The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-05-29
Nell Gwymme.

She was neglected waif, and as a mere
child was sent to hawk oranges in the pit OF
Durry Lane, where her pretty ways and
bright sayings always attracted crowd
Her personal popularity among the habi-
tues of the playhouse won the attention
of the manager and as a natural tran.
sition, by his aid, she passed from in front
of the foot-lights to behind them. The
old diarlst Pepys has left clearer indica.
tions of her style of acting than any one
else, and his testimony. as well as all criti.
cism of her which l have been able to
CLEAN, points cOnclusively to the supposi
ton that Nell Gwynne was an actress
much of the LOtta type-a gay, lively lit.
tie creature, full of dash and spirit in
comic parts but who failed altogether in
sentiment. and heroic tragedy was most
abominable. Pepys notes that he twas
most infinitely displeased with her = =
= IN great serious part, which she does
most basely." Dryden took her measure
well, probably, when he wrote the follow.
ing line for her to speak after the bur.
lesque business" of having stabbed her.
self and then come to life again: e
Il come kind esntlsmsn, strange news to tall 70:
am the ghost Of poor departed Nelly.
Sweet ladies be not frightened; I'll be civil;
I'm what was-a little harmless devil.
Ts tell you true, walk because die
Out Of my calling In . tragedy. ."
But in farcical characters she must have
been bewitching. Pepys writes. when
speaking of The Maiden Queen" :" There
is comical part done by Nell, which is
Florimel, that never can hope ever to see
the like done again by man or woman.
The King and the Duke of New York
were at the play. But so great perform
ance of a comical part was never, be-
lieve, in the world before as Nell do this,
both as a mad girl, then most and best of
all when she comes like young gallant
and hath the motions and carriage of q
spark the most that ever saw any man
have. 1t makes me, confess, admire her
= 1 kissed her, and so did my wife
and a mighty pretty soul she is"
Talent so decided and personal attrac
tion SO marked would win the admiration
of any audience, ancient or modern, and
Nelly was always devising some new gro
tesquencss in costume to add to the fun.
In one of her parts she came on the stage
unexpectedly wearing alhat as large around
rs a cart wheel, and which almost entirely
hid her. This was done as ''take-off''
on some pastoral play which was being
performed at the rival theater, exactly as
in our theaters today Lotta burlesques
Modjeska. Fatal or fortunate, as one
looks at it from the moral or the worldly
point of view, was Nelly's famous hat as
sumption. Her success that night with
her enraptured audience exceeded any she
had hitherto achieved, yet this was her
last appearance on the stage. When the
curtain fell, the king went behind the
scenes and asked for Nelly. Her stage
thereafter was in Windsor Castle, her audi.
tors the court.
London today is dotted with monu.
ments, in the shape of hospitals, relief
rooms, and other places of succor for the
cence of Nell Gwynne. Naturally the
poor people were fond Of her, and from
all the scorn and rage which were lavish
ed ON the licentious court of Charles H.,
little Nelly was ever exempt.