The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-06-05
Nell GHEnne.

Olive Logan writes OF Nell Gwynne
in Harper's Magazine for June She was
q neglected wsif, and as a mere child
was sent to haH oranges in the pit of
Drury Lone, where her pretty ways and
bright sayings always attracted a crowd.
Her personal popularity among the
habitues of the playhouse won the
attention of the manager, and as a
natural transition, by bis aid, she passed
from in front of the foOt-lights to behind
them. The old diarist Pepys has left
clearer indications of her style of acting
than any one else, and his testimony, as
well as all criticism of her which I have
been able to CLEAN, points conclusively
to the suppOsition that Nell GWyDne
was an actress much of the Lolita type
gay, lively little creature, full of dash
and spirit, in comic parts, but who
failed altogether in sentiment, and in
heroic tragedy was most abominable.
Pepys notes that he twas most infinitely
displeased with her X in q great
and serious part, which she does most
baseIy." Dryden took her measure
well, when he wrote the following lines
for her to speak after the burlesque
business" OF having stabbed herself
! and then come to lie again:
4 y
am the ghost Of poor, departed Nelly.
Sweet ladies, be not frighted I'll be civil;
I'm what Was little harmless devil.
To 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 Dryden's play called
The Maiden Queen ;" There is q
comieal 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 York were at
the play. But 80 great performance OF
cOmical part was never, believe, in
the world before as Nell do this, both a.
mad girl, then most and best of all
when she comes like young gallant, and
hath the motions and caIrisge of q spark
the most that 1 ever saw any man have.
1t makes me, confess, admire her. x
| kis ed her, and so did my wife ::
nd mighty pretty soul she is"
Talent so decided and personal attrac-
tion SO marked would win the admira-.
ton of any audience, ancient and
modern, and Nelly was always devising
some new grOtesq ueness in C stume to
add to the fun. In one of her parts she
came on the stage unexpectedly, wearing
s hat as large round as 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 theatre, exactly as in our theatres
to day Lolita burlesques Modieska.
Fatal or fortunate, as one LOOKS at it
from the moral or the worldly point OF
view, was Nelly's famous hat assump-
ton. Her success that night with her
enraptured audience exceeded any she
had hitherto achieved, yet this was her
last appearance upon the stage. When
the curtain fell, the king went behind
the scenes and asked for Nelly. Her
stage thereafter was at Windsor castle,
her auditors the court.
London to-day Is dotted with monu-
ments, in the shape of hospitals, relief
rooms, and other places of succor Tor the
poor, which were founded by the muni>
hcence of Nell Gwynne. Naturally the
poor people were fond of her, and from
all the seorn and r g which were Law
lshed on the licentious court of Charles
Ii. little Nelly was ever exempt.