,a ,,history ,,of ,,pantomime by ,r4 ,j4 ,,broadbent ,author of ,,stage ,,whispers1 etc4 ,,london3 ,,to ,,william ,,wade1 ,,esquire4 ,this book is dedicated as a small token of the ,author's esteem and regard4 ,r4,j4,b4 ,,preface4 ,one of the most important factors in the making of ,theatrical ,history has been that of ,pantomime1 yet in many of the published works dealing with the ,history of the ,stage it has1 with the exception of a passing reference here and there1 been much neglected4 ,it is with a view of conveying to the reading public some little1 and1 perhaps1 new information about this ancient form of entertainment that ,i am tempted to issue this ,history of ,pantomime in the hope and belief that it may not only prove interesting1 but also instructive1 to all lovers of the ,stage4 ,r4,j4,b4 ,liverpool1 ,december1 #aija4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,origin of ,pantomime ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,origin of ,tragedy and ,comedy--,mythology--,the meaning of the word ,pantomime--,the origin of ,harlequin1 ,columbine1 ,clown1 and ,pantaloon--,grecian ,mythology--,transformation ,scenes--,the rise of ,grecian ,tragedy and ,comedy--,the ,satirical ,drama ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the origin of the ,indian ,drama--,aryan ,mythology--,clown and ,columbine--,origin of the ,chinese ,drama--,inception of the ,japanese ,drama--,the ,siamese ,drama--,dramatic performances of the ,south ,sea ,islanders1 ,peruvians1 ,aztecs1 ,zulus1 and ,fijis--,the ,egyptian ,drama ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,dancing1 i4e4 ,pantomime--,grecian ,dancing and ,pantomimic ,scenes--,aristotle--,homer--,dances common to both ,greeks and ,romans ,,chapter ,v4 ,thespis--,the ,progress of ,tragedy and ,comedy--,aeschylus--,the ,epope--,homer--,sophocles--,euripides-- ,grecian ,mimes--,the ,first ,athenian ,theatre--,scenery and ,effects ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,roman ,theatres--,description--,deadheads--,pa ntomime in ,italy--,livius ,andronicus--,fabulae ,atellanae--,extemporal ,comedy--,origin of the ,masque1 ,opera1 and ,vaudeville--,origin of the term ,histrionic--,etruscans--,popularity of ,pantomime in ,italy--,pantomimists banished by ,trajan--,nero as a ,mime--,pylades and ,bathyllus--,subjects chosen for the ,roman ,pantomimes--,the ,ballet--,the ,mimi and ,pantomimi--,archimimus--,vespasian--,ha rlequin--,mr4 ,punch--,zany1 how the word originated--,ancient ,masks--,lucian1 ,cassiodorus1 and ,demetrius in praise of ,pantomime--,a celebrated ,mima--,pantomimes denounced by early writers--,the purity of the ,english stage contrasted with that of the ,grecian and ,roman--,female parts on the ,grecian and ,roman stages--,the principal ,roman ,mimas--,the origin of the ,clown of the early ,english ,drama ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,introduction of the ,roman ,pantomimic ,art into ,britain--,first ,english reference to the word ,pantomime--,the fall of the ,roman ,empire--,the sacred play--,cornish ,amphitheatres--,pantomimical and ,lyrical elements in the sacrifice of the ,mass--,christian banishment of the ,mimis--,penalties imposed by the ,church--,st4 ,anthony on ,harlequin and ,punch--,vandenhoff--what we owe to the ,mimis ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,pantomime in the ,english ,mystery or ,miracle ,plays and ,pageants--,a retrospect of the ,early ,drama--,mysteries on ,biblical events--,chester1 ,coventry1 ,york1 and ,towneley ,mystery ,plays--,plays in ,churches--,traces of the ,mystery ,play in ,england in the ,nineteenth ,century--,mystery ,plays on the ,continent--,the ,chester series of ,plays--,the ,devil or ,clown and the ,exodiarii and ,emboliariae of the ,ancient ,mimes ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,the ,clown or ,fool of the early ,english ,drama--,moralities--,the ,interlude--,the rise of ,english ,tragedy and ,comedy--,dumb ,shews in the ,old ,plays--,plays suppressed by ,elizabeth--,a retrospect ,,chapter ,x4 ,the ,italian ,masque--,the ,masque in ,england--,first appearance in this country of ,harlequin--,joe ,haines as ,harlequin--,marlowe's ,faustus--,a ,curious ,play--,the ,italian ,harlequin--,colley ,cibber1 ,penkethman--,shakespeare's ,burlesques of the ,masque--,decline of the ,masque ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,italian ,pantomime--,riccoboni--,broom's ,antipodes--,gherardi--,extemporal ,comedies--,salvator ,rosa--,impromptu ,acting ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,pantomimical ,characters--,neapolitan ,pantomime--,the ,harlequin ,family--,the ,original ,characters in the ,italian ,pantomimes--,celebrated ,harlequins--,italian and ,french ,harlequins--,a ,french view of the ,english ,clown--,pierrots' origin--,pantaloon1 how the name has been derived--,columbine--,marionette and ,puppet ,shows ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,italian ,scenarios and ,english ,platts--,pantaloon--,tarleton1 the ,clown--,extemporal ,comedy--,the ,poet ,milton--,ben ,jonson--,the ,commonwealth--,a ,reign of ,dramatic ,terror--,robert ,cox and his ,humours and ,drolleries--,the ,restoration ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,introduction of ,pantomimes to the ,english ,stage--,weaver's ,history of the ,mimes and ,pantomimes--,weaver's ,pantomimes--,the prejudice against ,pantomimes--,booth's counsel ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,john ,rich and his ,pantomimes--,rich's ,miming--,garrick1 ,walpole1 ,foote--,anecdotes of ,rich--,pope--,the dance of internals in ,harlequin ,sorcerer--,drury ,lane--,colley ,cibber--,henry ,fielding1 the ,novelist--,contemporary ,writers' opinion of ,pantomime--,woodward1 the ,harlequin--,the meaning of the word ,actor--,harlequins--,dr4 ,faustus1 a description--,william ,rufus ,chetwood--,accidents--,vandermere1 the ,harlequin--,orpheus and ,eurydice at ,covent ,garden--,a description--,sam4 ,hoole1 the machinist--,prejudice against ,pantomime--,mrs4 ,oldfield--,robert ,wilks--,macklin--,riot at ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields ,theatre--,death of ,rich ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,joseph ,grimaldi ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,plots of the old form of ,pantomimes--,a description of ,harlequin and the ,ogress2 or the ,sleeping ,beauty of the ,wood1 produced at ,covent ,garden--,grimaldi1 ,pre et ,fils--,tom ,ellar1 the ,harlequin1 and ,barnes1 the ,pantaloon--,an account of the first production of the ,house that ,jack built1 at ,covent ,garden--,spectacular display--,antiquity and ,origin of some ,pantomimic devices--,devoto1 ,angelo1 and ,french1 the ,scenic ,artists--,transparencies--,beverley--,t ransformation ,scenes ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,pantomimic ,families--,giuseppe ,grimaldi--,james ,byrne1 the ,harlequin and ,inventor of the modern ,harlequin's dress--,joseph ,grimaldi1 ,junior--,the ,bologna ,family--,tom ,ellar--,the ,ridgways--,the ,bradburys--,the ,montgomerys--,the ,paynes--,the ,marshalls--,charles and ,richard ,stilt--,richard ,flexmore--,tom ,gray--,the ,paulos--,dubois--,arthur and ,charles ,leclerq--,jimmy ,barnes--,famous ,pantaloons--,miss ,farren--,mrs4 ,siddons--,columbines--,notable ,actors in ,pantomime ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,popular ,pantomime subjects--,poor ,pantomime ,librettos--,pantomime subjects of our progenitors--,the various versions of ,aladdin--,the ,babes in the ,wood--,blue ,beard--,beauty and the ,beast--,cinderella--,dick ,whittington--,the ,house that ,jack ,built--,jack the ,giant ,killer--,jack and the ,beanstalk--,red ,riding-,hood--,the ,sleeping ,beauty in the ,wood--,unlucky subjects--,ali ,baba and the ,forty ,thieves--,the ,fair ,one with ,golden ,locks--,the source of ,sindbad the ,sailor and ,robinson ,crusoe ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,pantomime in ,america ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,pantomimes made more attractive--,the ,restrictive ,policy of the ,patent ,houses--,mother ,goose and ,george ,barnwell at ,covent ,garden--,lively ,audiences--,jane ,shore--,harlequin ,pat and ,harlequin ,bat--,the first speaking opening--,extravagence in ,extravaganzas--,the doom of the old form of ,pantomime--,its revival in a new form--,a piece of pure ,pantomime--,present day ,mimetic ,art--,l',enfant ,prodigue--,a retrospect--,the old with the new1 and conclusion ,,chapter ,i4 ,origin of ,pantomime4 ,from the beginning of all time there has been implanted in the human breast the ,dramatic instinct full of life and of vigour1 and finding undoubtedly its outlet1 in the early days of civilization1 if not in the ,dramatic ,art then in the poetry of motion with that necessary and always essential concomitant of both--,pantomime4 ,indeed1 of the ,terpsichorean ,art1 it has been truly observed ,that deprived of the imitative principle 7i4e41 ,pantomime71 the strength1 the mute expression1 it becomes nothing but a series of cadenced steps1 interesting merely as a graceful exercise4 ,equally so in every way does it apply to the ,dramatic ,art1 which minus its acting1 its gestures--in a word1 its ,pantomime--we have nothing but1 to quote ,hamlet1 ,words1 words1 words4 ,in observing ,that all the world's a stage1 and the men and women merely players1 ,shakespeare doubtless included in the generic term players1 ,pantomimists as well3 ,inasmuch as this1 that when1 and wherever a character is portrayed1 or represented1 be it in real life or on the stage--,nature's looking-glass1 and the world in miniature--the words that the individual or the character speaks1 are accompanied with gesture and motion1 or1 in other words1 ,pantomime1 when ,the action is suited to the word1 the word to the action4 ,to trace the original origin of ,pantomime1 or ,mimicry1 we must go to ,nature herself where we can find this practised by her from the beginning of all time as freely1 and as fully1 as ever it was1 or ever will be1 upon the stages of our theatres4 ,what better evidence1 or instances1 of this can we have than in those studies of her handiwork8 as the larger species of caterpillars1 when1 by stretching themselves out in imitation of1 and to make their foes think that they are snakes2 tigers and lions choosing a background in keeping with1 and in imitation of1 the colours of their bodies1 in order to seize their unwary prey2 and for the same purpose crocodiles imitating a rotting log2 the green tint of the lizard's skin for the sake of concealment2 the playful imitativeness of the mocking bird2 the hysterical laugh of the hyaena2 the gaudy colours of tropical snakes imitated by others1 besides many other examples of ,mimicry1 in such as butterflies of the species ,danaidae and ,acraediae1 the ,heliconidiae of tropical ,america2 and hornets1 wasps1 ants1 and bees4 ,all this1 it may be urged1 is only instinct4 ,true2 but is it not also ,mimicry--the ,pantomime of ,nature1 and1 though1 of course1 of a different kind1 and for very different objects1 is1 nevertheless1 of a kind of instinctive ,pantomime or ,mimicry which each and every one of us possesses in greater or lesser degrees1 and as much as we do the ,dramatic instinct4 ,the very name ,pantomime itself signifies ,nature as ,pan was amongst the ,ancients1 the allegorical god of ,nature1 the shepherd of ,arcadia1 and with ,mimos1 meaning an imitator1 we have1 in the combination of these two words1 an imitator of ,nature1 and from whence we derive the origin of our word ,pantomime4 ,dryden says3-- ,pan taught to join with wax unequal reeds2 ,pan loves the shepherds and the flocks he feeds4 ,pan1 says ,servius1 is a rustic god1 formed in similitude of ,nature1 whence he is called ,pan1 i4e41 ,all3 for he has horns in similitude of the rays of the sun and the horns of the moon2 his face is as ruddy as the imitation of the aether2 he has a spotted fawn skin on his breast in likeness of the stars2 his lower parts are shaggy on account of the trees1 shrubs1 and wild beasts2 he has goat's feet to denote the stability of the earth2 he has a pipe of seven reeds on account of the harmony of the heavens1 in which there are seven sounds2 he has a crook1 that is a curved staff1 on account of the year1 which runs back on itself because he is the god of all ,nature4 ,bernardin de ,st4 ,pierre observes of ,pantomime1 ,that it was the first language of man2 it is known to all nations2 and is so natural and so expressive that the children of white parents learn it rapidly when they see it used by the negroes4 ,of the ,pantomimic language--a universal language and common to the whole world from time immemorial--,charles ,darwin says in his ,descent of ,man1 that ,the intellectual and social faculties of man could hardly have been inferior in any extreme degree to those now possessed by the lowest savage2 otherwise primeval man could not have been so eminently successful in the struggle for life as proved by his early and wide diffusion4 ,from the fundamental differences between certain languages some philologists have inferred that1 when man first became widely diffused1 he was not a speaking animal2 but it may be suspected that languages1 far less perfect than any now spoken1 aided by gestures1 might have been used1 and yet have left no traces on subsequent and more highly-developed tongues4 ,with the progress of1 and also as an aid to1 civilization how could the traveller or the trader1 not only in the beginning of time1 but also now1 when occasion demands1 in their intercourse with foreign nations 7unless1 of course1 they know the language7 make themselves understood1 or be able to trade1 unless they were or are able to use that dumb silent language--,pantomime8 ,civilization undoubtedly owes much of its progress to it1 and1 also the world at large1 to this only and always universal language4 ,to both the deaf1 as well as the dumb1 its advantages have ever been apparent4 ,therefore1 from prehistoric times1 and from the beginning of the world1 we may presume to have had in some form or another1 the ,pantomimic ,art4 ,in the lower stages of humanity1 even in our own times1 there is1 in all probability1 a close similarity to the savagedom of mankind in the early ,antediluvian period as ,this is shown 7says ,darwin7 by the pleasure which they all take in dancing1 rude music1 painting1 tattooing1 and otherwise decorating themselves--in their mutual comprehension of gesture language1 and by the same inarticulate cries1 when they are excited by various emotions4 ,it naturally follows that even if there was only dancing1 there must necessarily1 as a form of entertainment1 have also been ,pantomime4 ,again1 all savage tribes have a war-dance of some description1 in which in fighting costume they invariably go through1 in ,pantomimic form1 the respective movements of the ,challenge1 the ,conflict1 the ,pursuit1 and the ,defeat1 whilst other members of the tribe1 both men and women1 give additional stimulus to these representations by a rude form of music4 ,the ,ostyak tribe of ,northern ,asia give us a specimen of the rude imitative dances of early civilization in a ,pantomimic exhibition of the ,chase2 the gambols and habits of the wolf and other wild beasts4 ,the ,pantomimic dances of the ,kamchadales are in imitation of birds1 dogs1 and bears2 and the ,damaras represent1 by four of the tribe stooping down with their heads together1 and uttering harsh cries1 the movements of oxen1 and of sheep4 ,the ,australian ,bushmen ,mimic the leaping of calves1 the antics of the baboon1 and the buzzing of swarms of bees4 ,primitive ,pantomimic dancing is practised amongst the ,south ,sea ,islanders1 and other races1 and just as it was1 presumably1 at the beginning of the world4 ,having briefly traced the origin of ,pantomime1 and the source of dancing1 let us1 in order to further amplify my subject1 look at also for a moment the origin of music1 in the time of prehistoric man4 ,from ,nature also do we derive this art1 as ,the sighing of the wind passing over a bed of reeds is ,nature's first suggestion of breath1 and of music4 ,the clapping of hands and the stamping of feet is man's first element in the making of music1 which developed itself into the formation of drums1 bells1 and cymbals1 and the evolution of the same primary principle4 ,it has been argued1 and also ridiculously pretended1 that in the ,antediluvian period mankind only lived in caves with the hairy mammoth1 the cave bear1 the rhinoceros1 and the hyaena1 in a state of barbarous savagery2 and that only since the ,deluge have the ,arts been known and cities built on this terrestrial sphere of ours4 ,could anything be more fallacious8 ,we know1 from the ,bible1 that the first man was created about six thousand years ago1 and some sixteen hundred and fifty-six years afterwards the inhabitants of the world1 with the exception of ,noah and his family1 consisting of eight souls all told1 were destroyed by the flood4 ,noah and his family1 we can take it1 were of the same race of mankind then on the earth1 of the same descent and of the same flesh and blood 7as we all are7 of our common father and mother1 ,adam and ,eve2 yet we are not told that ,noah 7he was six hundred years old when he went into the ,ark7 and his family were savages4 ,in the #dth chapter1 #bast verse of ,genesis1 of ,jubal-,cain1 we learn that ,he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ2 and in the following verse1 ,tubal-,cain is described as ,an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron4 ,we learn1 also1 that magnificent statues were made in ,egypt some six thousand years ago2 and that mention is made of a statue of ,king ,cephren1 said to have been chiselled about this period1 and many learned men also affirm that letters were known to the inhabitants of the ,antediluvian world4 ,all this1 however1 hardly looks like the work of a barbarous race1 and points to an acquaintance with the ,arts1 at any rate of ,music and ,sculpture1 and that of the artificers and workers in brass and iron4 ,to follow1 for my subject1 this reasoning a little further1 if there was music 7which1 doubtless1 there was7 there must also have been dancing1 and1 if dancing1 there must1 in the ,antediluvian age1 as a form of entertainment1 have also been ,pantomime4 ,on the other hand1 even supposing that man1 at this period1 was nothing else but a complete savage1 the words of ,darwin1 that ,i have quoted on a previous page1 conclusively proves1 ,i think 7on a common-sense like basis71 of the existence of dancing1 a rude form of music1 and1 of course1 ,pantomime at this epoch4 ,ingersoll's doctrine was that ,the distance from savagery to ,shakespeare must be measured not by hundreds1 but by millions1 of years4 ,finally1 why1 and for what reason1 should the ,lord ,god1 in ,his all-seeing goodness and mercy1 punish the inhabitants of the ,antediluvian world if they were only poor unenlightened savages8 ,was it not because they were idolaters and worshippers of idols1 ,and that every imagination of the thoughts of his 7man's7 heart was only evil continually1 as the sixth chapter and fifth verse of ,genesis tells us8 ,this then being so1 we know also that in every ancient form of religion dancing was one of the acts of worship1 and if dancing1 there must as previously stated1 have also been ,pantomime4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,origin of ,tragedy and ,comedy--,mythology--,the meaning of the word ,pantomime--,the origin of ,harlequin1 ,columbine1 ,clown1 and ,pantaloon--,grecian ,mythology--,transformation ,scenes--,the rise of ,grecian ,tragedy and ,comedy--,the ,satirical ,drama4 ,in the year #bcdg ,b4,c41 in ,chapter #i1 verse #bj1 in ,genesis1 there occurs3 ,and ,noah began to be a husbandman1 and he planted a vineyard4 ,this is one of the first acts that ,noah did after the ,deluge1 and it is1 as history tells us1 from the rites and ceremonies in celebration of the cultivation of the vine1 that we owe the origin of ,tragedy and ,comedy4 ,after the ,deluge ,god placed ,his bow in the heavens as ,his covenant with man that the world should no more be accursed2 and in the first ages of this world's history1 ,noah and his descendants celebrated their deliverance from the ,ark1 the return of the seasons1 and the promise of plenty in their several religious rites and ceremonies4 ,the children of ,shem had in general ,asia as their portion2 ,japhet had ,europe2 and ,ham1 ,africa4 ,soon1 however1 religion began to lose its purity1 and it then began to degenerate very fast4 ,men began to repair to the tops of mountains1 lonely caves and grottoes1 where they thought resided their gods4 ,to honour them they erected altars and performed their vows4 ,amongst the ,ancients their ,mythology went no further than the epoch of the ,deluge1 and in honour of which1 and also of the ,ark1 they erected many temples called ,aren1 ,theba1 ,argus 7from whence was probably derived the ,argo of the ,argonauts1 and the sacred ship of ,osiris71 ,cibotus1 ,toleus1 and ,baris4 ,the symbol by which the ,mythologists represented the ,ark was an immense egg4 ,this was supposed to have been produced by ,ether and ,chaos1 at the bidding of ,time1 the one ethereal being who created the universe4 ,by ,nox 7,night7 the egg was hatched1 which1 being opened into two parts1 from the upper part was formed heaven1 and the lower earth4 ,in the sacred rites of ,osiris1 ,isis1 and the ,dionysia of ,bacchus1 the ,ark or ,ship was introduced4 ,the ,dove1 by many nations1 in their celebrations1 was looked upon as a special emblem of peace and good-will4 ,theba1 in ,egypt1 was originally one of the temples dedicated to the ,ark4 ,both priests and sooth-sayers were styled ,ionah or ,doves4 ,to ,dodona1 in ,epirus1 was brought this and the first ,grecian oracle all the rites and history of the ,thebans4 ,the priestesses of this temple were known in the ,latin as ,columbae4 ,it is from this word that we derive the name ,columbine1 which means1 in the ,italian1 little dove4 ,homer alludes to the priestesses as doves1 and that they administered to ,zeuth 7,noah74 ,nonnus speaks of ,cadmus1 and others of ,orpheus1 as introducing into ,greece the rites of ,dionysus or ,bacchus4 ,the ,ancients1 mentions ,kennedy in his work on ,mythology1 have highly reverenced ,noah1 and designated him as ,noa1 ,noos1 ,nous1 ,nus1 ,nusas1 ,nusus 7in ,india71 ,thoth1 ,hermes1 ,mercury1 ,osiris1 ,prometheus1 ,deucalion1 ,atlas1 ,deus1 ,zeus1 and ,dios4 ,dios was one of the most ancient terms for ,noah1 and whence was derived ,deus--,nusus compounded of ,dios and ,nusos1 which gives us ,dionysus1 the ,bacchus of the ,greeks1 and the chief god of the heathen world4 ,bacchus was1 properly speaking1 ,cush 7the son of ,ham1 and grandson of ,noah71 though both ,dionysus and ,bacchus are1 by ancient writers1 frequently confounded with one another4 ,the resting of the ,ark upon ,mount ,baris1 ,minyas1 the ,ararat of ,moses in ,armenia1 the dispersal of the flood1 the multiplication of the families of the earth1 and the migration from the plains of ,shinar of the descendants of the sons of ,chus or ,cush 7as it is sometimes written71 and called ,chushites or ,cushites1 to different parts of the world1 being joined by other nations1 particularly those of the descendants of ,ham1 one of the sons of ,noah4 ,they were the first apostates from the truth1 but being great in worldly wisdom and knowledge they were thought to be1 and looked upon as a superior class of beings4 ,ham they looked upon as a divinity1 and under the name of ,ammon they worshipped him as the ,sun1 and ,chus likewise as ,apollo1 a name which was also bestowed by the ,ancients upon ,noah4 ,the worship of the sun in all probability originated the eastern position in our churches4 ,another of the ancient deities worshipped by the ,ammonians was ,meed1 or ,meet1 the ,cybele of the ,phrygians1 the nurse of ,dionysus1 and the ,soul of the ,world4 ,nimrod1 the mighty hunter 7who possessed the regions of ,babylonia and ,chaldee71 and one of the sons of ,cush1 was the builder of that seminary of idolatory the ,city and ,tower of ,bel1 and erected in honour of the god ,bel1 and another name for the sun4 ,upon the confusion of tongues when hitherto ,the whole earth was of one language1 and of one speech1 it came to be known as ,babylon1 ,the ,city of ,confusion4 ,homer introduces ,orion 7,nimrod7 as a giant and a hunter in the shades below1 and the author of the ,pascal ,chronicles mentions that ,nimrod taught the ,assyrians or ,babylonians to worship fire4 ,the priests of ,ammon1 named ,petor or ,pator1 used to dance round a large fire1 which they affected in their dancing to describe4 ,probably from this the ,dervish dances all over the ,east may be traced to this source4 ,kennedy observes1 of the confusion of tongues at ,babel1 that it was only a labial failure1 so that the people could not articulate4 ,it was not an aberration in words or language1 but a failure and incapacity in labial utterance4 ,epiphanius says that ,babel1 or ,babylon1 was the first city built after the flood4 ,the ,cushites were a large and numerous body1 and after their dispersion from ,babylon they were scattered ,abroad upon the face of the earth4 ,they were the same people who imparted their rites and religious services into ,egypt1 as far as the ,indus and the ,ganges1 and still further into ,japan and ,china4 ,from this event is to be discovered the fable of the flight of the ,grecian god ,bacchus1 the fabulous wanderings of ,osiris1 and the same god under another name1 of the ,egyptians4 ,wherever ,dionysus1 ,osiris1 or ,bacchus went1 the ,ancients say that he taught the cultivation of the soil1 and the planting of the vine4 ,dionysus1 ,bacchus1 or ,osiris1 as ,i have shown in a preceding page1 were only other designations for ,noah4 ,of the ,hindu heathen deity1 ,vishnu1 ,father ,boushet mentions an ,indian tradition1 concerning a flood which covered the whole earth1 when ,vishnu made a raft1 and1 being turned into a fish1 steered it with his tail4 ,vishnu1 like ,dagon1 was represented under the figure of a man and fish4 ,strangely enough1 the regions said to have been traversed by ,dionysus1 ,osiris1 or ,bacchus were1 at different times1 passed through by the posterity of ,ham1 and in many of them they took up their residence4 ,in his journeyings the chief attendants of ,osiris1 or ,bacchus1 were ,pan1 ,anabis1 ,macedo1 the ,muses1 the ,satyrs1 and ,bacchic women were all in his retinue4 ,the people of ,india claim him as their own1 and maintain that he was born at ,nusa in their country4 ,arrian speaks of the ,nuseans as being the attendants of ,dionysus4 ,in all traditions ,dionysus appears as the representative of some power of ,nature4 ,the first who reduced ,mythology to a kind of system were1 in all probability1 the ,egyptians4 ,egypt was ever the land of graven images1 and under the veil of ,allegory and ,mythology the priests concealed religion from the eyes of the vulgar4 ,in the beginning1 brute animals and certain vegetables were represented as the visible symbols of the deities to which they were consecrated4 ,hence ,jupiter ,ammon was represented under the figure of a ,ram2 ,apis under a ,cow2 ,osiris of a ,bull2 ,mercury or ,thol of an ,ibis2 ,diana or ,babastis of a ,cat2 and ,pan of a ,goat4 ,from these sources are derived the fabulous transformation of the gods celebrated in ,egyptian ,mythology1 and afterwards imported into ,greece and ,italy to serve as the subjects of the ,grecian and ,roman ,pantomimes4 ,pantomime as we now know the term1 means1 not only the ,art of acting in dumb show1 but also that of a spectacle or ,christmas entertainment4 7,i may add in parenthesis1 that in the early part of the last century--the nineteenth--the dictionaries only refer to ,pantomime as meaning the former of the above two definitions1 and not the latter47 ,pan1 regarded as the symbol of the universe1 was also the god of flocks1 pastures1 and shepherds in classic ,mythology1 and the guardian of bees1 hunting and fishing in his ,kingdom of ,arcadia4 ,his form1 like the ,satyrs1 both supposed to have been the offsprings of ,mercury1 was that of a man combined with a goat1 having horns and feet like the latter animal4 ,mimos 7,gr471 as ,i have stated in the beginning1 means an imitator1 or a mimic1 and from which word we have the derivation of the words mimicry1 mimetic1 and the like4 ,pan was the traditional inventor of the ,pandean pipes1 and also from his name we derive many words that are in our language1 such as panic 7,pan used to delight in suddenly surprising the shepherds whilst tending their flocks71 and the other attributes of this noun1 including that recently coined term of the ,americans1 panicy4 ,pan is said to have been the son of ,mercury1 or even ,mercury himself1 and others say that he was the son of ,zeus4 ,mercury and ,zeus1 it will be remembered in ,mythology1 were only names for ,noah4 ,pan is unnoticed by ,homer4 ,a heathen deity of ,italy1 ,lupercus1 the guardian of their flocks and pastures1 has also been identified with ,pan1 and in whose honour annual rural festivals1 known as ,lupercalia1 were observed4 ,the ,lupercalian festivals were held on the #aeth of the ,kalends of ,march4 ,the priests1 ,luperci1 used to dance naked through the streets as part of the ceremonies attached to the festival4 ,mention has been made by ,dr4 ,clarke1 in his ,travels1 ,vol4 ,,iv41 that ,harlequin is the god ,mercury1 with his short sword herpe1 or his rod1 the caduceus 7which has been likened to the sceptre of ,judah71 to render himself invisible1 and to transport himself from one end of the earth to the other1 and that the covering on his head1 the winged cap1 was the petasus4 ,apropos of this1 the following lines in the tenth ,ode1 of the first book of ,horace1 will probably occur to the reader3 ,mercury6 ,atlas' smooth-tongued boy1 whose will ,first trained to speed our wildest earliest race1 ,and gave their rough hewn forms with supple skill ,the gymnast's grace4 ',tis thine the unbodied spirits of the blessed1 ,to guide to bliss1 and with thy golden rod ,to rule the shades2 above1 below1 caressed ,by every god4 ,mercury1 as we have seen1 was among the ,ancients1 only another name for ,noah4 ,indeed1 says ,dr4 ,clarke1 some of the representations of ,mercury upon ancient vases are actually taken from the scenic exhibitions of the ,grecian theatre2 and that these exhibitions were also the prototypes whereon ,d',hancarville shows ,mercury1 ,momus1 and ,psyche delineated as we see ,harlequin1 ,columbine1 and ,clown on our stages4 ,the old man 7,pantaloon71 is ,charon 7the ferryman of hell74 ,the ,clown is ,momus1 the buffoon of heaven1 the god of raillery and wit1 and whose large gaping mouth is in imitation of the ancient masks4 ,amongst the ,aryans1 ,medians1 ,egyptians1 ,chaldeans1 ,babylonians1 and other nations 7including our own1 as did not ,lilly predict the execution of ,charles ,i41 the plague1 the great fire of ,london1 and other events7 was astrology practised4 ,the ,egyptians peopled the constellation of the ,zodiac 7the first open book for mankind to read71 with ,genii1 and one of the twelve ,zodiacal signs was ,aries 7the ,ram74 ,the ram is of the same species as the goat1 and the god ,pan was the ,goat god1 as we know4 ,the astrologers1 in their divinations and rulings of the planets placed the various parts of the body under a planetary influence4 ,the head and face were assigned to the house of ,aries1 and therefore the face notably for the ,pantomimic ,art was placed by the ancient astrologers under the influence of this particular planet4 ,the heathen worship of ,pan was not only known in ,arcadia1 but also throughout ,greece1 although it did not reach ,athens until after ,marathon4 ,of ,pan's death ,plutarch tells the story that in the reign of ,tiberius1 one ,thamus1 a pilot1 visiting the islands of ,paxae1 was told of this god's death4 ,when he reached ,palodes he told the news1 whereupon loud and great lamentations were heard1 as of ,nature herself expressing her grief4 ,the epoch of the story coincides with the enactment of that grim1 and the world's greatest tragedy on the hill of ,golgotha1 and the end1 and the beginning of a new world4 ,rabelais1 ,milton1 ,schiller1 and also ,mrs4 ,browning1 have allusions to this story of ,plutarch's4 ,the ambitious family of the ,titans 7the bones of the giants on the earth before the ,deluge1 gave rise to the stories of the ,titans found in caves71 and their scions and coadjutors ,jupiter1 ,juno1 ,mars1 ,mercury1 ,apollo1 ,diana1 ,bacchus1 ,minerva1 or ,pallas1 ,ceres1 ,proserpine1 ,pluto1 and ,neptune furnish by far the greatest part of the ,mythology of ,greece4 ,tradition says that they left ,phoenicia about the time of ,moses to settle in ,crete1 and from thence they made their way into ,greece1 which was supposed at that time to be inhabited by a race of savages4 ,the arts and inventions were communicated to the natives1 and the blessings of civilization in process of time inspired the inhabitants with admiration4 ,they1 therefore1 relinquished worshipping the luminary and heavenly bodies1 and transferred their devotion to their benefactors4 ,then into existence sprang the most inconsistent and irreconcilable fictions4 ,the deified mortals1 with their foibles and frailities1 were transmitted to posterity in the most glorious manner possible1 and hence accordingly1 in both the ,odyssey and the ,iliad of ,homer1 we have a strange and heterogeneous mixture of what is not only mighty in heroes1 but also that which is equally mean4 ,in the ,grecian ,mythology the labours of ,hercules1 the expedition of ,osiris1 the wanderings and transformation of ,io1 the fable of the conflagration of ,phaeton1 the rage of ,proserpine1 the wanderings of ,ceres1 the ,eleusinian ,mysteries1 the ,orgia1 or sacred rites of ,bacchus1 in fine1 the ground work of ,grecian ,mythology is to be traced to the ,east1 from where also all our nursery tales1 and also our popular ,pantomime subjects2 7which is the subject of another chapter7 perhaps1 with the exception of our own ,robinson ,crusoe1 originated4 ,the nine ,muses called ,pierides in ,grecian ,mythology were the daughters of ,jupiter and ,mnemosyne 7,memory71 supposed to preside over the liberal ,arts and the sciences4 ,they were ,calliope 7,heroic ,poetry71 ,clio ,euterpe 7,music71 ,erato 7,love ,poetry71 ,melpomene 7,tragedy71 ,polyhymnia 7,muse of ,singing and ,rhetoric71 ,terpsichore 7,dancing71 ,thalia 7,comedy71 and ,urania 7,astronomy74 ,mount ,parnassus1 ,mount ,helicon1 and the fountains of ,castalia and ,aganippe were the sacred places of the ,muses4 ,the ,eleusinian ,mysteries are of a period that may be likened to the #gth century ,b4,c41 and at these ,mysteries as many as #cj1jjj persons1 in the time of ,herodotus1 assembled to witness them4 ,the attributes of these ,grecian ,mysteries1 like those of the ,egyptians1 consisted of processions1 sacrificial offerings1 purifications1 dances1 and all that the ,mimetic and the other ,arts could convey2 add to this the various coloured lights1 and the fairy-like grandeur of the whole1 we have something that may be likened to the ,transformation1 and other fairy-like scenes of ,english ,pantomimes and ,extravaganzas4 ,at the ,orgia1 or sacred rites of ,bacchus1 the customary sacrifice to be offered1 because it fed on vines1 was the goat4 ,the vine1 ivy1 laurel1 asphodel1 the dolphin1 lynx1 tiger1 and ass were all sacred to ,bacchus4 ,the acceptable sacrifice to ,venus was a dove2 ,jupiter1 a bull2 an ox of five years old1 ram or boar pig to ,neptune2 and ,diana1 a stag4 ,at the inception of the ,bacchanalian festivals in ,greece1 the tragic song of the ,goat1 a sacred hymn was sung1 and from which rude beginning sprang the ,tragedy and ,comedy of ,greece4 ,the ,greeks place every event as happening in their country1 and it is not surprising that they claim for themselves the inception of ,tragedy and ,comedy1 which they undoubtedly were the originators of in ,greece1 but the religious festivals of ,dionysus1 ,osiris1 and ,bacchus1 to which we are supposed to owe the inception of ,tragedy and ,comedy1 were known long before the ,greeks knew them4 7,dionysus was the patron and protector of theatres47 ,the purport of the song was that ,bacchus imparted his secret of the cultivation of vines to a petty prince in ,attica1 named ,icarius1 who happened one day to espy a goat brouzing upon his plantations1 immediately seized1 and offered it up as a sacrifice to his divine benefactor2 the peasants assembled round their master1 assisted in the ceremony1 and expressed their joy and gratitude in music1 songs1 dances1 and ,pantomime on the occasion2 the sacrifice grew into a festival1 and the festival into an annual solemnity1 attended most probably every year with additional circumstances1 when the countrymen flocked together in crowds1 and sang in rustic strains the praises of their favourite deity4 ,amongst the reported followers of these ,bacchanalian festivals were those fabulous race of grotesque sylvan beings1 previously referred to1 known as the ,satyrs4 ,they were of a sturdy frame1 in features they had broad snub noses1 and appeared in rough skins of animals with large pointed ears1 heavy knots on their foreheads1 and a small tail4 ,the elder ,satyrs were known as ,sileni4 ,the younger were more pleasing and not so grotesque or repulsive in appearance as the elder ,satyrs4 ,to the ,satyrs can be traced the variegated dress of the modern ,harlequin1 as in ancient ,greek history mention is made of the performers enacting ,satyrs being sometimes habited in a tiger's skin of various colours1 which encircled the performer's body tightly1 and who carried a wooden sword1 wore a white hat1 and a brown mask4 ,according to ,servius 7as we have seen7 ,pan had also a bright spotted dress in likeness of the stars4 ,from these rustic festivals originated the ,satyr1 or ,satirical ,drama1 as did its ,italian prototype1 the ,fabulae ,atellanae or1 ,laudi ,osci4 ,these rural sacrifices became1 in process of time1 a solemn fast1 and assumed all the pomp and splendour of a religious ceremony2 poets were employed by the magistrate to compose hymns1 or songs1 for the occasion2 such was the rudeness and simplicity of the age that their bards contended for a prize1 which1 as ,horace intimates1 was scarce worth contending for1 being no more than a goat or skin of wine1 which was given to the happy poet who acquitted himself best in the task assigned him4 ,from such small beginnings ,tragedy and ,comedy took their rise2 and like 7as the best writers on these subjects tell us7 every other production of human art1 extremely contemptible2 that wide and deep stream1 which flows with such strength and rapidity through cultivated ,greece1 took its rise from a small and inconsiderable fountain1 which hides itself in the recesses of antiquity1 and is almost buried in oblivion2 the name alone remains to give us some light into its original nature1 and to inform us1 that ,tragedy and ,comedy1 like every other species of poetry1 owe their birth to ,religion4 ,appropriately does ,horace observe3-- ,nor was the flute at first with silver bound1 ,nor rivalled emulous the trumpet's sound2 ,few were its notes1 its forms were simply plain1 ,yet not unuseful was its feeble strain1 ,to aid the chorus1 and their songs to raise1 ,filling the little theatre with ease1 ,to which a thin and pious audience came ,of frugal manners1 and unsullied fame4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the origin of the ,indian ,drama--,aryan ,mythology--,clown and ,columbine--,origin of the ,chinese ,drama--,inception of the ,japanese ,drama--,the ,siamese ,drama--,dramatic performances of the ,south ,sea ,islanders1 ,peruvians1 ,aztecs1 ,zulus1 and ,fijis--,the ,egyptian ,drama4 ,of the ,indian ,drama we learn that the union of music1 song1 dance1 and ,pantomime took place centuries ago ,b4,c41 at the festivals of the native gods1 to which was afterwards added dialogue1 and long before the advent1 out of which it grew1 of the native drama itself4 ,the progenitors of the ,indo-,european race1 the ,aryans--in ,sanscrit meaning ,agriculturists--who crossed the ,indus from ,amoo1 where they dwelt near the ,oxus1 some two thousand years before ,christ1 were the original ancestors and people of ,india4 ,the ,aryan race 7,hindus and ,persians only speak of themselves as ,aryans7 laid the foundation of the ,grecian and ,roman ,mythology1 the dark and more sombre legends of the ,scandinavian and the ,teuton2 and all derived from the various names grouped round the ,sun god1 which in the lighter themes the ,aryans associated with the rising and the setting of the sun1 in all its heavenly glory1 and with the sombre legends the coming of the winter1 and marking the difference between lightness and darkness4 ,in ,india the origin of dramatic entertainments has been attributed to the sage ,bharata 7meaning an actor71 who received1 it is said1 a communication from the god ,brahma to introduce them1 as the latter had received his knowledge of them from the ,vedas4 ,bharata was also said to be the ,father of dramatic criticism4 ,pantomimic scenes derived from the heathen ,mythology of ,vishnu--a collection of poems and hymns on the ,aryan religion--are even now in ,india occasionally enacted by the ,jatras of the ,bengalis and the ,rasas of the provinces in the west1 and1 just as their forefathers did ages and ages ago4 ,an episode from the history of the god ,vishnu1 in relation to his marriage with ,laxmi1 was a favourite subject for the early ,indian ,drama4 ,of ,vedic ,mythology ,professor ,max ,mller observes that in it ,there are no genealogies1 no settled marriages between gods and goddesses4 ,the father is sometimes the son1 the brother1 the husband1 and she who in one hymn is the mother1 is in another the wife4 ,as the conceptions of the poet vary so varies the nature of these gods4 ,the ,hindoo dramatic writer1 ,babhavti--the ,indian ,shakespeare--introduced with success in one of his dramas1 like in our ,hamlet1 a play within a play1 and much in a similar way as our early dramatists used in their plays1 the dumb shows4 ,between the native ,tragedy and ,comedy1 as in ,china1 there was no definite distinction1 and1 although both contained some of the best and noblest sentiments1 yet the racial philosophy of caste enters greatly into the construction of each4 ,in the ,hindoo ,mythology we have prototypes of the gods of the ,egyptian1 ,grecian1 and ,roman ,mythologies4 ,the god ,vishnu1 who1 in ,aryan ,mythology1 is the wind and ,traverses the heavens in three strides1 is the greatest of all heathen deities4 ,his dwelling-place was ,the aerial mountains1 where the many horned and swiftly moving cattle abide4 ,in ,grecian ,mythology ,hermes or ,mercury took on some of the characteristics of ,vishnu4 ,in the ,eleusinian ,mysteries of the ,greeks1 the signs and symbols that marked the worship of ,vishnu by the ,aryans1 are apparent2 and in the ,british ,museum the scenes of the vases of the ,hamilton collection agree closely with the ,sacti rites of ,hindustan4 ,after having briefly noticed and introduced ,vishnu or ,hermes to the notice of the reader1 we will now take another of the ,aryan deities--,see-,va1 the ,wine god4 ,this myth was the ,dionysus1 or ,bacchus1 of the ,greeks1 and the expedition of this immortal through the world to instruct mankind in agriculture1 is likened as well as the god himself by the ,egyptians to their deity ,osiris--the god of the ,nile4 ,the worship of ,see-,va1 ,bacchus1 or ,osiris extended over ,asia ,minor1 ,greece1 and ,italy4 ,the visit and advent of the ,wine or ,pleasure god ,bacchus to ,india1 with his accompanying train of sylvan and rural deities1 and nymphs1 is supposed to have conquered the ,hindoos1 and taught them civilization1 besides the cultivation of the vine4 ,strange to relate that when ,alexander and his army reached the present ,cabul they found ivy and wild vines 7both sacred to ,bacchus7 growing in abundance1 and they were met by processions dressed in parti-coloured dresses1 playing on drums like the ,bacchic festivals of ,greece and ,lower ,asia of that time4 ,female parts were acted by women1 but it was not a general custom2 and the ,clown of the piece was always a ,brahma1 or if not1 at any rate a pupil of ,brahma4 ,also among the minor characters was the ,vita1 the accomplished companion1 a part sometimes played by men and sometimes by women4 ,probably in this in the latter instance we have the origin of the ,columbine and ,soubrette part in after years of the ,european stage as the term accomplished companion1 would equally apply to both4 ,it is only a surmise1 yet history as we know is continually repeating itself--even in ,soubrette parts1 and in more senses than one4 ,of scenic displays that it possessed there was little or none1 though the exits and entrances to the stage had probably some device to denote them4 ,what they possessed in the way of properties it is more than useless to speculate1 as1 whatever could be said1 could only be conjectural4 ,in dressing their parts propriety in costume1 and in adhering to the habits of the ,indian ,drama1 seems to have been observed with some show of consistency4 ,the ,chinese ,drama also arose from the ,hindoo developing itself as time rolled on from ,pantomimes and ballets4 ,a very ancient ,pantomime is said to have been symbolical of the conquest of ,china by ,wou ,wang4 ,others were on subjects of the ,harvest1 ,war1 and ,peace2 whilst many were only of an obscure nature4 ,with the rise and progress of the native drama about five hundred years before ,christ ,pantomimes fell into disrepute4 ,it is interesting to note that one of the penal codes of the ,celestial ,empire was1 that those who wrote plays with vicious1 or immoral tendencies1 should stay in purgatory as long as their plays were performed4 ,this precept was all right in theory1 but in practice it was more honoured in the breach than in the observance1 as amongst the whole of the ,celestial dramatic writers only one in about ten thousand seems to have conformed to this rule4 ,the dramatic writers of ,china duly observed the question of rank and priority1 and just as much as the native ,hindoo writers observed that of the various phases of caste4 ,plays were divided into acts and scenes1 and occasionally were prefixed by a prologue4 ,performances took sometimes a single day1 and favourite plays oftentimes longer4 ,the ,japanese type of drama seems to have originally evolved itself from that of the ,chinese1 though its singing1 dancing1 historical1 and ,pantomimical displays are1 of course1 purely native4 ,a native of ,japan1 though of ,chinese descent1 ,hadu ,kawatsa1 at the close of the #fth century 7,a4,d47 gave dramatic entertainments in ,japan4 ,the ,japanese claim for the ,pantomimical dance ,sambso as a preventative of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions2 and this dance1 it is said1 that within recent years1 is used as a prelude to dramatic entertainments4 ,isono ,zenji is thought to have been the originator of the ,japanese ,drama1 but her performances were more those of the ,mima--dancing and posturing4 ,in the seventeenth century ,saruwaka ,kanzabur introduced the drama proper into ,japan by the erection1 in #afbd1 of a theatre1 and nearly fifty years later than the first permanent theatre that was erected 7#aegf7 in ,england4 ,popular historical subjects were chosen for the plays1 though the names of the characters were transformed4 ,fancy plays1 operas1 ballets1 which in the latter women appeared1 became also very popular4 ,within sight of the closing years of the last century 7the nineteenth71 ,japanese actors were more or less under a ban when the same was happily removed4 ,siam was content with the ,indian style of dramatic and ,pantomimic entertainments4 ,theatrical performances were also slightly known--though no regular type of drama is known--amongst the ,south ,sea ,islanders1 the ,peruvians1 the ,aztecs1 the ,zulus1 and the ,fijis1 the two last named having a similar version of our popular ,pantomime subject1 ,jack and the ,beanstalk4 ,the ,egyptians possessed no regular type of drama1 yet in both the ,books of ,job and ,ruth the dramatic element is strongly marked4 ,at the rustic festivals of the native gods1 as in ,greece and ,italy1 there was1 however1 the dramatic elements of the union of song1 dance1 and ,pantomime1 and we are told that the priests not only studied music1 but also taught the art to others4 ,again in the rites of the dead the ,mysteries of the sepulture over the transmigration of souls1 the dramatic element entered largely into these mystic rites and celebrations4 ,amongst the ,pagan ,greeks1 as ,i have previously stated1 and the ,romans1 we learn of similar celebrations1 carried out with great pomp and ceremony1 such as the apotheosis of the soul departing from its earthly to its heavenly abode4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,dancing1 i4e4 ,pantomime--,grecian ,dancing and ,pantomimic ,scenes--,aristotle--,homer--,dances common to both ,greeks and ,romans4 ,in tracing the ,history of ,pantomime it becomes a matter of considerable difficulty1 and1 as ,baron1 in his ,lettres sur la ,danse1 observes that when the word ,dancing occurs in an old author1 that it should always be translated by gesticulation1 declamation1 or ,pantomime4 ,when we read that an actress danced her part well in the tragedy of ,medea1 that a carver cut up food dancing1 that ,heligobalus and ,caligula danced a discourse for an audience of state1 we are to understand that they--actress1 carver1 and emperor--declaimed1 gesticulated1 made themselves understood in a language without words4 ,acting is also oftentimes confounded with dancing1 and it is1 therefore1 manifestly impossible to distinguish now one from the other4 ,the ,greeks1 mentions ,butteux1 applied the term ,dancing to all measured movements1 even to military marching4 ,they danced anywhere and everywhere2 and we are told that both their limbs and bodies spoke4 ,cybele was supposed by the ,greeks to have taught dancing on ,mount ,ida to the ,corybantes1 and they also say that it was in their country that ,apollo revealed the ,terpsichorean ,art1 and that of ,music and ,poetry4 ,after all this1 it is not very surprising that they make claim for the innovation of ,pantomime4 ,this1 of course1 we know is different1 as we have seen that1 from time immemorial ,pantomimic scenes and dances have been represented4 ,cassiodorus attributes its institution to ,philistion2 ,athenaens assigns it to ,rhodamanthus1 or to ,palamedes4 ,with the ,greeks1 ,pantomimes became very popular1 and they were distinguished by various names4 ,before they began their ,tragedies the ,greeks used to give a ,pantomimic display4 ,the principal ,pantomimists were known as ,ethologues1 meaning painters of manners4 ,one of the most celebrated of these ,mimes was ,sophron of ,syracuse4 ,in depicting the conduct of man so faithfully1 the ,pantomimes of the ,greek ,mimes served to teach and inculcate useful moral lessons4 ,the moral philosophy of the ,mime1 ,sophron1 was so pure that ,plato kept a book of his poems under his pillow when on his death-bed4 ,besides these ,moralities1 as they were termed1 there were1 in addition1 light pieces of a farcical kind1 in the portrayal of which the ,mimes were equally as successful as in the other species4 ,the dancing of the ,greeks was an actual language1 in which all sentiments and passages were interpreted4 ,by the aid of the ,terpsichorean ,art1 ,professor ,desrat says1 ,that the ,greeks1 a nation of heroes1 trained themselves in the art of hand-to-hand combat4 ,dancing1 says another writer1 and imitative acting in the lower stages of civilization are identical1 and in the sacred dances of ancient ,greece we may trace the whole ,dramatic ,art of the modern world4 ,the ,spartans practised dancing as a gymnastic exercise1 and made it compulsory upon all children from the age of five4 ,and we are also told that religious processions went with song and dance 7and1 of course1 ,pantomime71 to the ,egyptian temples2 the ,cretan chorus sang hymns to the ,greek gods2 ,david danced in procession before the ,ark of the ,covenant2 and that we are to ,praise the ,lord with the sound of the trumpet1 praise ,him with the psaltery and the harp2 praise ,him with the timbrel and the dance4 ,aristotle speaks of ,mimetic dances three hundred years before the ,augustan era4 ,he also says that dancers want neither poetry or music1 as by the assistance of measure and cadence only they can imitate human manners1 actions1 and passions4 ,again1 ,homer1 describing the employment of the ,delian priestesses1 or ,nuns1 of the order of ,st4 ,apollo of ,delos1 that they were great adepts in the ,art of ,mimicry1 and that part of the entertainment which they afforded to the numerous people of different nations2 who formed their congregations was1 as the poet expresses it1 from their being skilled to imitate the voices and the pulsation or measure of all nations1 and so exactly was their song adapted that every man would think he himself was singing4 ,homer also mentions a dance invented for ,ariadne4 ,in the midst of the dancers1 there were two dancers who sang the adventures of ,daedalus1 supplementing their singing by gestures1 and explaining in ,pantomime the subject of the whole performance4 ,the ,pyrrhic dance of the ,greeks was a sort of military ,pantomime4 ,the ,greeks had several kinds of ,pyrrhic dances1 the names of which varied with the character of the performance4 ,the ,hyplomachia imitated a fight with shields4 ,the ,skiamachia was a battle with shadows1 ,the ,monomachia was an imitation of single combat4 ,some of the ,mimetic dances common to both ,greeks and ,romans were ,the ,loves of ,adonis and ,venus1 the ,exploits of ,ajax1 the ,adventures of ,apollo1 the ,rape of ,ganymede1 the ,loves of ,jupiter and ,danae1 the ,birth of ,jupiter1 ,hector1 the ,rape of ,europa1 the ,labours of ,hercules1 ,hercules ,mad1 the ,graces1 ,saturn devouring his ,children1 the ,cybele in honour of ,cybele1 the ,cyclops1 the ,sorrows of ,niobe1 the ,tragic ,end of ,semele1 the ,wars of the ,titans1 the ,judgment of ,paris1 ,daphne pursued by ,apollo1 the ,bucolic ,dance1 and the ,dance of ,flowers4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,thespis--,the ,progress of ,tragedy and ,comedy--,aeschylus--,the ,epope--,homer--,sophocles--,euripides-- ,grecian ,mimes--,the ,first ,athenian ,theatre--,scenery and ,effects4 ,when ,thespis first pointed out the tragic path1 and when 7as ,horace tells us in his ,odes7 that ,the inventor of the ,art carried his vagrant players on a cart1 by his introduction of a new personage1 who relieved the chorus1 or troop of singers1 by reciting some part of a well-known history1 or fable1 which gave time for the chorus to rest4 ,all that the actors repeated between the songs of the chorus was called an episode1 or additional part1 consisting often of different adventures1 which had no connexion with each other4 ,thus ,pantomime1 the song1 and the dance1 which were at first the only performances1 became gradually and insensibly a necessary and ornamental part of the drama4 ,from this time1 the actor1 or reciter1 was more attended to than the chorus2 however1 his part was executed1 and it had the powerful charms of novelty to recommend it1 and quickly obscured the lustre of the chorus1 whose songs were now of a different nature1 insomuch that the original subject of them1 the praise of ,bacchus1 was by degrees either slightly mentioned1 or totally passed over and forgotten2 the priests1 who we may suppose for a long time presided over the whole1 were alarmed at so open a contempt of the deity1 and unanimously exclaimed1 that this was nothing to ,bacchus2 the contempt grew into a kind of proverbial saying1 and as such is handed down to us4 ,from the origin of ,tragedy and ,comedy1 and to the days of ,thespis1 and from this time to that of ,aeschylus1 all is doubt1 conjecture1 and obscurity2 neither ,aristotle1 nor any other ancient writer1 gives us the least insight into the state and progress of the ,greek ,drama2 the names of a few1 and but a few1 tragedians1 during this dark period1 are handed down to us2 such were ,epigenes1 the ,sicyonion1 and ,pratinas1 who wrote fifty-two plays1 thirty-two of which are said to be satirical4 ,after ,thespis1 came his scholar ,phrynicus1 who wrote nine tragedies2 for one of which1 we are told1 he was fined fifty drachmas1 because he had made it 7an odd reason7 too deep1 and too affecting2 there was another1 also named ,phrynicus1 author of two tragedies3 to these must be added ,alcaeus1 ,phormus1 and ,choeritas1 together with ,cephisodorus1 an ,athenian1 who wrote the ,amazon1 and ,apollophanes1 supposed to have been the author of a tragedy named ,daulis1 though ,suidas is of another opinion4 ,tragedy had1 during the lives of these writers1 probably made but a slow progress1 and received but very little culture and improvement2 when at length the great ,aeschylus arose1 who1 from this rude and undigested chaos1 created as it were a new world in the system of letters4 ,poets1 and perhaps epic poets1 there might have been before ,homer 7the latter1 who1 in all probability1 lived within fifty years of the ,fall of ,troy--#abej ,b4,c474 ,dramatic writers there certainly were before ,aeschylus the former notwithstanding1 we may1 with the utmost propriety1 style the inventor and father of heroic poetry1 and the latter of the ancient drama1 which1 before his time1 does not appear to have had any particular form but that of ,pantomime1 song1 and the union of song and dance4 ,aeschylus first introduced dialogue1 that most essential part of tragedy1 and by the addition of the second personage1 threw the whole fable into action1 and restored the chorus to its ancient dignity4 ,aeschylus having1 like a tender parent1 endowed his darling child with every mental accomplishment1 seemed resolved that no external ornaments should be wanting to render her universally amiable2 he clothed her1 therefore1 in the most splendid habit1 and bestowed upon her everything that ,art could produce1 to heighten and improve her charms4 ,aeschylus1 who being himself author1 actor1 and manager1 took upon him the whole conduct of the drama1 and did not neglect any part of it2 he improved the scenery and decorations1 brought his actors into a well constructed theatre1 raised his heroes on the cothurnus1 or buskin1 invented the masks1 and introduced splendid habits with long trains1 that gave an air of majesty and dignity to the performers4 ,from the time when ,tragedy began to assume a regular form1 we find her closely following the steps of epic poetry2 all the parts of epope1 or heroic poem1 may be traced in tragedy1 though1 as ,aristotle observes1 all the parts of tragedy are not to be found in the epope2 whence the partisans of the stage with some reason conclude1 that perfection in the former is more difficult to be attained than in the latter4 ,without entering into a dispute1 we may venture1 however1 to say that from ,homer the tragedians drew the plan1 construction1 and conduct of their fables1 and not unfrequently1 the fable itself2 to him they applied for propriety of manners1 character1 sentiment1 and diction4 ,from this era then1 we are to consider ,tragedy as an elegant and noble structure1 built according to the rules of art1 symmetry1 and proportion2 whose every part was in itself fair1 firm1 and compact--and at the same time contributed to the beauty1 utility1 and duration of the whole edifice4 ,sophocles and ,euripides carefully studied the plan laid down by ,aeschylus1 and by their superior genius and judgment1 improved it in a short time to its highest state of perfection1 from which it gradually declined to the rise of the ,roman ,drama4 ,aeschylus1 ,sophocles1 and ,euripides were the three great tragic poets2 and from the works of these three illustrious writers1 and from them alone1 we must draw all our knowledge of the ancient ,greek ,tragedy4 ,comedy1 like ,tragedy1 owes its origin to the union of music1 song1 dance1 and ,pantomime2 ,tragedy to the dithyrambick1 and ,comedy to the phallica2 and each of them 7emulating ,pantomime71 began to form themselves into dramatic imitations2 each studied to adopt a measure suited to their purpose3--,tragedy1 the more lofty1 chose the tetrameter2 and comedy1 which aimed at familiarity1 the iambic4 ,but1 as the style of tragedy improved1 ,nature herself1 says ,aristotle1 directed the writers to abandon the capering tetrameter1 and to embrace that measure which was most accommodated to the purposes of dialogue2 whence the iambic became the common measure of both ,tragedy and ,comedy4 ,sophocles brought on a third actor1 which number was not exceeded in the ,greek tragedies during the same scene4 ,horace alludes to this1 nec quarta loqui persona laboret1 7,let not a fourth person strive to speak73 but it was not observed in comedy4 ,players of second parts were obliged to speak so low as not to drown the voice of the chief actor4 ,tyrants were always played by subalterns4 ,the women were only dancers 7and ,pantomimists74 ,female parts were performed by eunuchs4 ,on the ,grecian stage1 those performers who devoted themselves entirely to the ,art of ,miming originally came from ,sicily and southern ,italy1 though the exact period is difficult to determine with any degree of certainty4 ,the figures of tragic or comic actors were known by the long and strait sleeves which they wore4 ,the servants in comedy1 below the dress with strait sleeves1 had a short cassock with half-sleeves4 ,that the characters might be distinguished 7a difficulty in this respect arising from the size of the theatres7 parasites carried a short truncheon2 the rural deities1 shepherds1 and peasants1 the crook2 heralds and ambassadors1 the caduceus2 kings1 a long1 straight sceptre2 heroes1 a club1 etc4 ,the tunic of tragic actors descended to the heels1 and was called palla4 ,they generally carried a long staff or an erect sceptre4 ,they who represented old men1 leaned upon a long and crooked staff4 ,the first ,greek theatre at ,athens 7says ,fosbroke1 in his ,antiquities17 was a temporary structure of boards1 removed after the performances were closed4 ,this fashion continued till the erection of the theatre of ,bacchus1 at ,athens1 which served as a model for the others4 ,the ,greek theatre was no more than a concave sweep1 scooped out of the hollow side of a hill1 generally facing the sea4 ,the sweep was filled with seats1 rising above each other1 and ascended by staircases1 placed like the radii of a circle4 ,this semi-circular form was adopted not merely for convenience of vision1 but for an aid to the sound4 ,this range for spectators was called the coilon or hollow4 ,the area below was the conistra1 or pit4 ,there was no superstructure for a gallery1 but around the rim of the building were porticos1 by which the spectators entered1 and whither they could retire1 if it rained4 ,the portico just about the highest corridor1 or lobby1 was denominated the cercys1 and used by the women4 ,where is now the orchestra1 was a platform1 called by that name2 and here1 among the ,greeks1 were stationed the musicians2 chorus and ,mimes2 among the ,romans1 the ,emperor1 ,senate1 and other persons of quality4 ,seven feet above the orchestra1 and eleven above the conistra1 or pit1 was the front stage1 or proscenium1 upon which stood an altar to ,apollo4 ,here the principal actors performed1 and the site of the altar was devoted to the dances 7of the ,mimes7 and songs of the chorus4 ,the part called the scena was in line with the ornamental columns1 upon the sides of the stage4 ,the ancient scenery at first consisted of mere boughs1 but afterwards of tapestry1 not painted canvas4 ,the ,greek stage consisted of three parts1 the scena1 across the theatre1 upon the line of the curtain in our theatres2 the proscenium1 where the actors performed2 and the post-scenium1 the part behind the house1 before-mentioned4 ,to form parts of the scenes there were prisms of framework1 turning upon pivots1 upon each face of which was strained a distinct picture1 one for tragedy1 consisting of large buildings1 with columns1 statues1 and other corresponding ornaments2 a second face1 with houses1 windows1 and balconies1 for comedy2 a third applied to farce1 with cottages1 grottoes1 and rural scenes4 ,there were the scenae versatiles of ,servius4 ,besides these1 there were scenae ductiles1 which drew backwards and forwards1 and opened a view of the house1 which was built upon the stage1 and contained apartments for machinery1 or retirement for the actors4 ,as to the patterns of the scenes1 in comedy1 the most considerable building was in the centre2 that on the right side was a little less elevated1 and that on the left generally represented an inn4 ,in the satirical pieces they had always a cave in the middle1 a wretched cabin on the right1 and on the left an old ruined temple1 or some landscape4 ,in these representations perspective was observed for ,vitruvius remarks 7,c4 #h7 that the rules of it were invented and practised from the time of ,aeschylus1 by a painter named ,agararchus1 who has even left a treatise upon it4 ,after the downfall of the ,roman ,empire1 these decorations of the stage were neglected1 till ,peruzzi1 a ,siennese1 who died in #aecf1 revived them4 ,there were three entries in front1 and two on the sides2 the middle entry 7termed the ,royal door7 was always that of the principal actor2 thus1 in tragedy1 it was commonly the gate of a palace4 ,those on the right and left were destined to the second-part players1 and the two others1 on the sides1 one to people from the country1 the other to those from the harbour1 or any public place4 ,pollux informs us1 that there were trap-doors for ghosts1 furies1 and the infernal deities4 ,some under the doors1 on one side1 introduced the rural deities1 and on the other the marine4 ,the ascents or descents were managed by cords1 wheels1 and counter-weights4 ,of these machines none were more common than those which descended from heaven in the end of the play1 in which the gods came to extricate the poet in the denouement4 ,the kinds were chiefly three2 some conveyed the performer across the theatre in the air2 by others1 the gods descended on the stage2 and a third contrivance1 elevated1 or supported in the air1 persons who seemed to fly1 from which accidents often happened4 7,it is from this that the well-known phrase ,deus ex machina has its origin47 ,as the ancient theatres were larger than ours1 and unroofed1 there was no wheel-work aloft1 but the performer was elevated by a sort of crane1 of which the beam was above the stage2 and turning upon itself1 whilst the counter-weight made the actor descend or ascend1 caused him to describe curves1 jointly composed of the circular motion of the crane1 and the vertical ascent4 ,the anapesmata were cords for the sudden appearance of furies1 when fastened to the lowest steps2 and to the ascension of rivers1 when attached to the stage4 ,the ceraunoscopium was a kind of moveable tower1 whence ,jupiter darted lightning1 supposed to be the ,greek fire1 as in ,ajax ,oielus4 ,the machine for thunder 7bronton7 was a brazen vase1 concealed under the stage1 in which they rolled stones4 ,festus calls it the ,claudian thunder1 from ,claudius ,pulcher1 the inventor4 ,the most dreadful machines were1 however1 the pegmata 7a general term also for all the machines71 which first consisted of scaffolds in stories1 c4 ,these first exhibited criminals fighting at the top1 and then1 dropping to pieces1 precipitated them to the lower story1 to be torn to pieces by wild beasts4 ,sometimes they were for vomiting flames1 c4 ,the theologium was a place more elevated than the stage1 where the gods stood and spoke1 and the machines which held them rested4 ,the seats of the spectators were divided into stories1 each containing seven rows of seats1 with two passages 7praecinctiones7 around them above and below4 ,small staircases divided the seats into sections1 called cunei1 and ended in a gate at the top1 which communicated with passages 7the vomitoriae7 for admission4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,roman ,theatres--,description--,deadheads--,pa ntomime in ,italy--,livius ,andronicus--,fabulae ,atellanae--,extemporal ,comedy--,origin of the ,masque1 ,opera1 and ,vaudeville--,origin of the term ,histrionic--,etruscans--,popularity of ,pantomime in ,italy--,pantomimists banished by ,trajan--,nero as a ,mime--,pylades and ,bathyllus--,subjects chosen for the ,roman ,pantomimes--,the ,ballet--,the ,mimi and ,pantomimi--,archimimus--,vespasian--,ha rlequin--,mr4 ,punch--,zany1 how the word originated--,ancient ,masks--,lucian1 ,cassiodorus1 and ,demetrius in praise of ,pantomime--,a celebrated ,mima--,pantomimes denounced by early writers--,the purity of the ,english stage contrasted with that of the ,grecian and ,roman--,female parts on the ,grecian and ,roman stages--,the principal ,roman ,mimas--,the origin of the ,clown of the early ,english ,drama4 ,the ,roman theatres 7continues ,fosbroke7 were of a similar ,d form4 ,two lofty arched doorways entered into the pit4 ,in front of the stage1 which was very shallow1 was a pew-like orchestra4 ,the proscenium was very narrow1 and instead of a drop scene was the elisium1 a house1 narrow1 with a kind of bow window front in the centre1 and a door on each side3 for ,pollux says that a house with two stories formed part of the stage1 whence old women and panders used to look down and peep about them4 ,within the house were apartments4 ,around the back of the stage was a porticus4 ,at ,herculaneum1 on a balustrade which divided the orchestra from the stage1 was found a row of statues1 and on each side of the pulpitum1 an equestrian figure4 ,below the theatre 7great and small7 was a large square constructed1 says ,vitruvius1 for the reception of the audience in bad weather4 ,it consisted of ,doric columns1 around an open area1 forming an ample portico for this purpose1 whilst under it were arranged cellae1 or apartments1 amongst which were a soap manufactory1 oil mill1 corn mill1 and prison4 ,an inner logia was connected with a suite of apartments4 ,there was also an exedra1 or recess4 ,among the ,romans1 theatrical approbation was signified by an artificial musical kind of noise1 made by the audience to express satisfaction4 ,there were three species of applause denominated from the different noises made in them1 viz43 ,bombus1 ,imbrius1 and ,testae4 ,first1 a confused din1 made either by the hands or mouth4 ,the second and third1 by beating on a sort of sounding vessel placed in the theatres for that purpose4 ,persons were instructed to give applause with skill--and there were even masters who professed to teach the art4 ,the proficients in this way let themselves out for hire to the poets1 actors1 c41 and were so disposed as to support a loud applause4 ,these they called ,laudicena4 ,at the end of the play1 a loud peal of applause was expected1 and even asked of the audience either by the chorus or by the person who spoke last4 ,the formula was ,spectatore ,claudite1 or ,valete et ,plaudite4 ,the applauders were divided into ,chori1 and disposed in theatres opposite to each other1 like the choristers in cathedrals1 so that there was a kind of concert of applause4 ,the free admission tickets were small ivory death's heads1 and specimens of these are to be seen in the ,museum of ,naples4 ,from this custom1 it is stated1 that we derive our word ,deadhead1 as denoting one who has a free entrance to places of amusement4 ,with the dawn of the ,roman ,empire1 ,pantomime1 in ,italy1 is first authentically mentioned4 ,the ,emperor ,augustus always displayed great favour to the ,art1 and even by some writers he has been credited with being the originator of ,pantomime4 ,this1 of course1 as we have seen1 is impossible1 and to use a familiar and trite saying1 the ,pantomimic ,art is as old as the hills themselves4 ,again1 ,bathyllus and ,pylades 7both freed slaves1 the former born in ,cilicia1 and the latter came from ,alexandria71 and ,hylas1 the principal exponents of ,pantomime during the reign of ,augustus1 have also been credited with the honour of originating ,pantomime4 ,the early ,roman entertainments only consisted of the military and sacred dances1 and the scenes in the circus4 ,with the advent of the arts of ,greece the austerity hitherto practised by the ,romans1 which had arisen1 says ,duray1 ,much more from poverty than conviction1 for ,two or three generations had sufficed to change a city which had only known meagre festivities and rustic delights into the home of revelry and pleasure4 ,with the ,romans1 in their ,pantomimic entertainments1 the whole gamut of the emotions were gone through4 ,when the ,greek drama was brought into ,rome by ,livius ,andronicus1 the ,fabulae ,atellanae1 or ,laudi ,osci--derived from the town of ,atella1 in ,campania1 between ,capua and ,naples--was still employed to furnish the ,interludes1 and just in a similar way as the ,satyra ,extemporal ,interludes supplied the ,grecian stage4 ,none of these ,atellan ,farces have been committed to us1 but ,cicero1 in a letter to his friend ,papyrius ,paetus1 speaks of them as the ,more delicate burlesque of the old ,atellan ,farces4 ,from them also1 we derive the ,extemporal ,comedy1 or ,comedia del' ,arte of ,italy 7afterwards to be noted71 with its characters1 ,harlequin1 ,clown1 ,pierrot1 and the like1 associated with ,english and ,italian ,pantomime1 and the progenitor also of all those light forms of entertainment known as the ,masque1 the ,opera1 and the ,vaudeville4 ,on ,english dramatic literature the ,italian ,extemporal ,comedies and their ,pantomimical characters have also had a considerable amount of influence4 ,livy mentions that actors were sent for 7circa #cfd ,b4,c47 from ,etruria1 who1 without verses or any action expressive of verses1 danced not ungracefully1 after the ,tuscan manner to the flute4 ,in process of time the ,roman youth began to imitate these dancers intermixing raillery with unpolished verses1 their gestures corresponding with the sense of the words4 ,thus were these plays received at ,rome1 and being improved and refined by frequent performance the ,roman actors acquired the name of ,histriones1 from the ,etruscan ,hister1 meaning a dancer or a stage player4 7,from this we obtain our words histrion and histrionic74 ,but their dialogue did not consist of unpremeditated and coarse jests in such rude verses as were used by the ,fescennini1 but of satires1 accompanied with music set to the flute1 recited with suitable gestures4 ,after satires1 which had afforded the people subject of coarse mirth and laughter1 were1 by this regulation1 reduced to form and acting1 by degrees became an art1 the ,roman youth left it to players by profession1 and began1 as formerly1 to act farces at the end of their regular pieces4 ,these dramas were called ,exodia1 and were generally woven with the ,atellanae ,comedies4 ,these were borrowed from the ,osci1 and were always acted by the ,roman youth4 ,tacitus speaks of ,atellanae ,comedies written in the spirit and language of the ,osci having been acted in his time4 ,it is thought that the ,etruscans possessed histories1 poems1 and dramas1 and1 if these1 then certainly they knew the ,pantomimic ,art1 out of which1 in all probability1 their dramatic entertainments grew4 ,to the ,etruscans the ,romans owe their early civilization4 ,the ,etruscan era is supposed to have commenced about #ajdd ,b4,c41 and we are told that the ,etruscans shared with the ,greeks1 and the ,phoenicians1 the maritime supremacy of the ,mediterranean4 ,in the sepulchral chambers of the ,necropolis of ,tarquinii1 which extends for many miles1 there are several scenes painted in the archaic style by the ,etruscans1 representing the ,chase1 the ,circus1 and ,dancing ,girls4 ,soon after its innovation among the ,romans1 ,pantomime spread all over ,italy and the provinces4 ,so attractive did it become in ,rome1 and so popular1 that ,tiberius issued a decree forbidding the knights and nobles to frequent their houses of entertainment1 or to be seen walking in the streets with them4 ,trajan also oppressed and banished the ,pantomimists4 ,under ,caligula1 however1 they were received with great favour1 and ,aurelius made them priests of ,apollo4 ,nero1 who carried everything to the extremity of foolishness1 was not content in patronising the ,pantomimes1 but must needs assist1 and appear himself1 as a ,mimi4 ,here again1 in ,nero1 another claimant as the author of ,pantomime has been put forward4 ,so great 7observes ,gaston ,vuillier1 in his ',history of ,dancing1'7 was the admiration for ,pylades and ,bathyllus that the theatrical supporters clothed themselves in different liveries1 and broils in the public streets were of frequent occurrence4 ,the rivalries of ,pylades and ,bathyllus1 says ,de ,laulnaye1 occupied the ,romans as much as the gravest affairs of state4 ,every citizen was a ,bathyllian or a ,pyladian4 ,augustus reproved ,pylades on one occasion for his quarrels with ,bathyllus4 ,the ,mime retorted1 ,it is well for you that the people are engrossed by our disputes2 their attention is thus diverted from your actions4 ,a bold retort1 but it shows how important these ,mimes were4 ,the banishment of ,pylades brought about an insurrection1 and the ,emperor had to recall him4 ,cassius attributes the disgrace of ,pylades to the intrigues of ,bathyllus1 ,suetonius to his effrontery2 for on one occasion1 when acting ,hercules1 annoyed by the criticism of the spectators1 he tore off his mask1 and shouted to them3 ,fools1 ,i am acting a madman4 ,they thought his gestures too extravagant4 ,another time he shot off arrows amongst the spectators4 ,amongst other privileges extended by the ,emperor ,augustus to the ,mimis was being exempt from magisterial control and immunity from military serving4 ,the subjects chosen for the ,roman ,pantomimes1 like those of the ,grecian mysteries1 from which they doubtless were borrowed1 were of a ,mythological description1 and they were of such a nature that the audience could follow them easily1 even if they were not already previously acquainted with them4 ,between the ,roman ,pantomime1 and the ,western ballet d'action1 there is hardly any difference4 ,the ,romans always liked to see their stages well peopled2 and to help in the action of their ,pantomimes1 a chorus accompanied with music1 formed part of the entertainment4 ,the ,mimis and ,mimas1 like the ballet of the present day1 provided the dances in addition to their ,pantomimic ,art of posing and posturing4 ,mr4 ,isaac ,disraeli1 in his work1 ,curiosities of ,literature1 edited by the late ,earl of ,beaconsfield1 thus distinguishes between the ,mimi and the ,pantomimi of the ,ancients4 ,the ,mimi were an impudent race of buffoons who excelled in mimicry1 and like our domestic fools1 were admitted into convivial parties to entertain the guests4 ,their powers enabled them to perform a more extraordinary office2 for they appear to have been introduced into funerals to mimic the person1 and even the language of the deceased4 ,suetonius describes an archimimus accompanying the funeral of ,vespasian4 ,this archimimus performed his part admirably1 not only representing the person1 but imitating1 according to custom1 ut est mos1 the manners and language of the living ,emperor4 ,he contrived a happy stroke at the prevailing foible of ,vespasian1 when he enquired the cost of all this funeral pomp--,ten million of sesterces6 ,on this he observed that if they would give him but a hundred thousand they might throw his body into the ,tiber4 ,the ,pantomimi were quite of a different class4 ,they were tragic actors1 and usually mute2 they combined the arts of gesture1 music1 and dances of the most impressive character4 ,their silent language has often drawn tears by the pathetic emotions they excited2 ,their very nod speaks1 their hands talk1 and their fingers have a voice1 says one of their admirers4 ,these ,pantomimists seem to have been held in great honour4 ,the tragic and the comic masks were among the ornaments of the sepulchral monuments of an ,archmime and a ,pantomimi4 ,montfaucon conjectures that they formed a select fraternity4 ,the parti-coloured hero 7,harlequin71 with every part of his dress1 has been drawn out of the greatest wardrobe of antiquity2 he was a ,roman ,mime4 ,harlequin is described with his shaven head 7rasis capitibus72 his sooty face 7fuligine faciem abducti72 his flat unshod feet1 7planipedes71 and his patched coat of many colours1 7,mimi centunculo74 ,even ,pulcinello1 whom we familiarly call ,punch1 may receive1 like other personages of no great importance1 all his dignity from antiquity2 one of his ,roman ancestors having appeared to an antiquary's visionary eye in a bronze statue2 more than one erudite dissertation authenticates the family likeness2 the nose long1 prominent and hooked2 the staring goggle eyes2 the hump at his back1 and at his breast2 in a word1 all the character which so strongly marks the ,punch race1 as distinctly as whole dynasties have been featured by the ,austrian lip and the ,bourbon nose4 ,the genealogy of the whole family is confirmed by the general term which includes them all3 in ,english1 ,zany2 in ,italian1 ,zanni2 in the ,latin1 ,sannio2 and a passage in ,cicero ,de ,oratore1 paints ,harlequin and his brother gesticulators after the life2 the perpetual trembling motion of their limbs1 their ludicrous and flexible gestures1 and all the mimicry of their faces3 ,quid enim potest tam ridiculum quam ,sannio esse8 ,qui ore vultu1 imitandis motibus1 voce1 denique corpore ridetur ipso4 ,lib ,,ii41 ,sect4 #ea4 7,for what has more of the ludicrous than ,sannio8 ,who1 with his mouth1 his face1 imitating every motion with his voice1 and1 indeed1 with all his body1 provokes laughter47 ,the ,latin ,sannio was changed by the ,italians into 7as ,ainsworth explains7 ,zanni1 as1 in words like ,smyrna and ,sambuco1 they change the s into z1 which gives ,zmyrna and ,zambuco1 and hence we derive our word ,zany4 ,the word is1 however1 originally obtained from the ,greek ,sannos 7observes ,quadrio71 from whence the ,latins derived their ,sannio4 ,from the size of the ancient theatres it was not possible to notice the visage of the actors1 and this was one1 but not the only reason1 why masks were adopted4 ,the ,ancients did not like a character to be attempted1 to which a proper appropriation was not annexed1 and these masks were so contrived1 that the profile on one side exhibited chagrin1 and on the other serenity1 or whatever other passion was most required4 ,the actor thus1 according to the part he was playing1 presented the side of the mask best suited to the passage which he was reciting4 ,the large mouths of these masks were presumed to have contained some bronze instrument suited to assist the voice1 upon the principle of the speaking trumpet2 for the mask was wider1 and the recitation in tragedy much louder than in comedy1 so that the voice might be heard all over the theatre4 ,the masks of the dancers were of regular features4 ,by some it has been contended that these masks covered both the head and the shoulders under the supposed idea that when the head was thus enlarged it would throw the whole body into symmetry when raised upon stilts4 ,it has1 also1 been argued that the masks for some of the characters were made of gold-beaters skin1 or some transparent substance just covering the face so that the facial muscles could be seen through it1 and the eyes1 mouth1 and ears being left uncovered4 ,these masks1 however1 delineated very carefully the features of the character that were to be represented4 ,something not unlike the huge ,pantomime masks of a hideous and frightful shape that we sometimes see in our present day ,pantomimes must have appeared1 especially those that covered the head and shoulders of the ,mimis in the days of the ,romans4 ,those that were just of the size of the face in all probability were fantastic and picturesque2 and the third and remaining species of mask made of a transparent substance could hardly have been very effective4 ,mr4 ,wright tells us1 in his book on the ,chester ,mystery plays 7which work ,i shall again refer to later on71 that masks were used in the ,mystery series of plays acted in ,england during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries4 ,julius ,pollux is still more ample in his account of theatrical masks used in ,tragedy1 ,satyr1 and ,comedy4 ,niobe weeping1 ,medea furious1 ,ajax astonished1 and ,hercules enraged4 ,in ,comedy1 the slave1 the parasite1 the clown1 the captain1 the old woman1 the harlot1 the austere old man1 the debauched young man1 the prodigal1 the prudent young woman1 the matron1 and the father of a family1 were all constantly characterised by particular masks4 ,lucian and the other writers of the ,augustan era1 have handed down to us sufficient information to show how ,pantomime in ,rome was so highly thought of4 ,cassiodorous1 speaking of them1 says3--,men whose eloquent hands had a tongue1 as it were1 on the tip of each finger--men who spoke while they were silent1 and knew how to make a recital without opening their mouths--men1 in short1 whom ,polyhymnia had formed in order to show that there was no necessity for articulation in order to convey our thoughts4 ,demetrius1 a cynic philosopher1 laughed at the ,romans for permitting so strange an entertainment2 but having been1 with much difficulty1 prevailed upon to be present at the representation of one of them1 he was confounded with wonder4 ,the story represented was that of ,mars and ,venus1 the whole performed by a single actor1 who described the fable in dumb show4 ,at length the philosopher1 wrought up to the highest pitch of admiration1 exclaimed1 ,that the actor had no occasion for a tongue1 he spoke so well with his hands4 ,of one ,pontus1 who had come on a visit to ,nero1 we are told that he was present at a performance1 in the course of which a favourite ,mime gave a representation of the ,labours of ,hercules4 ,the ,mime's gestures were so precise that he could follow the action without the slightest hesitation4 ,being struck by the performance1 on taking leave he begged ,nero to give him the actor1 explaining that there was a barbarous tribe adjoining his dominions1 whose language no one could learn1 and that ,pantomime could express his intentions to them so faithfully by gestures that they would at once understand4 ,the dress of the performers of ,pantomime was made to reveal1 and not to conceal1 their figures4 ,after the second century women began to act in their representations1 and even down to the sixth century we find them associating themselves with ,pantomime1 and mention is made of a celebrated ,mima1 who was ultimately raised to the imperial throne4 ,through the lewdness of the ,mimis and mimas in ,pantomime1 their dress1 or rather lack of dress1 ,pantomimes were denounced1 not only by the early ,christian writers1 but also by some of the ,pagan writers1 like ,juvenal1 as being very prejudicial to morality4 ,it has1 however1 always been a favourite topic of the ,prynne's1 the ,jeremy ,collier's and the ,dr4 ,style's1 and such like opponents of the theatre1 to contrast the ,english stage with the purity of the ,grecian and ,roman ,theatres4 ,now1 without stopping to enquire whether this has any particular connection with the subject of their dissertations1 or whether it is not in fact quite irrelevant to the question1 it is impossible not to remark the crass ignorance which these assertions display of the manners and customs of the theatres of either the ,greeks or the ,romans4 ,without wearying the reader by entering into a long discussion upon the subject1 it will be sufficient to recall certain passages in ,aristophanes1 ,xenophon1 ,plautus1 and ,terence to induce them to hesitate in assenting to such vague assertions of the purity of either the ,grecian or ,roman dramatic writers4 ,william ,prynne1 the ,english ,puritan writer1 in his violent attack on the stage in the ,histrio-,mastix or ,players ,scourge--which book1 by the way1 for some unfavourable comments therein on the ,queen of ,charles ,i41 and the ladies of her ,court1 for attending theatrical representations1 was debarred his rooms 7he was a barrister71 by the ,court of ,star ,chamber1 sentenced to be imprisoned for life1 fined #e1jjj1 committed to the ,tower1 placed in the pillory1 both ears cut off1 and his book burnt by the common hangman2 yet after undergoing all these pains and penalties1 he published a recantation of all that he had previously written in his ,histrio-,mastix--says ,it seems that the ,grecian actors did now and then to refresh the spectators1 bring a kind of cisterne on the stage1 wherein naked women did swim and bathe themselves between the acts and scenes2 which wicked1 impudent1 and execrable practice the holy father ,chrysostom doth sharpely and excellently declaime against4 ,xenophon mentions the tale of ,bacchus and ,ariadne1 ,pantomimically played1 and ,martial tells us he saw the whole story of ,pasiphae1 minutely represented on the stage of the ,mimis1 and ,plautus1 in his epilogue to ,casina1 has-- ,nunc vos aequim est1 manibus meritis1 ,meritam mercedem dare4 ,qui faxit1 clam uxorem1 ducat scortum ,semper quod volet4 ,verum qui non manibus clare1 quantum ,potent1 plauserit1 ,ei1 pro scorto1 supponetur hircus unctus nantea4 ,on the ,roman stage female parts were represented in tragedy by men1 is ascertained 7says ,malone7 by one of ,cicero's letters to ,atticus1 and by a passage in ,horace4 ,horace mentions1 however1 a female performer called ,arbuscula1 but as we find from his own authority men personated women on the ,roman stage1 she was probably an ,emboliariae4 ,servius calls her a ,mima1 or one who danced in the ,pantomimic dances1 and which seems more probable1 as she is mentioned by ,cicero1 who says the part of ,andromache was played by a male performer on the very day ,arbuscula also performed4 ,the principal ,roman ,mimas were3--,arbuscula1 ,thymele1 ,licilia1 ,dionysia1 ,cytheris1 ,valeria1 and ,cloppia4 ,in the satirical interludes of the ,grecian stage1 and the ,fabulae ,atellanae of the ,roman theatres1 the ,exodiarii and ,emboliariae of the ,mimes1 were the remote progenitors 7says ,malone7 of the ,vice or ,devil1 and the ,clown of our ,english ,mystery plays1 the latter series of plays being the origin of the drama of this country4 ,the exact conformity between our ,clown and the ,exodiarii and ,emboliariae of the ,roman stage is ascertained by that passage in ,pliny--,lucceia ,mima centum annis in scena pronuntiavit4 ,galeria1 ,copiola1 ,emboliariae1 reducta est in scenam3 annum certissimum quartum agens1 is thus translated by an ,english author1 ,philemon ,holland1 ,lucceia1 a common ,vice in a play1 followed the stage1 and acted thereupon #ajj yeeres4 ,such another ,vice that plaied the foole1 and made sporte between whiles in interludes1 named ,galeria ,copiola1 was brought to act upon the stage when she was in the #ajdth yeere of her age4 ,we shall1 in another chapter1 return to the ,vice1 or ,clown4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,introduction of the ,roman ,pantomimic ,art into ,britain--,first ,english reference to the word ,pantomime--,the fall of the ,roman ,empire--,the sacred play--,cornish ,amphitheatres--,pantomimical and ,lyrical elements in the sacrifice of the ,mass--,christian banishment of the ,mimis--,penalties imposed by the ,church--,st4 ,anthony on ,harlequin and ,punch--,vandenhoff--what we owe to the ,mimis4 ,with the advent of ,julius ,caesar and the conquest of ,britain by the ,romans1 about the year #eb ,b4,c41 we have1 in all probability1 the first introduction of the ,roman ,pantomimic ,art into this country4 ,inasmuch as we have it upon the authority of history that ,caesar travelled with his ,mimes1 and it is1 therefore1 not improbable that they came into ,britain with him4 ,england1 then1 during the occupancy of the ,romans1 must have known the ,dramatic ,art1 or else 7as ,dibdin observes7 ,pacuvius1 ,accius1 and ,livius ,andronicus were ignorant of it4 ,martial tells us that it did1 and so does ,boadicea1 so that we have not only ,roman authorities for it1 but also ,british4 ,the word ,pantomime could not1 ,i may say here1 have been ,anglicised earlier than sometime during the seventeenth century4 ,dr4 ,johnson's earliest example is from ,hudibras-- ,not that ,i think those ,pantomimes1 ,who vary action with the times1 ,are less ingenious in their art ,than those who duly act one part4 ,bacon and ,ben ,jonson use the ,latin ,pantomimi--,here be certain ,pantomimi that will represent the voices of players4 ,again in the ,masque of ,love's ,triumph1 etc41 #afcj1 ,after the manner of the old ,pantomimi they dance over a distracted ,comedy of ,love4 ,the fall of the ,roman ,empire and the progress of ,christianity in ,europe sounded the death knell of ,paganism and its attributes1 of which ,pantomime was deemed to be one1 owing to the bad odour in which this form of entertainment had got to during the last days of the ,empire4 ,notwithstanding this the church was only too glad to avail itself of ,pantomime as a vehicle to portray before the world at large1 and in order to turn attention to the great moral truths to be deduced from the death of ,him on ,calvary ,hill4 ,these exhibitions of religious subjects1 in the form of tableaux vivants1 took place in the churches1 and1 having regard to the sacred edifices in which they were given1 they were1 especially in the beginning1 ,i conjecture1 performed in dumb show1 without any dialogue4 ,afterwards dialogue was introduced1 and they began to be1 not only held in the churches1 but also in the church-yards1 the streets1 and in booths4 ,it is true the sacred play was not a new institution1 as one is said to be mentioned about the time of the ,fall of ,jerusalem4 ,in ,cornwall1 plays were given in the ancient times in the open air1 after the fashion of the ,roman ,amphitheatre1 with the dialogue in the ,cymric tongue4 ,pantomimical performances might also have been given in those open-air theatres by the ,romans4 ,perhaps no better example of the early ,sacred ,drama ,i can give1 and which is still with us1 and performed daily1 is the sacrifice of the ,mass in all ,roman ,catholic ,churches throughout the length and breadth of the world4 ,in the ,mass we have a dramatic action pantomimically presented1 in part aided by lyrical and epical elements4 ,i will not1 however1 pursue this portion of my subject further1 save than to add that at the ,catholic ,churches' festivals1 especially during ,holy ,week or ,passion ,week1 what ,i have mentioned of the ,mass becomes at these times marked in even a greater degree4 ,with the decline and fall of the ,roman ,empire1 the ,mimis became wanderers on the face of the earth1 only appearing at festivals and the like1 when they were wanted1 and returning to their haunts as mysteriously as they came4 ,in the fourth century ,a4,d4 they were excluded from the benefit of the rites of the ,church1 and even those who visited their entertainments1 instead of churches1 on the ,sundays and holidays1 were excommunicated4 ,the ,theodosian creed provided that the actors were not to have the sacraments administered to them save when death was imminent1 and then only that1 in case of recovery1 their calling should be renounced4 ,in the second century one of the ,fathers of the ,church wrote a special treatise against plays 7,tertulian ,de ,spectaculis71 in which he asks those who will not renounce them ,whether the ,god of truth1 who hates all falsehood1 can be willing to receive into ,his kingdom those whose features and hair1 whose age and sex1 whose sighs and laughter1 love and anger1 are all feigned4 ,he promises them a tragedy of their own when1 in the day of ,judgment1 they shall be consigned to everlasting suffering4 ,however1 the church was not always against the stage1 even in those early times1 as ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas says that ,the office of the player as being serviceable for the enlivenment of men1 and as not being blameworthy if the player leads an upright life4 ,both ,saints ,thomas ,aquinas and ,anthony supported the stage1 the latter only stipulating that the character of ,harlequin should not be represented by a clergyman1 nor that ,punch should be exhibited in church4 ,it is one of the most remarkable things that1 despite the bitterness1 hostility1 and deadly enmity that has been levelled at the stage1 and its players termed ,rogues and ,vagabonds from time immemorial1 how it has lived through it all4 ,in connection with this how the lines of that great actor1 ,vandenhoff1 occurs to me1 a few of which1 with the reader's permission1 ,i subjoin4 ,the drama's now a great established fact1 ,that can't be blink'd1 ignored how'er attack'd ,by vain abuse or angry prejudice2 ,the time's gone by when playing was a vice2 ,when bigots mark'd the actor with a ban1 7,tho' saintly crowds to hear his accents ran71 ,denied him sacred rite and hallowed grave-- ,filching from ,god the soul he made to save-- ,and1 for the pleasure which his life had giv'n ,on earth1 refused him dead1 a place in heav'n4 ,no6 wiser days bring gentler feelings in1 ,and ',nature's touches makes the whole world kin'4 ,by degrees the ,mimis1 or mummers1 with their fellows1 spread themselves all over ,europe4 ,the humbler of the craft1 in fact it might be said of them all1 as ,othello's occupation had 7for them7 long since been gone1 strolled from castle to castle1 from village to town1 and earning their livelihood as best they could4 ,to these wandering ,bohemians we owe such traditions of the drama that survived with them into succeeding ages2 and to them also we are indebted for keeping alive by inculcating unto others the ,art of ,pantomimus1 when in the heyday of its popularity in the ,roman ,empire4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,pantomime in the ,english ,mystery or ,miracle ,plays and ,pageants--,a retrospect of the ,early ,drama--,mysteries on ,biblical events--,chester1 ,coventry1 ,york1 and ,towneley ,mystery ,plays--,plays in ,churches--,traces of the ,mystery ,play in ,england in the ,nineteenth ,century--,mystery ,plays on the ,continent--,the ,chester series of ,plays--,the ,devil or ,clown and the ,exodiarii and ,emboliariae of the ,ancient ,mimes4 ,it is presumed that1 not only were the early sacred plays acted in dumb-show1 but that the ,miracle or ,mysteries of ,religion series of plays--which grew out of the sacred play--also the ,pageants in the beginning1 and for long afterwards were acted in this wise4 ,percy1 in his ,reliques of ,ancient ,english ,poetry1 also takes this view4 ,he says3--,they were 7the ,mysteries7 probably a kind of dumb show1 intermingled1 it may be1 with a few short speeches1 at length they grew into regular scenes of connected dialogues1 formally divided into acts and scenes4 ,colley ,cibber has3 ,it has been conjectured that the actors of the ,mysteries of ,religion were mummers1 a word signifying one who makes and disguises himself to play the fool without speaking4 ,they were dressed in an antic manner1 dancing1 mimicking1 and showing postures4 ,mr4 ,wright also observes 7in his work on the ,mystery ,plays of ,chester1 published by the ,shakespearean ,society7 that the chief effect seems to have been caused by the dumb show4 ,before dealing with the ,mysteries1 and as perhaps a kind of retrospect1 let us have a look what ,wharton has to say of the early drama4 ,trade1 he says 7in the early centuries7 was carried on by means of fairs1 which lasted several days4 ,charlemagne established many great marts of this sort in ,france1 as did ,william the ,conqueror and his ,norman successors in ,england4 ,the merchants1 who frequented these fairs in numerous caravans and companies1 employed every art to draw the people together4 ,they were1 therefore1 accompanied by jugglers1 minstrels1 and buffoons 7i4e41 ,pantomimists71 who were no less interested in giving their attendance and exercising their skill on these occasions4 ,few large towns existed1 no public spectacles or popular amusements were established2 and as the sedentary pleasures of domestic life and private society were yet unknown1 the fair time was the season for diversion4 ,in proportion as the shows were attended and encouraged1 they began to be set off with new decorations and improvements2 and the arts of buffoonery being rendered still more attractive by extending their circle of exhibition1 acquired an importance in the eyes of the people4 ,by degrees the ,clergy1 observing that the entertainments of dancing1 music1 and mimicry exhibited at these annual celebrations made the people less religious by promoting idleness and a love of festivity1 proscribed these sports and excommunicated the performers4 ,mystery plays were afterwards divided into three classes1 though the generic term ,mysteries1 meaning all three1 is generally used4 ,in the ,mysteries1 ,biblical events were principally used2 ,miracle plays were obtained from the legends of the saints2 and the last1 ,moralities1 allegorical stories of a moral character not essentially taken from the ,bible1 or from the legends of the saints1 comprised the third heading4 ,the ,mysteries were for several centuries known on the ,continent before they were performed in ,england4 ,the earliest ,mystery play known to have been acted in ,england was at ,dunstable about the year #aaaj4 ,it was probably in ,latin1 and composed by a ,norman monk4 ,it is a peculiarity of the ,english ,mystery plays that they were combined into a series of plays on the ,old and ,new ,testament2 and in which the whole course of ,divine ,providence1 from the ,creation to the ,day of ,judgment1 is set before the spectator4 ,four noted groups of plays were the ,chester1 the ,towneley1 ,coventry1 and ,york ,mystery plays4 ,the ,chester plays began on ,whit ,monday1 and1 continued till the following ,wednesday4 ,permission to perform them1 in the beginning of their institution1 had twice to be asked of the ,pope4 ,they consisted of #bd plays1 and were almost annually performed till #aegg4 ,before the suppression of the monasteries the ,grey ,friars at ,coventry were celebrated for their exhibitions of the ,mystery plays usually on ,corpus ,christi4 ,the ,towneley1 or ,woodkirk group of plays were acted at ,woodkirk1 about four miles from ,wakefield1 and they are of a style that may be likened to the times of ,henry ,,vi41 or ,edward ,,iv4 ,until the ,mystery play fell into disuse1 the trading companies and guilds seem principally to have maintained them4 ,the mixture of secular with ecclesiastical players helped to change the characters of the ,english plays and to provoke censure1 which began to be levelled at them from the beginning of the thirteenth century4 ,the practise of performing plays in sacred edifices in ,england1 had not ceased in #aedb1 when ,bishop ,bonner prohibited them in his diocese4 ,however1 so late as #aegb1 it appears that ,interludes were occasionally performed in ,churches4 ,collier speaks of a kind of ,mystery1 or ,miracle play1 exhibited in the last century1 with the characters of ,herod1 ,beelzebub1 and others4 ,in #ahch ,sandy mentions of having seen the play of ,st4 ,george and the ,dragon1 presented in the ,northern and ,western parts of the ,kingdom1 or rather ,queendom1 as ,victoria had just ascended the throne4 ,i myself remember quite well1 within a couple of decades ago1 what was probably at the time a remnant of the old ,mystery play presented in a rural part of ,lancashire by men in a fantastic garb1 and termed by the country folk1 ,paste-eggers4 ,they generally appeared about ,good ,friday and on to ,easter2 and their performance consisted of a mixture of music 7871 songs1 and sometimes not over choice language4 ,this custom does not now exist where ,i write of1 but it may do--though ,i very much doubt--in some rural parts4 ,on the ,continent1 as at ,oberammergau1 ,mystery plays are still enacted4 ,the following account of the ,chester ,mysteries may be of interest1 and appears 7says ,warton7 in the ,harleian ,catalogue4 ,m4,s4 ,harl4 #bjac1 etc4 ,exhibited at ,chester in the year #acbg at the expense of the different trading companies of that city4 ,the ,fall of ,lucifer1 by the tanners2 ,the ,creation1 by the drapers2 ,the ,deluge1 by the dyers2 ,abraham1 ,melchizedeck and ,lot1 by the barbers2 ,moses1 ,balak and ,balaam1 by the cappers2 ,the ,salutation and the ,nativity1 by the wrights 7carpenters72 ,the ,shepherds feeding the ,flocks by ,night1 by the painters and glaziers2 ,the ,three ,kings1 by the vintners2 ,the oblation of the ,three ,kings1 by the mercers2 ,the ,killing of the ,holy ,innocents1 by the goldsmiths2 ,the ,purification1 by the blacksmiths2 ,the ,temptations1 by the butchers2 ,the ,blindmen and ,lazarus1 by the glovers2 ,jesus and the ,lepers1 by the cowesarys2 ,christ's ,passion1 by the bowyers1 fletchers and ironmongers2 ,descent into ,hell1 by the cooks and inn-keepers2 ,resurrection1 by the skinners2 ,ascension1 by the taylors2 ,the ,election of ,st4 ,matthias1 ,sending of the ,holy ,ghost1 etc41 by the fishmongers2 ,anti-christ1 by the clothiers2 and ,the ,day of ,judgment1 by the websters 7weavers74 ,the reader will perhaps smile at some of these combinations4 ,this is the substance and order of the former part of the play4 ,god enters1 creating the world1 he breathes life into ,adam1 leads him into ,paradise1 and opens his side while sleeping4 ,adam and ,eve appear naked1 and not ashamed2 and the old ,serpent enters1 lamenting his fall4 ,he converses with ,eve4 ,she eats part of the forbidden fruit1 and gives part to ,adam4 ,they propose1 according to the stage directions1 to make themselves1 subligacula a folis quibus tegamus pudenda1 cover their nakedness with leaves and converse with ,god4 ,god's curse4 ,the ,serpent exits1 hissing4 ,they are driven from ,paradise by four angels1 and the ,cherubim with a flaming sword4 ,adam appears digging the ground1 and ,eve spinning4 ,their children1 ,cain and ,abel1 enter1 the former kills his brother4 ,adam's lamentation4 ,cain is banished1 etc41 etc4 ,adam and ,eve1 in the altogether1 so to speak1 were acted like this as late as the sixteenth century4 ,in a play called ,the ,travails of the ,three ,english ,brothers1 acted in #afjg1 there occurs this3-- ,many idle toyes1 but the old play that ,adam and ,eve acted in bare action under the figge tree draws most of the gentlemen4 ,an ,account of the ,proclamation of the ,mystery plays1 acted in ,ye ,citye on ye ,dee1 may prove of interest1 and the copy of which ,i subjoin is taken from the ,harleian ,m4,s4 ,no4 #bjac4 ,the proclamation for ,whitsone playes made by ,wm4 ,newell1 ,clarke of the ,pendice1 #bd ,hen4 #h4 ,wm4 ,snead #bnd yere ,maior4 ,for as much as auld tyme1 not only for the augmentation and increese of the holy and catholick faith of our ,saviour ,jesu ,christ1 and to exort the mindes of comon people to good devotion and holsome doctrine thereof1 but also for the comonwelth and prosperity of this citty1 a play and declaration of divers storyes of ,bible beginning with the ,creation and fall of ,lucifer1 and ending with the generall ,judgment of the world1 to be declared and played in ,whitsonne weeke1 was devised and made by one ,sir ,henry ,frances1 sometyme moonck of this monastrey disolved1 who obtayning and gat of ,clemant1 then ,bushop of ,rome1 a #ajjj dayes of pardon1 and of the ,bushop of ,chester at that tyme #dj dayes of pardon1 graunted from thensforth to every person resorting1 in peaceable manner with good devotion1 to heare and see the sayd playes1 from time to time as oft as they shall be played within the said citty 7and that every person or persons disturbing the sayd playes in the maner wise to be acused by the authority of the sayd pope ,clemant's bulls1 untill such tyme as he or they be absolved thereof7 which playes were devised to the honor of ,god by ,john ,arnway1 then maior of this citty of ,chester1 his brethren and whole cominalty thereof1 to be brought forth1 declared1 and played1 at the cost and charges of the craftesman and occupations of the sayd citty1 which hitherto have from tyme to tyme used and performed the same accordingly4 ,wherefore ,mr4 maior1 in the ,king's name1 stratly chargeth and commandeth that every person and persons of what estate1 degree1 or condition so ever he or they be resorting to the sayd playes1 do use themselves peaciblie1 without making any assault1 affray1 or other disturbance1 whereby the same playes shall be disturbed1 and that no manner of person or persons1 whiche so ever he or they be1 do use or wear any unlawfull weapons within the precinct of the sayd citty during the tyme of the sayd playes 7not only upon payn of cursing by authority of the sayd ,pope ,clemant's bulls but also7 upon payn of imprisonment of their bodyes1 and making fine to the ,king at ,mr4 maior's pleasure4 ,archdeacon ,rogers1 who died in #aeie1 and saw the ,whitsuntide plays performed at ,chester in the preceding year1 gives the following account of the mode of exhibition3-- ,the time of the yeare they were played was on ,monday1 ,tuesday1 and ,wenseday in ,whitson weake4 ,the maner of these playes weare every company had his pagiant1 or parte1 which pagiants weare a high scafolde with #b rowmes1 a higher and a lower1 upon #d wheeles4 ,in the lower they apparelled themselves1 and in the higher rowme they played1 being all open on the tope1 that all behoulders might heare and see them4 ,the places where they played them was in every streete4 ,they begane first at the abay gates1 and when the first pagiante was played1 it was wheeled to the high crosse before the mayor1 and soe to every streete2 and soe every streete had a pagiant playinge before them at one time1 till all the pagiantes for the daye appoynted weare played1 and when one pagiant was neere ended1 word was broughte from streete to streete that soe they mighte come in place thereof exceedinge orderlye1 and all the streetes have their pagiantes afore them all at one time playeinge togeather2 to se which playes was greate resorte1 and also scafoldes and stages made in the streetes in those places where they determined to playe their pagiantes4 ,strutt has the following description of the ,mystery plays3--,in the early dawn of literature1 and when the sacred ,mysteries were the only theatrical performances1 what is now called the stage did then consist of three several platforms or stages1 raised one above another2 on the uppermost sat the ,pater ,caelestis1 surrounded with his angels2 on the second appeared the holy saints and glorified men2 and the last and lowest were occupied by mere men who had not passed through this life to the regions of eternity4 ,on one side of this lowest platform was the resemblance of a dark pitchy cavern1 from whence issued appearance of fire and flames2 and when it was necessary the audience were treated with hideous yellings and noises1 as imitations of the howlings and cries of the wretched souls tormented by the relentless demons4 ,from this yawning cave the devils themselves constantly ascended1 to delight and instruct the spectators2 to delight because they were usually the greatest jesters and buffoons that then appeared2 and to instruct for that they treated the wretched mortals who were delivered to them with the utmost cruelty1 warning thereby all men carefully to avoid the falling into the clutches of such hardened and relentless spirits4 ,it is interesting to note that ,hell was imitated by a whale's open jaws1 behind which a fire was lighted1 in such a way1 however1 so as not to injure the damned1 who had to pass into its gaping mouth4 ,the performer who impersonated ,god had not only his face but also the hair of his wig gilded4 ,christ was dressed in a long sheep's skin4 ,the ,devil1 or ,vice 7the ,exodiarii and ,emboliariae of the ancient ,mimis71 was easily recognisable by his horns and his tail1 whilst his beard was of a bright red colour1 to indicate the flames of the region in which he dwelt4 ,judas also wore a wig of a fiery hue1 and1 after being hung1 had sometimes to do the cock crowing1 as some old accounts of the ,york ,mysteries show4 ,it appears to have been customary for the ,devil to appear before the audience with a cry of ,ho6 ho6 ho6 somewhat similar to the ejaculations of the ,pantomime ,clown in after years4 7,see ,gammer ,gurton's ,needle1 ,act ,,ii41 ,sc4 #c1 and ,the ,devil is an ,ass1 by ,ben ,jonson1 ,act ,i41 ,sc4 #a47 ,the following passage occurs in ,wily ,beguiled1 #afjf4 ,tush6 feare not the dodge2 ,i'll rather put on my flashing red nose1 and my flaming face1 and come wrapped in a calfe's skin1 and cry ',ho6 ho6 ho6' ,again1 ,i'll put me on my great carnation nose1 and wrap me in a rousing calf's-skin suit1 and come like some hob-goblin1 or some ,devil ascended from the grisly pit of hell1 and like a scarebabe make him take to his legs2 ,i'll play the ,devil1 ,i warrant ye4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,the ,clown or ,fool of the early ,english ,drama--,moralities--,the ,interlude--,the rise of ,english ,tragedy and ,comedy--,dumb ,shews in the ,old ,plays--,plays suppressed by ,elizabeth--,a retrospect4 ,in the sixth chapter of this work1 in quoting ,malone1 ,i have mentioned that the ,exodiarii and ,emboliariae of the ,mimis were the remote progenitors of the ,clown of the ,mystery ,plays of this country4 ,now let us see what were the duties the ,clown fulfilled in the old plays of this country1 and also briefly of the others who were known under the generic name of ,clown or fool4 ,in the early drama the ,clown was a personage of no mean importance and whose duty was to preserve the stage from vacancy by amusing the audience with extemporary buffoonery1 and also at the end of the performance4 ,and1 as ,heywood1 in his ,history of ,women 7#afbd71 says ,by his mimic gestures to breed in the less capable mirth and laughter4 ,on these occasions1 it was usual to descant1 in a humourous style1 on various subjects proposed to him by the spectators2 but they were more commonly entertained with what was termed a jig3 this was a ludicrous composition in rhyme1 sung by the ,clown1 accompanied by his pipe and tabor4 ,in these jigs there were sometimes more actors than one1 and the most unbounded license of tongue was allowed2 the pith of the matter being usually some scurrilous exposure of persons among1 or well known to the audience4 ,here again history repeats itself in this once more1 and in imitation of the satirical interludes of the ,grecian stage and the ,atellans and ,mimis of the ,roman theatres4 ,the practice of putting the fools and ,clowns in requisition between the acts and scenes 7observes ,francis ,douce71 and after the play was finished1 to amuse the spectators with their tricks1 may be traced to the ,greek and ,roman theatres2 and their usages being preserved in the middle ages1 wherever the ,roman influence had spread1 it would not1 of course1 be peculiar to ,england4 ,the records of the ,french theatre demonstrate this fact2 in the ,mystery of ,saint ,barbara1 we find this stage direction3--,pausa4 ,vadunt1 et stultus loquitur4 7,a pause4 ,they quit the stage1 and the fool speaks74 ,and in this way he is frequently brought on between the scenes4 ,it is quite obvious that the terms ,clown and fool were used1 though improperly1 perhaps1 as synonymous by our old dramatists4 ,their confused introduction might render this doubtful to one who had not well considered the matter4 ,the fool of our early plays denoted a mere idiot or natural1 or else a witty hireling retained to make sport for his masters4 ,the ,clown was a character of more variety2 sometimes he was a mere rustic2 and1 often1 no more than a shrewd domestic4 ,there are instances in which any low character in a play served to amuse with his coarse sallies1 and thus became the ,clown of the piece4 ,in fact1 the fool of the drama was a kind of heterogeneous being1 copied in part from real life1 but highly coloured in order to produce effect4 ,this opinion derives force from what is put into the mouth of ,hamlet1 when he admonishes those who perform the ,clowns1 to speak no more than is set down for them4 ,indeed1 ,shakespeare himself cannot be absolved from the imputation of making mere caricatures of his merry ,andrews1 unless we suppose1 what is very probable1 that his compositions have been much interpolated with the extemporaneous jokes of the players4 ,to this folly1 allusions are made in a clever satire1 entitled1 ,pasquils ,mad-cappe1 throwne at the ,corruptions of these ,times1 #afbf1 quarto4 ,tell country players1 that old paltry jests ,pronounced in a painted motley coate1 ,filles all the world so full of cuckoo nests1 ,that nightingales can scarcely sing a note4 ,oh6 bid them turn their minds to better meanings2 ,fields are ill sowne that give no better gleanings4 ,sir ,philip ,sidney reprobates the custom of introducing fools on the stage2 and declares that the plays of his time were neither right tragedies nor right comedies1 for the authors mingled kings and ,clowns1 not1 says he1 because the matter so carrieth it1 but thrust in the ,clowne by head and shoulders to play a part in majestical matters1 with neither decencie nor discretion2 so as neither the admiration and commisseration1 nor the right sportfulnesse1 is by their mongrell tragie-comedie obtained4 ,rankin1 a puritan1 contemporary with ,shakespeare1 wrote a most bitter attack on plays and players1 whom he calls monsters2 ,and whie monsters8 says he1 because under colour of humanitie they present nothing but prodigious vanitie2 these are wels without water1 dead branches fit for fuell1 cockle amongst corne1 unwholesome weedes amongst sweete hearbes2 and1 finallie1 feends that are crept into the worlde by stealth1 and hold possession by subtill invasion4 ,in another place1 he says1 some transformed themselves to rogues1 others to ruffians1 some others to ,clownes1 a fourth to fools2 the rogues were ready1 the ruffians were rude1 theyr ,clownes cladde as well with country condition1 as in ruffe russet2 theyr fooles as fond as might be4 ,to give a clear view of our subject1 something of the different sorts of fools may be thus classed3 #a4--,the general domestic fool1 termed often1 but improperly1 a ,clown2 described by ,puttenham as a buffoune1 or counterfett foole4 #b4--,the ,clown1 who was a mere country booby1 or a witty rustic4 #c4--,the female fool1 who was generally an idiot4 #d4--,the city or corporation fool1 an assistant in public entertainments4 #e4--,the tavern fool1 retained to amuse the customers4 #f4--,the fool of the ancient ,mysteries and ,moralities1 otherwise the ,vice4 #g4--,the fool in the old dumb shows1 often alluded to by ,shakespeare4 #h4--,the fool in the ,whitsun ales and morris dance4 #i4--,the mountebank's fool1 or merry ,andrew4 ,there may be others in our ancient dramas1 of an irregular kind1 not reducible to any of these classes2 but to exemplify them is not within the scope of this essay3 what has been stated may assist the readers of old plays to judge for themselves when they meet with such characters4 ,the practice of retaining fools can be distinctly traced from the remotest times4 ,they were to be found alike in the palace and the brothel2 the ,pope had his fool1 and the bawd hers2 they excited the mirth of kings and beggars2 the hovel of the villain and the castle of the baron were alike exhilarated by their jokes4 ,with respect to the antiquity of this custom in ,england1 it appears to have existed even during the period of our ,saxon history1 but we are certain of the fact in the reign of ,william the ,conqueror4 ,maitre ,wace1 an historian of that time1 has an account of the preservation of ,william's life1 when ,duke of ,normandy1 by his fool1 ,goles2 and1 in ,domesday book1 mention is made of ,berdin joculator regis2 and though this term sometimes denoted a minstrel1 evidence might be adduced to prove1 that in this instance it signified a buffoon4 ,the entertainment1 fools were expected to afford1 may be collected in great variety from our old plays1 especially from those of ,shakespeare2 but1 perhaps1 a good idea may be formed of their general conduct from a passage in a curious tract by ,lodge1 entitled1 ,wit's ,miserie1 #aeii1 quarto3 ,immoderate and disordinate joy became incorporate in the bodie of a jeaster2 this fellow in person is comely1 in apparell courtly1 but in behaviour a very ape1 and no man2 his studie is to coin bitter jeasts1 or to shew antique motions1 or to sing baudie sonnets and ballads2 give him a little wine in his head1 he is continually flearing and making of mouthes2 he laughs intemperately at every little occasion1 and dances about the house1 leaps over tables1 outskips men's heads1 trips up his companions' heeles1 burns sack with a candle1 and hath all the feats of a lord of misrule in the countrie3 feed him in his humour1 you shall have his heart2 in mere kindness he will hug you in his armes1 kisse you on the cheeke1 and rapping out an horrible oath1 crie ',god's soule1 ,tum1 ,i love you1 you knowe my poore heart1 come to my chamber for a pipe of tobacco1 there lives not a man in this world that ,i more honor4' ,in these ceremonies you shall know his courting1 and it is a speciall mark of him at table1 he sits and makes faces3 keep not this fellow company1 for in jingling with him1 your wardropes shall be wasted1 your credits crackt1 your crownes consumed1 and time 7the most precious riches of the world7 utterly lost4 ,with regard to the fool's business on the stage1 it was nearly the same as in reality1 with this difference1 that the wit was more highly seasoned4 ,in ,middleton's ,mayor of ,quinborough1 a company of actors1 with a ,clown1 make their appearance1 and the following dialogue ensues3-- #ast ,cheater4 ,this is our ,clown1 sir4 ,simon4 ,fye1 fye1 your company ,must fall upon him and beat him2 he's too fair i'faith1 ,to make the people laugh4 #ast ,cheater4 ,not as he may be dress'd1 sir4 ,simon4 ,faith1 dress him how you will4 ,i'll give him ,that gift1 he will never look half scurvily enough4 ,oh6 the ,clowns that ,i have seen in my time1 ,the very peeping out of one of them would have ,made a young heir laugh1 though his father lay a-dying2 ,a man undone in law the day before1 7,the saddest case that can be7 might for his second ,have burst himself with laughing1 and ended all ,his miseries4 ,here was a merry world1 my masters6 ,some talk of things of state1 of puling stuff2 ,there's nothing in a play like to a ,clown1 ,if he have the grace to hit on it1 that's the thing indeed4 ,away then1 shift2 ,clown1 to thy motley crupper4 ,in the praeludium to ,goffe's ,careless ,shepherdess1 #afef1 quarto1 there is a panegyric on them1 and some concern is shown for the fool's absence in the play itself1 while it is stated that ,the motley coat was banished with trunk-hose4 ,yet in ,charles ,,ii4's reign1 some efforts were made to restore the character4 ,in the tragedy of ,thorney ,abbey1 or the ,london ,maid1 #affb1 #abmo41 the prologue is delivered by a fool1 who uses these words3--,the poet's a fool who made the tragedy1 to tell a story of a king and a court1 and leave a fool out on't1 when in ,pacey's1 and ,sommer's1 and ,patche's1 and ,archer's times1 my venerable predecessours1 a fool was alwaies the principal verb4 ,shadwell's play of ,the ,woman ,captain1 #afhj1 is perhaps the last in which a regular fool is introduced2 and even there1 his master is made to say that the character was exploded on the stage4 ,in real life1 as was formerly stated1 the professed fool was to be met with at a much later period1 but the custom has long been obsolete4 ,what ,i have said of the ,mysteries of ,religion plays will1 ,i hope1 be sufficient to show the reader how they were associated with ,pantomime4 ,the ,moralities1 founded on the ,mysteries1 were the means used to inculcate1 by the aid of a slight plot1 religious truths without directly using scriptural or legendary subjects4 ,malone says of them3--,i am unable to ascertain when the first ,morality appeared1 but incline to think not sooner than the reign of ,edward ,,iv4 7about #adfj74 ,the public pageants of the reign of his predecessor were uncommonly splendid1 and being then first enlivened by the introduction of speaking allegorical personages1 properly and characteristically habited1 naturally led the way to these personifications1 by which ,moralities were distinguished from the simple religious dramas called ,mysteries4 ,the ,interlude1 that was the progenitor of ,english ,comedy1 next arrived4 ,the origin of the ,interlude is credited to ,john ,heywood4 ,it is interesting to note that a play1 entitled1 ,gammer ,gurton's ,needle1 is credited with being our first ,english ,comedy1 though its humour and wit1 it is stated1 is of a low and sordid kind4 ,others make claim for the comedy1 ,ralph ,roister ,doister4 ,tragedy and ,comedy now began to raise their heads1 yet they could not1 for some time1 do more than bluster and quibble4 ,there is an excellent criticism on them by that distinguished statesman1 poet1 scholar1 and brave soldier1 ,sir ,philip ,sydney4 ,some of their pieces were only 'dumb shews1' some with choruses1 and some they explained by an ,interlocutor1 says an old writer on the subject4 ,the mention of ,pantomime in connection with tragedy1 and as an example how ,pantomime was requisitioned in ,shakespeare's time1 is shown in the ,second ,scene of ,act ,,iii4 of ,hamlet1 wherein the dumb shew is given by the players4 ,the true drama1 however1 received birth and perfection from the creative geniuses of ,shakespeare1 ,beaumont and ,fletcher1 ,jonson1 and others4 ,though the stage no sooner began to talk than it grew scurrilous1 and plays were thought ,dangerous to ,religion1 the ,state1 ,honesty1 and ,manners1 and also for ,infection1 in ,time of ,sickness4 ,wherefore they were afterwards for some time suppressed4 ,but upon application to the ,queen and ,council they were again tolerated under the following restrictions3 ,that no ,plays be acted on ,sundays at all1 nor on any other ,holidays till after ,evening ,prayer4 ,that no playing be in the ,dark1 nor continue and such ,time1 but the ,auditors may return to their ,dwellings in ,london before ,sunset1 or at least before it be ,dark4 ,the foregoing is from ,stow1 and this ,act was made in the reign of ,elizabeth4 ,the ,virgin ,queen does not seem to have cared much about this enactment1 as we find that on ,sunday1 the #bdth ,september1 #aeib1 she and her ,court attended a play at ,oxford4 ,as ,tragedy and ,comedy progressed on the ,english stage1 ,pantomime1 as far as it was associated with the dumb shows in the early ,english drama1 became1 little by little1 a thing of the past4 ,we have seen1 and traced1 from the ,creation of this planet1 and through succeeding ages1 how ,pantomime has always flourished2 we have seen also how the ,interlude gave way to the ,comedy2 we will now see how this love of light entertainment formulated in this country by the ,interlude1 and1 about the same time1 by the ,italian ,masque ,comedy1 the progenitor of ,pantomime 7referring to the whole as a spectacle71 and the forerunner in ,france1 also of that other form of light entertainment known as the ,french ,vaudeville1 cultivated by ,le ,sage and other ,french writers of note4 ,to go to the bed-rock for our facts1 and for the innovation of all this1 it is necessary in thought1 and perhaps as well in spirit1 to journey to ,italy4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,the ,italian ,masque--,the ,masque in ,england--,first appearance in this country of ,harlequin--,joe ,haines as ,harlequin--,marlowe's ,faustus--,a ,curious ,play--,the ,italian ,harlequin--,colley ,cibber1 ,penkethman--,shakespeare's ,burlesques of the ,masque--,decline of the ,masque4 ,in ,italy the ,masque entertainment long held sway1 and was a light form of amusement1 consisting of ,pantomime1 music1 singing1 and dancing1 and an adaptation of the ,fabulae ,atellanae of ancient ,italy4 ,the performers wore masks1 also high-heeled shoes1 fitted with brass or iron heels1 which jingled as they danced4 ,this ancient custom to present-day stage dancers will doubtless be of interest4 ,masks1 like on the stages of the ,greeks and the ,romans1 were used1 hence the title ,mask1 or ,masque1 as it is sometimes written both ways4 ,in the days of ,elizabeth the custom was also practised in the ,elizabethean ,masque4 ,the ,masquerade and the ,masked ball1 or ,bal-,masque1 are survivals of this ancient custom4 ,crossing the ,alps1 if the reader will accompany me1 the ,italian ,masque ,comedy we find was already known in ,france in the fifteenth century4 ,in the days of ,mary de ,medici ballets were introduced1 and by the time of ,louis ,,xiv4 ,opera 7i4e41 the ,masque7 was in full swing in the early part of this reign4 ,on the ,spanish stage ballets1 with allegorical characters1 were known in the sixteenth century2 and1 in fact1 throughout ,europe about this age1 and some time previously this improvised form of ,italian ,comedy1 and the several characters in it1 belonging to the family of ,harlequin1 had long been familiar subjects4 ,returning to ,england after our little holiday1 the ,masque in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries had become very popular4 ,the architect1 ,inigo ,jones1 being frequently employed to furnish the decorations with all the magnificence of his invention4 ,at the ,courts of ,elizabeth1 ,james ,i41 ,charles ,i41 and up to the time when all plays were totally suppressed1 was it the rage4 ,at the ,restoration the ,masque was revived again1 and here1 borrowing the name from the continent1 it is called ,opera4 ,in proof of this1 in ,dryden's work1 ,albion and ,albanius1 #afhe1 ,opera is defined as a poetical tale or picture represented by vocal and instrumental music1 and endowed with machines and dances4 ,the dramatic poet and author1 ,ben ,jonson1 collaborated with ,inigo ,jones1 the architect1 in devising these ,masque plays1 ,jonson supplying the words1 and ,jones the scenic effects1 the latter being very gorgeous1 consisting of landscapes1 mountains1 and clouds1 which opened to display heathen deities illuminated by variegated coloured lights4 ,over these ,masques or ,operatic entertainments ,jonson and ,jones quarrelled1 as the former's grievance was that he received no more for his librettos than ,jones did for his scenic devices4 ,ben ,jonson thereupon wrote satires upon ,inigo ,jones1 and in one of his squibs appears the satirical line1 ,painting and ,carpentry are the ,soul of ,masque4 ,is not this applicable to many of our present-day ,pantomimes1 which1 as ,i have just stated in the previous chapter1 the ,masque was one of the original progenitors8 ,inigo ,jones and ,jonson first collaborated in the ,masque of ,blackness1 performed at ,whitehall on ,twelfth ,night1 #afjc4 ,in our money this ,masque cost some #aj1jjj4 ,jones and ,jonson's quarrel originated because the poet had1 in the ,masque of ,chloridia1 performed in #afcj1 prefixed his own name before that of ,jones4 ,in consequence of this rare old ,ben was deprived--through ,jones' influence--of employment at ,court4 ,gifford1 in his ,memoirs of ,ben ,jonson1 says that ,in poetry1 painting1 architecture1 they 7the ,masques7 have not since been equalled4 ,the ,masque1 continues ,gifford1 as it attained its highest degree of excellence1 admitted of dialogue1 singing and dancing2 these were not independent of one another1 but combined by the introduction of some ingenious fable into an harmonious whole4 ,when the plan was formed1 the aid of the sister-arts was called in2 for the essence of the ,masque was pomp and glory4 ,movable scenery of the most costly and splendid kind was lavished on the ,masque2 the most celebrated masters were employed on the songs and dances2 and all that the kingdom afforded of vocal and instrumental excellence was employed to embellish the exhibition4 ,thus1 magnificently constructed1 was composed1 as ,lord ,bacon says1 for princes1 and by princes it was played4 ,of these ,masques1 the skill with which their ornaments were designed1 and the inexpressible grace with which they were executed appear to have left a vivid impression on the mind of ,jonson4 ,his genius awakens at once1 and all his faculties attune to sprightliness and pleasure4 ,he makes his appearance like his own ,delight1 accompanied with ,grace1 ,love1 ,harmony1 ,revel1 ,sport1 and ,laughter4 ,in the ,masques the ,pantomimic dances of the ,masquers were known as motions3-- ,in curious knot and mazes so ,the ,spring at first was taught to go2 ,and ,zephyr1 when he came to woo ,his ,flora had his motions too2 ,and thus did ,venus learn to lead ,the ,idalian brawls1 and so to tread1 ,as if the wind1 not she did walk1 ,nor press'd a flower1 nor bow'd a stalk4 ,before the arrival of the ,italian ,masque in ,england1 the ,harlequin family were unknown1 and1 doubtless1 ,harlequin's first appearance in this country was in consonance with the ,masque itself4 ,heywood1 in a tract1 published in #afji1 entitled1 ,troia ,britannica1 mentions ,zanyes1 ,pantaloons1 ,harlakeans1 in which the ,french1 but especially the ,italians1 have been excellent as known in this country4 ,the earliest record ,i can find of a ,harlequin performing in this country is in the ,masque given before ,charles ,i4 and his ,court on the ,sunday evening following ,twelfth ,night1 #afcg4 ,an account of this ,masque1 as well as other information dealing with the ,masque entertainments1 will be found in my volume1 ,stage ,whispers1 and in the article on theatrical scenery4 ,in a comedy1 written by ,ravenscroft1 after the ,italian manner1 ,joe ,haines1 in #affg1 donned the motley jacket of ,harlequin1 and which1 in all probability1 was the first appearance of ,harlequin on the ,english boards1 though not in ,england1 as stated above4 ,in a farce of the audacious ,mrs4 ,aphra ,behn's1 produced twenty years afterwards1 ,harlequin and ,scaramouch were two of the characters4 ,mrs4 ,behn died ,april #af1 #afhi1 and was buried in the cloisters of ,westminster ,abbey4 ,to ,marlowe's ,faustus1 ,mountfort added comic scenes to the tragedy1 introducing ,harlequin and ,scaramouch4 ,a ,harlequin1 ,pantaloon1 ,columbine1 and ,clown appeared in a curious piece in #afig1 entitled1 ,novelty2 or ,every ,act a ,play4 ,the first act consisted of a pastoral ,drama1 the second of a ,comedy1 the third a ,masque1 the fourth a ,tragedy1 and the fifth act a ,farce4 ,in ,italy the fame of ,harlequin was at its zenith at the close of the seventeenth century4 ,in this country in #afhg a ,harlequin 7,penkethman7 appeared in a farce called ,the ,emperor of the ,moon without a mask4 ,colley ,cibber says of this performance ,that when he 7,penkethman7 first played ,harlequin in ',the ,emperor of the ,moon' several gentlemen 7who inadvertently judged by the rules of nature7 fancied that a great deal of the drollery1 and spirit of his grimace was lost by his wearing that useless1 unmeaning mask1 therefore insisted that the next time of his acting that part he should play without it4 ,their desire was accordingly complied with1 but alas6 in vain--,penkethman was no more ,harlequin4 ,his humour was quite disconcerted4 ,in ,the ,tempest1 ,shakespeare introduces a ,masque1 and also in his ,midsummer ,nights' ,dream1 the play of ,pyramus and ,thisbe1 performed by the ,clowns1 is in burlesque of the ,masque plays4 ,in both these two plays of the bard's1 and in connection with the ,masque plays1 we see1 from the stage directions in them1 how ,pantomime formed part of their effective representation4 ,in out heroding-herod in the way of splendour1 showy dresses and expensive machinery1 the ,masque soon fell into decay2 and1 as ,ben ,jonson states1 ,the glory of all these solemnities had perished like a blaze1 and gone out in the beholder's eyes2 so short-lived are the bodies of all things in comparison with their souls4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,italian ,pantomime--,riccoboni--,broom's ,antipodes--,gherardi--,extemporal ,comedies--,salvator ,rosa--,impromptu ,acting4 ,pantomime in ,italy had two distinct features1 one a species of buffoonery1 termed ,lazzi1 and the other ,extemporal or ,improvised ,comedies4 ,lazzi1 mentions ,riccoboni1 in his ,histoire du ,thetre ,italien1 is a term corrupted from the old ,tuscan ,lacci1 which signifies a knot1 or something that connects4 7,both the ,lazzi and the ,extemporal ,comedies were all derived from the one original source1 that of the ,satirical drama of the ,greeks1 and perpetuated in the ,fabulae ,atellanae or ,laudi ,osci of ,italy47 ,riccoboni continues3 ,these pleasantries1 called ,lazzi1 are certain actions by which the performer breaks into the scene1 to paint to the eye his emotions of panic or jocularity2 but as such gestures are foreign to the business going on1 the nicety of the art consists in not interrupting the scene1 and connecting the ,lazzi with it2 thus to tie the whole together4 ,lazzi is what we might term bye play1 which1 by gesture and action1 could not detract1 but rather added to the effectiveness of the scene in progress4 ,in ,broom's ,antipodes1 which was performed at the ,salisbury ,court ,theatre1 ,london1 in #afch1 a by-play1 as he calls it1 is represented in this comedy--,a word 7explains ,malone7 for the application of which we are indebted to this writer1 there being no other term in our language that ,i know of1 which so properly expresses that species of ,interlude which we find in our poet's ',hamlet1' and other pieces4 ,riccoboni1 in describing some ,lazzi1 says that ,harlequin and ,scapin being in a famished condition1 ,scapin1 in order to bring their young mistress out1 asks ,harlequin to groan4 ,scapin explains to her the reason1 and while they are talking1 ,harlequin is performing his ,lazzi4 ,this consists of eating an imaginary hatful of cherries1 and throwing the stones at ,scapin2 or catching imaginary flies1 and chopping off their wings4 ,lazzi1 we are told1 although they seem to interrupt the progress of the action1 yet in cutting it they slide back into it1 and connect or tie the whole4 ,when ,riccoboni and his company first appeared in ,france1 though being unable to speak nothing but ,italian1 their audiences1 though not being able to understand the words1 yet the performers were such past-masters in the ,mimetic ,art that their representations were just as intelligible and as expressive as if they had been with words4 ,gherardi1 in his treatise1 ,thetre ,italien1 speaks of a ,scaramouch1 who1 waiting for his master1 ,harlequin1 seats and plays on the guitar4 ,suddenly1 by ,pasquariel1 he is thrown into a fright4 ,it was then1 says ,gherardi1 that incomparable model of our most eminent actors displayed the miracles of his art2 that art which paints the passions in the face1 throws them into every gesture1 and through a whole scene of frights upon frights1 conveys the most powerful expression of ludicrous terror4 ,this man moved all hearts by the simplicity of nature1 more than skilful orators can with all the charms of persuasive rhetoric4 ,the ,extemporal ,comedies were all improvised1 the actors underwent no rehearsal1 and1 as the name denotes1 everything was impromptu4 ,the ,scenario1 or plot1 had just simply the scenes and the characters set forth1 and it was then hung in a conspicuous place on the stage2 and just in a similar way as the gas or lime light plots are affixed in present day theatres1 though the ,scenarios were not as elaborate as what some of our gas or limelight plots are4 ,before going on the stage1 the ,mimes just inspected the ,scenario of the ,comedia ,del' ,arte1 and for the dialogue and action everything depended solely upon their ,pantomimic genius4 ,disraeli mentions that men of great genius had a passion for performing in these ,extemporal ,comedies1 and1 amongst others1 the great painter1 ,salvator ,rosa4 ,a favourite character of ,rosa's was that of ,formica1 a ,clown of ,calabria4 ,passeri1 in his life of ,rosa1 tells the following anecdote3-- ,one summer1 ,salvator ,rosa joined a company of young persons1 who were curiously addicted to the making of ,comedie all' ,improviso4 ,in the midst of a vineyard they raised a rustic stage1 under the direction of one ,mussi1 who enjoyed some literary reputation1 particularly for his sermons preached in ,lent4 ,their second ,comedy was numerously attended1 and ,i went among the rest4 ,i sat on the same bench by good fortune with ,cavalier ,bernini1 ,romanelli1 and ,guido1 all well-known persons4 ,salvator ,rosa1 who had already made himself a favourite with the ,roman people1 under the character of ,formica1 opened with a prologue in company with other actors4 ,he proposed for relieving themselves of the extreme heats and ennui that they should make a ,comedy1 and all agreed4 ,formica 7,rosa7 then spoke 7in the satirical ,venetian dialect7 these exact words1 which ,mr4 ,disraeli translates as follows3--,i will not1 however1 that we should make a ,comedy like certain persons who cut clothes1 and put them on this man's back1 and on that man's back2 for at last the time comes which shows how much faster went the cut of the shears than the pen of the poet2 nor will we have entering on the scene1 couriers1 brandy sellers1 and goatherds1 and there stare shy and blockish1 which ,i think worthy the senseless invention of an ass4 ,passeri continues3 ,at this time ,bernini had made a ,comedy in the ,carnival very pungent and biting2 and that summer he had one of ,castelli's performed in the suburbs1 where1 to represent the dawn of day1 appeared on the stage water-carriers1 couriers1 and goat-herds1 going about--all which is contrary to rule1 which allows of no character who is not concerned in the dialogue to mix with the groups4 ,at these words of the ,formica1 ,i1 who well knew his meaning1 instantly glanced my eye at ,bernini1 to observe his movements2 but he1 with an artificial carelessness1 showed that this 'cut of the shears' did not touch him2 and he made no apparent show of being hurt4 ,but ,castelli1 who was also near1 tossing his head and smiling in bitterness1 showed clearly that he was hit4 ,in concluding1 ,mr4 ,disraeli observes that3 ,this ,italian story1 told with all the poignant relish of these vivacious natives1 to whom such a stinging incident was an important event1 also shows the personal freedoms taken on these occasions by a man of genius1 entirely in the spirit of the ancient ,roman ,atellanae or the ,grecian ,satyra4 ,of ,extemporal ,comedies1 ,riccoboni mentions that3 ,this kind of spectacle is peculiar to ,italy2 one cannot deny that it has graces perfectly its own1 and which written ,comedy can never exhibit4 ,this impromptu mode of acting furnishes opportunities for a perpetual change in the performance1 so that the same ,scenario repeated still appears a new one3 thus one ,comedy may become twenty ,comedies4 ,an actor of this description1 always supposing an actor of genius1 is more vividly affected than one who has coldly got his part by rote4 ,but figure1 memory1 voice1 and even sensibility1 are not sufficient for the actor all' improvista2 he must be in the habit of cultivating the imagination1 pouring forth the flow of expression1 and prompt in those flashes which instantly vibrate in the plaudits of an audience4 ,again1 ,gherardi3 ,anyone may learn a part by rote1 and do something bad1 or indifferent1 on another theatre4 ,with us the affair is quite otherwise2 and when an ,italian actor dies1 it is with infinite difficulty that we can supply his place4 ,an ,italian actor learns nothing by head2 he looks on the subject for a moment before he comes forward on the stage1 and entirely depends upon his imagination for the rest4 ,the actor who is accustomed merely to recite what he has been taught is so completely occupied by his memory1 that he appears to stand1 as it were1 unconnected either with the audience or his companions2 he is so impatient to deliver himself of the burthen he is carrying that he trembles like a schoolboy1 or is as senseless as an echo1 and could never speak if others had not spoken before4 ,such a tutored actor among us would be like a paralytic arm to a body3 an unserviceable member1 only fatiguing the healthy action of the sound parts4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,pantomimical ,characters--,neapolitan ,pantomime--,the ,harlequin ,family--,the ,original ,characters in the ,italian ,pantomimes--,celebrated ,harlequins--,italian and ,french ,harlequins--,a ,french view of the ,english ,clown--,pierrots' origin--,pantaloon1 how the name has been derived--,columbine--,marionette and ,puppet ,shows4 ,after having shown what the ,lazzi and ,extemporal ,comedies were like1 let us now turn to the ,pantomimical characters associated with their representations4 ,every one1 observes ,mr4 ,isaac ,disraeli1 of this grotesque family were the creatures of national genius1 chosen by the people for themselves4 ,italy1 both ancient and modern1 exhibits a gesticulating people of comedians1 and the same comic genius characterised the nation through all its revolutions1 as well as the individual through all his fortunes4 ,the lower classes still betray their aptitude in that vivid humour1 where the action is suited to the word--silent gestures sometimes expressing whole sentences4 ,they can tell a story1 and even raise the passions1 without opening their lips4 ,no nation in modern ,europe possesses so keen a relish for the burlesque1 insomuch as to show a class of unrivalled poems1 which are distinguished by the very title2 and perhaps there never was an ,italian in a foreign country1 however deep in trouble1 but would drop all remembrance of his sorrows1 should one of his countrymen present himself with the paraphernalia of ,punch at the corner of a street4 ,i was acquainted with an ,italian1 a philosopher and a man of fortune1 residing in this country1 who found so lively a pleasure in performing ,punchinello's little comedy1 that1 for this purpose1 with considerable expense and curiosity1 he had his wooden company1 in all their costume1 sent over from his native place4 ,the shrill squeak of the tin whistle had the same comic effect on him as the notes of the ,ranz des ,vaches have in awakening the tenderness of domestic emotions in the wandering ,swiss--the national genius is dramatic4 ,lady ,wortley ,montagu when she resided at a villa near ,brescia1 was applied to by the villagers for leave to erect a theatre in her saloon3 they had been accustomed to turn the stables into a playhouse every ,carnival4 ,she complied1 and1 as she tells us1 was ,surprised at the beauty of their scenes1 though painted by a country painter4 ,the performance was yet more surprising1 the actors being all peasants2 but the ,italians have so natural a genius for comedy1 they acted as well as if they had been brought up to nothing else1 particularly the ,arlechino1 who far surpassed any of our ,english1 though only the tailor of our village1 and ,i am assured never saw a play in any other place4 ,italy is the mother1 and the nurse1 of the whole ,harlequin race4 ,hence it is that no scholars in ,europe but the most learned ,italians1 smit by the national genius1 could have devoted their vigils to narrate the evolutions of ,pantomime1 to compile the annals of ,harlequin1 to unroll the genealogy of ,punch1 and to discover even the most secret anecdotes of the obscurer branches of that grotesque family1 amidst their changeful fortunes1 during a period of two thousand years4 ,nor is this all2 princes have ranked them among the ,rosciuses2 and ,harlequins and ,scaramouches have been ennobled4 ,even ,harlequins themselves have written elaborate treatises on the almost insurmountable difficulties of their art4 ,i despair to convey the sympathy they have inspired me with to my reader2 but every ,tramontane genius must be informed1 that of what he has never seen1 he must rest content to be told4 ,of the ancient ,italian troop we have retained three or four of the characters1 while their origin has nearly escaped our recollection2 but of the burlesque comedy1 the extempore dialogue1 the humorous fable1 and its peculiar species of comic acting1 all has vanished4 ,many of the popular pastimes of the ,romans unquestionably survived their dominion1 for the people will amuse themselves1 though their masters may be conquered2 and tradition has never proved more faithful than in preserving popular sports4 ,many of the games of our children were played by ,roman boys2 the mountebanks1 with the dancers and tumblers on their moveable stages1 still in our fairs1 are ,roman2 the disorders of the ,bacchanalia1 ,italy appears to imitate in her ,carnivals4 ,among these ,roman diversions certain comic characters have been transmitted to us1 along with some of their characteristics1 and their dresses4 ,the speaking ,pantomimes and ,extemporal ,comedies which have delighted the ,italians for many centuries1 are from this ancient source4 ,rich1 in his ,companion to the ,latin ,dictionary1 has an excellent illustration of this passage3--,this ,art was of very great antiquity1 and much practiced by the ,greeks and ,romans1 both on the stage and in the tribune1 induced by their habit of addressing large assemblies in the open air1 where it would have been impossible for the majority to comprehend what was said without the assistance of some conventional signs1 which enabled the speaker to address himself to the eye1 as well as the ear of the audience4 ,these were chiefly made by certain positions of the hands and fingers1 the meaning of which was universally recognised and familiar to all classes1 and the practice itself reduced to a regular system1 as it remains at the present time amongst the populace of ,naples1 who will carry on a long conversation between themselves by mere gesticulation1 and without pronouncing a word4 ,that many of these signs are similar to those used by the ,ancients1 is proved by the same author1 who copies from an antique vase a scene which he explains by the action of the hands of the figures1 adding1 ,a common lazzaroni1 when shown one of these compositions1 will at once explain the purport of the action1 which a scholar with all his learning cannot divine4 ,the gesture to signify love1 employed by the ,ancients and modern ,neapolitans1 was joining the tips of the thumb and forefinger of the left hand2 an imputation or asseveration by holding forth the right hand2 a denial by raising the same hand1 extending the fingers4 ,in mediaeval works of art1 a particular attitude of the fingers is adopted to exhibit malicious hate3 it is done by crossing the forefinger of each hand1 and is generally seen in figures of ,herod or ,judas ,iscariot4 ,down to the fifteenth century there is not much known of the family of ,harlequin1 with the exception1 perhaps1 that the name ,zany became more widely distributed into such as ,drolls1 ,clowns1 ,pantaloons1 ,punches1 ,scaramouches1 and the like4 ,in the ,italian ,comedy1 of purely native growth1 the original characters were ,pantaloon1 a ,venetian ,merchant2 ,dottore1 a ,bolognese physician2 ,spavento1 a ,neapolitan braggart2 ,pulcinello1 a wag of ,apalia2 ,giangurgoto and ,corviello1 two ,clowns of ,cala-simpleton2 and ,arlechino1 a blundering servant of ,bergamo4 ,the latter ,the ,harlequin of the ,italian theatre1 has passed through1 mentions ,mr4 ,disraeli1 all the vicissitudes of fortune4 ,at first 7as we have seen7 he was a true representative of the ancient ,mime2 but1 during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries1 he degenerated into a booby and a gourmand1 the perpetual butt for a sharp-witted fellow1 his companion1 ,brighella1 the knife and the whetstone4 ,harlequin1 however1 under the reforming hand of ,goldoni1 became1 in after years1 a child of nature1 and the delight of his country2 and he has commemorated the historical character of the great ,harlequin ,sacchi4 ,it may serve the reader to correct his notions of one1 from the absurd pretender with us who has usurped the title4 ,sacchi possessed a lively and brilliant imagination4 ,while other ,harlequins merely repeated themselves1 ,sacchi1 who always adhered to the essence of the play1 contrived to give an air of freshness to the piece by his new sallies and unexpected repartees4 ,his comic traits and his jests were neither taken from the language of the lower orders1 nor that of the comedians4 ,he levied contributions on comic authors1 on poets1 orators1 and philosophers2 and in his impromptus they often discovered the thoughts of ,seneca1 ,cicero1 or ,montaigne4 ,he possessed the art of appropriating the remains of these great men to himself1 and allying them to the simplicity of the blockhead2 so that the same proposition which was admired in a serious author1 became highly ridiculous in the mouth of this excellent actor4 ,in ,france ,harlequin was improved into a wit1 and even converted into a moralist2 he is the graceful hero of ,florian's charming compositions1 which please even in the closet4 ,this imaginary being1 invented by the ,italians1 and adopted by the ,french1 says the ingenious ,goldoni1 has the exclusive right of uniting naivet with finesse1 and no one ever surpassed ,florian in the delineation of this amphibious character4 ,he has even contrived to impart sentiment1 passion1 and morality to his pieces4 ,harlequin must be modelled as a national character1 the creature of manners2 and thus the history of such a ,harlequin might be that of the age and of the people1 whose genius he ought to represent4 ,the history of a people is often detected in their popular amusements2 one of these ,italian ,pantomimic characters shows this4 ,they had a ,capitan1 who probably originated in the ,miles gloriosus of ,plautus2 a brother1 at least1 of our ,ancient ,pistol and ,bobadil4 ,the ludicrous names of this military poltroon were ,spavento 7,horrid fright71 ,spezza-fer 7,shiver-spear71 and a tremendous recreant was ,captain ,spavento de ,val inferno4 ,when ,charles ,v4 entered ,italy1 a ,spanish ,captain was introduced2 a dreadful man he was too1 if we are to be frightened by names3 ,sangre e ,fuego6 and ,matamoro6 ,his business was to deal in ,spanish rhodomontades1 to kick out the native ,italian ,capitan1 in compliment to the ,spaniards1 and then to take a quiet caning from ,harlequin1 in compliment to themselves4 ,when the ,spaniards lost their influence in ,italy1 the ,spanish ,captain was turned into ,scaramouch1 who still wore the ,spanish dress1 and was perpetually in a panic4 ,the ,italians could only avenge themselves on the ,spaniards in ,pantomime6 ,on the same principle the gown of ,pantaloon over his red waistcoat and breeches1 commemorates a circumstance in ,venetian history expressive of the popular feeling4 ,the characters of the ,italian ,pantomime became so numerous1 that every dramatic subject was easily furnished with the necessary personages of comedy4 ,that loquacious pedant1 the ,dottore1 was taken from the lawyers and the physicians1 babbling false ,latin in the dialect of learned ,bologna4 ,scapin was a livery servant1 who spoke the dialect of ,bergamo1 a province proverbially abounding with rank intriguing knaves1 who1 like the slaves in ,plautus and ,terence1 were always on the watch to further any wickedness2 while ,calabria furnished the booby ,giangurgello with his grotesque nose4 ,molire1 it has been ascertained1 discovered in the ,italian theatre at ,paris his ,medecin malgre ,lui1 his ,etourdi1 his ,l',avare1 and his ,scapin4 ,milan offered a pimp in ,brighella2 ,florence1 an ape of fashion in ,gelsomino4 ,these and other ,pantomimic characters1 and some ludicrous ones1 as the ,tartaglia1 a spectacled dotard1 a stammerer1 and usually in a passion1 had been gradually introduced by the inventive powers of an actor of genius1 to call forth his own peculiar talents4 ,the ,pantomimes1 or1 as they have been described1 the continual ,masquerades1 of ,ruzzante1 with all these diversified personages1 talking and acting1 formed1 in truth1 a burlesque comedy4 ,some of the finest geniuses of ,italy became the votaries of ,harlequin2 and the ,italian ,pantomime may be said to form a school of its own4 ,the invention of ,ruzzante was one capable of perpetual novelty4 ,many of these actors have been chronicled either for the invention of some comic character1 or for their true imitation of nature in performing some favourite one4 ,one1 already immortalised by having lost his real name in that of ,captain ,matamoros1 by whose inimitable humours he became the most popular man in ,italy1 invented the ,neapolitan ,pullicinello2 while another1 by deeper study1 added new graces to another burlesque rival4 ,one ,constantini invented the character of ,mezetin1 as the ,narcissus of ,pantomime4 ,he acted without a mask1 to charm by the beautiful play of his countenance1 and display the graces of his figure2 the floating drapery of his fanciful dress could be arranged by the changeable humour of the wearer4 ,crowds followed him in the streets1 and a ,king of ,poland ennobled him4 ,the ,wit and ,harlequin ,dominic sometimes dined at the table of ,louis ,,xiv4--,tiberio ,florillo1 who invented the character of ,scaramouch1 had been the amusing companion of the boyhood of ,louis ,,xiv42 and from him ,molire learnt much1 as appears by the verses under his portrait3-- ,cet illustre comdien ,de son art traa la carrire3 ,,ii fut le matre de ,molire1 ,et la ,nature fut le sien4 ,the last lines of an epitaph on one of these ,pantomimic actors may be applied to many of them during their flourishing period3-- ,toute sa vie il a fait rire2 ,il a fait pleurer a sa mort4 ,several of these admirable actors were literary men1 who have written on their art1 and shown that it was one4 ,the ,harlequin ,cecchini composed the most ancient treatise on this subject1 and was ennobled by the ,emperor ,matthias2 and ,nicholas ,barbieri1 for his excellent acting called the ,beltrame1 a ,milanese simpleton1 in his treatise on comedy1 tells us that he was honoured by the conversation of ,louis ,,xiii41 and rewarded with fortune4 ,a sketch of ,harlequin's original part is worth recording4 ,he is a mixture of wit1 simplicity1 ignorance1 and grace1 he is a half made up man1 a great child with gleams of reason and intelligence1 and all his mistakes and blunders have something arch about them4 ,the true mode of representing him is to give him suppleness1 agility1 the playfulness of a kitten with a certain coarseness of exterior1 which renders his actions more absurd4 ,his part is that of a faithful valet2 greedy2 always in love2 always in trouble1 either on his own or his master's account2 afflicted and consoled as easily as a child1 and whose grief is as amusing as his joy4 ,his costume consisted of a jacket fastened in front with loose ribbons1 and pantaloons of wide dimensions1 patched with various coloured pieces of cloth sewn on in any fashion4 ,his beard was worn straight1 and of a black colour2 on his face he had a half black mask and in his belt of untanned leather he carried a wooden sword4 ,in ,italy there were many varieties of ,harlequin1 the most notable being ,trivelin1 and ,truffaldin4 ,the dress of the former1 instead of the patches symmetrically arranged1 had triangular patches along the seams1 and suns and moons only for patches4 ,he wore the soft hat and hare's foot1 but did not carry the wooden sword4 ,the hare's foot denoting speed1 has in all probability its origin in the winged cap of the god ,mercury4 ,truffaldin is a species of ,harlequin1 who first appeared about #aecj4 ,he represented 7truffa1 the villain7 a sneaking kind of knave1 and in the middle of the seventeenth century this character was very popular4 ,in ,france1 about #affj1 ,cardinal ,mazarin invited one ,joseph ,dominique ,biancolelli1 to come to ,paris to give entertainments4 ,shortly after his arrival ,biancolelli gave quite a new reading to the character of ,arlechino1 as he made him not only a wit and punster1 but also a bit of a philosopher4 ,biancolelli's improvements did not end here1 as he turned his attention to the dress of ,arlechino1 which was now made of finer and better quality1 whilst the parti-coloured patches were made more artistic and attractive4 ,on the death of ,lolatelli1 who1 in his lifetime1 had played a kind of ,arlechino part1 ,biancolelli succeeded him1 and soon sprang into prominence1 and acquired a great artistic reputation4 ,whilst dancing before ,louis ,,xv4 ,biancolelli contracted a cold1 which set up inflammation of the lungs1 causing his death4 ,his companions1 at the theatre in which he performed1 to mark the sense of their great grief1 closed the theatre for a month4 ,biancolelli died in #afhh4 ,as ,arlechino1 ,biancolelli was succeeded by his son1 ,pierre1 who played under the name of ,dominique4 ,a ,tuscan1 named ,gherardi1 who had obtained celebrity as a singer1 was the next successful ,french ,harlequin4 ,in consequence of a fall ,gherardi met his death1 in the year #agjj4 ,nearly a couple of decades afterwards1 in #agaf1 ,thomassin made his appearance as ,harlequin1 in pieces written for him by ,marivaux1 such as ,le ,prince ,travesti1 ,la ,surprise de l',amour1 and in which he appeared with great success4 ,so daring were ,thomassin's tricks1 and in such popularity was he held1 that1 fearful of losing their favourite like ,gherardi1 he was obliged to discontinue them4 ,another competitor now arose to take the crown from ,thomassin1 and in the person of one ,carlo ,bertinazzi1 commonly called ,carlin4 ,our actor1 ,garrick1 was an admirer of this famous ,mime4 ,of ,carlin1 ,m4 ,sand speaks3--,like most clever buffoons1 he had a very melancholy disposition1 and1 as with ,dominique1 his gaiety was what the ,english term humour4 ,it belonged to his mind1 and not to his temperament4 ,carlin also wrote a book entitled1 ,les ,metamorphosis d',arlequin4 ,in #aghc ,carlin died1 and his place in the favour of the public was filled by ,galinetti4 ,the ,french view of the ,english ,clown is interesting3 ,the ,english clown 7whose nearest representative on the ,french stage is ,pierrot7 is an odd and fantastical being4 ,the ,florentine ,stentorella alone resembles him in his jests and tricks4 ,his strange dress seems to have been taken from the ,american ,indians4 ,it consists of a white1 red1 yellow1 and green net work1 ornamented with diamond-shaped pieces of stuff of various colours4 ,his face is floured1 and streaked with paint a deep carmine2 the forehead is prolonged to the top of the head1 which is covered with a red wig1 from the centre of which a little stiff tail points to the sky4 ,his manners are no less singular than his costume4 ,he is not dumb1 like our ,pierrot1 but1 on the contrary1 he sustains an animated and witty conversation2 he is also an acrobat1 and very expert in feats of strength4 ,m4 ,blandelaire gives a more poetical description3 ,the ,english ,pierrot is not a person as pale as the moon1 mysterious as silent1 straight and long1 like the gallows to whom we have been accustomed in ,deburean4 ,the ,english ,pierrot enters like the tempest1 and tumbles like a parcel2 his laugh resembles joyous thunder4 ,he is short and fat2 his face is floured and streaked with paint2 he has a great patch of red on each cheek2 his mouth is enlarged by prolongation of the lips by means of two red bands1 so that when he laughs his mouth appears to open from ear to ear4 ,the ,pierrots--not only in ,france1 but on the ,continent generally--took all the characteristics of the ,zanys1 ,bertoldo1 ,paggliaccio1 ,gros1 ,giullaume1 ,pedrolino1 ,gilles1 ,corviello1 and ,peppe ,nappa1 of the ,italian ,comedy1 and all owing at least their original conception to the theatres of the ,greeks1 and the ,romans4 ,on the ,italian stage there was not a principal ,clown like in ,england1 the foremost place being occupied by ,arlechino4 ,the four principal masked characters of the ,italian ,comedia del' ,arte in ,venice consisted of ,tartaglia 7a stammerer71 ,truffildino1 ,brighella 7a representative of orators and public personages71 and ,pantaloon 7a native of ,venice74 ,the name of ,pantaloon is derived from planta-leone 7plante-lion--he planted the lion74 ,the probable meaning of it in this particular is that the ,venetian merchants1 it is said1 in boasting of their conquests set up their standard--the ,venetian standard being the lion of ,st4 ,mark--on various islands in the ,mediterranean1 and from which they were nicknamed1 it is said1 plant lion4 ,a more probable derivation of the word is that the ancient patron saint of ,venice is ,san ,pantaleone4 ,st4 ,pantaleone's day is ,july #bg4 ,he was martyred ,a4,d4 #cjc4 ,in ,childe ,harold1 ,lord ,byron1 in ,canto ,,iv41 stanza #ad1 has that ,the ,venetian name of ,pantaleone is her very by-word4 ,pantaloon has been1 at various times1 husband1 father1 and widower4 ,sometimes he is rich1 then poor1 and occasionally a spendthrift4 ,the dress that he wore consisted of tight red breeches1 rather short1 a long black robe1 red stockings and waistcoat1 a little woollen skull-cap and slippers4 ,when the ,venetian republic lost ,negropont mourning generally was adopted1 and ,pantaloon adopted it with the rest1 and on the ,continent mourning has1 ,i believe1 formed a component part of ,pantaloon's dress ever since4 ,in #agej ,darbes1 in ,italy1 was one of the best ,pantaloons4 ,darbes1 on one occasion1 ventured to play this character in one of ,goldoni characters1 without a mask1 and which1 we are told1 was a failure4 ,a similar attempt was made on the ,english stage1 which ,i have previously referred to4 ,mention has been previously made of females appearing on the stage during the ,grecian and ,roman periods4 ,from this1 however1 there arose on the ,italian stage1 in after years1 the ,servetta or ,fantesca1 a kind of waiting maid1 or accomplished companion part1 and called later1 in ,france1 ,soubrette1 and the origin of which1 in all probability1 can be traced to the ,mimas of ,pantomimus4 ,in the sixteenth century mention is made of a troupe of performers known as ,amorosos or ,innamortos1 appearing in ,italy4 ,those who only appeared in the female parts were known as ,colombina1 ,oliva1 ,fianetta1 ,pasquella1 and ,nespella4 ,columbina's part1 the accomplished companion1 like the ,vita of the ,indian ,drama1 was sometimes that of mistress1 and sometimes that of maid4 ,up to #aefj women were unknown on the ,italian stage4 ,in ,england just one hundred years later4 ,three generations of the family of ,biancolelli1 the ,harlequin1 grandmother1 grand-daughter1 and great grand-daughter appeared as ,columbines in ,france4 ,the most talented was ,catherine1 the daughter of ,dominique1 and she made her debut in #afhc1 in ,arlequin ,prote1 with great success4 ,about #afie1 ,columbine appeared in a parti-coloured gown like a female ,harlequin1 and in the piece ,le ,retour de la foie de ,besons1 acted at the ,comedie ,italiene4 ,as the innovation was much liked1 the part of ,columbine came to be dressed like the ,harlequin4 ,the ,columbine dressed in short muslin skirts is a creation of modern times4 ,in the ,french ,comedies ,columbine was often ,harlequin's wife1 but she never had the powers of a magical wand4 ,in the old form of ,pantomime there were many other personages in these dumb shows which we never had in the ,english ,pantomimes4 ,to note a few of them3--,the ,captain1 a bragging swash-buckler2 the ,apothecary1 a half-starved individual with a red nose2 and a female soubrette1 who acted for her mistress1 ,columbine1 similar duties as what ,clown performed as valet for his master4 ,the ,doctor brought at first on the stage in #aefj1 was supposed to be a lawyer or a physician4 ,from #aefj his dress was that of a professor's1 a short1 black tunic1 stockings1 and a black mask covering the forehead and nose4 ,another1 ,faanappa1 had a long parrot nose1 surmounted by a pair of green spectacles1 a flat hat1 with a broad brim1 a waistcoat covered with tinsel1 and a long white coat with large pockets4 ,like the ,clown of our early ,english plays1 and like his ancestors1 the ,atellans and ,mimes1 he had the privilege of making allusions from the stage1 in what1 ,i suppose1 were something like the ,interludes4 ,il ,barone is another variety4 ,he was a ,sicilian lord1 deceived by his daughter1 and also duped by his valets4 ,il ,barone was a favourite subject for another form of ,miming1 that of the wooden figures called ,marionettes4 ,marionette entertainments were known both to the ,greeks and the ,romans4 ,the adventures of ,don ,juan and ,don ,giovanni1 of the ,italian ,opera1 in all probability sprang originally from the adventures of ,punch in the puppet shows4 ,puppet shows introduced into ,france 7temp4 ,charles ,,ix47 from ,italy1 where they were and are still known as ,fantoccini1 by ,marion--hence their name--and then into this country1 are mentioned by ,shakespeare1 ,pepys1 ,jonson1 ,swift1 and the ,essayists4 ,puppet shows1 in this country1 were formerly known as ,motions4 ,shakespeare's ,antolycus frequented fairs and the like1 and he also composed a ,motion of ,the ,prodigal ,son4 ,mystery plays were also represented by puppets4 ,in ,england1 especially at ,bartholomew ,fair1 they were always very popular1 and the chief survivor of this form of dumb show is ,mr4 ,punch of our streets1 whose ancient history ,i have briefly mentioned in another chapter1 but not that of ,mrs4 ,punch1 on whose history ,i am unable--however so brief--to throw any light4 ,let us now1 dear reader1 return to ,england1 and trace in this country something more of the ,history of ,pantomime1 and for which we will now open another chapter4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,italian ,scenarios and ,english ,platts--,pantaloon--,tarleton1 the ,clown--,extemporal ,comedy--,the ,poet ,milton--,ben ,jonson--,the ,commonwealth--,a ,reign of ,dramatic ,terror--,robert ,cox and his ,humours and ,drolleries--,the ,restoration4 ,it has been thought that our dramatic poet1 ,massinger1 drew upon the ,italian ,comedy for the humour of some of his plays4 ,that there was some form of intercourse between the ,english and ,italian stage is shown by the discovery of one of the ,italian ,scenarios1 or ,platts1 as we know them1 at ,dulwich ,college1 which discovery ,steevens describes as a mysterious fragment of ancient stage direction1 and of a species of dramatic entertainment which no memorial is preserved in any annals of the ,english stage4 ,the ,platt1 written in a large hand1 ,and containing directions1 was thought to have been affixed near the prompter's stand1 and it has even an oblong hole in its centre to admit of being suspended on a wooden peg 7,disraeli74 ,on it1 and in a familiar way1 appear the names of the players1 such as3 ,pigg1 ,white and ,black1 ,dick and ,sam1 ,little ,will ,barne1 ,jack ,gregory1 and the ,red-faced fellow4 ,a ,platt of the ,seven ,deadly ,sinnes1 supposed to have been written by ,dick ,tarleton1 the famous ,clown1 is preserved1 ,i believe1 in ,dulwich ,college4 ,it consists of a pasteboard fifteen inches high1 and nine in breadth1 and on it is written1 in two columns1 the following3-- ,a tent being placed on the stage for ,henry the ,sixth2 he in it asleep4 ,to him the lieutenant1 and a pursuivant 7,r4 ,cowley1 ,jo4 ,duke71 and one warder 7,r4 ,pallant74 ,to them ,pride1 ,gluttony1 ,wrath1 and ,covetousness at one door2 at another door ,envy1 ,sloth1 and ,lechery4 ,the three put back the four1 and so exeunt4 ,henry awaking1 enter a keeper 7,j4 ,sinclair71 to him a servant 7,t4 ,belt71 to him ,lidgate and the keeper4 ,exit1 then enter again--then ,envy passeth over the stage4 ,lidgate speaks4 ,these ,platts were1 in all probability1 one of the first written forms of ,pantomimic entertainments known in ,england1 and borrowed1 as mentioned1 from the ,scenarios of the ,italians4 ,that form of home amusement well-known in family circles1 ,acting ,charades1 may be likened to them4 ,to get all the information that we can obtain of the ,platts1 ,i am sure ,i cannot do better than quote the words of ,mr4 ,isaac ,disraeli1 well assured that they will be more acceptable than any ,i can make4 ,some of these ,platts are on solemn subjects1 like the tragic ,pantomimes2 and in some appear ,pantaloon1 and his man ,peascod1 with spectacles4 ,steevens observes1 that he met with no earlier example of the appearance of ,pantaloon1 as a specific character on our stage2 and that this direction concerning the spectacles cannot fail to remind the reader of a celebrated passage in ,as you like it4 7,scene #f1 ,act ,,ii474 444 ,the sixth age shifts ,into the lean and slippered pantaloon2 ,with spectacles on nose1 and pouch on side2 ,his youthful hose well saved1 a world too wide ,for his shrunk shank2 and his big manly voice1 ,turning again toward childish treble1 pipes ,and whistles in his sound4 ,perhaps1 he adds1 ,shakespeare alludes to this personage1 as habited in his own time4 ,the old age of ,pantaloon is marked by his leanness1 and his spectacles and his slippers4 ,he always runs after ,harlequin1 but cannot catch him2 as he runs in slippers and without spectacles1 is liable to pass him by without seeing him4 ,can we doubt that this ,pantaloon had come from the ,italian theatre1 after what we have already said8 ,does not this confirm the conjecture1 that there existed an intercourse between the ,italian theatre and our own8 ,further1 ,tarleton1 the comedian1 celebrated for his ,extemporal wit1 was the writer or inventor of one of these ,platts4 ,stow records of one of our actors that he had a quick1 delicate1 refined ,extemporal wit4 ,and ,howes1 the continuator of ,stow's ,chronicles of another1 that he had a wondrous1 plentiful1 pleasant1 ,extemporal wit4 ,praiseworthy reference is also made of ,tarleton in ,kinde-,hart's ,dream1 #dto41 published in #aeib4 ,in #afaa a book was published entitled ,tarleton's ,jeasts4 ,tarleton was so celebrated in his time that his portrait was hung out as a sign for alehouses4 ,to sit with ,tarleton on an ale-post's signe1 observes ,bishop ,hall in his satires4 ,oldys1 in his ,m4,s4 notes1 mentions that ,there is an alehouse sign of a tabor and pipe man1 with the name of ,tarleton under it1 in the borough of ,southwark1 and it was taken from the print before the old #dto4 book of ',tarleton's ,jeasts2' and ,lord ,oxford had a portrait of him with his tabor and pipe1 which was probably taken from the pamphlet called ',tarleton's ,jeasts1' on the title page of which there is a wooden plate of ,tarleton1 at full length in his ,clown's dress1 playing on his pipe with one hand1 and beating his drum with the other4 ,these actors then 7continues ,mr4 ,disraeli71 who were in the habit of exercising their impromptus1 resembled those who performed in the unwritten comedies of the ,italians4 ,gabriel ,harvey1 the ,aristarchus of the day1 compliments ,tarleton for having brought forward a new species of dramatic exhibition4 ,if this compliment paid to ,tarleton merely alludes to his dexterity at extemporaneous wit in the character of the ,clown1 as my friend ,mr4 ,douce thinks1 this would be sufficient to show that he was attempting to introduce on our stage the ,extemporal ,comedy of the ,italians1 which ,gabriel ,harvey distinguishes as a new species4 ,as for these ,platts1 which ,i shall not venture to call ,scenarios1 they surprise by their bareness1 conveying no notion of the piece itself1 though quite sufficient for the actors4 ,they consist of mere exits and entrances of the actors1 and often the real names of the actors are familiarly mixed with those of the dramatis personae4 ,steevens has justly observed1 however1 on these skeletons1 that although ,the drift of these dramatic pieces cannot be collected from the mere outlines before us1 yet we must not charge them with absurdity4 ,even the scenes of ,shakespeare would have worn as unpromising an aspect1 had their skeletons only been discovered4 ,the printed ,scenarios of the ,italian theatre were not more intelligible2 exhibiting only the hints for scenes4 ,thus1 ,i think1 we have sufficient evidence of an intercourse subsisting between the ,english and ,italian theatres1 not hitherto suspected2 and ,i find an allusion to these ,italian ,pantomimes1 by the great town-wit ,tom ,nash1 in his ,pierce ,pennilesse1 which shows that he was well acquainted with their nature4 ,he1 indeed1 exults over them1 observing that our plays are honourable and full of gallant resolution1 not consisting1 like theirs1 of ,pantaloon1 a ,zany1 and a w---e 7alluding to the women actors of the ,italian stage72 but of emperors1 kings1 and princes4 ,my conviction is still confirmed1 when ,i find that ,stephen ,gosson wrote the comedy of ,captain ,mario2 it has not been printed1 but ,captain ,mario is one of the ,italian characters4 ,even at a later period1 the influence of these performances reached the greatest name in the ,english ,parnassus4 ,one of the great actors and authors of these pieces1 who published eighteen of these irregular productions1 was ,andreini1 whose name must have the honour of being associated with ,milton's1 for it was his comedy or opera which threw the first spark of the ,paradise ,lost into the soul of the epic poet--a circumstance which will hardly be questioned by those who have examined the different schemes and allegorical personages of the first projected drama of ,paradise ,lost3 nor was ,andreini1 as well as many others of this race of ,italian dramatists1 inferior poets4 ,the ,adamo of ,andreini was a personage sufficiently original and poetical to serve as the model of the ,adam of ,milton4 ,the youthful ,english poet1 at its representation1 carried it away in his mind4 ,wit1 indeed1 is a great traveller2 and thus also the ,empiric of ,massinger might have reached us from the ,bolognese ,dottore4 ,the late ,mr4 ,hole1 the ingenious writer on the ,arabian ,nights1 observed to me that ,molire1 it must be presumed1 never read ,fletcher's plays1 yet his ,bourgeois ,gentilhomme1 and the other's ,noble ,gentleman1 bear in some instances a great resemblance4 ,both may have been drawn from the same ,italian source of comedy which ,i have here indicated4 ,many years after this article was written1 appeared ,the ,history of ,english ,dramatic ,poetry1 by ,mr4 ,collier4 ,that very laborious investigator has an article on ,extemporal ,plays and ,plots1 iii41 #cic4 ,the nature of these ,platts or ,plots1 he observes1 ,our theatrical antiquaries have not explained4 ,the truth is that they never suspected their origin in the ,italian ,scenarios4 ,my conjectures are amply confirmed by ,mr4 ,collier's notices of the intercourse of our players with the ,italian actors4 ,whetstone's ,heptameron1 in #aehb1 mentions ,the comedians of ,ravenna1 who are not tied to any written device4 ,in ,kyd's ,spanish ,tragedy the ,extemporal ,art is described3-- ,the ,italian tragedians were so sharp of wit1 ,that in one hour of meditation ,they would perform anything in action4 ,these ,extemporal plays were witnessed much nearer than in ,italy--at the ,thetre des ,italiens at ,paris--for one of the characters replies3-- ,i have seen the like1 ,in ,paris1 among the ,french tragedians4 ,ben ,jonson has mentioned the ,italian ,extemporal ,plays1 in his ,case is ,altered2 and an ,italian commediante and his company were in ,london in #aegh1 who probably let our players into many a secret4 ,evil times1 with the advent of the ,commonwealth1 soon fell upon our theatres1 and when they1 as well as plays1 were suppressed by order of the ,puritan ,parliament1 some of the actors followed the ,royalist cause 7we do not hear of any taking the side of the ,parliament71 and lost their lives fighting for the king4 ,others attempted to enact plays in secret1 but these performances more often than not1 caused the actors incarceration in some prison4 ,at ,holland ,house1 in ,kensington1 many of these secret performances1 by the aid of bribery1 took place4 ,to give timely warning of the performances ,mr4 ,wright1 in his ,historia ,histronica1 mentions that ,alexander ,goff1 the woman-actor1 was the jackal to give notice of time and place to the lovers of the drama4 ,all this however1 could not1 and would not1 keep the spirit of the drama alive4 ,the theatres were1 we know1 totally suppressed1 so there might be no more plaies acted4 ,play-goers there were1 as ,i have shown1 but they never knew when1 in witnessing a performance1 they might be seized by the military1 to be fined or imprisoned1 or perhaps both4 ,a more lengthy reign of ,dramatic ,terror than what we had at this period1 would1 in all probability1 have left us little or no trace of the ,drama of this country4 ,but a saviour was at hand1 and that was ,pantomime4 ,pantomime1 as previously stated1 kept alive for ages1 after the downfall of the ,roman ,empire1 the ,dramatic ,art1 and during the ,commonwealth of this country1 it practically did the same for us4 ,owing to the exigences of the times1 one ,robert ,cox1 an actor of considerable genius1 after the fashion of the ,extemporal ,comedies of ,italy1 invented a series of dramatic exhibitions at the ,red ,bull ,theatre 7where the first ,english actress made her appearance ,december #h1 #affj7 and elsewhere1 under the guise of rope-dancing1 a number of comic scenes from ,shakespeare1 ,shirley1 ,marston1 ,beaumont1 and ,fletcher1 and others4 ,cox's exhibitions1 known as ,humours or ,drolleries1 were collected by ,marsh1 and reprinted 7#afgb7 by ,francis ,kirkman1 the author and book-seller4 ,this collection is entitled ,the ,wits1 or ,sport upon ,sport1 in select pieces of ,drollery1 digested into scenes by way of dialogue4 ,together with variety of ,humours of several nations fitted for the pleasure and content of all persons1 either in ,court1 ,city1 ,country1 or ,camp4 ,of these ,humours ,kirkman observes1 ,as meanly as you may now think of these ,drolls1 they were then acted by the best comedians2 and1 ,i may say1 by some that then exceeded all now living2 the incomparable ,robert ,cox1 who was not only the principal actor1 but also the contriver and author of most of these farces4 ,how ,i have heard him cried up for his ,john ,swabber1 and ,simpleton the ,smith2 in which he being to appear with a large piece of bread and butter1 ,i have frequently known several of the female spectators and auditors to long for it2 and once that well-known natural1 ,jack ,adams of ,clerkenwell1 seeing him with bread and butter on the stage1 and knowing him1 cried out1 ',cuz6 ,cuz6 give me some6' to the great pleasure of the audience4 ,and so naturally did he act the smith's part1 that being at a fair in a country town1 and that farce being presented the only master-smith of the town came to him1 saying1 ',well1 although your father speaks so ill of you1 yet when the fair is done1 if you will come and work with me1 ,i will give you twelve pence a week more than ,i give any other journeyman4' ,thus was he taken for a smith bred1 that was1 indeed1 as much of any trade4 ,with the death of the ,lord ,protector1 ,cromwell1 ,the merry rattle of ,monk's drums coming up the ,gray's ,inn ,road1 welcomed by thousands of dusty spectators1 the return of ,charles ,,ii41 #affj1 and though ,charles was more a lover of the stage than of the drama1 the theatre again recovered its credit1 and to vigorously flourish once more4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,introduction of ,pantomimes to the ,english ,stage--,weaver's ,history of the ,mimes and ,pantomimes--,weaver's ,pantomimes--,the prejudice against ,pantomimes--,booth's counsel4 ,the year #agjb marks the appearance of the first ,pantomime introduced to the ,english stage1 written by ,john ,weaver1 a friend of ,addison and ,steele's1 and entitled ,tavern ,bilkers4 ,it was produced at ,drury ,lane4 ,the author was by profession a dancing-master2 his name is not to be found in any biographical dictionary1 yet1 it is evident that the little dapper1 cheerful man had brains in his head as well as talent in his heels4 ,john ,weaver was the son of a ,mr4 ,weaver1 whom the ,duke of ,ormond1 the ,chancellor of ,oxford1 licensed in #afgf to exercise the profession of a dancing-master within the university4 ,the date of his birth is unknown1 but we first hear of him as stage-managing the production of his own ,pantomime at ,drury ,lane1 #agjb1 an entertainment which he described as one of dancing1 action1 and motion4 ,the latter would appear to have been a failure1 as in his ,history of the ,mimes and ,pantomimes1 published in #agbh1 ,weaver states that his next attempt on similar lines did not take place until many years afterwards--not until the year #agaf1 in fact4 ,in #agaf ,weaver was back in ,london producing two burlesque ,pantomimes1 ,the ,loves of ,mars and ,venus1 and ,perseus and ,andromeda4 ,at ,drury ,lane1 in the following year1 ,orpheus and ,eurydice1 and ,harlequin ,turn'd ,judge1 was produced1 and ,cupid and ,bacchus in #agai4 ,weaver also wrote many treatises on dancing1 some of which were highly commended by ,steele4 ,another ,pantomime of ,weaver's was ,the ,judgment of ,paris--date uncertain--performed by the author's pupils in the great room over the ,market-house1 ,shrewsbury--in which town he had taken up his residence--in the year #agej4 ,john ,weaver died ,september #bhth1 #agfj1 and was buried at ,st4 ,chads1 ,shrewsbury4 ,the mention above of ,perseus and ,andromeda calls to mind that there were several pieces of this name4 ,one of them was severely commented on in ,the ,grub-,street ,journal of ,april #h1 #agca4 ,its title was3--,perseus and ,andromeda2 or the ,flying ,lovers1 in five ,interludes1 three serious and two comic4 ,the serious composed by ,monsieur ,roger1 the comic by ,john ,weaver1 dancing-masters4 ,it is only just to assign to ,weaver the entire credit of being the first to introduce ,pantomimes on the ,english stage1 though the author's original bent was scenical dancing1 or ballet dancing1 by representations of historical incidents with graceful motion4 ,in his ,history of ,pantomimes the author is careful to distinguish between those entertainments where ,grin and grimace usurp the passions and affections of the mind1 and those where ,a nice address and management of the passions take up the thoughts of the performer4 ,spectators1 says ,weaver1 in #agcj1 or thereabouts1 are now so pandering away their applause on interpolations of pseudo-players1 merry ,andrews1 tumblers1 and rope dancers2 and are but rarely touched with1 or encourage a natural player or just ,pantomime4 ,it was1 however1 left to ,john ,rich to place ,pantomime on a firm footing4 ,before dealing with ,rich and his ,pantomimes1 which ,i shall treat of in the next chapter1 it is appropriate here to note how ,pantomimes generally came to be introduced on the ,english stage4 ,colley ,cibber mentions3--,about this time the patentee 7,rich7 having very near finished his house in ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields1 began to think of forming a new company2 and1 in the meantime1 found it necessary to apply for leave to employ them4 ,by the weak defence he had always made against the several attacks upon his interests1 and former ,government of the theatre 7,drury ,lane71 it might be a question1 if his house had been ready1 in the ,queen's 7,anne7 time1 whether he would then have had the spirit to ask1 or interest enough to obtain leave to use it2 but in the following reign1 as it did not appear he had done anything to forfeit the right of his patent1 he prevailed with ,mr4 ,craggs1 the younger1 to lay his case before the king1 which he did in so effectual a manner that 7as ,mr4 ,craggs himself told me7 his ,majesty was pleased to say upon it1 ,that he remembered when he had been in ,england before1 in ,king ,charles's time1 there had been two theatres in ,london2 and as the patent seemed to be a lawful grant1 he saw no reason why two play-houses might not be continued4 ,the suspension of the patent being thus taken off1 the younger multitude seemed to call aloud for two play-houses6 ,many desired another1 from the common notion1 that two would always create emulation1 in the actors4 ,others too were as eager for them1 from the natural ill-will that follows the fortunate or prosperous in any undertaking4 ,of this low malevolence we had1 now and then1 remarkable instances2 we had been forced to dismiss an audience of a hundred and fifty pounds1 from a disturbance spirited up1 by obscure people1 who never gave any better reason for it than that it was their fancy to support the idle complaint of one rival actress against another1 in their several pretensions to the chief part in a new tragedy4 ,but as this tumult seemed only to be the wantonness of ,english liberty1 ,i shall not presume to lay any further censure upon it4 ,now1 notwithstanding this public desire of re-establishing two houses2 and though ,i have allowed the former actors greatly our superiors2 and the managers ,i am speaking of not to have been without their private errors1 yet under all these disadvantages1 it is certain1 the stage1 for twenty years before this time1 had never been in so flourishing a condition4 ,but1 in what ,i have said1 ,i would not be understood to be an advocate for two play-houses2 for we shall soon find that two sets of actors1 tolerated in the same place1 have constantly ended in the corruption of the theatre2 of which the auxiliary entertainments1 that have so barbarously supplied the defects of weak action1 have1 for some years past1 been a flagrant instance2 it may not1 therefore1 be here improper to shew how our childish ,pantomimes first came to take so gross a possession of the stage4 ,i have upon several occasions1 already observed1 that when one company is too hard for another1 the lower in reputation has always been forced to exhibit fine newfangled foppery1 to draw the multitude after them2 of these expedients1 singing and dancing had formerly been most effectual2 but1 at the time ,i am speaking of1 our ,english music had been so discountenanced since the taste of ,italian ,operas prevailed1 that it was to no purpose to pretend to it4 ,dancing1 therefore1 was now the only weight1 in the opposite scale1 and as the new theatre sometimes found their account in it1 it could not be safe for us wholly to neglect it4 ,cibber's antagonistical views towards ,pantomime were shared1 as we shall see1 by a good many others4 ,booth1 however1 a greater actor than ,cibber1 and a tragedian to boot1 took a more business-like view of the proceedings1 thinking thin houses the greatest indignity the stage could suffer4 ,men of taste and judgment 7said he7 must necessarily form but a small proportion of the spectators at a theatre1 and if a greater number of people were enticed to sit out a play because a ,pantomime was tacked to it1 the ,pantomime did good service to all concerned4 ,besides1 if people of position and taste could1 if so minded1 leave before the nonsense commenced--an opportunity they do not seem to have embraced since ,booth reminded the opponents of ,pantomime how ,italian opera had drawn the nobility and gentry away from the play-houses1 as appeared by the melancholy testimony of their receipts1 until ,pantomime came to the rescue when pit and gallery were better filled1 and the boxes too put on a nobler appearance4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,john ,rich and his ,pantomimes--,rich's ,miming---,garrick1 ,walpole1 ,foote--,anecdotes of ,rich--,pope--,the dance of infernals in ,harlequin ,sorcerer--,drury ,lane--,colley ,cibber--,henry ,fielding1 the ,novelist--,contemporary ,writers' opinion of ,pantomime--,woodward1 the ,harlequin--,the meaning of the word ,actor--,harlequins--,dr4 ,faustus1 a description--,william ,rufus ,chetwood--,accidents--,vandermere1 the ,harlequin--,orpheus and ,eurydice at ,covent ,garden--,a description--,sam4 ,hoole1 the machinist--,prejudice against ,pantomime--,mrs4 ,oldfield--,robert ,wilks--,macklin--,riot at ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields ,theatre--,death of ,rich4 ,it was in #agag that ,rich devised this new form of entertainment1 though it was not till #agbd1 when ,the ,necromancer1 or ,history of ,dr4 ,faustus was produced by ,rich1 which took the town by storm1 that ,pantomime became such a rage4 ,it has been stated that what induced ,rich to turn his attention to ,pantomime was the bringing over of a ,german1 named ,swartz1 who had two performing dogs that could dance4 ,they were engaged at #aj a night2 and brought full houses4 ,however1 be this as it may1 in the ,daily ,courant1 of ,december #bj1 #agag1 we find him1 advertising for his ,italian ,mimic ,scenes--as he1 for long enough1 so termed his ,pantomimes--as follows3-- ,harlequin ,executed3 a new ,italian ,mimic ,scene between a ,scaramouch1 a ,harlequin1 a ,country ,farmer1 his ,wife1 and others4 ,of ,rich and his early ,pantomimes1 ,davies observes3-- ,john ,rich was the son of ,christopher ,rich1 formerly patentee of ,drury ,lane ,theatre1 and he imbibed from his father a dislike of people with whom he was obliged to live and converse4 ,his father wished to acquire wealth by ,french dancers and ,italian singers1 than by the united skill of the most accomplished comedians4 ,the son inherited the same taste1 and when he came into the patent1 with his brother ,christopher1 of ,drury ,lane1 and after having ineffectually tried his talent for acting in the part of the ,earl of ,essex1 and other important characters1 he applied himself to the study of ,pantomimical representations at ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields ,theatre4 ,to retrieve the credit of his theatre ,rich created a species of dramatic composition unknown to this1 and1 ,i believe1 to any other country1 which he called ,pantomime4 ,it consisted of two parts1 one serious1 the other comic2 by the help of gay scenes1 fine habits1 grand dances1 appropriate music1 and other decorations1 he exhibited a story from ,ovid's ,metamorphosis1 or some other fabulous history4 ,between the pauses of the acts he interwove a comic fable1 consisting chiefly of the courtship of ,harlequin and ,columbine1 with a variety of surprising adventures and tricks1 which were produced by the magic wand of ,harlequin2 such as the sudden transformation of palaces and temples to huts and cottages2 of men and women into wheelbarrows and joint stools2 of trees turned to houses2 colonnades to beds of tulips2 and mechanics' hops into serpents and ostriches4 ,it is a most remarkable fact that the ,pantomimes that ,rich brought out1 all of them could be written down as successes4 ,in the exhibition of his ,pantomimes1 ,mr4 ,rich always displayed the greatest taste4 ,he had also acquired a considerable reputation as a performer of the motley hero under the name of ,lun ,junr1 as he was so designated on the bills at that time1 and he was the first performer who rendered the character of ,harlequin at all intelligible in this country4 ,to others he taught the art of silent1 but expressive1 action1 the interpreter of the mind4 ,feeling was pre-eminent in his ,miming2 and he used to render the scene of a separation with ,columbine as graphic as it was affecting4 ,excellent were his statue scenes and his catching the butterfly2 so also were his other dumb show performances4 ,of ,rich1 ,garrick wrote3-- ,when ,lun appeared with matchless art and whim1 ,he gave the power of speech to every limb2 ,though masked and mute conveyed his quick intent1 ,and told in frolic's gestures all he meant4 ,rich1 however1 erred in thinking himself a better actor than a ,pantomimist2 and1 in fact1 he thought himself a finer actor than the great ,garrick himself4 ,you should see me play ,richard6 was a favourite cry of his4 ,in #aghb1 after seeing the ,pantomime of ,robinson ,crusoe1 ,walpole said1 ,how unlike the ,pantomimes of ,rich1 which were full of wit1 and coherent1 and carried on by a story4 ,as ,i have shown above1 ,rich had1 like many other people1 his own particular little idiosyncrasies1 and when in the season #agdf-g he netted nearly #i1jjj from his ,pantomimes1 to the chagrin of ,garrick and ,quin1 he was very angry and much annoyed because he1 as ,harlequin1 had contributed little or nothing4 ,another mannerism of his was to despise the regular drama on these occasions1 and he has been known to look at the packed audience through a small hole in the curtain1 and then ejaculate1 ,ah6 you are there1 you fools1 are you8 ,much good may it do you6 ,rich used to address everyone as ,mister4 ,on one occasion ,foote1 being incensed at being so addressed1 asked ,rich why he did not call him by his name4 ,don't be angry1 says ,rich1 ,i sometimes forget my own name4 ,i know1 replied ,foote1 that you can't write your own name1 but ,i wonder you should forget it4 ,the first of ,rich's successes was ,harlequin ,sorcerer4 ,on its production ,pope wrote3-- ,behold a sober sorcerer rise ,swift to whose wand a winged volume flies2 ,all sudden1 gorgon's hiss and dragon's glare1 ,and ten horned fiends and giants rush to war4 ,hell rises1 heaven descends1 and dance on earth1 ,gods1 imps and monsters1 music1 rage and mirth1 ,a fire1 a jig1 a battle1 and a ball1 ,till one wide conflagration swallows all2 ,thence a new world to nature's laws unknown1 ,breaks out refulgent with a heaven its own2 ,another ,cynthia her new journey runs1 ,and other planets circle after suns4 ,the forests dance1 the rivers upwards rise1 ,whales sport in woods1 and dolphins in the skies2 ,at last1 to give the whole creation grace1 ,lo6 one vast egg produces human race4 ,of ,harlequin1 in ,harlequin ,sorcerer1 being hatched from an egg by the rays of the sun4 ,this has been called a master-piece of ,rich's ,miming ,from the first chipping of the egg 7says ,jackson7 his receiving of motion1 his feeling of the ground1 his standing upright1 to his quick ,harlequin trip round the empty shell1 through the whole progression1 every limb had its tongue1 and every motion a voice4 ,as probably occurring in ,harlequin ,sorcerer1 there is an amusing incident4 ,the belief in the possibility of a supernatural appearance on the stage existed 7says an old writer7 about the beginning of the eighteenth century4 ,a dance of infernals having to be exhibited1 they were represented in dresses of black and red1 with fiery eyes and snaky locks1 and garnished with every pendage of horror4 ,they were twelve in number4 ,in the middle of their performance1 while intent upon the figure in which they had been completely practised1 an actor of some humour1 who had been accommodated with a spare dress1 appeared among them4 ,he was1 if possible1 more terrific than the rest1 and seemed to the beholders as designed by the conductor for the principal fiend4 ,his fellow furies took the alarm2 they knew he did not belong to them1 and they judged him an infernal in earnest4 ,their fears were excited1 a general panic ensued1 and the whole group fled different ways2 some to their dressing-rooms1 and others1 through the streets1 to their own homes1 in order to avoid the destruction which they believed to be coming upon them1 for the profane mockery they had been guilty of4 ,the odd devil was non inventus4 ,he took himself invisibly away1 through fears of another kind4 ,he was1 however1 seen by many1 in imagination1 to fly through the roof of the house1 and they fancied themselves almost suffocated by the stench he had left behind4 ,the confusion of the audience is scarcely to be described4 ,they retired to their families1 informing them of this supposed appearance of the devil1 with many of his additional frolics in the exploit4 ,so thoroughly was its reality believed that every official assurance which could be made the following day did not entirely counteract the idea4 ,the explanation was given by ,rich himself1 in the presence of his friend ,bencraft1 the contriver1 and perhaps the actor of the scheme1 which he designed only as an innocent affair1 to confuse the dancers1 without adverting to the serious consequences which succeeded4 ,i have met with another author1 who1 in giving an account of this transaction1 places it as a much earlier period1 and says it was during the performance of ,dr4 ,faustus1 and that when the devil took flight he carried away with him the roof of the theatre4 ,this story may be alluded to in a very curious work1 entitled1 ,the ,blacke ,booke 7a proper depository71 ,london1 printed in black letter1 by ,t4,c4 for ,jeffery ,chorlton1 #afjd4 ,the light burning serjant ,lucifer says of one1 running away through fear of fire at a brothel1 ,hee had a head of hayre like one of my divells in ',doctor ,faustus1' when the olde theatre crakt and frighted the audience4 ,emulating ,rich1 ,drury ,lane then followed with ,mars and ,venus1 of which ,colley ,cibber says3 ,was formed into something more than motion without meaning into a connected presentation of dances in character1 wherein the passions were so happily expressed1 and the whole story so intelligibly told by a mute narration of gesture only1 that even thinking spectators allowed it to be both a pleasing and a rational entertainment2 though1 at the same time1 from our distrust of its reception we durst not venture to decorate it with any extraordinary expense of scenes or habits2 but upon the success of this attempt it was rightly concluded that if a visible expense in both were added to something of the same nature1 it could not fail of drawing the town proportionately after it4 ,from this original hint there 7but every way unequal to it7 sprang forth that succession of monstrous medlies1 that have so long infested the stage1 and which arose upon one another alternately1 at both houses1 outvying in expense1 like contending bribes on both sides at an election1 to secure a majority of the multitude4 ,if ,i am asked 7after condemning these fooleries myself7 how ,i came to assent or continue my share of expense to them8 ,i have no better excuse for my error1 than confessing it4 ,i did it against my conscience1 and had not virtue enough to starve by opposing a multitude that would have been too hard for me4 7,the ,drama's laws the ,drama's patrons give1 has always been an axiom of the stage2 and worthy ,colley ,cibber1 notwithstanding his antagonism1 and the rivalry of ,rich1 had too good a knowledge of this truism not to do otherwise but follow the popular voice47 ,notwithstanding then 7,cibber continues7 this1 our compliance with the vulgar taste1 we generally made use of these ,pantomimes1 but as crutches to our weakest plays4 ,nor were we so lost to all sense of what was valuable1 as to dishonor our best authors in such bad company4 ,we still had a due respect to several select plays1 that were able to be their own support2 and in which we found constant account1 without painting and patching them out4444 ,it is a reproach to a sensible people to let folly so quickly govern their pleasures4 ,henry ,fielding1 the novelist1 was one of ,harlequin's assailants4 ,the comic part of the ,english ,pantomimes1 he says1 being duller than anything before shown on the stage could only be set off by the superlative dulness of the serious portion1 in which the gods and goddesses were so insufferably tedious1 that ,harlequin was always a relief from still worse company4 ,eager for theatrical reform1 the ,weekly ,miscellany of #agcb1 said that plays were not intended for tradesmen1 and denounced ,pantomimes as infamous4 ,another competitor1 who entered the lists against ,rich1 was ,thormond1 a dancing-master1 and at ,drury ,lane ,theatre he produced ,dr4 ,faustus1 in #agcc4 ,speaking of this ,pantomime1 ,pasquin mentions that ,an account is very honestly published1 to save people the trouble of going to see it4 ,in a ,pantomime produced at ,drury ,lane in the following year1 there were ,macklin1 ,theo4 ,cibber 7who ultimately lost his life by shipwreck in the ,irish ,sea1 in company with a troupe of ,pantomimists71 ,mrs4 ,clive1 and ,mrs4 ,cibber4 ,at the performance it was announced that the money paid would be returned to anyone who went out before the overture2 but no one availed themselves of the concession4 ,commenting on the occurrence1 a contemporary writer observes3--,happy is it that we live in an age of taste1 when the dumb eloquence and natural wit and humour of ,harlequin are justly preferred to the whining of ,tragedy1 or the vulgarity of ,comedy4 ,garrick1 at ,drury ,lane1 finding his audience with no heart for tragedy1 and that they must have ,pantomime1 very wisely said1 ,if you won't come to ',lear' and ',hamlet1' ,i must give you ,harlequin4 ,and ,harlequin he did give them1 in the person of ,woodward1 one of the best of ,harlequins that ever trod the stage4 ,a contemporary print of the time1 represents ,woodward being weighed in one scale1 with all the great actors of the day in the other1 and ,woodward makes them all kick the beam4 ,to satirise the prevailing fashion1 ,garrick penned the following3-- ,they in the drama find no joys1 ,but doat on mimicry and toys2 ,thus1 when a dance is on my bill1 ,nobility my boxes fill2 ,or send three days before the time ,to crowd a new-made ,pantomime4 ,garrick's success1 however1 was1 ,i am of opinion1 undoubtedly owing to his being such a clever ,pantomimist4 ,we saw him1 says ,grimm1 play the dagger scene in ',macbeth' in a room in his ordinary dress1 without any stage illusion2 and1 as he followed with his eyes the air-drawn dagger1 he became so grand that the assembly broke into a cry of general admiration4 ,who would believe that this same man1 a moment after1 counterfeited1 with equal perfection1 a pastry cook's boy1 who1 carrying a tray of tartlets on his head1 and gaping about him at the corner of the street1 lets his tray fall1 and1 at first stupified by the accident1 bursts at last into a fit of crying8 ,all our great actors have been good ,mimics1 and herein1 doubtless1 lies the secret of their success4 ,the mere intonation of words unaccompanied by a strict knowledge of that dumb1 silent language1 ,pantomime1 is only parroting4 ,herein1 therefore1 lies the true imitativeness of the actor1 and the natural form of acting4 ,the word actor ,is a name only given to the persons in a dramatic work1 because they ought to be in continual action during the performance of it4 ,it does not mean that the actor is to stand still1 and to be in action only with his tongue when speaking his lines4 ,no6 he bears the honoured name of actor1 and he should bring the full power of gesture language--,pantomime--that he has at his control into play in order to be convincing in the character that1 for the time being1 he is4 ,action 7mentions ,betterton1 in his ,history of the ,english ,stage1 #agda71 can never be in its perfection but on the stage4 ,action1 indeed1 has a natural excellence in it superior to all other qualities2 action is motion1 and motion is the support of nature1 which without it would sink into the sluggish mass of chaos4 ,life is motion1 and when that ceases1 the human body so beautiful1 nay so divine1 when enlivened by motion1 becomes a dead and putrid corpse1 from which all turn their eyes4 ,the eye is caught by anything in motion1 but passes over the sluggish and motionless things as not the pleasing object of its view4 ,the natural power of motion1 or action1 is the reason that the attention of the audience is fixed by any irregular1 or even fantastic action1 on the stage1 of the most indifferent player2 and supine and drowsy when the best actor speaks without the addition of action4 ,the stage ought to be the seat of passion in its various kinds1 and1 therefore1 the actors ought to be thoroughly acquainted with the whole nature of the affections1 and habits of the mind1 or else they will never be able to express them justly in their looks and gestures1 as well as in the tone of their voice and manner of utterance4 ,they must know them in their various mixtures1 as they are differently blended together in the different characters they represent2 and then that excellent rule in the ,essay on ,poetry will be of equal use to the poet and player3-- ,who must look within to find ,these secret turns of ,nature in the mind2 ,without this part in vain would be the whole1 ,and but a body all without a soul8 ,a few words more just to lay further stress on the importance of ,pantomime1 and then to return to our ,history4 ,take any part in any play1 strip from it in its enactment the whole of its gesture language1 could we realise that the actor appearing in it was portraying nature for us8 ,replace the ,pantomime so essential to the part1 and the character becomes--or rather should become if properly played--a creature of flesh and blood the same as ourselves4 ,pantomime1 on the other hand1 does not require words to be spoken to express its meaning1 as it is quite expressible without4 ,a contemporary account of the production of the ,pantomime ,harlequin ,dr4 ,faustus1 at ,drury ,lane ,theatre1 forms interesting reading1 in addition to providing a contrast with present-day ,pantomime4 ,every action is executed to different agreeable music1 so adapted that it properly expresses what is going forward2 in the machinery there is something so highly surprising that words cannot give a full idea of it4 ,the effects described seem to be marvellous1 considering the state of theatrical mechanism4 ,a devil riding on a fiery dragon rides swiftly across the stage4 ,two country men and women enter to be told their fortunes1 when ,dr4 ,faustus waves his wand1 and four pictures turn out of the scenes opposite1 representing a judge and a soldier1 a dressed lady1 and a lady in riding habit2 the scene changes to the outside of a handsome house1 when the louting men1 running in1 place their backs against the door4 ,the front of the house turns1 and at the same instant the machine turns1 a supper ready dressed rises up4 ,the countrymen's wives remain with the ,doctor1 who 7afterwards7 goes out4 ,he beckons the table1 and it follows him4 ,punch1 ,scaramouch1 and ,pierrot are next met by the ,doctor1 who invites them into a banquet4 ,the table ascends into the air4 ,he waves his wand1 and asses' ears appear at the sides of their heads4 ,a usurer lending money to ,dr4 ,faustus demands a limb as security1 and cuts off the ,doctor's leg1 several legs appear on the scene1 and the ,doctor strikes a woman's leg with his wand1 which immediately flies from the rest1 and fixes to the ,doctor's stump1 who dances with it ridiculously4 ,the next scene opens1 disclosing the ,doctor's study4 ,he enters affrighted1 and the clock strikes one2 the figures of ,time and ,death appear4 ,several devils enter and tear him in pieces1 some sink1 some fly out1 each bearing a limb of him4 ,the last1 which is the grand scene1 is the most magnificent that ever appeared on the ,english stage--all the gods and goddesses discovered with the apotheosis of ,diana1 ascending into the air4 ,the tricks that formed part and parcel of the ,pantomimes1 in causing surprise and wonderment1 placed ,harlequin1 for his extraordinary feats1 in the first rank of magicians4 ,oftentimes1 however1 they were the cause of many accidents4 ,chetwood--,william ,rufus ,chetwood--who had1 in the eighteenth century1 a bookseller's shop in ,covent ,garden1 and was1 for twenty years1 prompter for ,drury ,lane1 a writer of four plays1 and a volume of sketches of the actors whom he had met1 says3--,a tumbler at the ,haymarket beat the breath out of his body by an accident1 and which raised such vociferous applause that lasted the poor man's life1 for he never breathed more4 ,indeed1 his wife had this comfort1 when the truth was known1 pity succeeded to the roar of applause4 ,another accident occurred in the ,pantomime of ',dr4 ,faustus' 7previously referred to71 at ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields ,theatre1 where a machine in the working threw the mock ,pierrot down headlong with such force that the poor man broke a plank on the stage with his fall1 and expired2 another was sorely maimed that he did not survive many days2 and a third1 one of the softer sex1 broke her thigh4 ,vandermere1 the ,harlequin1 one of the most agile that ever trod the stage1 on one occasion1 in the pursuit by the ,clown1 leaped through a window on to the stage1 a full thirteen feet4 ,performing at the ,dublin theatre one night1 having a prodigious leap to make1 the persons behind the scenes not being ready to receive him in the customary blanket1 he fell upon the stage and was badly bruised4 ,this accident occasioned him to take a solemn oath that he would never take another leap upon the stage2 nor did he violate his oath1 for when he afterwards played ,harlequin another actor of his size1 and of considerable activity was equipped with the parti-coloured habit1 and when a leap was necessary ,vandermere passed off on one side of the stage as ,dawson--,vandermere's understudy--entered at the other1 and undertook it4 ,how little do we know of the tragic ending of these poor unhappy ,pantomimists' lives4 ,their names even have not been handed down to us1 and they1 like probably many more with whose quips and quiddities we have laughed at with infinite zest1 have long since gone to that bourne from whence no traveller returns1 and perhaps1 unwept1 unhonoured1 and unsung4 ,on ,february #ab1 #agci1 ,rich produced1 at ,covent ,garden 7opened in ,december #agcb1 with ,congreve's ,way of the ,world71 ,orpheus and ,eurydice4 ,on the mounting something like #b1jjj were spent4 ,rich devised the scenario and comic scenes4 ,lewis ,theobald wrote the libretto1 and ,george ,lambert--founder of the ,beefsteak ,club--painted the scenery4 ,hippisley played ,clown1 ,manager ,rich was the ,harlequin1 and ,signor ,grimaldi1 father of the celebrated ,mime1 to be noted further on1 was the ,pantaloon4 ,this is the first instance of a member of the ,grimaldi family 7says ,mr4 ,w4,j4 ,lawrence7 appearing in ,english ,pantomime4 ,the following was the argument and the curious arrangement of the scenes3--,interlude ,i4--,rhodope1 ,queen of ,thrace1 practising art magic1 makes love to ,orpheus4 ,he rejects her love4 ,she is enraged4 ,a serpent appears who receives ,rhodope's commands1 and these ended1 glides off the stage4 ,here the comic part begins4 ,in the ,opera 7as practically it was7 a scene takes place between ,orpheus and ,eurydice4 ,eurydice's heel is pierced by the serpent1 behind the scenes4 ,she dies on the stage--after which the comic part is continued4 ,interlude ,,ii4 ,scene3 ,hell4 ,pluto and ,orpheus enter4 ,orpheus prevails on ,pluto to restore ,eurydice to him4 ,ascalox tells ,orpheus that ,eurydice shall follow him1 but that if he should look back at her before they shall have passed the bounds of ,hell1 she will die again4 ,orpheus turns back to look for ,eurydice1 ,fiends carry her away4 ,after this the comic part is resumed4 ,interlude ,,iii4--,orpheus again rejects ,rhodope's solicitations4 ,departs4 ,the scene draws1 and discovers ,orpheus slain4 ,several ,baccants enter in a triumphant manner4 ,they bring in the lyre and chaplet of ,orpheus4 ,rhodope stabs herself4 ,the piece concludes with the remainder of the comic part4 ',the ,scots ,magazine' for ,march1 #agdj1 says3--',orpheus and ,eurydice' draws the whole town to ,covent ,garden1 whether for the ,opera itself 7the words of which are miserable stuff7 or for the ,pantomimical ,interlude1 with which it is intermixed1 ,i cannot determine4 ,the music is pretty good1 and the tricks are not foolisher than usual1 and some have said that they have more meaning than most that have preceded them4 ,the performance is grand as to the scenery4 ,what pleases everybody is a regular growth of trees1 represented more like nature than what has yet been seen upon the stage1 and the representation of a serpent so lively as to frighten half the ladies who see it4 ,it is1 indeed1 curious in its kind1 being wholly a piece of machinery1 that enters1 performs its exercise of head1 body1 and tail in a most surprising manner1 and makes behind the curtain with a velocity scarcely credible4 ,it is about a foot and a half in circumference of the thickest part1 and far exceeds the former custom of stuffing a bag into such likeness4 ,it is believed to have cost more than #bjj2 and when the multitude of wings1 springs1 etc41 whereof it consists1 are considered1 the charge will not appear extravagant4 ,the whole ,royal family have been to see this performance2 and1 from what can be judged1 everybody else will see it before the end of the season1 the house being every day full at #c o'clock1 though seldom empty till after eleven4 ,sam ,hoole--father of the translator of ,tasso and ,ariosto--was ,rich's chief machinist at this period1 and the inventor of this famous serpent4 ,he had1 according to ,cumberland1 a shop where he sold mechanical toys4 ,having a large stock of serpent toys left on his hands he became a ruined and bankrupt man4 ,orpheus and ,eurydice was revived by ,rich in #agdg1 and again in #agee2 when it ran #ca nights4 ,in #agfh it was reproduced by his successors at ,covent ,garden4 ,in ,october1 #aghg1 it was again put in the bill1 and this time by ,royal ,command1 it was said4 ,of the number of ,pantomimes brought out by ,rich ,i shall not dilate on1 and those that ,i have referred to will1 doubtless1 show what all these plays without words were like4 ,during the summer season of #agfa1 at ,drury ,lane1 ,murphy and ,foote endeavoured ,from ,pantomime to free the stage ,and combat all the ministers of the age1 by ridiculing the popular amusement in having the character of ,harlequin hung in full view of the audience in a play entitled ,the ,wishes4 ,when the catastrophe was at hand ,murphy whispered to ,cumberland3 ,if they don't damn this1 they deserve to be damned themselves6 ,no sooner were the words uttered than a turbulent mob in the pit broke out1 and quickly put an end to the dire fatality with which ,pantomime and its hero1 ,harlequin1 were threatened4 ,christopher ,rich gave the first engagement to the afterwards celebrated actress1 ,mrs4 ,oldfield1 and1 previously1 a similar kindness to ,robert ,wilks1 about the year #afij1 at the salary of fifteen shillings a week1 with two shillings and sixpence deducted for teaching him to dance4 ,another famous performer1 ,macklin1 was also introduced to the stage by this family4 ,at the ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields ,theatre1 in #agba1 there was a memorable riot1 caused by some drunken aristocratic beaux1 owing to an alleged insult1 which one of their number was supposed to have received4 ,the beau referred to1 a noble ,earl1 had crossed the stage whilst ,macbeth and his lady were upon it1 in order to speak to a companion who was lolling in the wings4 ,rich told the noble ,earl that for his indecorum he would not be allowed behind the scenes again1 which so incensed the latter that he gave ,manager ,rich a smart slap on the face1 which ,rich returned4 ,swords then were drawn1 and between the actors and the beaux a free fight ensued1 which ended in the former driving the latter out of the theatre4 ,the rioters1 however1 again obtained access1 and rushing into the boxes1 cut down the hangings1 besides doing other damage1 when1 led by ,quin and a number of constables1 several of the beaux were captured1 and taken before the magistrates4 ,the end of it all was that the matter was compromised2 but1 in order to prevent a recurrence of such disorderly scenes1 a guard should attend the performances4 ,the custom of having the military in attendance at our theatres--which the above affray was the primary cause--was in vogue for over a hundred years after this event4 ,rich lived to see ,pantomimes firmly established at ,drury ,lane and ,covent ,garden4 ,drury ,lane did1 for a few years1 discard it in favour of spectacle1 but ultimately found it advisable to return to ,pantomime4 ,at the beginning of the 'sixties of the eighteenth century--#agfa--;died the father of ,harlequins in ,england1 and also--as he has been called--of ,english ,pantomimes1 and there is1 ,i believe1 a costly tomb erected to his memory in ,hillingdon ,church-yard1 ,middlesex4 ,rich left ,covent ,garden ,theatre to his son-in-law1 ,beard1 the vocalist1 with the not unpleasant restriction1 however1 that the property should be sold when #fj1jjj was bid for it1 and for which sum it ultimately passed into the hands of ,harris1 ,colman1 and their partners4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,joseph ,grimaldi4 ,the year #aggh marks an epoch in the ,history of ,pantomime1 as just over three-quarters of a century before marked another epoch1 the introduction of ,pantomimes to the ,english stage4 ,on ,december #ahth1 #aggh1 was born ,joseph ,grimaldi--afterwards the ,prince of ,clowns1 and the son of ,giuseppe ,grimaldi 7,iron ,legs74 ,joe's first appearance was at ,sadler's ,wells on ,april #af1 ,easter ,monday1 #agha1 he not being quite three years old4 ,dickens1 in the ,memoirs of ,grimaldi1 has given us from the ,clown's own diary1 which ,grimaldi kept close up to the time of his death1 on ,may1 #cast1 #ahcg1 a full and true account of the life of this remarkably clever ,pantomimist4 ,to add to what ,dickens has written of ,only a ,clown 7which doubtless the reader is already acquainted with7 would only be like painting the lily2 and1 perhaps1 ,i cannot do better in honouring his memory than by quoting the words of ,mr4 ,harley at the annual dinner of the ,drury ,lane ,fund1 spoken in the ,june following ,grimaldi's death3--,yet1 shall delicacy suffer no violence in adducing one example1 for death has hushed his cock-crowing cachination1 and uproarious merriment4 ,the mortal ,jupiter of practical ,joke1 the ,michael ,angelo of buffoonery1 who1 if he was ,grim-all-day1 was sure to make you chuckle at night4 ,a contemporary writer of ,grimaldi's days thus eulogises the ,prince of ,clowns3-- ,as a ,clown1 ,mr4 ,grimaldi is perfectly unrivalled4 ,other performers of the part may be droll in their generation2 but1 which of them can for a moment compete with the ,covent ,garden hero in acute observation upon the foibles and absurdities of society1 and his happy talent of holding them up to ridicule4 ,he is the finest practical satyrist that ever existed4 ,he does not1 like many ,clowns1 content himself with raising a horse-laugh by contortions and grimaces1 but tickles the fancy1 and excites the risibility of an audience by devices as varied as they are ingenious4 ,he uses his folly as a stalking-horse1 under cover of which he shoots his wit2 and fully deserves the encomium bestowed upon him by ,kemble1 who1 it is said1 pronounced him to be the best low comedian upon the stage4 ,there are few things1 we think1 more delightful than a ,pantomime--that is1 a good ,pantomime1 such as is usually produced at ,covent ,garden4 ,we know there are a set of solemn pompous mortals about town1 who express much dignified horror at the absurdities of these things1 and declaim very fluently1 in good set terms1 upon the necessity of their abolition4 ,such fellows as these are ever your dullest of blockheads4 ,conscious of their lack of ideas1 they think to earn the reputation of men of sterling sense1 by inveighing continually against what they deem to be frivolity2 while they only expose more clearly to all observers the sad vacuum which exists in their pericraniums4 ,far1 far from us be such dullards1 and such opinions2 and let us continue to laugh heartily at our ,pantomimes1 undisturbed by their tedious harangues2 ,do they think1 because they are wise1 there shall be no more cakes and ale8 ,the man who refuses to smile at the humours of ,grimaldi is made of bad materials--hic niger est--let no such man be trusted6 ,can there possibly be a more captivating sight than that which the theatre presents nightly1 of hundreds of beautiful children all happy and laughing1 as if a master-spring constrained them all2 and filled with delight1 unalloyed and unbounded1 at the performance of one man8 ,and shall that man go without his due meed of praise8 ,never be it said6 ,no1 ,joey6 ,when we forget thee1 may our right hand forget its cunning6 ,we owe thee much for the delight thou hast already afforded us2 and rely upon thee1 with confident expectation1 for many a future hour of gay forgetfulness4 ,well do we remember1 in our boyish dreams of bliss1 how prominent a feature thou didst stand amongst the anticipated enjoyments of ,christmas2 how the thoughts of home1 of kindred1 and release from school1 were rendered ten-fold more delightful by the idea of thy motley garb and mirth-inspiring voice1 which ever formed the greatest enjoyment our holidays afforded4 ,heaven be praised1 we still are children in some respects1 for we still feel gladdened by thy gambols1 as heartily as we did years ago1 when we made our periodical escape from the terrors of our old pedagogue's frown1 and went with ,aunt ,bridget 7,happier than ourselves the while7 to banquet upon the ,pantomimic treat provided for us4 ,all wisdom is folly1 says the philosopher2 but we often incline to think the converse of the proposition correct1 when we see thee put thy antic disposition on1 and set the audience in a roar by the magic of thy powers4 ,it is thought by many persons that ,grimaldi is seen to greater advantage on the small stage of ,sadler's ,wells1 than on the more capacious one of ,covent ,garden2 but1 this is an opinion with which we cannot coincide4 ,he always appears to us more at his ease at the latter house2 to come forth exulting in his power1 and exclaiming1 ,ay1 marry1 here my soul hath elbow-room4 ,his engagement there has certainly been a lucrative speculation for the proprietors4 ,mother ,goose1 we believe1 drew more money than any other piece which has been produced during the present century2 and no ,pantomime since brought forward at ,covent ,garden has been unsuccessful2 which is mainly to be attributed to his inimitable performance of ,clown4 ,it is scarcely possible for language to do justice to his unequalled powers of gesture and expression4 ,do our readers recollect a ,pantomime some years ago1 in which he was introduced begging a tart from a pieman8 ,the simple expression1 ,may ,i8 with the look and action which accompanied it1 are impressed upon our recollection1 as forming one of the finest pieces of acting we ever witnessed4 ,indeed1 let the subject be what it may1 it never fails to become highly amusing in the hands of ,grimaldi2 whether it is to rob a pieman1 or open an oyster1 imitate a chimney-sweep1 or a dandy1 grasp a red-hot poker1 or devour a pudding1 take snuff1 sneeze1 make love1 mimic a tragedian1 cheat his master1 pick a pocket1 beat a watchman1 or nurse a child1 it is all performed in so admirably humorous and extravagantly natural a manner1 that spectators of the most saturnine disposition are irresistibly moved to laughter4 ,mr4 ,grimaldi also possesses great merit in ,pantomimic performances of a different character1 which all are aware of1 who have ever seen him in the melodrama1 called ,perouse1 and other pieces of the same description4 ,we cannot better terminate this article1 than with a poetical tribute to his powers1 addressed to him by one of the authors of ,horace in ,london1 who appears to have had a true relish of his subject3-- ,facetious ,mime6 thou enemy of gloom1 ,grandson of ,momus1 blithe and debonair1 ,who1 aping ,pan1 with an inverted broom1 ,can'st brush the cobwebs from the brows of care4 ,our gallery gods immortalize thy song2 ,thy ,newgate thefts impart ecstatic pleasure2 ,thou bid'st a ,jew's harp charm a ,christian throng1 ,a ,gothic salt-box teem with attic treasure4 ,when ,harlequin1 entangled in thy clue1 ,by magic seeks to dissipate the strife1 ,thy furtive fingers snatch his faulchion too2 ,the luckless wizard loses wand and wife4 ,the fabled egg from thee obtains its gold2 ,thou sett'st the mind from critic bondage loose1 ,where male and female cacklers1 young and old1 ,birds of a feather1 hail the sacred ,goose4 ,even pious souls1 from ,bunyan's durance free1 ,at ,sadler's ,wells applaud thy agile wit1 ,forget old ,care while they remember thee1 ,laugh the heart's laugh1 and haunt the jovial pit4 ,long may'st thou guard the prize thy humour won1 ,long hold thy court in ,pantomimic state1 ,and1 to the equipoise of ,english fun1 ,exalt the lowly1 and bring down the great4 ,again we are told ,that his ,pantomime was such that you could fancy he would have been the ,pulcinello of the ,italians1 the ,harlequin of the ,french1 that he could have returned a smart repartee from ,carlin4 ,his motions1 eccentric as they were1 were evidently not a mere lesson from the gymnasium2 there was a will and mind overflowing with1 nay living upon fun1 real fun4 ,he was so extravagantly natural1 that the most saturnine looker-on acknowledged his sway2 and neither the wise1 the proud1 or the fair1 the young nor the old1 were ashamed to laugh till tears coursed down their cheeks at ,joe and his comicalities4 ,grimaldi used sometimes to play in two different ,pantomimes at two different theatres1 when he would have to go through some twenty scenes4 ,unlike the painting of the face with a few patches adopted by the modern ,clown1 ,grimaldi used to give one the idea of a greedy boy1 who had covered himself with jam in robbing from a cupboard4 ,grimaldi dressed the part like a ,clown should be dressed4 ,his trousers were large and baggy1 and were fastened to his jacket1 and round his neck he wore a schoolboy's frill--part of the dress1 in all probability1 borrowed from the ,spanish ,captain and the ,french ,pierrot4 ,at ,drury ,lane on ,friday1 ,june #bg1 #ahbh1 he took his farewell benefit4 ,the following being the bill3-- ,mr4 ,grimaldi's ,farewell ,benefit1 ,on ,friday1 ,june #bgth1 #ahbh1 will be performed ,,jonathan ,,in ,,england1 after which ,a ,,musical ,,melange1 ,to be succeeded by ,,the ,,adopted ,,child1 and concluded by ,,harlequin ,,hoax1 ,in which ,mr4 ,grimaldi will act ,clown in one scene1 sing a song1 and speak his ,,farewell ,,address4 ,with the reader's permisson1 ,i will give1 from his ,memoirs1 the address he spoke3-- ,ladies and ,gentlemen3--,in putting off the ,clown's garment1 allow me to drop also the ,clown's taciturnity1 and address you in a few parting sentences4 ,i entered early on this course of life1 and leave it prematurely4 ,eight-and-forty years only have passed over my head--but ,i am going as fast down the hill of life as that older ,joe--,john ,anderson4 ,like vaulting ambition1 ,i have overleaped myself1 and pay the penalty in an advanced old age4 ,if ,i have now any aptitude for tumbling it is through bodily infirmity1 for ,i am worse on my feet than ,i used to be on my head4 ,it is four years since ,i jumped my last jump--filched my last oyster--boiled my last sausage--and set in for retirement4 ,not quite so well provided for1 ,i must acknowledge1 as in the days of my ,clownship1 for then1 ,i dare say1 some of you remember1 ,i used to have a fowl in one pocket and sauce for it in the other4 ,to-night has seen me assume the motley for a short time--it clung to my skin as ,i took it off1 and the old cap and bells rang mournfully as ,i quitted them for ever4 ,with the same respectful feelings as ever do ,i find myself in your presence--in the presence of my last audience--this kindly assemblage so happily contradicting the adage that a favourite has no friends4 ,for the benvolence that brought you hither--accept1 ladies and gentlemen1 my warmest and most grateful thanks1 and believe1 that of one and all1 ,joseph ,grimaldi takes a double leave1 with a farewell on his lips1 and a tear in his eyes4 ,farewell6 ,that you and yours may ever enjoy that greatest earthly good--health1 is the sincere wish of your faithful and obliged servant4 ,god bless you all6 ,poor ,joe was buried in the burying-ground of ,st4 ,james' ,chapel1 on ,pentonville ,hill1 and in a grave next to his friend1 ,charles ,dibdin4 ,may the earth lie lightly over him6 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,plots of the old form of ,pantomimes--,a description of ,harlequin and the ,ogress2 or the ,sleeping ,beauty of the ,wood1 produced at ,covent ,garden--,grimaldi1 ,pre et ,fils--,tom ,ellar1 the ,harlequin1 and ,barnes1 the ,pantaloon--,an account of the first production of the ,house that ,jack built1 at ,covent ,garden--,spectacular display--,antiquity and ,origin of some ,pantomimic devices--,devoto1 ,angelo1 and ,french1 the ,scenic ,artists--,transparencies--,beverley--,t ransformation ,scenes4 ,of the plots of the old form of ,pantomime and what these entertainments were generally like1 graphically1 does ,planch describe them4 ,how different 7he says7 were the ,christmas ,pantomimes of my younger days4 ,a pretty story--a nursery tale--dramatically told1 in which the course of true love never did run smooth1 formed the opening2 the characters being a cross-grained old father1 with a pretty daughter1 who had two suitors--one a poor young fellow1 whom she preferred1 the other a wealthy fop1 whose pretensions were1 of course1 favoured by the father4 ,there was also a body servant of some sort in the old man's establishment4 ,at the moment when the young lady was about to be forcibly married to the fop she despised1 or1 on the point of eloping with the youth of her choice1 the good fairy made her appearance1 and1 changing the refractory pair into ,harlequin and ,columbine1 the old curmudgeon into ,pantaloon1 and the body servant into ,clown3 the two latter in company with the rejected lover1 as he was called1 commenced the pursuit of the happy pair1 and the comic business consisted of a dozen or more cleverly constructed scenes1 in which all the tricks and changes had a meaning1 and were introduced as contrivances to favour the escape of ,harlequin and ,columbine1 when too closely followed by their enemies4 ,there was as regular a plot as might be found in a melodrama4 ,an interest in the chase which increased the admiration of the ingenuity and the enjoyment of the fun of the tricks1 by which the runaways escaped capture1 till the inevitable dark scene came1 a cavern or a forest1 in which they were overtaken1 seized1 and the magic wand1 which had so uniformly aided them1 snatched from the grasp of the despairing ,harlequin1 and flourished in triumph by the ,clown4 ,again at the critical moment the protecting fairy appeared1 and1 exacting the consent of the father to the marriage of the devoted couple1 transported the whole party to what was really a grand last scene1 which everybody did wait for4 ,there was some congruity1 some dramatic construction1 in such ,pantomimes2 and then the acting4 ,for it was acting1 and first-rate acting4 ,to give the reader a further insight into the old form of ,christmas ,pantomimes1 ,i cull the following from ,the ,drama1 a contemporary magazine of the period 7#ahbb73-- ,in compliance with the long-established custom of gratifying the holiday visitors of the theatres with ,pantomimic representations at this season of year1 a new piece of that description was produced at this theatre 7,covent ,garden7 last night1 ,december #bfth1 #ahbb1 under the title of ,harlequin and the ,ogress2 or the ,sleeping ,beauty of the ,wood4 ,the introductory story is taken from the well-known tale of ,the ,sleeping ,beauty1 in ,mother ,bunch's ,fairy ,tales1 which had before been melodramatised1 but had not hitherto been taken for the groundwork of a ,harlequinade4 ,the piece opens in one of the fabled grand caverns under the ,pyramids of ,egypt1 in which the three fatal sisters of ,mother ,bunch's ,mythology are seen spinning and winding a ball of golden thread1 the fastening of which to the wrist of the ,sleeping ,beauty is intended to add another century to the duration of her life1 and of the power which the ,ogress1 or ,fairy1 has exercised over her1 and her possessions1 for the preceding hundred years4 ,the ball having been completed1 with the due quantum of magic incantation in such cases prescribed1 is consigned to the care of ,grim ,gribber1 the porter of the castle1 with directions to attach it to the wrist of the lady in the chamber of sleep1 whither he accordingly proceeds for that purpose2 but overcome by the soporific influences of the atmosphere of that enchanted place1 he falls into a deep sleep ere his task is accomplished4 ,the ,prince ,azoff1 with his ,squire ,abnab1 straying from a hunting party into the enchanted cedar grove1 encounters the ,fairy ,blue-bell1 protector of the ,sleeping ,beauty1 who imparts to the ,prince the story of her enchantment1 furnishes him with a magic flower to protect him from the influence of the ,ogress1 and instructs him in the means of releasing the ,beauty at the expiration of the term of her first enchanted sleep1 which is then drawing to a close4 ,in the amazement which seizes the ,prince on finding himself in the chamber of sleep1 at the splendour of everything around him1 and the sight of the ,sleeping ,beauty with her surrounding train of attendants1 whose faculties are all enchained in the same preternatural slumber1 he lets fall the magic flower1 and becomes thereby subject to the power of the ,ogress1 from which he is1 however1 rescued on the instant by the protecting interference of the ,fairy ,blue-bell4 ,but in punishment of his neglect1 he is condemned to wander for a time in search of happiness with the now-awakened ,beauty1 pursued by the relentless ,ogress and her servant1 ,grim ,gribber4 ,the whole of the persons engaged in the scene now undergo the prescriptive ,pantomimic changes1 and the ordinary succession of ,harlequinade adventures1 tricks1 and transformations ensue4 ,our old favourites1 the ,grimaldis1 father and son1 ,mr4 ,ellar as ,harlequin1 and ,mr4 ,barnes as ,pantaloon1 were hailed1 on their appearance1 with the warmth of greeting to which their excellence in their several parts fully entitles them1 and displayed their wonted drollery1 gracefulness1 and agility3 and ,miss ,brissak1 who1 for the first time1 appeared as ,columbine1 acquitted herself with tolerable credit1 and was very well received4 ,the scenery in general was marked with that characteristic beauty and highly-finished excellence1 which have long distinguished the productions of this theatre3 and the panoramic series of views of the ,river ,thames1 from ,greenwich to the ,nore1 on the passage of the ,royal flotilla for ,scotland1 and its arrival in ,leith ,roads1 probably surpass everything of the kind before exhibited4 ,there are several diverting tricks and ingenious changes4 ,grimaldi's equipment of a patent safety coach at ,brighton1 in particular was highly amusing4 ,the machinery1 which is1 in many instances1 of a most complicated description1 worked remarkably well for a first night's exhibition2 and the whole went off with a degree of eclat1 which must have been exceedingly gratifying to the managers1 as auguring the probability of such a lengthened run for the piece as may amply recompense the pains and expense which have been so lavishly bestowed in its preparation4 ,the house was filled in every part1 and the announcement of the ,pantomime's repetition was received with the most clamorous approbation1 undisturbed by a single dissentient voice4 ,the first production of ,the ,house that ,jack ,built1 at ,covent ,garden1 on ,december #bf1 #ahbd1 also reads interestingly3-- ,the ,pantomime is before us1 and we should ill-repay the pleasure it afforded us1 if we did not acknowledge and make public its excellence4 ,the name implies the source from which it is taken1 and we had1 therefore1 the supreme pleasure of renewing our friendship with those very old acquaintances1 the ,priest all shaven and shorn1 the maiden all forlorn1 the cow with the crumpled horn1 the dog that worried the cat1 that killed the rat1 that eat up the malt1 that lay in the ,house that ,jack built4 ,this1 of course1 gave us1 as it appeared to do many others1 great pleasure1 ,for should auld acquaintance be forgot1 and never brought to mind4 ,mr4 ,farley1 however1 who supports 7like an ,atlas7 all the weight of bringing forward these annual pieces of fun and foolery1 and who appears to be as learned in the mystic lore of hoary antiquity1 as he is in the mysteries of all the wonders of the tricks1 changes1 and mechanism of the ,pantomimic world1 has let us this time into a secret1 which will doubtless cause much erudite argument1 and pros and cons from various sage antiquarians for months to come1 in that invaluable work of old ,sylvanus ,urban1 'yclept the ,gentlemen's ,magazine4 ,as the play-bills on which this important piece of information is to be found1 will doubtless be bought up by all the mystogogii of the ,metropolis1 and shortly become scarce1 we shall take the liberty of inserting it in our imperishable pages1 for the benefit1 not only of posterity1 but for those of our own day1 who are infected with the building mania1 and who1 we think1 ought to make ,mr4 ,farley some very valuable present to mark their sense of the obligation they are under to him1 in consequence of the benefit which must accrue to them from it4 ,it appears from this fragment in what manner ,jack became possessed of his house1 and which it never before occurred to us1 to enquire4 ,thus then the mystery is elucidated by ,mr4 ,farley4 ,jack's ,wager2 ,by virtue of one of our forest charters1 if a man do build a dwelling upon common land1 from sun-set to sun-rise1 and enclose a piece of ground1 wherein there shall be a tree growing1 a beast feeding1 a fire kindled1 and provision in the pot1 such dwelling shall be freely held by the builder1 anything to the contrary1 nevertheless1 notwithstanding4 ,forest ,laws4 ,accordingly ,jack1 in the opening scene1 is represented just before nightfall1 as completing his dwelling1 by putting on the chimney pot as the finishing stroke2 he then claims his bride1 ,rosebud1 from her father1 ,gaffer ,gandy1 who refuses his consent1 having determined on bestowing her hand on one ,squire ,sap4 ,jack1 in despair1 repairs to ,poor ,robin1 the village astrologer1 who is intently observing an eclipse of the moon 7which1 by-the-bye1 is most excellently managed71 and relates his griefs4 ,the old man cheers his drooping spirits1 by casting his nativity and finding by his observations1 that ,jack's stars are of the most benign influence1 and that all his wishes shall be fulfilled4 ,the marriage of the maiden all forlorn with the ,squire is on the point of being completed1 when ,venus 7one of whose doves had been preserved by ,jack7 dispatches ,cupid to the assistance of the despairing lovers1 by the magic of whose powerful wand the usual ,pantomimic changes are effected in a trice--,jack becomes ,harlequin2 ,rosebud1 ,columbine2 ,gaffer1 ,pantaloon2 the ,squire1 the ,lover2 and the ,priest1 the ,clown4 ,mirth1 revelry1 fun1 frolic1 and joviality are now the order of the day1 and the scene changes to a view of ,hyde ,park and the ,serpentine ,river on a frosty morning in ,january3 in which is represented1 with admirable effect1 a display of patent skating4 ,an oil cloth is spread upon the stage1 a group comprised of various laughable characters are assembled on it1 and skate about with as much rapidity1 and precisely as though it were a sheet of ice4 ,the adroit skill of old stagers on the slippery surface1 with the clumsy awkwardness and terror of novices in the art1 are well represented4 ,a prodigious fat man makes his appearance2 when a race is called for1 he1 of course1 tries his prowess1 when the ice cracking beneath the heavy weight assembled on it gives way with a heavy crash1 and ,fatty is consigned to a watery bed4 ,assistance is immediately tendered1 when1 by ,harlequin's power1 a lean and shrivelled spirit of the deep rises from below to the great alarm of the beholders1 and whose limbs continue to expand till his head touches the clouds4 ,the whole of the scene is one of the most laughable and best managed in the ,pantomime4 ,kew ,gardens1 on a ,may-day morning1 is also a very pleasing scene1 in which some pretty ,morris dancing is introduced4 ,the ,barber's shop1 in which shaving by steam is hit off1 is excellent in its way1 but not so well understood in its details1 as to make it equally effective in representation4 ,vauxhall ,bridge1 and the ,gardens which succeeds it1 are also charmingly painted by the ,grieves1 and from hence the ,clown and ,pantaloon take an ,aeronautic excursion to ,paris4 ,this is a revolving scene--the balloon ascends--and the ,english landscape gradually recedes from the view--the gradual approach of night--the rising of the moon--the passing of the balloon through heavy clouds--and the return of day1 are beautifully represented2 the sea covered with ships1 is seen in distant perspective with the ,french coast2 a bird's-eye view of ,paris follows1 and the balloon safely descends in the gardens of the ,tuileries4 ,the adjoining palace1 mansions1 and gardens being brilliantly illuminated1 give the scene a most splendid and picturesque effect4 ,a variety of other scenes1 but far too numerous to mention individually1 deserve the highest applause1 particularly the village of ,bow1 ,leadenhall ,market1 with a change to an illuminated civic feast in the ,guildhall2 ,burlington ,arcade at night1 and the village of ,ganderclue by sunrise4 ,the ,temple of ,iris1 formed of the radiant panoply of the heavenly arch1 by ,grieve1 is most brilliant4 ,the advent of ,pantomime1 early in the eighteenth century1 gave a special fillip to spectacular display1 as they were all announced to be set off with new scenery1 decorations1 and flyings4 ,some of the stage devices of ,pantomime are of considerable antiquity2 as1 for instance1 the basket-work hobby-horses1 that figured as far back as the old ,english ,morris dances1 to be revived in the ,french ballet of the seventeenth century1 and1 in after years1 in ,english ,pantomime4 ,the ,pantomime donkey is at least1 we are told1 #bjj years old4 ,in ,arlequin ,mercure ,galant1 produced in ,paris in #afhb1 by the ,italian ,comedians1 ,harlequin made his entrance on a moke's back--and the merriment afterwards being greatly enhanced when ,master ,neddy1 with ,pan seated on its back1 suddenly came in two1 to the consternation of the beholders4 ,to the ,italian ,pantomime ,comedians we owe many of our stage devices and tricks4 ,the statue scene in ,frivolity1 played by the ,messrs4 ,leopolds1 was introduced by the ,italians in ,arlequin ,lingere du ,palais1 when this piece was performed at ,paris in #afhb4 ,again1 the device of cutting a hole in a portrait for an eaves-dropper's head to be inserted1 was used in ,columbine ,avocat as far back as #afhe4 ,in ,arlequin ,lingere du ,palais1 played at the ,hotel de ,bourgogne in ,october1 #afhb1 there was represented two stalls--an underclothier's and a confectioner's4 ,harlequin dressed half like a man and half like a woman1 with a mask on each side of his face to match presides in this dual capacity at both stalls4 ,pasquariel1 who comes to buy1 is utterly bewildered1 and is made the target of both jests and missiles of monsieur of the confectioners1 and mademoiselle of the adjoining stall4 ,possibly the shop scenes in our ,english ,harlequinades may have originated from this4 ,a similar idea to the above was given in ,o',keefe's ,pantomime of ,harlequin ,teague2 or the ,giants' ,causeway1 performed at the ,haymarket in #aghb4 ,charles ,bannister appeared in this ,pantomime and sang a duet as a giant with two heads1 one side representing a gentleman of quality1 and the other a hunting squire4 ,mrs4 ,german ,reed1 about #ahee1 appeared representing two old women1 between whom an imaginary conversation was held1 ,mrs4 ,reed turning first one side of her face to the audience1 and then the other4 ,fred ,maccabe1 in his ,essence of ,faust1 had also a similar allusion1 and by many transformation dancers was it used4 ,the antiquity of many other devices could be noted1 but ,i must desist1 yet ,i cannot help remarking that even here we have more exemplifications of history repeating itself4 ,scenical representations and mechanical devices in ,italy had long been made a fine art1 and an ,english traveller and critic observes that our painting compared to theirs is only daubing4 ,i find among their decorations statues of marble1 alabaster1 palaces1 colonnades1 galleries1 and sketches of architecture2 pieces of perspective that deceive the judgment as well as the eye2 prospects of a prodigious extent in spaces not thirty feet deep4 ,as for their machines ,i can't think it in the power of human wit to carry their inventions further4 ,in #afig1 ,i saw at ,venice an elephant discovered on the stage1 when1 in an instant1 an army was seen in its place2 the soldiers1 having by the disposition of their shields1 given so true a representation of it as if it had been a real elephant4 ,in ,rome1 at the ,theatre ,capranio1 in #afih1 there was a ghost of a woman surrounded by guards4 ,this phantom1 extending her arms and unfolding her clothes1 was1 with one motion1 transformed into a perfect palace1 with its front1 its wings1 body1 and courtyard4 ,the guards1 striking their halberds on the stage1 were immediately turned into so many waterworks1 cascades1 and trees1 that formed a charming garden before the palace4 ,at the same theatre1 in the opera ,nerone ,infante1 the interior of hell was shown4 ,here part of the stage opened1 and discovered a scene underneath1 representing several caves1 full of infernal spirits1 that flew about1 discharging fire and smoke1 on another side the river of ,lethe and ,charon's boat4 ,upon this landing a prodigious monster appeared1 whose mouth opening to the great horror of the spectators1 covered the front wings of the remaining part of the stage4 ,within his jaws was discovered a throne of fire1 and a multitude of monstrous snakes1 on which ,pluto sat4 ,after this the great monster1 expanding his wings1 began to move very slowly towards the audience4 ,under his body appeared a great multitude of devils1 who formed themselves into a ballet1 and plunged1 one after the other1 into the opening of the floor4 ,the great monster was in an instant transformed into an innumerable multitude of broad white butterflies1 which flew all into the pit1 and so low that some often touched the hats of several of the spectators1 and at last they disappeared4 ,during this circumstance1 which sufficiently employed the eyes of the spectators1 the stage was refitted1 and the scene changed into a beautiful garden1 with which the third act began4 ,the scene painter1 ,devoto1 painted the scenery and decorations for the ,goodman's ,fields ,theatre1 where1 it is interesting to note1 ,david ,garrick made his first ,london appearance in #agda4 ,his first appearance on any stage had been made at ,ipswich on ,tuesday1 #bast ,july1 in the same year1 under the name of ,lyddall4 ,garrick1 during his time1 introduced many novelties in the way of scenery and transparencies1 acting on the suggestions of ,signor ,seivandoni1 the scenic artist at the ,opera-house1 and the fencing master1 ,dominico ,angelo4 ,these transparencies became the talk of ,london1 and it has been known for several plays to have been written so as to introduce them4 ,the first transparent scene is said to have been the ,enchanted ,wood1 introduced in ,harlequin's ,invasion1 at ,drury ,lane1 the painter being one ,french1 the scenic artist of the theatre4 ,beverley1 the scene painter for ,madame ,vestris1 half a century ago1 brought fairy1 or ,pantomime1 scenes to great perfection4 ,leopold ,wagner1 speaking of them1 says3--,we have it upon the authority of ,mr4 ,planch that these were almost entirely due to the skilled efforts and successes of ,mr4 ,william ,beverley1 who1 in the nature of ,extravaganza1 so impressed the public with his fine talents as an artist upon theatrical canvas1 that gorgeous scenes became quite the rage1 and how1 year after year1 ,mr4 ,beverley's powers were taxed to the utmost to outdo his former triumphs1 and how the most costly materials and complicated machinery were annually put into requisition until the managers began to suffer4 ,speaking of the production on the #bfth ,december1 #ahdi1 of ,the ,island of ,jewels1 ,planch says1 ,the novel1 and yet exceedingly simple1 falling of the leaves of a palm tree1 which discovered six fairies1 supporting a coronet of jewels1 produced such an effect as ,i scarcely remember having witnessed on any similar occasion up to that period4 ,the last scene became the first in the estimation of the management4 ,the most complicated machinery1 the most costly materials were annually put into requisition1 until their bacon was so buttered that it was impossible to save it4 ,nothing was considered brilliant but the last scene4 ,dutch metal was in the ascendant4 ,it was no longer even painting1 it was upholstery4 ,mrs4 ,charles ,mathews herself informed me that she had paid between #fj and #gj for gold tissue for the dresses of the ,supernumeraries alone4 ,i wonder what ,mrs4 ,mathews would say if she could now visit this terrestrial sphere of ours8 ,all this love of spectacular display soon began to supersede the good old-fashioned ,christmas ,pantomimes4 ,in his work1 ,behind the ,scenes1 ,mr4 ,fitzgerald very graphically describes the ,transformation scene of later days1 and now becoming nearly as obsolete as the ,harlequinade4 ,all will recall in some elaborate transformation scene how quietly and gradually it is evoked4 ,first the gauzes lift slowly one behind the other--perhaps the most pleasing of all scenic effects--giving glimpses of the ,realms of ,bliss seen beyond in a tantalising fashion4 ,then is revealed a kind of half glorified country1 clouds and banks evidently concealing much4 ,always a sort of pathetic1 and1 at the same time1 exultant strain rises1 and is repeated as the changes go on2 now we hear the faint tinkle--signal to those aloft on the bridges to open more glories4 ,now some of the banks begin to part slowly1 showing realms of light with a few divine beings--fairies--rising slowly here and there4 ,more breaks beyond1 and more fairies rising with a pyramid of these ladies beginning to mount slowly in the centre4 ,thus it goes on1 the lights streaming on full in every colour and from every quarter in the richest effulgence4 ,in some of the more daring efforts the femmes suspendues seem to float in the air or rest on the frail support of sprays or branches of trees4 ,while1 finally1 at the back of all the most glorious paradise of all will open1 revealing the pure empyrean itself1 and some fair spirit aloft in a cloud among the stars2 the apex of all4 ,then all motion ceases2 the work is complete2 the fumes of crimson1 red1 and blue fire begin to rise at the wings2 the music bursts into a crash of exultation2 and1 possibly to the general disenchantment1 a burly man1 in a black frock coat1 steps out from the side and bows awkwardly4 ,then1 to a shrill whistle1 the first scene of the ,harlequinade closes in1 and shuts out the brilliant vision4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,pantomimic ,families--,giuseppe ,grimaldi--,james ,byrne1 the ,harlequin and ,inventor of the modern ,harlequin's dress--,joseph ,grimaldi1 ,junior--,the ,bologna ,family--,tom ,ellar--,the ,ridgways--,the ,bradburys--,the ,montgomerys---,the ,paynes--,the ,marshalls--,charles and ,richard ,stilt--,richard ,flexmore--,tom ,gray--,the ,paulos--,dubois--,arthur and ,charles ,leclerq--,jimmy ,barnes--,famous ,pantaloons--,miss ,farren--,mrs4 ,siddons--,columbines--,notable ,actors in ,pantomime4 ,in the histrionic profession the genius of hereditary is shown over and over again2 and no more so than in ,pantomimic families4 ,for1 if blessed with a numerous progeny1 the sons became--the eldest1 of course1 could only1 as the place of honour1 be ,clown--the others1 ,harlequins1 ,pantaloons2 the daughters1 ,columbines2 and1 perhaps1 ,harlequinas4 ,in the last chapter but one ,i have referred to ,grimaldi's father1 ,giuseppe ,grimaldi1 ,iron ,legs1 and now let us recall something more of the sire of so worthy a son4 ,as a dancer--as his father was before him--and ,pantomimist1 ,giuseppe ,grimaldi1 before coming to ,england1 had appeared at the fairs of ,france and ,italy4 ,in #ageh ,giuseppe made his first appearance on the stage of ,drury ,lane1 under ,garrick's management1 in a new ,pantomime dance1 entitled1 ,the ,millers4 ,for some thirty years afterwards the ,signor continued to be a member of the ,drury ,lane corps de ballet1 and appearing as ,clown1 ,harlequin1 and ,pantaloon4 ,in #agfd1 ,giuseppe played ,harlequin in a ,clown-less ,pantomime at ,sadler's ,wells1 and in the ,drury ,lane ,pantomime of the same year1 though there were ,harlequin1 ,pantaloon1 and ,columbine in it1 there was no ,clown4 ,drury ,lane was then only open in the winter1 and ,sadler's ,wells in the summer months4 ,a notable ,harlequin was ,mr4 ,james ,byrne1 the ballet-master4 ,mr4 ,byrne1 says ,grimaldi1 in his ,memoirs1 was the best ,harlequin on the boards1 and never has been excelled1 or even equalled1 since that period4 ,mr4 ,byrne came of a well-known dancing family1 and to him we owe the introduction of the tight-fitting dress worn by ,harlequin4 ,until the production of the ,pantomime of ,harlequin ,amulet1 or the ,magic of ,mona1 at ,drury ,lane ,theatre1 written by ,mr4 ,powell1 produced at ,christmas1 #agii1 by ,mr4 ,byrne1 and which ran until ,easter1 #ahjj--;it had been the loose jacket and trousers of the ancient ,mimes4 ,it had also been considered indispensable that ,harlequin should be continually attitudinising in the five different positions of ,admiration1 ,flirtation1 ,thought1 ,defiance1 and ,determination2 and continually passing from one to the other without pausing4 ,byrne1 for newer attitudes1 abolished these postures1 but long afterwards the old form of posing was1 and is still1 retained by the exponents of ,harlequin4 ,in this ,pantomime1 ,byrne1 as ,harlequin1 appeared in a white silk close-fitting shape1 fitting without a wrinkle1 and into which the variegated colours of time-honoured memory were woven1 and covered with spangles1 presenting a very bright appearance4 ,mr4 ,byrne1 also gave the character of ,harlequin an entirely new reading4 ,the colours of ,harlequin's dress had every one a significance1 as follows3--,red1 temper2 blue1 love2 yellow1 jealousy2 brown or mauve1 constancy4 ,when ,harlequin wore his mask down he was supposed to be invisible4 ,on his mask he had two bumps1 denoting knowledge on the one hand1 and thought on the other1 whilst in his cap he wore a hare's foot1 and a worked device on his shoes1 indicating flight and speed4 ,can we not from the bumps of knowledge and the hare's foot trace the characteristics of the god ,mercury1 which1 as previously stated1 was the prototype of ,harlequin4 ,with the bat1 or magic sword1 the gift from the fairies to him1 ,harlequin was supposed to be invulnerable1 and if he lost his sword he would fall into the power of the ,clown4 ,byrne's innovation was not resisted1 and it was well received1 and ever since this memorable occasion1 the character of ,harlequin has1 for the most part1 been dressed as ,byrne dressed it4 ,the significance of the present-day variegated colours of ,harlequin's costume are somewhat different to the above1 and denote3 red1 fire2 blue1 water2 yellow1 air2 and black1 earth4 ,these--the four elements--are typical of the regions governed by ,mercury4 ,mr4 ,byrne was at ,drury ,lane in the time of ,garrick4 ,he died ,december #dth1 #ahde1 in the eighty-ninth year of his age4 ,mrs4 ,byrne1 who was also a dancer1 pre-deceasing her husband by a few months in her seventy-fourth year4 ,joseph ,grimaldi1 son of ,old ,joe1 made1 at twelve years of age1 his first appearance at ,sadler's ,wells in #ahad1 playing ,man ,friday to his father's ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,for several years both father and son played together in various ,pantomimes2 and it was thought that before young ,joe there was a brilliant future4 ,this1 however1 was soon dissipated1 as he embarked upon vicious courses1 and through a blow on the head received in some brawl ,he became a wild and furious savage2 he was frequently attacked with dreadful fits of epilepsy1 and continually committed actions which nothing but insanity could prompt4 ,in #ahbh he had a decided attack of insanity1 and was confined in a strait waistcoat in his father's house for some time4 ,from engagements at ,drury ,lane1 ,sadler's ,wells1 the ,pavilion and the ,surrey ,theatre in turn1 he was dismissed1 finally ,falling into the lowest state of wretchedness and poverty4 ,his dress had fallen to rags1 his feet were thrust into two worn-out slippers1 his face was pale with disease1 and squalid with dirt and want1 and he was steeped in degradation4 ,this unhappy life came to a final close in a public-house in ,pitt ,street1 off the ,tottenham ,court ,road4 ,signor ,pietro ,bologna1 a country-man and friend of ,giuseppe ,grimaldi1 ,joe ,grimaldi's father1 brought with him from ,genoa his wife1 two sons and a daughter4 ,they were all ,mimes1 and1 in a ,pantomime produced in #agie1 entitled1 ,the ,magic ,feast1 ,signor ,bologna was ,clown1 and his son1 ,jack ,bologna1 was ,harlequin2 the latter being also ,harlequin to ,grimaldi's ,clown1 both at ,covent ,garden and ,sadler's ,wells4 ,jack ,bologna married a sister of ,mary ,bristow1 ,joe ,grimaldi's second wife1 and the mother of poor young ,joe4 ,tom ,ellar was another famous ,harlequin1 first making his appearance at the ,royalty1 ,goodman's ,fields1 in #ahjh4 ,for several seasons he played ,harlequin at ,covent ,garden4 ,many years ago penny portraits of ,mr4 ,ellar ,in his favourite character of ,harlequin1 were published by a ,mr4 ,skelt1 or a ,mr4 ,park1 of ,long ,lane1 ,smithfield1 and were the delight of those1 who1 if living now1 are old and gray4 ,tom ,ellar died ,april #h1 #ahdb1 aged #fb4 ,previous to his death he must have fallen upon evil days1 as ,thackeray1 in #ahdj1 wrote3 ,tom1 who comes bounding home from school1 has the doctor's account in his trunk1 and his father goes to sleep at the ,pantomime to which he takes him4 ,pater infelix1 you too1 have laughed at ,clown1 and the magic wand of spangled ,harlequin3 what delightful enchantment did it wave round you in the golden days 'when ,george the ,third was ,king8' ,but our ,clown lies in his grave2 and our ,harlequin ,ellar1 prince of many of our enchanted islands1 was he not at ,bow ,street the other day1 in his dirty1 faded1 tattered motley--seized as a law breaker for acting at a penny theatre1 after having well nigh starved in the streets1 where nobody would listen to his old guitar8 ,no one gave a shilling to bless him3 not one of us who owe him so much6 ,another ,pantomime family were the ,ridgways4 ,tom ,ridgway was ,clown under ,madame ,vestris's management at ,covent ,garden4 ,there have been several ,bradburys since the time of ,grimaldi's great rival1 ,robert ,bradbury1 died ,july #ba1 #ahca1 who wore on his person nine strong pads1 in order to go through some extraordinary feats4 ,the ,montgomerys2 the ,paynes1 ,harry and ,fred2 nor should the name of ,old ,billy ,payne be omitted4 ,billy ,payne it was1 it will be remembered1 who1 in #ahcc1 helped1 from the stage of ,covent ,garden1 the dying ,edmund ,kean4 ,then there were the ,marshalls1 ,harry and ,joseph2 ,charles and ,richard ,stilt2 and a very original and amusing ,clown1 ,richard ,flexmore1 died ,august #bj1 #ahfj1 aged #cf4 ,tom ,gray1 a famous ,clown of ,covent ,garden1 died ,january #bhth1 #agfh1 aged upwards of #ajj years2 the ,paulo family of ,pantomimists2 ,dubois1 ,arthur and ,charles ,leclerq1 ,walter ,hilyard1 and many1 many others4 ,in the 'twenties and 'thirties a popular and famous ,pantaloon was ,jimmy ,barnes1 died ,september #bhth1 #ahch4 ,barnes1 in the summer of #ahcj1 was engaged to play in an ,english company at ,paris1 but they had hardly commenced to perform when the ,revolution of ,july broke out4 ,some years afterwards ,barnes published in ,bentley's ,miscellany1 from his old original ,m4,s41 an amusing and illustrated account of his wanderings4 ,amongst other ,pantaloons there have been--,thomas ,blanchard1 died ,august #bj1 #ahei1 aged #gb2 ,william ,lynch1 died ,june #bi1 #ahfa1 aged #gh2 ,r4 ,norman1 died ,september #af1 #aheh1 aged #gj2 ,george ,tanner1 died ,february #h1 #ahgj2 and ,paulo1 a member of ,mr4 ,charles ,kean's ,company at the ,princess's ,theatre1 had as ,pantaloon appeared in many ,pantomimes4 ,it is a notable fact that a good number of our ,mimes were long-livers4 ,long before ,miss ,farren1 afterwards ,countess of ,derby 7died ,april #ba1 #ahbi71 first charmed a ,london audience1 we hear of her in #aggb at ,wakefield in one of her first parts--if not her first--that of ,columbine4 ,she could both sing well and dance gracefully4 ,one of the earliest parts that even the great ,mrs4 ,siddons 7that afterwards was71 when a young girl1 played1 was in connection with ,pantomime1 as ,combes remembered to have seen her ,standing by the side of her father's stage1 and knocking a pair of snuffers against a candle-stick to imitate the sound of a wind-mill1 during the representation of some ,harlequinade4 ,in days gone by ,madame ,leclerq1 ,carlotta ,leclerq1 ,charles ,kean's ,columbine in the seasons of #ahej-a-b1 ,e4 ,dennett1 ,emma ,boleno1 died ,october #ahth1 #ahfg1 aged #ce2 ,marie ,charles1 who died from an accident by fire1 ,pavilion ,theatre1 ,january #ba1 #ahfd1 and others have won considerable fame in the part of ,columbine4 ,amongst those who have played ,harlequin in days gone by1 have been the elder ,kean1 and the well-known actor1 ,mr4 ,wilson ,barrett1 who1 early in his career1 played this part for an extra two shillings and sixpence thrown in1 to augment his then weekly salary of seventeen shillings and sixpence2 whilst ,sir ,henry ,irving tells us that he also has appeared in ,pantomime1 in the character of a wicked fairy1 named ,venoma1 in days since past1 for a small monetary emolument4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,popular ,pantomime subjects--,poor ,pantomime ,librettos--,pantomime subjects of our progenitors--,the various versions of ,aladdin--,the ,babes in the ,wood--,blue ,beard--,beauty and the ,beast--,cinderella--,dick ,whittington--,the ,house that ,jack ,built--,jack the ,giant ,killer--,jack and the ,beanstalk--,red ,riding ,hood--,the ,sleeping ,beauty in the ,wood--,unlucky subjects--,ali ,baba and the ,forty ,thieves--,the ,fair ,one with ,golden ,locks--,the source of ,sindbad the ,sailor and ,robinson ,crusoe4 ,it may be of interest in this ,history of ,pantomime to note the origin of some of our most popular present day ,pantomime subjects1 besides showing many of our present day ,pantomime libretto writers that in such well-known themes as ,aladdin1 ,cinderella1 and others1 there is no need to cast their stories pretty much in the same groove1 year after year1 when by drawing on the fairy-lore of the ,east much that is new and original1 for present-day ,english ,pantomimes1 is waiting the attention of their skill and ingenuity4 ,though the stories of popular ,english ,pantomimes are practically the same each year 7why ,i do not know71 yet1 not content with this1 in many of our large cities and towns we frequently see the same ,pantomime title not only billed at one theatre1 but perhaps at several others4 ,this clashing and clashing year after year with one another's titles 7,i say nothing about the plots1 as these1 in many instances1 only consist of a half-penny worth of author to an intolerable deal of music-hall gag71 cannot but1 ,i have long been of opinion1 adversely affect the box-office receipts1 unless1 of course1 the ,pantomime-goer makes a point of doing the round1 so to speak1 which1 however1 is not generally the case4 ,as ,pantomime writers in the early days there were ,thomas ,dibdin1 son of ,charles ,dibdin1 the writer of nautical ballads1 ,pocock and ,sheridan4 ,dibdin was one of the best of ,pantomime librettists1 and from the years #agga to #ahda his prolific pen1 as a writer of ,pantomimes1 was never idle1 as from it came some thirty-three ,pantomimes1 and all successes4 ,amongst other literary luminaries1 in after years1 as writers of ,pantomime ,extravaganzas1 there were ,j4,r4 ,planch1 ,e4,l4 ,blanchard1 ,w4 ,brough1 ,mark ,lemon1 ,h4,j4 ,byron1 ,wilton ,jones1 and ,john ,francis ,mc,ardle4 ,history always repeats itself we know1 and poor ,pantomime books were not unknown as far back as half a century ago1 as the subjoined parody on the ,burial of ,sir ,john ,moore1 by the late ,albert ,smith plainly shows3-- ,not a laugh was heard1 not a topical joke1 ,as its corse to oblivion we hurried2 ,not a paper a word in its favour spoke ,on the ,pantomime going to be buried4 ,we buried it after the ,boxing ,night1 ,the folks from the galleries turning2 ,for 'twas plain it would scarcely pay for the light ,of the star in the last act burning4 ,no useless play-bill put forth a puff1 ,how splendid the public had found it1 ,but it lay like a piece that had been called stuff1 ,with a very wet blanket around it4 ,after this digression for one brief moment more1 let us take a passing glance at some of the ,pantomime subjects which our progenitors delighted in4 ,they had not the continual ringing of the changes on half-a-dozen ,pantomime subjects1 as we have at present1 but revelled in such attractions as ,harlequin ,don ,quixote1 ,the ,triumph of ,mirth1 or ,harlequin's ,wedding1 ,the ,enchanted ,wood or ,harlequin's ,vagaries1 ,hurly ,burly1 or the ,fairy of the ,wells1 ,blue ,beard1 ,black ,beard1 and ,grey ,beard1 and many others4 ,however1 to return4 ,of the ,pantomime subjects1 whose origin we are going to enquire into1 let us first commence with ,aladdin4 ,according to the many versions of this popular story in ,europe and ,asia1 it would seem that its origin originally was of ,buddhist extraction4 ,in our common ,english version of ,aladdin1 in ,the ,arabian ,nights1 which was taken from ,galland's ,french version1 it is doubtless an ,eastern picture4 ,it does not occur1 however1 in any known ,arabian text 7says ,mr4 ,clouston1 in ,popular ,tales1 and to whose work ,i am indebted for much of the information for this chapter7 of ,the ,thousand and ,one ,nights 7,elf ,laila wa ,laila71 although the chief incidents are found in many ,asiatic fictions1 and it had become orally current in ,greece and ,italy before it was published by ,galland4 ,a popular ,italian version1 which presents a close analogy to the familiar story of ,aladdin 7properly ,al-u-d-,din1 signifying ,exaltation of the ,faith7 is given by ,miss ,m4,h4 ,busk1 in her ,folklore of ,rome1 under the title of ,how ,cajusse was married4 ,a good natured looking old man one day knocks at the door of a poor tailor out of work2 his son1 opening the door1 is told by the old man that he is his uncle1 and he gives him half a piastre to buy a good dinner4 ,when the tailor comes home--he was absent at the time--he is surprised to hear the old man claim him as a brother1 but finding him so rich he does not dispute the matter4 ,after the old man had lived some time with the tailor and his family1 literally defraying all the household expenses1 he finds it necessary to depart1 and with the tailor's consent takes the boy ,cajusse with him1 in order that he may learn some useful business4 ,but no sooner do they get outside the town than he tells ,cajusse that it is all a dodge4 ,i'm not your uncle1 he says1 ,i want a strong1 daring boy to do something ,i am too old to do4 ,i'm a wizard--don't attempt to escape for you can't4 ,cajusse1 not a bit frightened1 asks him what it is he wants him to do2 and the wizard raises a flat stone from the ground1 and orders him to go down1 and after he gets to the bottom of the cave to proceed until he comes to a beautiful garden1 where he will see a fierce dog keeping watch4 ,here's bread for him4 ,don't look back when you hear sounds behind you4 ,on a shelf you will see an old lantern2 take it down1 and bring it to me4 ,so saying the wizard gave ,cajusse a ring1 in case anything awkward should happen to him after he had got the lantern1 when he had only to rub the ring1 and wish for deliverance4 ,cajusse finds precious stones hanging like frost from the trees in the garden underground1 and he fills his pocket with them4 ,returning to the entrance of the cave1 he refuses to give up the lantern till he has been drawn out2 so the wizard thinking merely to frighten him replaces the stone4 ,cajusse finding himself thus entrapped rubs the ring1 when instantly the ,slave of the ,ring appears1 and the youth at once orders the table to be laid for dinner4 ,he then calls for his mother and father1 and they all have an unusually good meal4 ,some time afterwards1 ,cajusse had returned home1 the town was illuminated1 one day in honour of the marriage of the ,sultan's daughter to the ,vizier's son4 ,he sends his mother to the palace with a basket of jewels1 and1 to demand the ,sultan's daughter in marriage4 ,the ,sultan is astounded at the purity of the gems1 and says he will give his answer in a month4 ,at the end of the same week the ,grand ,vizier's son is married to the ,princess4 ,cajusse rubs his lantern and says ,go to-night and take the daughter of the ,sultan and lay her on a poor pallet in our outhouse4 ,this is done1 and ,cajusse begins to talk to her1 but she is far too frightened to answer4 ,the ,sultan learns of his daughter's whereabouts1 and does not know what to make of the strange business4 ,the son of the ,vizier complains to his father that his wife disappears every night1 and comes back just before dawn4 ,cajusse now sends his mother to the ,sultan with three more baskets full of jewels1 and the ,sultan tells her he may come and see him at the palace4 ,having received this message1 ,cajusse rubs the lantern1 gets a dress of gold and silver1 a richly caparisoned horse1 four pages with rich dresses to ride behind them1 and one to go before1 distributing money to the people4 ,cajusse is next married to the ,princess1 and they live together in a most magnificent palace with great happiness4 ,by-and-bye the old wizard hears of this1 and resolves to obtain the lantern by hook or by crook4 ,disguising himself as a pedlar he comes to the palace calling out the familiar ,new lamps for old4 ,by this means he obtains the precious lamp1 and immediately transports the palace and the princess to an island in the high seas4 ,cajusse1 by the aid of the magic ring1 quickly follows1 to find his princess a prisoner in the power of the wizard4 ,he then gives her this advice3 ,make a feast to-night2 say you'll marry the old wizard if he'll tell you what thing would be fatal to him1 and you will guard him against it4 ,the princess gets from the magician the fatal secret4 ,one must go into a far distant forest1 he says ,where there is a beast called the hydra1 and cut off his seven heads4 ,if the middle head is split open a leveret will jump out and run off4 ,if the leveret is split open1 a bird will fly out4 ,if the bird is caught and opened1 in its body is a precious stone1 and should that be placed under my pillow ,i shall die4 ,cajusse accomplishes all these things1 and gives the life-stone to the princess1 together with a bottle of opium4 ,the princess drugs the wizard's wine1 and when he had laid his head on his pillow 7under which was the stone7 he gave three terrible yells1 turned himself round three times1 and was dead4 ,after thus ridding themselves of their enemy1 ,cajusse and his bride lived happy ever afterwards4 ,aladdin's adventure with the magician in the enchanted cave has also its counterpart in ,germany 7see ,grimms' ,german ,collection74 ,another ,aladdin version is the tale of ,marf1 the last in the ,blk and ,calcutta printed ,arabic texts of the ,book of ,marf in ,the ,thousand and ,one ,nights4 ,the story is to the effect that ,marf had given out that he was a rich man1 under which false pretence he marries the ,sultan's daughter4 ,the tale he spread about was that he was expecting the arrival of a rich caravan1 which contained all his princely wealth4 ,after they were married1 ,marf confesses to his wife the imposture he has practised on them4 ,she urges him to fly1 or his head would be forfeited1 and procures him a disguise to flee the country4 ,he does so1 and1 whilst journeying through a village1 he sees a man ploughing in a field1 whom he asks for food4 ,whilst the latter is away1 ,marf continues the ploughing1 where the man had left off1 and the ploughshare strikes against something hard in the ground1 which turns out to be an iron ring in a marble slab4 ,he pulls at the ring1 and ,marf discovers a small room covered with gold1 emeralds1 rubies1 and other precious stones4 ,he also discovers a coffer of crystal1 having a little box1 containing a diamond in its entirety4 ,desirous of knowing what the box further contains1 he finds a plain gold ring1 with strange talismanic characters engraved thereon4 ,placing the ring on his finger1 he is suddenly confronted by the ,genii of the ,ring1 who demands to know what are his commands4 ,marf desires the ,genii to transport all the treasure to the earth1 when mules and servants appear1 and carry it to the city which ,marf had left1 much to the chagrin of the ,vizier1 who did not like ,marf4 ,marf1 during a great feast prepared for the occasion1 tells the ,sultan how he became possessed of the treasure1 when the ,sultan begs the loan of the ring1 which ,marf hands to the ,vizier to give him1 and which no sooner does he get1 than he commands the ,genii to convey ,marf to some desert island1 and leave him to die4 ,the ,vizier also serves the ,sultan the same way1 and then he turns his attention to ,mrs4 ,marf1 whom he threatens with death if she refuses to marry him4 ,at a banquet she makes the ,vizier drunk1 obtains possession of the ring1 secures the return of ,marf and the ,sultan1 and the decapitation of the ,vizier4 ,the ,babes in the ,wood was registered on the books of ,stationers' ,hall as a ballad as far back as #aeie4 ,to take another familiar ,pantomime subject1 ,blue ,beard1 this story is said to have been invented as a satire on our ,king ,henry ,,viii4 ,there is little doubt1 however1 of it originating from a very ancient source2 and to afford the reader all the possible information on the subject1 a writer in ,the ,drama1 a magazine of the beginning of the last century has the following1 though he does not state his authority for the information3-- ,as this extraordinary personage has long been the theme1 not only of children's early study and terror1 it will be gratifying to peruse the character of that being who really existed1 and who was distinguished in horror and derision by the strange appellation of ,blue ,beard4 ,he was the famous ,gilles1 ,marquis de ,laval1 a ,mareschal of ,france1 and a ,general of uncommon intrepidity1 who greatly distinguished himself in the reigns of ,charles ,,vi4 and ,,vii41 by his courage1 particularly against the ,english1 when they invaded ,france4 ,he rendered such services to his country1 which were sufficient to immortalize his name1 had he not for ever tarnished his glory by the most terrible and cruel murders1 blasphemies1 and licentiousness of every kind4 ,his revenues were princely2 but his prodigality was sufficient to render even an ,emperor a bankrupt4 ,wherever he went he had in his suite a seraglio1 a band of players1 a company of musicians1 a society of sorcerers and magicians1 an almost incredible number of cooks1 packs of dogs of various kinds1 and above #bjj led horses4 ,mezerai1 an author of great repute1 says1 that he encouraged and maintained men who called themselves sorcerers1 to discover hidden treasures1 and corrupted young persons of both sexes to attach themselves to him1 and afterwards killed them for the sake of their blood1 which was requisite to form his charms and incantations4 ,these horrid excesses may be believed1 when we reflect on the age of ignorance and barbarism in which they were certainly too often practised4 ,he was at length1 for a state crime against the ,duke of ,brittany1 sentenced to be burnt alive in a field at ,nantz in #addj1 but the ,duke1 who was present at his execution1 so far mitigated the sentence1 that he was first strangled1 then burnt1 and his ashes buried4 ,though he was descended from one of the most illustrious families in ,france1 he declared1 previous to his death1 that all his terrible excesses were owing to his wretched education4 ,blue ,beard was first dramatised at ,paris1 in #agdf1 when ,barbe ,bleu was thus announced3--,pantomime--represente par la troupe des ,comediens ,pantomimes1 ,foir ,st4 ,laurent4 ,it was afterwards dramatised at the ,earl of ,barrymore's ,theatre1 ,wargrave1 ,berks41 and in #agia4 ,after that the subject was produced at ,covent ,garden ,theatre as a ,pantomime4 ,beauty and the ,beast1 the latter a white bear1 is to be found in ,popular ,tales from the ,norse1 by ,mr4 ,dasent1 and in the collection of ,popular ,tales from the ,german by the ,brothers ,grimm4 ,as a ballad the story of ,beauty and the ,beast is a very old one4 ,cinderella is to be found in the language of every ,european country4 ,in ancient ,hindu legends it appears2 in tales related by the ,greek poets it is also to be found4 ,the story of ,cinderella1 according to the ancient ,hindu legends1 is that of the ,sun and the ,dawn4 ,cinderella has been likened to ,aurora1 the ,spirit of the ,dawn1 and the fairy ,prince of the legend is the morning ,sun1 ever closely pursuing her to make her his bride4 ,the ,hindu legend of the lost slipper is that a wealthy ,rajah's beautiful daughter was born with a golden necklace1 which contained her soul1 and1 if the necklace was taken off and worn by someone else1 the ,princess would die4 ,the ,rajah gave her on her birthday a pair of slippers with ornaments of gold and gems upon them4 ,the princess went out upon a mountain to gather flowers1 and whilst stooping there to pluck the flowers1 one of her slippers fell into the forest below4 ,a ,prince1 who was hunting1 picked up the slipper1 and was so charmed with it that he said he would make the wearer his wife4 ,he made his wish known1 but no one came to claim the slipper2 at length word was given to the ,prince where to find the ,rajah's daughter2 and shortly afterwards they were married4 ,one of the wives of the ,prince1 being jealous of the ,rajah's daughter1 stole the necklace1 put it on her own neck1 and then the ,rajah's daughter died4 ,the ,prince1 afterwards1 found out the secret of the necklace1 and got it back again1 and put it on his dead wife's neck1 and she came to life1 and they lived ever afterwards in the greatest harmony4 ,the ancient ,grecian version of ,cinderella is that of the story of a beautiful woman named ,rhodope1 who1 whilst bathing1 an eagle flew away with one of her slippers to ,egypt1 and dropped it in the lap of the ,king as he sat at ,memphis on the judgment seat4 ,the ,king was so attracted by the smallness and beauty of the slipper that he fell in love with the wearer1 and afterwards made her his wife4 ,in ,tuscany1 ,persia1 ,norway1 ,denmark1 ,russia1 the story of ,dick ,whittington is well known4 ,in all probability1 like many other fairy tales1 its origin was from a ,buddhist source4 ,the ,english version1 that the ,lord ,mayor ,whittington was the poor ill-used boy he is represented to have been in the popular tale seems quite impossible1 since according to ,stow 7mentions ,mr4 ,clouston7 he was the son of ,sir ,richard ,whittington1 ,knight4 ,the story was current in ,europe in the thirteenth century4 ,in the chronicle of ,albert1 ,abbot of the ,convent of ,st4 ,mary of ,slade1 written at that period1 it is related that there were two citizens of ,venice1 one of whom was rich1 the other poor4 ,it fortuned that the rich man went abroad to trade1 and the poor man gave him as his venture two cats1 the sale of which1 as in our tale of the renowned ,dick ,whittington1 procured him great wealth4 ,on ,september #bast1 #affh1 ,pepys makes mention in his diary of going to ,southwark ,fair1 and of seeing the puppet show of ,whittington1 which he says was pretty to see4 ,a ,pantomime on the subject was also given by ,rich early in the eighteenth century4 ,in ,tuscany1 the ,dick ,whittington story runs that in the fifteenth century1 a ,genoese merchant1 who presented two cats to the ,king1 was rewarded by him with rich presents4 ,in ,norway1 a poor boy1 having found a box full of silver money under a stone1 emptied the box and its contents into a lake--one piece1 however1 floated1 which he kept1 believing it to be good4 ,his mother1 hearing of this1 thrust him out of doors2 and he eventually obtained employment in a merchant's house4 ,the merchant1 having to make a voyage to foreign parts1 he asked each of his servants what he should venture for him4 ,the poor boy offered all he had1 the silver penny1 of which he was still the possessor4 ,with this the merchant purchased a cat1 and sailed away1 but the vessel in which he was in was driven out of her course on to the shores of a strange country4 ,the merchant going ashore went to an inn1 and1 in a room1 he saw the table laid for dinner1 with a long rod for each man who sat at it4 ,when the meat was set on the table1 out swarmed thousands of mice1 and each one who sat at the table beat them off with his rod4 ,the cat was brought into service1 and sold for a hundred dollars1 and soon put an end to the career of the mice4 ,when the merchant had weighed anchor1 much to his surprise1 he saw the cat sitting at the mast head4 ,again foul weather came on1 and again the vessel was driven to another strange country1 where the mice were just as numerous as before4 ,the cat was called in1 sold this time for two hundred dollars1 and away the merchant sailed4 ,no sooner1 however1 was he at sea1 than the cat once more appeared before him4 ,the vessel was again driven out of her course to another strange country1 over-run with rats this time1 when poor pussy was sold a third time1 for the sum of three hundred dollars4 ,again the cat made its appearance2 and the merchant thinking to do the poor boy out of his money1 a dreadful storm arose1 which only subsided on the merchant making a vow that the boy should have every penny4 ,when he arrived home the merchant faithfully kept his promise1 gave the boy the six hundred dollars1 and the hand of his daughter besides4 ,a ,breton legend of the story of ,dick ,whittington runs that three sons go to seek their fortune1 the eldest of whom1 ,yvon1 possesses a cat4 ,the cat again plays an important part4 ,yvon becomes the friend of the ,lord of the ,manor1 and has gold and diamonds bestowed upon him in galore4 ,the ,russian version is that a poor little orphan boy buys a cat1 which some mischievous boys were teasing1 for three copecks 7about a penny74 ,taken into the service of a merchant the latter goes to a distant country1 accompanied by the cat of the orphan boy4 ,puss making sad work of some rats1 which threatened to make an end of the merchant in the inn1 which he occupied4 ,he ultimately sold the cat to the landlord for a sack full of gold4 ,returning home1 on his way thither1 he thought how foolish it would be to give all the money to the boy4 ,whereupon a dreadful storm arose1 and the vessel1 in which was the merchant1 was in danger of sinking4 ,the merchant1 knowing that the storm had arisen through his change of purpose1 prayed to heaven for forgiveness1 when the sea became calm1 and the vessel arrived safely in port1 when the merchant paid over to the orphan boy all the wealth obtained by the sale of the cat4 ,in the ,persian version1 unlike the other legends1 the cat is owned by a poor widow1 who had been impoverished through her sons1 and was left with only a cat4 ,the sale of the cat produces great wealth2 and the widow1 ,kayser1 immediately sends for her sons to share her newly-acquired fortune4 ,what follows is different to the other versions of these wonderful cat stories4 ,the sons only too eager to share the wealth of their mother1 fit out many vessels1 and begin to trade largely with ,india and ,arabia4 ,thinking that to acquire wealth by commerce alone1 rather slow work1 they turned pirates1 and were a source of trouble and annoyance to the neighbouring states1 till about #abcj ,a4,d41 when they were reduced to vassalage under ,persian rule4 ,the ,house that ,jack ,built has its prototype in a sacred hymn in the ,talmud of the ,hebrews4 ,jack1 the ,giant ,killer and ,jack and the ,beanstalk are two very ancient themes coming from the ,north1 of the time1 it is said1 of ,king ,arthur1 and of the days when ,giants were upon the earth4 ,the well-known cry of the giants in these legends-- ,fe1 ,fi1 ,fo1 ,fum1 ,i smell the blood of an ,englishman2 ,be he alive or be he dead1 ,i'll grind his bones to make my bread1 is also referred to by ,shakespeare in ,king ,lear1 in ,act ,,iii41 ,scene #e1 when ,edgar sings3-- ,child ,rowland to the dark ,tower came2 ,his word was still1 fee1 foh1 and fum1 ,i smell the blood of an ,englishman4 ,the ,english version of the story of ,jack the ,giant ,killer1 must1 therefore1 be older than the time of ,elizabeth4 ,it is also a strange and significant fact that amongst the ,zulus1 and the inhabitants of the ,fiji ,islands1 there are similar legends of the story of ,jack and the ,beanstalk4 ,the story of ,jack and the ,beanstalk is also to be found in old ,hindoo tales1 in which the beans denote abundance4 ,the ,russians have a story in which a bean falls to the ground1 and an old man1 the ,sun1 climbs up by it to heaven4 ,the ogre in the land above the skies1 observes ,mr4 ,baring ,gould1 who was once the all-father1 possessed three treasures--a harp1 which played of itself enchanting music2 bags of gold and diamonds2 and a hen which daily laid a golden egg4 ,the harp is the wind1 the bags of gold are the clouds dropping the sparkling rain1 and the golden egg laid every day by the red hen is the producing sun4 ,the same idea in ,jack and the ,beanstalk occurs in the fairy legends of the ,north and the ,east1 as well as in ,grecian stories4 ,in ,jack the ,giant ,killer1 the gifts given to ,jack are found in ,tartar1 ,hindoo1 ,scandinavian1 and ,german legends4 ,now let us note briefly the origin of ,red ,riding ,hood and ,the ,sleeping ,beauty in the ,wood4 ,all the other fairy stories that we know of are to be found in other countries1 and springing originally from ,asia1 where they were made ages and ages ago4 ,the ,wolf in the story of ,red ,riding ,hood has been likened to the days of our own ,bluff ,king ,hal1 owing to the latter's suppression of the monasteries1 and ,red ,riding ,hood herself1 whom the ,wolf subsequently eats1 with her hood and habit1 was supposed to be typical of the monastic orders4 ,the ,hindoo's version of the ,red ,riding ,hood story is a pretty and fanciful one4 ,their idea was that there was always a great ,dragon endeavouring to devour ,indra1 the ,sun god1 and to prevent the ,sun from shining upon the earth1 ,indra ultimately overcomes the ,dragon4 ,red ,riding ,hood1 with her warm habit1 is supposed to be the setting sun casting its red and glittering rays as it sinks to rest4 ,the old ,grandmother is ,mother ,earth2 and the ,wolf1 the ,dragon2 and when all is dark and still1 the ,wolf swallows the ,grandmother1 namely1 the ,earth2 and afterwards1 as ,night has fallen1 the ,evening ,sun4 ,the ,huntsman denotes the ,morning ,sun1 and he chases away all the dark clouds gathered during the night1 and by doing so kills the ,wolf2 recovers the old ,grandmother ,earth1 and brings to life again1 ,little ,red ,riding ,hood4 ,another version 7observes ,mr4 ,t4 ,bunce7 is that the ,wolf is the dark1 and dreary winter1 that kills the ,earth with frost1 but when spring comes again it brings the ,earth and the ,sun back to life4 ,in ,the ,sleeping ,beauty in the ,wood1 the maiden has been likened to the ,morning dawn1 and the young ,prince1 who awakens her1 with a kiss1 to the ,sun4 ,ali ,baba and the ,forty ,thieves1 in concluding this chapter1 ,i may say1 with ,the ,fair ,one with ,golden ,locks1 forms to the superstitious the only two unlucky ,pantomime subjects4 ,sindbad1 the ,sailor1 taken from the ,arabian ,nights1 has its origin in ,persian and ,arabian tales4 ,of all our ,pantomime subjects1 ,robinson ,crusoe1 seems to be the only one we can properly lay claim to as being of our own make1 so to speak1 and written by ,daniel ,de ,foe1 and1 in the main1 from the imagination4 ,de ,foe1 it has been stated1 derived his idea for this story from the adventures of one1 ,alexander ,selkirk1 a ,scotchman1 who had been a castaway on the ,island of ,juan ,fernandez4 ,the first portion of ,robinson ,crusoe appeared in ,the ,family ,instructor1 in #agai1 of which ,de ,foe was the founder4 ,it1 at once1 sprang into popularity1 and has left its author undying fame4 ,de ,foe was born about #affj in the parish of ,st4 ,giles1 ,cripplegate1 died #bfth ,april1 #agca1 and was buried in ,bunhill ,fields4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,pantomime in ,america4 ,pantomime1 in ,america1 had not a very long run1 it being killed by the farcical comedy4 ,mr4 ,e4,l4 ,blanchard supposes that ,mother ,goose was the first ,pantomime played in ,america1 but this is an error1 as it was not until #aghf1 when ,garrick's ,harlequin's ,invasion1 and ,r4 ,pocock's ,robinson ,crusoe were played at the ,john ,street ,theatre1 ,new ,york1 that ,pantomime made its advent in ,america4 ,mother ,goose was afterwards played1 but it did not suit the ,yankee's taste4 ,rich's ,harlequin1 ,gay of ,the ,beggars ,opera1 produced at ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields ,theatre1 and which it is said made ,rich ,gay1 and ,gay ,rich1 also went to ,america1 and where1 it is said1 he became the ,chief of an ,indian tribe in the ,far ,west4 ,in the ,south ,sea ,bubble ,gay held some #bj1jjj4 ,his friends advised him to sell1 but he dreamed of greatness and splendour1 and refused their counsel4 ,ultimately1 both the profit and the principal was lost1 and ,gay sunk under the calamity so low that his life became in danger4 ,american ,pantomimes consisted of a semi-pastoral opening1 performed almost entirely in dumb show1 and a big trick ,harlequinade1 and down to the time of ,pantomime's decease in ,america was it played like this4 ,george ,l4 ,fox made ,pantomime highly popular in ,america4 ,born in ,may of #ahbe1 he1 as an actor and comedian in ,yankee and ,irish parts1 held his own in popularity with the great ,joseph ,jefferson4 ,fox might be properly termed ,the ,grimaldi of ,america1 as he was the representative ,clown of the land of the stars and stripes4 ,his ,clown's parts he dressed like ,grimaldi1 and with the whitened face and bald head of ,pierrot1 the ,french type of ,clown4 ,the year that ,mother ,goose came to ,new ,york saw the introduction of a ,french troupe of ,pantomimists1 known as the ,ravels4 ,in imitation of these performers ,fox introduced in the 'fifties ballet ,pantomimes1 and several ,ravelsque pieces like ,the ,red ,gnome and ,the ,schoolmaster with good results4 ,in #ahfb ,fox was at the ,bowery ,theatre1 and1 during his occupation of the same1 he did much to popularise ,pantomime4 ,half a dozen years afterwards we find him at the ,olympic ,theatre1 ,new ,york1 where he produced ,humpty ,dumpty1 which ran #dhc nights1 and for five years1 till #ahgc1 it held its place1 on and off1 in the bill4 ,altogether it was played #idc times4 ,fox1 from this1 was known as ,humpty ,dumpty1 and1 strangely enough1 also1 the ,americans for long enough afterwards called every ,pantomime ,humpty ,dumpty4 ,fox was a very good mimic1 imitating all the ,hamlets of the day1 besides being a good melodramatic actor4 ,he died ,october #bdth1 #ahgg1 at ,cambridge1 ,mass41 of softening of the brain4 ,tony ,denier1 a pupil of the ,ravels1 and a quondam friend of ,fox1 next took ,fox's place in the estimation of the ,american public4 ,of ,denier1 we are told that he arrived in ,boston in #aheb1 with the proverbial half-crown in his pocket4 ,he was of ,french extraction1 and descended from one of the best ,french families4 ,in #ahfc he was with ,p4,t4 ,barnum1 and appearing as a one-legged dancer4 ,in #ahfh1 he went into ,pantomime1 toured ,humpty ,dumpty1 and for some twenty years afterwards kept the ,pantomimic ball merrily rolling until his retirement at ,chicago into private life4 ,denier made ,harlequinade tricks a speciality4 ,pantomime in ,america may be said to have lived about a quarter of a century2 but in the autumn of this year 7#aija7 ,pantomime1 as we now know it in this country1 made its first appearance at the ,broadway ,theatre1 ,new ,york1 when last year's ,drury ,lane annual1 ,the ,sleeping ,beauty and the ,beast1 was successfully presented4 ,it is very probable that this class of entertainment will become very popular in ,america4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,pantomimes made more attractive--,the ,restrictive ,policy of the ,patent ,houses--,mother ,goose and ,george ,barnwell at ,covent ,garden--,lively ,audiences--,jane ,shore--,harlequin ,pat and ,harlequin ,bat--,the first speaking opening--,extravagence in ,extravaganzas--,the doom of the old form of ,pantomime--,its revival in a new form--,a piece of pure ,pantomime--,present day ,mimetic ,art--,l',enfant ,prodigue--,a retrospect--,the old with the new1 and conclusion4 ,pantomimes1 as they grew1 were made more and more attractive1 new scenery1 decorations1 and flyings were introduced1 and with new flyings1 of course1 more accidents4 ,the restrictive policy adopted by the ,patent theatres--till the repeal of their patents 7#ahdc7--towards the minor houses1 which gave to the former the sole and only right of performing the legitimate was1 by the minor theatres1 infringed in many ways4 ,the means adopted was the employment of ,pantomime in the depiction of plays adapted and considered suitable for the minor theatres4 ,these were entirely carried on by action1 and when the actor could not express something that had to be explained1 like the names of characters1 a scroll1 with the necessary details inscribed thereon1 was unrolled in full view of the audience4 ,these entertainments were very popular at the close of the eighteenth century1 and they were also the means of providing some first-class ,pantomimists--as1 for instance1 ,bologna and ,d',egville4 ,in a couple of volumes by ,mr4 ,j4,c4 ,cross1 entitled1 ,circusiana1 the author of many of these old dumb shows1 the reader can see what they were like4 ,the scripts of these plays consisted1 like our ancient ,platts and the ,italian ,scenarios1 of principally stage directions4 ,john ,palmer1 the actor who died on the stage of the ,theatre ,royal1 ,liverpool--now used for the purpose of a cold storage--after uttering1 in the part of ,the ,stranger1 the words ,there is another and a better world1 found that1 after building his theatre1 the ,royalty1 in ,wellclose ,square1 that he was prohibited its use1 used to give ,pantomimic representations1 and just in a similar way as what the minor theatres did1 as mentioned above4 ,it is amusing to note how the titles of some of ,shakespeare's works--which at one time the ,patent theatres had the monopoly--were got over2 ,hamlet has been known to have been played as ,methinks ,i see my ,father2 ,othello1 as ,is ,he ,jealous82 ,romeo and ,juliet1 as ,how to ,die for ,love2 ,the ,merchant of ,venice1 under ,diamond ,cut ,diamond1 and so on4 ,music and dancing also were introduced ad lib into these performances4 ,the ,pantomime of ,mother ,goose1 produced at ,covent ,garden1 ,december #bi1 #ahjf1 which ran #ib nights1 was preceded by ,george ,barnwell1 and brought some #bj1jjj into the theatre treasury4 ,strangely enough1 for about thirty years1 it was the unvarying rule to play ,george ,barnwell at this theatre on a ,boxing ,night1 which1 from all accounts1 owing to the liveliness of the gods and goddesses assembled on these occasions--the ,tragedy was as much a ,pantomime as the ,pantomime proper that followed4 ,of these merry moments ,dibdin recalls that ,tragedies1 ,comedies1 and ,operas were doomed to suffer all the complicated combinations of ,pray ask that gentleman to sit down1 ,take off your hat8 and the like4 ,but the moment1 continues ,dibdin1 the curtain goes up 7on the ,pantomime71 if any unfortunate gentleman speaks a word they make no reply1 but throw him over directly4 ,seemingly afterwards1 at ,pantomime time1 ,barnwell was discarded in favour of ,jane ,shore1 as in ,the ,theatrical ,magazine we find a writer penning the following3-- ,a few years since it was the established rule to play ,george ,barnwell1 by way1 we suppose1 of a great moral lesson to the apprentices of ,london4 ,in this age of innovation this venerable custom has been broken down1 but the principle seems not wholly to have been abandoned4 ,jane ,shore has supplanted ,barnwell1 and the anxieties of the age1 are1 it would appear1 now directed towards the softer sex4 ,seriously speaking1 we consider these ,christmas selections as exceedingly absurd4 ,visitants at this period of the year frequent the theatre less for the purpose of seeing the play than the ,pantomime1 and at both theatres it was this evening their chief1 and almost only1 attraction2 for the tragedy of ,rowe1 which is of very little merit1 derived but trifling interest or effect from the performers who personated the prominent characters4 ,moreover the lessons of the pulpit have unfortunately but too slight an influence on those who attend them1 and we are rather fearful the moral benefits to be derived from these stage lectures1 to the apprentices and servants of the metropolis1 do not countervail the loss of pleasure sustained by those who would be so much better pleased2 and1 therefore1 perhaps1 taught by a lively comedy1 satirising some of the light vices or laughable follies of the age4 ,we trust this theatrical nuisance will be for the future reformed2 we can almost excuse the holiday folks for being turbulent1 when we reflect upon the insult offered to their understandings1 in the treatment they receive on these occasions4 ,in #ahcj1 at ,covent ,garden ,theatre1 ,peake introduced into the ,pantomime of ,harlequin ,pat1 and ,harlequin ,bat a speaking opening4 ,pantomime1 however1 pursued the even tenour of its way until the production at the ,adelphi1 about #aheg1 of a ,pantomime1 with a burlesque opening1 and the thin end of the wedge was provided1 written by ,mark ,lemon4 ,in the ,harlequinade1 ,madame ,celeste appeared as ,harlequin la ,watteau1 and ,miss ,mary ,keeley was the ,columbine4 ,these ,extravaganzas1 from the pen of ,planch1 with scenery by ,beverley1 and all under the management of ,vestris1 afterwards became quite the rage4 ,i have previously referred to the excellence of ,beverley's scenes under the regime of ,madame ,vestris4 ,extravagance in ,extravaganzas1 like ,the ,blue ,bird1 ,once ,upon a ,time1 and the like1 caused the managers1 in the matter of scenery1 to enter into serious competition with one another4 ,pantomime1 it was thought1 was doomed1 as its decease at this epoch seemed impending4 ,it managed1 however1 to come again into popular favour1 but in a very different shape4 ,instead of the usual comic ,pantomime it was played by two different sets of performers1 and having no connection with one another4 ,the opening scenes1 like a soap bubble1 began to grow larger and larger1 the double plot was abandoned1 the ,transformation scene became the principal feature1 and a long ,harlequinade at the end4 ,in the ,pantomime of ,red ,riding ,hood1 written by ,f4,w4 ,green1 and produced at ,her ,majesty's ,theatre1 during the 'eighties1 an effort was made to compose and invent a piece of pure ,pantomime4 ,the ,vokes family1 ,j4,t4 ,powers1 and others1 appeared in this ,pantomime4 ,in ,france and ,italy particularly1 the ,mimetic ,art still flourishes2 but in this country it is practically a lost ,art4 ,one of the best examples1 and most successful1 we have had in recent years of this ancient form of entertainment in this country was that of ,l',enfant ,prodigue1 played by ,mdlle4 ,jane ,may and a ,french ,company of ,pantomimists4 ,there are1 however1 several other very brilliant ,pantomimists excellent in their ,art1 like the ,martinetti troupe1 the two brothers ,renad1 and the ,leopolds4 ,it is a pity 7observes ,dickens1 in ',the ,theatre'7 that the knowledge of it 7,pantomime7 cannot be more extended among our modern actors and actresses1 so few of whom understand anything about the effectiveness of appropriate gesture4 ,a few lessons in the business of ,harlequin would teach many a young man1 for instance1 the simple lesson that arms may be moved with advantage from the shoulder as well as from the elbow2 and so we should get rid of one of the awkwardest1 ugliest1 and commonest of modern stage tricks4 ,and there would be nothing derogatory in the study4 ,many of our most distinguished actors have graduated in ,pantomime4 ,mr4 ,davenport ,adams1 writing in ,the ,theatre1 for ,january1 #ahhb1 on the decline of ,pantomime1 says3-- ,we may say of present-day ,pantomime that the trail of the music-hall is over it all4 ,i admit the extreme ability of certain music-hall comedians4 ,i object1 however1 altogether1 to the intrusion of such artists into the domain of ,pantomime1 and ,i do so because they1 and others not so able1 bring with them1 so to speak1 an atmosphere which it is sad to see imported into the theatre4 ,they bring with them1 not only their songs1 which1 when offensive in their wording1 are sometimes made doubly dangerous by their tunefulness2 not only their dances1 which are usually vulgar1 when they are not inane1 but their style and manner and 'gags1' which are generally the most deplorable of all4 ,the objection to music-hall artists on the stage is1 not only that they take the bread out of the mouths of 'the profession1' which is a minor consideration for the public1 but that they have the effect of familiarising general audiences1 and children especially1 with a style and a kind of singing1 dancing1 and 'business' which1 however it may be relished by a certain class of the population1 ought steadily to be confined to its original habitat4 ,the managers are1 of course1 very much to blame1 for it is by their permission1 if not by their desire1 that youthful ears are regaled with ',w'st1 w'st1 w'st1' and similar elegant compositions4 ,such songs as these would not be tolerated by paterfamilias in his drawing-room1 yet1 when he takes his children to the ,pantomime1 they are the most prominent portion of the entertainment4 ,in the last century1 ,pantomimes1 in the form so dear to our forefathers1 sometimes twice yearly--at ,easter and ,christmas--were given4 ,the comic and other scenes were in that true sense of the word humorous and funny4 ,the reason was not far to seek1 as they were all played by actors4 ,the music-hall had not1 as far as ,pantomime was concerned1 made such inroads as at the present time it has done into the dramatic profession4 ,clown1 to pater and materfamilias1 and others1 was a source of genuine enjoyment2 and though they may have passed the sere and yellow leaf of age1 the laughs and hearty merriment of their grand-children gathered around them made them think of other days1 when they were young themselves4 ,picture them all1 dear reader1 sitting in the ,family ,circle--now termed the ,dress ,circle--a happy party with smiling and contented faces1 laughing at some genuine acting--,pantomime though it be--no double entendre songs1 and nothing to be ashamed of4 ,to the young a visit to the ,pantomime was invariably a yearly occurrence to be joyfully remembered till the next ,boxing ,day came round again4 ,do they1 or can they1 understand ,pantomime in its present form8 ,i very much doubt it4 ,when towards the close of the 'fifties1 and the double plot was abandoned1 the character of ,harlequin began to be played by women1 the origin of what is now known as the principal boy1 and some acrobatic turns1 or other speciality business1 began to be introduced during the course of the ,pantomime1 which greatly discounted the efforts of ,harlequin and ,clown4 ,another competitor that took up the running to the abolition of ,clown and his companions1 was the music-hall1 which began introducing ,pantomimes and ballets4 ,the first to do this1 some years ago1 was the ,canterbury1 other halls soon following suit4 ,the managers of the theatres took up arms1 with the result that various decisions1 chiefly averse to the music-halls1 were obtained4 ,a decision of the ,court of ,common ,pleas left the music-halls in a position to give ballets with costume and scenic effects without any such control or precautions as was exercised in theatres under the ,lord ,chamberlain's authority4 ,the duration of the litigation was all owing to the vague definition ,stageplays in the #f and #g ,vict4 c4 #fh1 and of ,music1 dancing and public entertainments in the ,act #be1 ,geo4 ,,ii41 c4 #cj4 ,of present-day ,pantomime1 with the immense sums spent annually on its gorgeous spectacular display and costly dresses1 there is no necessity for me here to dilate upon1 as it is a subject that is well known to us all4 ,all that is beautiful about it is due principally to the scenic artists and the costumiers4 ,the best parts are1 as a general rule1 allotted to music-hall stars1 whose names will draw the most money4 ,and the followers of ,thespis have1 until the reign of ,king ,pantomime is over1 to take oftentimes second-class places in the ,pantomimic form of entertainment of the present day4 ,in the old days everyone looked forward to the performances of ,clown and his companions2 but little by little their business went1 until finally this has dwindled down to about one or two scenes--which1 in some few instances is still retained4 ,and now to formally ring down1 and in writing the tag1 there is1 ,i may say1 with the sound of the prompter's bell1 a melancholy ring as the passing knell of ,clown and his merry companions1 and the tag1 as it were1 their epitaph4 ,pantomimes--as our forefathers knew them--have become a thing of the past1 and the survivors1 ,clown and his comrades1 the former whose quips and quiddities1 in childhood's happy days1 many of us still lovingly remember2 the wonderment with which we gazed at the magical tricks wrought by ,harlequin and his wand2 the quaint conceits and ambling gait of ,pantaloon2 and1 last but not least1 bewitching ,columbine1 with whom1 most likely as each year came round1 in youthful ardour we fell anew in love's toils1 are all rapidly vanishing into the dim and distant past1 and to live in the future only in the memory4 ,,curtain4