The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-02-12
MISCELLANY.

A PRACTICAL JoKER.-There was a low
comedian familiarity called Dick Hoskins, whom
occasionally encountered at several small
country theaters, in the north of England and
who was an inyeterate practical Joker on
the stage. He was always very well behaved
with me, but when he came in contact with
tragedian for whose talents he entertained
contempt, or whose person or manners displeas-
ed him, woe to the unhappy subject OF his fun.
All his tragedy was turned into farce, when
Dick was in the humorous vein. Thus he
played grave-digger one night at, think, the
Rochdale theater, in Lancastershire, to the
Hamlet OF Mr.. C-,a most solemn and
mysterious tragedan of the cloak and dagger
school,
The gentleman's tragedy was, in Dicks eye,
much more intensely comic than his own
broadest strokes of farce; accordingly Dick
held no terms with it, and showed the uniort-
innate object OF his mirth no quarters on the
stage. When, therefore, Hamlet approached
the grave TO hold his dialogue with Dick,
the latter began his antics, and extempo-
rized all sorts of absurd interpretations in The
text, which he spoke in his own broad Lanca-
shire dialect There was not a good house,
and Dick allowed himself full license. Mr.
C scowled fearfully, but Dick was una
dashed. At last Dick put a climax on his au-
dacity, stopped the infinite of INSULT
The theater was built on the site of an old
dissenting chapel, in which preacher named
Banks held forth, and in the small graveyard
attached to which the doctor-for he was pop
ularly dubbed DIR. Banks--had been buried
twenty years before; and his name was famil-
lar yet So, after answering Hamlets ques-
ton, How long will man lie In the earth
ere he rot? Dick proceeded in due course
TO illustrate his answer by Yorick's SKULL and
taking 1t up he said, in the words of the text:
Now, here's a skull that hath lain in the
earth three-and twenty years. Whose do you
think it was ?"
Nay, know not" replied Hamlet In his
sepulchral tragedy tone.
This skull, SIR" said Dick, pursuing the
text thus far, and then making a sudden and
most unlocked for alteration: e this was DIR.
Banks's skull" And the word skull was pro-
nounced like bull.
or course the house was In an uproar of
laughter and confusion. The victimized ira
gedian stamped and fumed about the stage, as
well he might, exclaiming:
4Yorick's, sir, Yorick's."
No." said Dick, coolly, when the tumult
the text; this Is Yorick's skull, the kings
jester, outgoing off again" t'others DR..
Banks's, as told your
This was too much-this was the last straw
on the tragedian's back. He jumped into the
grave, seized the top commcdian BY the throat,
and fearful contest, never before-or since, |
hope-introduced into the play, ensued, in
which Dick bravely held his own, and sue
ceeded, at length, in overpowering, in dou-
bic sense, the worsted tragedan whom he held
down in the grave with one hand, while he
hourished :" DR.. Banks's skullr in triumph
above his head.
The curtain was dropped, amidst the roars
and shreks OF laughter, in which King Queen,
monks and courtiers-who in the vain hope of
arresting the row, had been sent off with Ophe-
las empty cofin-were compelled to Join,
forming a tableau which finished the play for
the night George Vandenhoff