New-York tribune., 1901-09-10
THE DRAMA.
Mr.. SOTHERN AS RICHARD LOvELACE.
THE GARDEN THEATRE

assem-
at the Garden Theatre-wh.ch then and thus was
opened for the regular sea season-presentins new
play. by Mr.. Laurence Irving. called Richard
I2ovelace" This play is the image OF romantic.
sanguinary. grievous love affair. which-fancifully
speaking-befeil in the old city Of Worcester, Eng
land, long ago 1851. and in which the English
poet LoveIace the principal participant worces
ter in 1861. was held by King Charles III and his
forces and was beieasuered by the troops OF the
Parliament. under Cromwell Among its inhabi-
tants Alderman sacheverell and his beautiful
daughter. Lucy. The Alderman. once wealthy had
become Impoverished and he was now. secretly.
spy in the service Of Cromwell Lucy and her
father dweit In an attic lodging. and Colonel Haw-
lev. an elderly oficer OF the royal service occupied
an adjacent room. Hawley had fallen in love with
Lucy sacheveren. but had not prospered IN his WOO
ing On the day OF the famous battle OF Worcester
(Cromwelrs ''crowning mercy'). Richard Loveiaee.
escaping many pers. made his way iaro that
CITY, seeking to fight for the King. and seeking
Colonel Hawley, who his friend and by
chance came to Sacheverelrs lodging Lucy.
and instantly loved her.-so that the comrades
became rivals Lucy. who had already been
fascinated by the poetry of Loveiace. no sooner
him in his beauty than she yielded her
fancy to his enchantment. The jealous Haw
ley, blinded with passion, thereupon basely con-
trived to send him to a place seemingly OF eer-
tain death. In the impending battle-a place where
there was to be mine explosion, of which
he had obtained a warning. The treachery
prospered. Lovelace was thought to have perished.
and. after little time Lucy married Colonel
Hawley. Loveace. however, severely wounded and
broken in health nevertheless In some measure
recovered. and. with that celestial fidelity to an
ideal which is the poets dream, he presently In
stalled himself In the Sachevereii lodging. and
there for a period of years.-keeping all things
Lucy had left them,-he dwelt in penury, cherish
ing the image OF lost love- Such a posture OF
circumstances is to some minds. fantastic; but
stranger things than this have happened IN human
experience, and, with the sovereign passion. all
q
when Lucy and her husband. travelling by the
way of Worcester. paused at her solicitation, 10
revisit their old residence. so that the lovers
again met and the rivals again confronted
In this crisis the past was made clear. the infanly
of Hawley was exposed and Loveiaee IN a frenzy
of despairing wrath and yet OF heroic mag
nanimity, compelled conflict In which he
perished Such is the story OF Mr. Laurence
Irving's play and, although there is reckless pre-
cipitatfor in the of the plot combined with
irnpossibty in of it's ingredients, and al
though the style OF the English dialogue is ordf-
nary and-as to compatibility with the various
s-ndiscriminate, being all Of one tissue.
the story has been dramatically told The move
ment is incessant and cumulative; the situations
are deftIy eontrived the persons are made VITAL
and the author. writing sympathetieally' mas
enabled those persons amply to express the vary
ing emotions under which he has prescribed that
they shall act AS a fabric for the stage. accord
ingly, the play is specially clever 1t irnphcateS
only six essential characters and 1t necessitates
only one set scene. The first and second acts are
practically, one, however-the first curtain being
an interruption and not an artistic necessity The
play is frankly romantic. and Judgment or II, OF
course must consider that romance Is the an
tithesis of reality. Its defects are precipitancy
sombre color. and occasional monotony OF narra-
tive.
Information about Loveace is derived chiefly
from the antiquarian Anthony Wood. and, In some
respects it is both dubious and measre he was
the eldest son of Sir William Lovelace. OF wool
wich in the county of Kent. born in 1918. and edu-
Gated at the Charterhouse. London and at oxford
He was honorabIy graduated from the university
in 1886, and he then went 10 the court OF
Charles the First. under the favor OF Loru
Coring and presently he Joined the royal army
and followed the Kings standard into Scotland
He inherited a valuable estate, but. steadfastiy
adhering to the unfortunate royal cause ne sur
fered great losses. In 16-6 ne led regiment theI
he had himself raised. in the service or LOUIS XIV
and at the battle of Dunkrk he was severely
wounded Two years later he returned TO London,
where he passed the rest of his life He was mar
ried.-for mention is made of his daughter, Mar
garet Iovelace who eventually became the wife OF
Henry Coke-one of the of the famous Chief
Justice-and possessed her fathers estate or one
which had been his. at Kingsdown- Lovelace was
more than imprisoned by the Roundhead
government, and, toward the end of his days, he
seems have fallen into poverty Wood records
that in his youth, he renowned for extraOr-
binary personal beauty and for every virtue; that
he wore cloth of gold and silver; and that he was
adored bv women There is a mystery about the
close OF his career 1t seems likely that his prop
erty was withheld from him by the strong hand OF
arbitrary power and there appears to be some rea-
son for believing that his miseries were augmented
by disappointment in love. He was enamOured or
a woman named Lucy Saeheverel, whom in his
poems. he celebrates 'Lueasta and with whom.
apparently, he had established sort Of an
intimacy, before he TO the siege of Dun
kirk. Gle used call her Lux Casta-O He
found. his return. that this woman had
got married, believing him to have died, and pos
sibly. that experience, combined with ill-health
and loss of fortune, may have broken his spirit
He went about IN rags; he lived in dirty and
wretched places he sometimes subsisred on aims:
he fell into a consumption; and he died in deplo-
rable penury. His death occurred in squaid ioog-
ing. somewhere Shoe Lane. London. In los.
when he was only forty years old. and he was
| buried at the west end of ST. Brides Church in
Fleet street His poems hl two little volumes.
one called .Lucasta published in i6is. (the year
of the Kings judicial murder) the other called
"Posthurne Poems. published ten years later ooth
\ have been reprinted He also wrote two pays
called The Scholar and THE Soldier" He never
wrote anything better than the lines ITO Athea.
from Prison. The art of them is not fautess-as
\ anybody can see who will examine the rhymes
I but the spontaeous lyrical passion OF them -
irresistible the movement is free as the WAIT
\ of sea-bird's wing They were. probahy.-as -
/ the case with most really good lyrical poems
| written without the least effort. and in re"
moments-though there a whole lifetime oaeA
| of them They bid fair always TO endure.
Mr. Laurence Irving has. manfestly. taken sorne
/ liberty with the facts of the poets life; but IN
i play the essential quality is action eliminating
| in dramatic effect and much that inexorahie rea-
son would exact ninst be sacrificed In order 20 co
tain that quality The dramatist has certainly ex-
hibted the heroic. chivalrous and gentle strain OF
! char exercise OF his fancy N