Fletcher concludes the play with saying

"On lustful Kings,

"Unlook'd-for, sudden deaths from Heav'n are

"sent;

"But curst is he that is their instrument."

In the 2d act Evadne laughs at Amintor for supposing a person of her years to be a maid-Cibber says, that this speech sometimes caused a smile at the expense of the private character of the actress. who performed the part.

In the 5th act, the King is discovered in bedEvadne comes into his room, as she had been accustomed to do-she wakes him and then stabs himthis scene seems to have given offence to Charles the 2d, who was perhaps not without apprehensions, that some woman, in a fit of jealousy or revenge, might serve him the same trick.

Waller wrote a new fifth act to please the Court -(Langbaine)--but he does not seem to have made any alteration in the other parts of the play-this act is in rhyme and very inferiour to the original-the plot is altered much for the worse-Evadne goes into voluntary banishment-Amintor and Aspatia are kept alive and married-the King lives and is reconciled to Melantius-Waller concludes with a compliment to the King and the Duke of York, the more elegant, as it is indirect

"Of all we offer to the powers above,

"The sweetest incense is fraternal love : "Like the rich clouds that rise from melted gums, "It spreads itself, and the whole Isle perfumes." 7. King and no King. Arbaces Hart: Bessus

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= Shotterel: Mardonius = Mohun: Tigranes Burt: Gobrias Wintershall: Lygones Cartwright: Panthea Madam Gwyn: Arane = Mrs. Corey:-Arbaces, King of Iberia, had taken Tigranes, King of Armenia, prisoner he offers him his sister Panthea in marriage -Arbaces himself had not seen Panthea since she was 9 years old-when he does see her, he falls desperately in love with her—she gradually entertains a love for him, greater than that of a sister to a brother -Arbaces turns out to be the son of Gobrias, and consequently no relation to Panthea, who is the lawful queen-the plot is exceptionable, as being founded on incest-but on the whole this is a very good play -Bessus is a laughable character-Pepys does not notice this play—but it must have been revived before Nell Gwyn left the T. R.-it was acted for the last time at C. G. Jan. 14 1788.

8. Rollo, Duke of Normandy.

Rollo Hart:

Aubrey Mohun: Otto Kynaston: La Torch= Burt: Edith Mrs. Marshall: Dutchess Mrs. Corey : -see T. R. 1685.

9. Scornful Lady-see Dec. 27 1666.

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10. Elder Brother. Charles Burt: Eustace= Kynaston: Their Father Loveday: The Uncle = Gradwel Charles' Man Shotterel: Lady = Mrs. Rutter: Lilia Bianca Mrs. Boutel:-Downes is here shamefully negligent, because he would not give himself the trouble of looking into Fletcher-the Father is Brisac-the Uncle is Miramont-the Lady is Angellina-the Servant is Andrew, and his wife, Lilly —Lilia Bianca is one of the principal characters in the Wild-Goose Chase.

11. Othello-For Downes' cast see Feb. 6 1669

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there is an edition of Othello with the following cast -which seems to have been the cast of 1672-or thereabouts-as the names of Beeston and Mrs. Cox appear in it-Othello Hart: Iago Mohun: Cassio =Kynaston: Brabantio = Cartwright: Roderigo = Beeston: Duke = Lydal: Gratiano = Griffin: Ludovico = Harris: Clown Haines: Desdemona = Mrs. Cox Emilia Mrs. Rutter: Bianca - Mrs. James. 12. Henry 4th part 1st-see T. R. Nov. 2 1667. 13 and 14. Maiden Queen and Mock Astrologerthese were doubtless stock plays, but Downes should not have reckoned them among the old ones.

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15. Julius Cæsar. Brutus Hart: Antony = Kynaston = Cassius Mohun: Julius Cæsar - Bell: Portia Mrs. Corbet: Calphurnia Mrs. Marshall: -as Bell acted in this play, it must have been revived about 1671.

Downes next gives us a list of 21 old plays, which were revived between 1663 and 1682.

1. Catiline-see Dec. 19 1668.

2. Merry Wives of Windsor-acted Aug. 15 1667. 3. Opportunity-this is a good C. by ShirleyBorgia is said to have been from home for some few years-Aurelio, a gentleman of Milan, arrives at Urbino, and is accosted by every body as Borgia—the personal likeness between them is supposed to be so great, that even Borgia's father believes him to be his son-Aurelio humours the mistake-the Dutchess of

Urbino, and Cornelia, fall in love with Aurelio-he falls in love with Cornelia, but is yet greatly flattered by the partiality of the Dutchess-she at last dictates to him, as her Secretary, a love letter with a promise of marriage, and directs him to give it to him that loves her best-between his hopes of success, and his fears that the Dutchess is not in earnest, he is much perplexed; and gives the letter to the Duke of Ferrarathereby losing the golden Opportunity-the Dutchess dissembles her disappointment, and marries the Duke.

The manner, in which some of the articles in the B. D. have been compiled, is truly ludicrous-Langbaine says of this play, "the resemblance of Aurelio "to Borgia is founded on the same with Measure for "Measure" he should have said the Comedy of Errors-both the editors of the B. D. repeat Langbaine's palpable blunder.

4. Example this C. was written by Shirley-Sir Walter Peregrine had gone abroad-on his return, he finds that Lord Fitzavarice had made his wife some valuable presents--he at first supposes that they have been obtained by the loss of her virtue-but at the conclusion every thing is cleared up to his satisfaction, and Lady Peregrine is said to be the "Example” of chaste honour-this part of the play is good-the underplot has little to recommend it-the titlepage of this play does not express of what description it is -Langbaine and both the Editors of the B. D. call it a Tragi-Comedy-which is a plain proof that no one of them had read it.

5. Jovial Crew-see T. R. Jan. 11 1669.

6. Philaster-see T. R. May 30 1668.

7. Cardinal by Shirley-the King of Navarre forces the Dutchess Rosaura to engage herself to the Cardinal's nephew, Columbo-she requests Columbo by letter to release her from her engagement-this he apparently does-she then marries Alvarez, but on the wedding day Columbo and his friends murder Alvarez-the influence of the Cardinal with the King is so great, that Columbo goes unpunished-but Hernando, to revenge his own wrongs and those of Alvarez, kills Columbo-the Dutchess pretends to grow mad, and is consigned by the King to the care of the Cardinal; who, not considering her death simply, as a sufficient satisfaction for the loss of his nephew, determines first to ravish and then to poison her— Hernando comes to her assistance and wounds the Cardinal-the King &c. enter the Cardinal says (falsely) that he has poisoned her, but that in proof of his repentance, as a dying man, he will furnish her with an antidote he takes part of it himself, and gives her the rest-she drinks it-the Cardinal then avows that the pretended antidote was really poison, which he did not scruple to take himself as his wounds were mortal--the surgeon assures him they were not -and the Cardinal acknowledges that he has caught himself in his own snare-Miss Lee in her T. of Almeyda (see D. L. April 20 1796) has professedly borrowed the circumstance of the antidote, but she has not managed it quite so well; as Abdallah is knowingly the cause of his own death, whereas the Cardinal considers himself as dying, and that his taking of the poison is a matter of no importance— the Cardinal is a very good T.

8. Bartholemew Fair-this is a very good play