An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber, Volume 2 (of 2)

An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber, Volume 2 (of 2) - Written by Himself. A New Edition with Notes and Supplement

AN APOLOGY FOR THE LIFE OF MR. COLLEY CIBBER WRITTEN BY HIMSELF A NEW EDITION WITH NOTES AND SUPPLEMENT BY ROBERT W. LOWE WITH TWENTY-SIX ORIGINAL MEZZOTINT PORTRAITS BY R. B. PARKES, AND EIGHTEEN ETCHINGS BY ADOLPHE LALAUZE IN TWO VOLUMES VOLUME THE SECOND LONDON JOHN C. NIMMO 14, King William Street, Strand MDCCCLXXXIX The recruited Actors in the Hay-Market encourag'd by a Subscription. Drury-Lane under a particular Management. The Power of a Lord-Chamberlain over the Theatres consider'd. How it had been formerly exercis'd. A Digression to Tragick Authors. Having shewn the particular Conduct of the Patentee in refusing so fair an Opportunity of securing to himself both Companies under his sole Power and Interest, I shall now lead the Reader, after a short View of what pass'd in this new Establishment of the Hay-Market Theatre, to the Acci2dents that the Year following compell'd the same Patentee to receive both Companies, united, into the Drury-Lane Theatre, notwithstanding his Disinclination to it. It may now be imagin'd that such a Detachment of Actors from Drury-Lane could not but give a new Spirit to those in the Hay-Market; not only by enabling them to act each others Plays to better Advantage, but by an emulous Industry which had lain too long inactive among them, and without which they plainly saw they could not be sure of Subsistence. Plays by this means began to recover a good Share of their former Esteem and Favour; and the Profits of them in about a Month enabled our new Menager to discharge his Debt (of something more than Two hundred Pounds) to his old Friend the Patentee, who had now left him and his Troop in trust to fight their own Battles. The greatest Inconvenience they still laboured under was the immoderate Wideness of their House, in which, as I have observ'd, the Difficulty of Hearing may be said to have bury'd half the Auditors Entertainment. This Defect seem'd evident from the much better Reception several new Plays (first acted there) met with when they afterwards came to be play'd by the same Actors in Drury-Lane: Of this Number were the Stratagem[1] and the Wife's Resent3ment;[2] to which I may add the Double Gallant.[3] This last was a Play made up of what little was tolerable in two or three others that had no Success, and were laid aside as so much Poetical Lumber; but by collecting and adapting the best Parts of them all into one Play, the Double Gallant has had a Place every Winter amongst the Publick Entertainments these Thirty Years. As I was only the Compiler of this Piece I4 did not publish it in my own Name; but as my having but a Hand in it could not be long a Secret, I have been often treated as a Plagiary on that Account: Not that I think I have any right to complain of whatever would detract from the Merit of that sort of Labour, yet a Cobler may be allow'd to be useful though he is not famous:[4] And I hope a Man is not blameable for doing a little Good, tho' he cannot do as much as another? But so it isTwopenny Criticks must live as well as Eighteenpenny Authors![5] ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 44065
Author: Cibber, Colley
Release Date: Oct 29, 2013
Format: eBook
Language: English