New-York tribune., 1903-04-19

| farce, without salt or SAVIOUR
| There is simple impreSsiveness about Lang
| bafnes ending of his account of Shakespeare. Il
| have more to do. but to close up all. with
| Account of his Death, which was on the 23rd OF
| April, Ammo Dom. 1916. He lyeth Buried in the
| Great Church in Stratford upon Avon, with MS
| Wife and Daughter Susanna the wife of Mr.. John
| Hall. In the North Wall of the Chancel. is
Monument fixed which represents his true Effigies.
leaning upon Cushion, with the following Inscrip-
/ tion
] 'Ingenio Pylum. geno Socratem. arte Maronem,
Terra tegit, Populus maeret, Olympus habet
stay Passenger, why dost thou go fast?
Read If thou canst. whom envious Death has plac't
| Within this monument Shakespear. with whom
| Quick Nature died. whose Name doth deck the
Tomb
| Far more than cost. since all that he hath writ
Leaves living Art but Page. to serve his Wit.
"Obiit An. Dom. 1916
| Act 53 die % Apr"
Near the Wall where this Monument is Erected.
| lyeth a plain Freestone underneath which, his
| Body is Buried with this Epitaph:
- Good Friend, for Jesus Sake. forbear
To dig the Dust enclosed here.
Blest be the that spares these Stones
And curs'd be he that moves my Bores.
From lead pencil note written the first blank
leaves of William Prynne's "Histrio- -Matrix, The
Players Scourge, Actors Tragedy Q633), 1t is to
be inferred that it was hardly worth while TO be
dramatic critic in those days The note runs thus:
1.-The author OF this book barrister at law and
| this book construed into a libel the Queen,
inasmuch as she was a patron such diversions
here mentioned. The author condemned
in the Star Chamber to have his Book burnt by
| the Hands Of the Common HangInan, to be put
from the Bar, & to be forever Incapable of his
Profession, be turned of the Society of
Lincons Inn. to be degraded at Oxford. to stand
| in the Pillory at Westminster and Cheapside, to
lose both his Ears, one in each Place. to pay
| fine of five thousand pounds, and TO suffer per
petual Imprisonment
in yy1ic he owe
collection abounds Of well known actors of
century or more ago, Colley Cibbers Apology for
His Life" edited by Robert W. Lowe himself,
presents of the most entertaining features.
Although in Professor Bakers words to-day Glib
Der figures far too much the complacent, gar
| rulous who lived his life to have the oppor-
tunity to apologize for it. rather than as a writer
| of many successful plays" yet his autobiography
is full of delightful desultory talk. much infoTna
| ton of his many well known friends, and many of
| his own observations, more or less apropos. His
genial nature comes to the surface in the words:
1.-The man who chuses never to laugh. whose
| beCalmd Passions know Motion
only in the quiet State Of a green Tree; he vege-
| tates tbs true but shall say he lives? Now, Sir
! for Amusement. Reader. take heed for | find
strong impulse to talk impertinently; if therefore
you not fond of seeing, I am of showing
myself in all my Lights YOU may turn over two
Leaves together and leave what follows 10 those
| who have Curiosity and less to do with their
| Time, than you have
biographies Of these of the contemporary opin-
ions of actors and actresses who later rose to fame
For instance, says Cibber of Mrs Oldfeld ut was
| in this Part Mrs Oldheld surprised me into an
| Opinion of her having all the innate Powers of
! good Actress, though they were yet but in the
Bloom OF what they prOmsd d. Before she had acted
| this Part had cold an Expectation from her
Abilities that she could scarce prevail with 10
! rehearse with her the Scenes. However we
| ran them over with mutual Inadverteney of one
when to he
| Acted, she had just Occasion to triumph over the
: Error of my Judgment" etc.
Until the return of King Charles, women were
not admitted to the stage actresses the result
being state OF affairs much like that at Harvard
| when the Hasty Pudding gives play "The King
! coming little before his usual time a Tragedy,
| found the Actors not ready to begin. when his
| Majesty not ehusing to have much Patience as
! his good Subjects them TO know the mean-
! ing of it: upon which the Master of the COMPANY
came TO the Box, and rightly judging that the best
| Excuse for their Default would be the true one.
/ fairly told his Majesty that the Queen was not
/ shavd yet: The King, whose good Humour lov'd
to laugh at Jest as well as to make one, accept
/ ed the Excuse. which serv'd divert him until
the male Queen could be eneminated"
From the lives of these men and women-Cibber.
| Betterton, the Bancrofts Wilks, Bellamy the
Earls Of Barrymore Matthews Macklin Macready
the Davenports. Edmund Kean Booth, the KEN
/ bles Henry Irving and host of others whole
history of the English stage could be written.
!
comments his work that show his desire for
perfection in his art his for his family and his
! generosity. No sympathetic biography is
! found in the whole collection than Augustin Days
/ "Woffngton: A Tribute to the Actress and the
! Woman" My purpose is to set this figure before
! you in its proportions; fix identity OF
! this visionary face; to catch the glance and
smile of this popular favorite; write down
everything that is Obt9nable of her true history;
! to walk with her; talk with her A modern book
illustrated with old pictures of Peg Wof1ngton--ft
is account of a character that stands with Nell
! who rose from poverty and ruled populaces and
! kings.
The American stage Of the last fifty years is
! covered from nearly every point of view by the
| works of Henry Irving, the biographies of Booth
! and Forrest and Jefferson, In fact, every phase
Of the stage, its history. its architecture its man
agenent, it's scandals, it's faYorites. home and
/ abroad, is touched upon in the books of the Lowe
! collection whether the character be Mrs ONell,
/ of whom Macready says, Throughout my whole
experience hers the only representation of
! Juliet have SEEN Kean. of whom Byron
in his diary, Just returned from seeing Kean
! in Richard. By Jevei he is soul! Life. nature.
| TRUTH without exaggeration dimnution;
even Carmencta. the little Spanish dancer of a
dozen years ago. who. as the Editor OF lie Chat
timber spine that have ever seen exercised
a sublime wrIsgie FROM the dI oidead ana dimy
10 the variety artist OF to-day is far cry. but
it's all in the history of the stage
The Lowe collection is a great addition to dra- =
matte and theatrical literature at Harvard. IL
or a student OF the stage while II possesses a
great general interest for the casual serious stu
past and the great actors dead and gone than IN
the matinee idols histrionc Divorces Of to-day:
! come for hints her art but 1t is one In which
controversies criticisms the stage, will lose him.
self for hours at a time.