An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber: Comedian, and Late Patentee of the Theatre-Royal. With an Historical View of the Stage During His Own Time

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R. Dodsley, 1750 - Actors - 555 pages

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Page 499 - Now ye shall have three ladies walk to gather flowers, and then we must believe the stage to be a garden. By and by we hear news of shipwreck in the same place, and then we are to blame if we accept it not for a rock. Upon the back of that comes out a hideous monster with fire and smoke, and then the miserable beholders are bound to take it for a cave. While in the meantime two armies fly in, represented with four swords and bucklers, and then what hard heart will not receive it for a pitched field?
Page 500 - Now of time they are much more liberal. For ordinary it is that two young princes fall in love; after many traverses she is got with child, delivered of a fair boy, he is lost, groweth a man, falleth in love, and is ready to get another child, — • and all this in two hours...
Page 371 - Addison had shown in his writing it, he doubted he would never have courage enough to let his " Cato" stand the censure of an English audience ; that it had only been the amusement of his leisure hours in Italy, and was never intended for the stage.
Page 88 - In all his soliloquies of moment, the strong intelligence of his attitude and aspect, drew you into such an impatient gaze and eager expectation that you almost imbibed the sentiment with your eye, before the ear could reach it.
Page 80 - You have seen a Hamlet, perhaps, who, on the first appearance of his father's spirit, has thrown himself into all the straining vociferation requisite to express rage and fury, and the house has thundered with applause, though the misguided actor was all the while, as Shakspeare terms it.
Page 89 - I never heard a line in tragedy come from Betterton, wherein my judgment, my ear, and my imagination, were not fully satisfied; which, since his time, I cannot equally say of any one actor whatsoever...
Page 222 - Reason he gave for it was, that the Distresses of King Henry the Sixth, who is kill'd by Richard in the first Act, would put weak People too much in mind of King James then living in France...
Page 260 - Nor could it be expected that Betterton himself, at past seventy, could retain his former Force, and Spirit; though he was yet far distant from any Competitor. Thus then were these Remains of the best Set of Actors, that I believe were ever known, at once, in England, by Time, Death, and the Satiety of their Hearers mould'ring to decay.
Page 213 - It may be observable too, that my muse and my spouse were equally prolific ; that the one was seldom the mother of a child, but in the same year the other made me the father of a play. I think we had a dozen of each sort between us ; of both which kinds some died in their infancy, and near an equal number of each were alive when I quitted the theatre.
Page 77 - One only theatre being now in possession of the whole town, the united patentees imposed their own terms upon the actors ; for the profits of acting were then divided into twenty shares, ten of which went to the proprietors, and the other moiety to the principal actors, in such subdivisions as their different merit might pretend to.

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