The Sun.
London, England, 1804-03-26 00:00:00

THE
THE:477E.

Covent. Garden.

THE popularity of Mi. Lewis, and the attrac.
tion of a new Comedy brought forward for his
benefit, brought a very numerous audience to this
Theatre on Saturday last, The Piece is entitled
The Will for the Deed.

CHARACTERS.
Mr, Hairbrain - - - . Mr. Myr:Di/v.

Harry Hairbrain, - . Mr. Lt.wrs..
=. Mr. CHAPMAN.

Motto,
Farmer Acorn, -

Antimony, - - Mr. BLANctiARri.
Reference,

Capias, -, - • . . . Mr. SININLONt.

Mrs. itelererice - - Mrs, DAVENPORT.
Harriet Manly - - - Miss MAR It 10T.

Bar-Maid; - - Mists LESERVE.
FABLE.

Mr. Manly (the assumed appellation of a distressed Gen-
tleman, whose real name is Stamford,) is reduced by the
machinations of Capias and Antimony, two artful men, to seek
for subsistence on the boards of a Provincial Theatre. The
place of exhibition is at an Inn, in a Country Assize Town,
and the Play commences with the arrival of the Lawyers to
the Quarter Sessions, the Actors, and other Travellers ; among
whom is Harry Hairbrain, a gay Student, who has quitted Ox-
ford, and followed the theatrical Corps, for the love of Har-
riet Manly (daughter of the Gentleman before mentioned) :
at the same time old Mr. Hairbrain, the Student's Father, is
overturned in the Mail, in his way to fetch his Son Harry
borne, to fulfil a matrimonial contract with the Niece of Mr.
Antimony, to which marriage the young Gentleman is averse,
and makes use of various stratagems to elude complying with
his Father's intentions, all of which are unsuccessful, till
the old man accidentally discovers that Mr. Manly is an old
friend, who had formerly done him an essential service, and
that he (Mr. Manly) had been villainously defrauded of the
inheritance of his Brother's property, by the artful conceal-
ment of a DEED, on the part of Camas, and the substitution
of aWI L which that De Lu was meant to cancel. As Mr.
Hairbrain Aiscovers that his pretended friend Antimony is a
party to this transadion, he of course breaks off the intended
marriage of Harry Ilairbrain with .Antimony's N cc, and cun-
eludes the Piece by giving the Daughter of his real friend
Stamford, alias Manly, to his Son Harry.
The whole of the scene lies at the Inn kept by Motto,
(personated by F AWCET T) who had formerly been an herald
painter, and whimsically applies the mottos and quotations
he had learned, without understanding them, on al l occasions.
The discourse of the theatrical Manager, Mr. Reference, is
made up of the names of plays in his .meting catalogue. Ola
Hairbrain is an optimist ; and while he thinks al l for the best,
old Antimony finds fault with every thing. Capias is a cun-
ning ci-devant attorney. Manly and Harry Hairbrain are cha-
racterised by their names. Mrs. Reference is wife to the
Manager, and outrageously angry at the superior influence of
Miss Manly over the heart Harry Hairbrain, and the good.
will of the audience she is supposed to have played before.
1 he Piece is represented in the Prologue as a tribute of friend-
ship from the Author to the Gentleman whose night it was
written lot ; and the Epilogue is a Comic Song, by w -
cE FT, on ie subject of the heatre (as well as his house in
the Play) being a place of public entertainment..
This Piece was announced to the Public under the
title of a broad Comedy, in order to prevent the ex-
peClation of a regular drama, and to bespeak lenity
in favour of a work principally intended by the
Author as a friendly tribute to the worth of a
favourite Performer. The Comedy is indeed broad,
according to
moreso
thetheatrical import of the word, but
it
than many other modern comp.
sittons of a similar kind. It abounds with in-
cidents wild in their nature but very diverting in
efFeft. It is full of bustle, and by no means devoid
of humour. The Performers exerted themselves
with laudable zeal and spirit in support of a respec-
table professional brother, and the piece was so
well received that it will doubtless be often repeat.
ed for the advantage of the Theatre. Mr. LEW is
received those flattering marks of regard from the
audience to which his long, able, and zealous
labours in the service of the Public give hire full
pretensions.

..........
PROLOGUE*

SPOICIN BY M. BRUNTON?.
a*ful disposers of bays, and of laurels,
Ye just arbitrators of critical quarrels,
I approach front a Bard, who, with proud recolleaion,.
Attributes his all to your lib'ral proteElion;
Who has )early sent ventures in hopes of your smile,
From the ENGLISH FLEET to the Morris of the NILE;
And dispatches me now in most desp'rate need,
To entreat you'll accept of the WILL fox THE. DEED.

In this life, so bechequer'd with Fortune's vagaries,
Whose good and ill agents dance round us like Fairies,
Each turn of whose wheel leaves some worse, and some bet-

The poor man makes rich, or the rich man a debtor.
To smooth the rough road where such has been wanted,
In each honest heart has kind Destiny planted
A sentiment—part of Humanity's creed,
To accept—where we can,—of the NVILL FOR. THE Darn.

Ye Ladies, whose beauty refleaing around us,
Creates all the splendors that nightly surround us ;
Ye Beaux who, like moths, round those Ladies are flying,
And cherish the flame, by whose ardour you're dying;
Ye jolly Jack Tars up aloft, and all those
Who are neither Jack Tars, pretty Ladies ncr Beaux,
Be friends to our cause, let our efforts succeed,
And accept, where we fail, of the kVILc FOR TOE DIED.

Ye British Defenders, and ye, who arc friends
To the union of hearts which our nation defends,
Who knows how determined we are—past all doubt
To encounter our foes—if they would but come out,
Be for once like those foes—and the circumstance courts,
Don't assail us, but kindly keep snug in your ports ;
For they all our wishes to beat 'cm ne'er heed,
Because they like better the W ILL rot Ttit DEED.

Ye Stoics in Letters, whose sentence we dread,
Let the aim of the heart claim excuse for the head ;
In the task of tonight 'twas the Author's chief aid
To solicit his Muse in the cause of a Friend.

Where the Muse has too sparing:y aided the cause,
Pray fill up the blanks with indulgent applause ;
Where Wit is deficient, let Friendship's voice plead
Foz him who confesses the WILL Tort THE DEED.

EPILOGUE.

CHAUNTED BY MR. FAWCETT.

WRITTEN BY TIIE AUTHOR OF THE COMEDY.,
Now the Play is concluded, you'll tell me, perhaps,
lshould leave off the landlord, his mottoes and scraps;
But I'm still where I was, the Kiog's Arms still in view,
Which can ne'er be pulPd down, while supported by you.
Derry down, &c.
Tho' we're not at a tavern, permit me to say,
We have dishes ofall sorts for you every day ;
Our —tablethese boards—where old customs we scorn,
For we seldom begin till the cloth is withrawn.
[Points tf, the curtain.]
When our dinner-bell rings—to attract each new guesti
Ev'ry part of our farce is ►most curiously dies!,