English Drama of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century, 1642-1780
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LT) ? m ENGLISH DRAMA OF THE RESTORATION AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURY (1642-1780) THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK BOSTON CHICAGO DALLAS ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED LONDON BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LIMITED TORONTO ENGLISH DRAMA OF THE RESTORATION AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURY (1642-1780) BY GEORGE HENRY NETTLETON PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH IN VALE UNIVERSITY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. All rights reserved no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in magazine or newspaper. Set up and electrotyped. Published March, 1914. r 71950 SET UP AND ELECTROTYPED J. S. GUSHING CO. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY BERWICK & SMITH CO. tto SIR ADOLPHUS WILLIAM WARD IN TOKEN OF FRIENDSHIP PREFACE DESPITE the activity of research in the general field of English drama, and the marked growth of critical interest in its contemporary aspects, little heed has yet been given to certain earlier periods of modern English drama which help to explain its later de- velopment. For the most part, students of English dramatic history have preferred even the by-paths and meanders of Elizabethan drama to the main- travelled roads that lead onward from the eighteenth century. In one of the bibliographical notes in his admirable volume entitled Tragedy, Professor A. H. ' Thorndike puts the case tersely : Ward's History of Dramatic Literature ends with the death of Queen and there is no of the Anne ; adequate history English drama for the last two centuries, and no good bibliography.' So vigorously, indeed, have almost all the fields of English literature been cul- tivated, that it is doubtful whether there now remains any other equally neglected area comparable in breadth with that clearly suggested by Professor Thorndike. His own concluding chapters, though confined to tragedy, form, in fact, one of the few significant contributions toward the broader critical investigation which must review the whole course of modern English dramatic development. The present volume owes its origin to a plan, for- mulated some dozen years ago, to continue, though Viii PREFACE on a lesser scale, the history of English drama from the point where it was abandoned by Doctor now Sir Adolphus W. Ward. So intimate, however, are the relations between eighteenth-century drama and that of the Restoration, that it soon became advisable to include the earlier period, and ultimately to revert even to the dramatic interregnum which in reality links, while it seems to separate, Restoration and Elizabethan drama. In this way, it is hoped, the continuous development of modern English drama has been more clearly emphasized, and the necessary background for later critical discussion more def- initely supplied. The present volume, accordingly, deals with the entire period from the closing of the theatres in 1642 to the culmination of eighteenth- century drama in Sheridan. A subsequent volume, for which the material is largely in hand, will con- tinue the record from about 1780 through the nine- teenth century. The aim of this work has been rather to ascertain the actual course of English drama than to warp its often discordant facts into conformity with a pre- conceived theory of dramatic evolution. Almost from the outset, in fact, it became necessary to discard many of the traditional assumptions of dramatic crit- icism. Even in the case of Restoration drama, which has received far greater critical attention than has hitherto been given to that of the eighteenth century, investigation has disclosed much that fails to har- monize with some of the articles prescribed by an earlier critical creed. Yet the tone of this work has not consciously been controversial. Throughout the main text and the Bibliographical Notes it has seemed PREFACE IX preferable to emphasize the more trustworthy sources of information rather than to expose the shortcom- ings of unreliable works. Corrections of errors not infrequently detected even in many standard sources of reference have usually been made without com- ment. Even in the single detail of determining the dates of stage production of plays, full controversial evidence would have far exceeded the limits, as well as the purpose, of this volume. In the interest of accuracy, the Bibliographical Notes and footnotes supply definite information as to specific texts and editions cited, and the means of verifying statements of fact have been freely supplied even at the risk ' that the author may become an enginer hoist with his own petar.' It would be difficult to exaggerate the difficulties of accurate investigation, especially in those eighteenth-century theatrical records which re- flect the careless gossip, anecdote, and reminiscences of the green-room. The effort to reduce the chances of error has included a checking at the British Museum and Bodleian Libraries of the entire proof, independent of the manuscript, and a similar recheck- ing of the page proof, so far as possible, at the Yale University Library. Yet I can hardly hope to have avoided all the pitfalls of the way, especially where it has often been overgrown with long neglect. In a work which has spread over many years and over so broad a field, it is impossible to acknowledge fully the many debts constantly incurred. Yet by far my deepest obligation is to Sir Adolphus W. Ward. The extent to which all students of the drama are dependent on his History of English Dramatic Literature can best be realized by one who X PREFACE fares forth on the unfrequented seas of eighteenth- century English drama, deprived of the friendly charts that have thus far safeguarded him. My personal debt, however, exceeds the common measure of obli- gation to Doctor Ward's scholarship. From his first generous endorsement of my general plan, his friendly counsel has been unfailing. During the past three or four years he has followed the entire work with stimulating and suggestive annotation of the manu- script, and with a constant and cordial encouragement which can here be acknowledged but imperfectly. It is a pleasant privilege, also, to recognize a deep and long-standing indebtedness to Professor Henry A. Beers of Yale. Many of the critical views here ex- pressed were essentially derived from a graduate course under his direction, and doubtless these def- inite obligations are enlarged by many unconscious reminiscences of his thought or phrase. To other colleagues at Yale I am indebted in various ways in particular, to Professor Cross, for reviewing in proof the chapter on Fielding, and to Mr. Andrew Keogh, of the Yale University Library, for frequent and unwearying assistance. Much of this work would have been impossible without constant access to the British Museum and Bodleian Libraries, and its progress has been greatly furthered by the courteous aid of various officials at these places, and at the Cambridge University Library and the Bibliotheque Nation ale. This work is essentially based on original texts and documents. In the earlier drafts of the manu- script, quotations from plays or theatrical documents were regularly taken from the original texts, but PREFACE Xi since imperfections of typography and of scene di- vision often involved correction or elaborate textual annotation, it seemed better eventually to modify a method of reference often inconvenient to the reader, and to utilize, to the extent indicated in the Bibli- ographical Notes, certain generally accessible modern critical editions and reprints. Dates of plays given in the main text are habitually those of their stage production, and have largely been determined through contemporary newspapers, magazines, playbills, and other definite records, such as authentic dated letters and diaries. These dates, it should be noted, often do not coincide with those of the first printed editions. Contemporary works of general character, such as memoirs, theatrical histories, and even autobiog- raphies, have often proved very unreliable, but the best of them have supplied much valuable material. Though the present work is but incidentally con- cerned with questions of individual biography, the Dictionary of National Biography has proved of much assistance. Its statements have been largely verified, however, by independent investigation of early records, and some minor inaccuracies have thus been corrected. The Bibliographical Notes and the footnotes to the main text supply references to works consulted in the preparation of this volume, and indicate, at least to a considerable degree, those that have proved especially useful. Many of the works listed have contributed, at most, only indirectly to the present pages, but I wish to acknowledge as fully and as cordially as possible the investigations of previous writers. It would be idle to claim acquaintance with every work bearing on any part of the wide range of dramatic Xii PREFACE literature and theatrical history here discussed, but I have sought to acquaint myself as far as possible with the results of modern critical study as well as with the contemporary literature of the various periods. There remains one matter in which a personal reference seems unavoidable. Some of the results of my investigation of eighteenth-century drama have already been formally presented. The Major Dramas of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, published in the Ath- enceum Press Series in 1906, gives a much more detailed study of Sheridan and his relation to Eng- lish drama than suits the proportions of the present work. It has seemed unnecessary to reproduce here the references and bibliographical data there accessible. For the tenth volume (1913) of The Cam- Literature I the bridge History of English ', prepared ' fourth chapter, entitled The Drama and the Stage.' This section reviews the general aspects of Queen Anne drama and continues the critical account of eighteenth-century drama down to Goldsmith and Sheridan.