New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-26

pears by label in antique type. Had there Deen
prologue it would have been spoken by an actoi III
a long black cloak and bad IL been Hamlet or
King Lear" the stage would have been hing wiIn
black. The stage itself Is rather broad tah aey ~
70 is covered with green fusaeA curtain a. VIC
back hides raised balcony, IN Shch are uhcnn i
piOyed actors, and possibly Shakespeare hlhIseii.
The actors speaking wear common clothes, sutaDIo
several dandies in trunk hose and short closks,
and dainty lOw-crOwned hats. have loubSed OF ~
the stage. with boy attendants bringing tier
siOoS. Their rOsetted shoes are plainly VIsIoie a,
they cross their legs with an ar Oi lan9uDI' ano
lift their eyebrows the better 70 study the it. Ohe
Of them dreadinliy bored, dScafdS ms sao" t,.a
lies all bis length ON the rnshes:. Another taxes
out his pipe aud his tobacco ana Deglhs 20 Siiono
through his nose, and ~ blow the blue ci1ud up
ward. IN ring after ring, TO show that no mas
learned to " take tobacco" from tue very Oe'S p"-
fessOrs.
The play proceeds Portia and Nerissa are played
by boys. a. are all wOmrn's parts. Presently shy-
lock enters IN his Jewish gabefdine, such as can
be seen any day in tie Jewcrie. or in L0mbar1.st,
ana there IS fierce clappng In the pit surely, rs
Richard Burbage himself. The dandles Oh their
stools seem mOmrntarlly Interested One taxes ron
his pocket his tabe-boOk. made OF small pieces Oh
slate, bound together duOdecIno, such as Autoly-
sold a Winters Tale" and such as sir
Nathaniel drew out TO write down the most sin-
guiaI aud choice epithetD used by Hoiofernes. IN
Loves Labors Lost in describing Don Adriano do
Armado rs being :" too picked, too spruce, 700
affected, too odd. as 10 were, TO peregrinatc. NO
are unable TO see what he is writing down. wletner
comments on the ay. or passages lot use IN cen
versatOn at ST. PauPs, or over his ordinary. fioo.
ably hs friends wall hear him saying to'nighe
How like a fawning publican he looks" no
devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. or In re,
igion what damned error, but some sober pro" Will
bless H. and approve 1t with text CONCERNING
the handles turned critics, Ben Jonson once wrote:
Let them know the author de lies them ana their
writng-tables." Many of the pthy quotations
still in common were first introduced by tho
writng-tablc gentry, who made them classic before
the plays in winch they were contained weEe
printed for public reading. a.,
Amidst whistng from the select sitters on the
stools, and much yelling from the pit at Shylock,
an good deal Of merry imitation when Bassanlo
sings, IN the casket scene, the play goes on. Inc
sprawling gentleman, who Il evidently III az case.
wis"es the audience to that he cares nothing for
Portia and her domestic arrangements ana so he
the stage at the back, and joining another
exquisite on the opposite side they tall 10 cards. TO
pause for few minutes whilst Jester appears be-
tween the third and fourth acts, to dance jig ana
sing a rude snatch full OF what are now called
topical illusions" The trial comes on, nd
down go the cards into the PUSHES. The PIT Is still
as the grave All eyes are on the stage. by,
by the author, n right noble-lOOkng fellow" We
recognize him at once. He delivers himself with
effect, IN soft but round mellow voice; one OK
two Underwriters are busy with their states, tho
scratching of their pencils distinctly audible IN the
pauses of the dialogue The performance at length
comes to an end. The players come forward 10 tbc
front of the stage. They knee together and sag I'D
concert. . God save the Queen" as the EplOgus
says himself IN the Second Part of Henry w., and
1t used to run at the end OF our own play-DillA
The curtains cross together, and amidst hooting
jOStling and chat the crowd dIsperses Presently
Shakespeare ana MS companions VIII 90 10 tiie
Falcon, or cross London Bridge for night at tho
Mermaid pointed at they pass, and dvdnally
rs well-knOwu RS rOturd JOnson and reyerend-look-
ing Chapman. Such. with small variations. was the
of the days of Elizabeth and James.
Elizabeth never visited any of the public
theatres. Very few respectable women ever did, or
there would have been less coarscness in the plays
of the time. which may be said to have been
written solely for meu. But she frequently had
Shakcspeares pieces played before her. She was 2
great adnlirer of the two parts of Henry ~"
" OtheIlo" was played before her III 1902.