ISABELLA; OR, THE FATAL MARRIAGE :

A TRAGEDY, ALTERED FROM SOUTHERNE BY DAVID GARRICK. Mrs. BEHN's Novel of The Nun, or the Fair Vow-Breaker, is acknowledged by Southerne to have furnished the plot of this drama; to which may be added the Eighth tale in the Third Day of Boccaccio's Decameron, as containing the probable original of Fernando being persuaded that he had been dead, buried, and in purgatory: which character and incident, however, are now omitted. The present piece was first produced at Drury-Lane, in January, 1694, as a Tragi-Comedy, under the title of The Fatal Marriage, or Innocent Adultery; and was received with considerable and deserved applause. Of the drama in this state, all the tragic part has great merit, and is intensely affecting; but it is deformed by comic scenes, greatly inferior to the remainder, like those in the author's Oroonoko, though they are perhaps still more out of place here, and on their account The Fatal Marriage has frequently been laid aside for a considerable time. This objection, however, was removed in the excellent alteration by Garrick, in which all the comic parts were omitted, excepting so much of the characters of the Nurse, and Sampson, the Porter, as are naturally connected with the story of the heroine. He re-produced it at Drury-Lane, December 2nd, 1757, under the present title, when it ran for about eleven nights; but it has been ever since regarded as a Tragedy of genuine excellence, and an established and attractive favourite.

The scene is Bruxelles, the period is about seven years after the close of the twenty-four years siege of Candia by the Turks, in 1669, and the time of action appears to be about three days.

Of the performers in this Tragedy, the most eminent in Biron have been Williams, the original, Garrick who performed it on his revival, Smith, J. P. and C. Kemble, and Young. Powell was the first Carlos, who was followed by Davies, in Garrick's revival; and Betterton, as Villeroy, was succeeded by Havard. The arduous part of Isabella was originally sustained by Mrs. Barry, in 1757 by Mrs. Cibber, and subsequently by Mrs. Yates, Mrs. Crawford, Miss Younge, afterwards Mrs. Pope, and Mrs. Siddons, who first came out in the character at Drury-Lane, October 12th, 1782, and who possessed all the advantages and excellencies of her predecessors. Since her time, Miss Smith, the present Mrs. Bartley, Miss O'Neill, and Miss Fanny Kemble, have performed the part with very considerable talent. The former acted it at Drury-Lane in 1813, and the two latter first appeared in it November 4th, 1814, and April 28th, 1830; both at Covent Garden.

THE GUARDIAN :

A COMEDY, BY DAVID GARRICK.

It is properly observed in a contemporary criticism upon this pleasing and elegant little drama, that it is not calculated to gratify by intricacy of intrigue, or a succession of various events, but by the interesting simplicity of single, but tender, incident,—the virtuous and grateful affection of a ward for her guardian; and the difficulties to which she is reduced by several unsuccessful attempts to disclose her passion. The comic part arises out of her supposed attachment to Young Clackitt, his own travelled conceit, and foreign affectation, the humorous character of his testy uncle, and the forward loquacity of Lucy; all which, however, are written with the most delicate pleasantry.

The whole piece was a translation of La Pupille, or The Ward, one of the best and most celebrated of the Comedies of Christophe Barthélemi Fagan, produced June 5th, 1734, and which even yet remains upon the French stage. La Harpe, in his Cours de Litterature, attributes it's success to the tenderness and elegance of Mademoiselle Gaussin, who performed Julie, the Ward; but the natural and simple plot, the easy and sentimental language, and the well-supported characters, possess a considerable degree of intrinsic merit. A delicate and artless vivacity is the general characteristic of Fagan's dramas, and Garrick has most happily transferred the same spirit into the present piece, which he published as a translation only, with such alterations as another language and different manners required. Perhaps one of La Harpe's remarks on La Pupille is also expressive of the principal defect of The Guardian; since it states that "the piece is finished even in the early scenes of it, for unless the tutor had sworn to be deaf, blind, and stupid, he must have discovered his ward's passion for him, when she has told it to him twenty times in the clearest manner, and written to him in terms it was impossible to miscomprehend."

The Guardian was originally produced at Drury-Lane, February 3rd, 1759, for the benefit of the eccentric and unfortunate poet, Christopher Smart, then in confinement for debt. It's first run was only thirteen nights, though that success appeared to be beyond the author's expectations, and he returned his thanks to the public for their kind indulgence, and to the performers for their great care." The original cast of characters was very strong, for Garrick himself played Heartly, Yates was Sir Charles Clackit, Miss Pritchard was Harriot, and Mrs. Clive was Lucy. On the modern stage Mr. Murray has been the most celebrated performer of The Guardian.

Harriot. I have refused my hand to Sir Charles, and this young gentleman: the one accuses me of caprice, the other of singularity.-Should I refuse my hand a third time, [smiling] I might draw upon myself a more severe reproach-and therefore I accept your favour, sir, and will endeavour to deserve it.

Heartly. And thus I seal my acknowledgements, and from henceforth devote my every thought, and all my services, to the author of my happiness.

Harriot. Therefore, before I declare my sentiments, it is proper that I disavow any engagement:-But at the same time must confess-that another, not you, sir, has gained a power over my heart.

[To Young Clackit.

Act 2.

HIGH LIFE BELOW STAIRS :

A FARCE, BY THE REV. JAMES TOWNLEY.

THE materials of the present most excellent and entertaining dramatic satire, were doubtless easily to be found in real life, but a hint for it was certainly taken from Sir Richard Steele's amusing paper on the manners of servants, forming No. 88 of The Spectator, published in 1711; in which a party of footmen attending their masters at the House of Lords, are addressed by the titles of the noblemen to whom they belong. Steele himself also appears to have had an intention of dramatising the same folly; for in his Epistolary Correspondence published by Nichols in 1809, is the fragment of a play by him, called The Gentleman, founded upon the same circumstance.

High Life below Stairs was originally brought out at Drury-Lane, October 31st, 1759, and met with considerable success, being performed twenty-one times before the close of the year; but upon it's production at Edinburgh, January 16th, 1760, the manager Love received a letter, declaring vengeance upon the house and the performers if it were acted, and stating that upwards of seventy persons were engaged to prevent it. The Farce was nevertheless played, though a riot was attempted in "the Footman's Gallery," a part of the house to which servants attending parties to the Theatre, were admitted gratis; but the place was cleared by force, and the manager directed to take away the privilege. Other letters were afterwards sent, and a reward for the discovery of the writers offered without success; but the insolence of these persons was the cause of an almost general association of the nobility and gentry of Scotland, by which the mercenary system of vales was mutually abolished, to the giving of which the recent disorder was attributed. A farther account of these curious circumstances will be found in Volume xxii. of The Scots Magazine.

It was most probably in consequence of this violent opposition, that the author of this Farce remained so long unknown. It was frequently attributed to Garrick, and Dibdin referred it to Dr. Hoadly; but Murphy was satisfied before his death that it was really written by the Rev. James Townley, Head-Master of Merchant Taylor's School, from the testimonials of his surviving son.

The principal original actors in this piece were O'Brien, as Lovel, Palmer as the Duke's Servant, Yates as Philip, King as Sir Harry, Mrs. Abington as Lady Bab, and Mrs. Clive as Kitty: and their most eminent successors have been Woodward, Liston, and Farley, in the parts of Sir Harry and "my Lord Duke."