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CHAPTER XXIV.

1799-The Italian Father-Philadelphia Company-New Agreement for the New-York Theatre-Wignell and Reinagle's failure in Philadelphia-Proposals to Mrs. Merry-Her Letter in answer —Mr. Hodgkinson offers himself and family for the New-York Theatre, and is engaged-Death of Stephen Wools-Fennell opens a theatre in New-York and shuts it again-Yellow Fever of 1799-Letter from Kotzebue-New-York Theatre opens 18th of November-False Shame-Force of Calumny-Wild-goose Chase -Robbers-Death of Washington-Mr. Cooper leaves New-York -Virgin of the Sun-Pizarro.

On the 15th of April, 1799, the comedy of The Italian Father was played at the New-York theatre, and, as it was supposed to be one of Kotzebue's, though nothing was said to mislead the public or the performers, it was received with great applause, and extolled by many as the best of the great German dramatist's productions. Nothing can be more unlike the style of the German plays than the style of this play. The manager-author had adopted the German mode of concluding the last act, and this tended to confirm the preconceived opinion that it was a continuation of his labours in the German mine. The play was announced without mentioning any author or any birthplace; otherwise it is probable, such was the prejudice of the then public, that few would have

attended the first representation of a piece imperfectly and negligently committed to memory by actors prejudiced against it, and that those few would have gone away dissatisfied or coldly approving. As it was, the actors studied assiduously, played spiritedly, and the play was received with enthusiasm. Decker furnished many of the finest passages of this drama.

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This comedy was published in 1810, with a note by the author prefixed, acknowledging that he had enriched his work" from the obsolete sources afforded by the old English dramatists, but "without forfeiting his claim to originality in the composition." As this play is considered by the author as the best of the many he has written, we may be allowed to give the cast as first performed, and a few extracts. It was thus cast:-Michael Brazzo (the father), Mr. Tyler, who played it correctly, but was altogether inadequate to the deep, concentrated, and varied feelings of the character ; Beraldo, Mr. Cooper, who ought, as he afterwards acknowledged, to have played Brazzo; Hippolito, Martin; Lodovico, Bates; Fool, finely played by Mr. Jefferson; Beatrice, Miss E. Westray; Astrabel (the discarded daughter of Brazzo, and married to Beraldo), well performed by Mrs. Barrett; Leonora, written for, and perfectly played by, Mrs. Oldmixon.

As a specimen of the quaint style which the author adopted in this comedy, to conform to the old English plays, we give a few lines from the

opening scene, in which Lodovico tells some one on the stage, by way of telling the audience, that Hippolito was that day married to Beatrice, the Duke of Milan's daughter; and that Beraldo, who had seduced Astrabel, the daughter of Brazzo, and had been compelled to marry her, was a disgraced and desperate man, and then in prison. Lodovico is the old-time fop or coxcomb.

Hippolito was, before his marriage with my Lady Beatrice, as simple a gentleman as I who now confront you, and much the same for merit, except not so abundant in wit; and for personal beauty, I think I ever had the advantage. Ah, there was music in the trios which Hippolito, Beraldo, and Lodovico performed! But so it turns with the wheel of dame Fortune-up goes Hippolito for a prince down goes Beraldo for a beggar-while I stick to the hub of the wheel, and, though constantly turning round, remain in the middle still.

A few lines of the next scene.

-Lodovico is a wit.

Leonora. Not a dry one-for he is ever drenched in wine after dinner.

Beatrice. Yet if not dry, why is he ever drinking?

Leonora. He has a thirsty wit, I grant you, lady. And here comes your father's fool. Let us bless Heaven, lady, that we had not the wit and the fool both on our hands at one time. [Hilario, the fool, enters.]

Beatrice. How now, Hilario ?

Fool. Well, now, madonna-but not well then-yet, pretty well -now and then.

Leonora. Still say I, Heaven be praised, wit fled as folly approached.

Astrabel seeks Hippolito, once her husband's companion, now the prince's heir, and petitions for

the release of Beraldo, her husband, from prison, It is promised, and Hippolito questions her of her father, Brazzo. She says:

Michael Brazzo remembers not he had a daughter.

What does he for you?

All he should. When children start from duty, parents may swerve from love. He nothing does, for nothing I deserve. You may restore my husband from the jaws of death—but to restore me to a father's love-Impossible! Impossible!

It shall be put to trial.

Brazzo, being informed of the extreme poverty of his daughter, exclaims, when alone, "Alas, my girl! Art thou so poor? Poverty dwells next door to despair there is but a thin and broken wall between them."

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One more extract. Hippolito, to further the reconciliation of Brazzo to his daughter, visits the house of Beraldo.

Hippolito. I must chide thee, Beraldo, for thy long estrangement from me. How has it happed that, being neighbours here in Milan, we have been thus distant?

Beraldo. O, my lord, though the hovel of the beggar should touch the palace of the prince, still is the distance between them measureless.

Hippolito. But thou didst know me, Beraldo.

Beraldo. As Hippolito I knew you, not as the heir of Milan.

Hippolito. And didst thou think that fortune had so changed me that I was not still Hippolito ?

Beraldo. Pardon me, my lord, I have been a fool-I am still a fool. When fortune smiled upon me, I was praised for a certain bluntness which, in a laced coat, was called honesty; of late days it hath gone by the different names of sullenness and impertinence. I will try what you will call it. I felt that if I had been Beraldo in the palace, I should not have waited until Hippolito had crept from the hovel to find me.

There are some wholesome lessons against becoming a doctor.

O, never let the smooth-tongued, smiling, sycophantic dealer wheedle you into purchasing wares for which you cannot immediately pay. Every one who contracts a debt promises to pay, and if the time of payment arrives and he is unable, he may be charged with breach of promise. The same wheedling trader, no longer with fascinating smiles, will tell you that you have been living upon his property-you cannot deny it—he will then insolently add, that when you contracted the debt you did not mean to pay it-and, though conscious of honest purpose, you may look in his coward eye till it quails and seeks the earth, the same loquacious shopboy tongue will continue its false assertions, which you will not repel-for, though indignant at the foul charges, you know that you are-a debtor to the wretch who insults you.

There is an upper and under plot; one to reconcile the father to his disobedient, but long-suffering, virtuous, and repentant daughter, and one to punish the coxcomb Lodovico, to unite the fool and the lady's attendant, and to cure the young bride of jealousy produced by her husband's agency in the first plot. Perhaps too much of this. We will resume our history.

The Philadelphia theatre, in the season of 17991800, was tenanted by the following very strong company :-Messrs. Warren, Wood, Cooper, Bernard, Marshall, Cain, Blisset, Darley, sen., L'Estrange, Warrell, Francis, Wignell, Doctor, Morris, Robbins, Cromwell, Warrell, jun., Mitchell, Hopkins, and Master Harris; Messrs. Holland, Milbourne, and Robins, artists in the scene department; Mesdames Merry, Marshall, Morris, Warrell, Francis, Doctor, Gillingham, Salmon, Ber

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