it. |