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Article ANECDOTES OF THE LATE HUGH KELLY. Page 1 of 4 →
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Anecdotes Of The Late Hugh Kelly.
ANECDOTES OF THE LATE HUGH KELLY .
[ Continuedfrom Page 55 . ] TN the Winter of 17 68 , his first comedy Called " False Delicacy" ap-r J | . peared at Drury-laneTheatre , and notwithstanding many of the per * formers Avere still smarting under die lash of his " Thespis , " they forgot their injuries this occasionand his Dramatis Persons boasted the
upon , first names in the house , such as King , Holland , Mrs * Barry , & c » & c . The success of this comedy Avas very considerable ; and it is but fair to say , it made its Avay to public approbation , entirely from its own -intrinsic merit ; Some favourable allusions to the-superiority of English over foreign education in the second act caught John Bull's attention , and from that to the dropping of the curtain , it was almost one
unremitted scene of applause . Kelly ' s friends anticipated the success of this piece , by ordering an handsome supper at the Globe Tavern on the same night , to receive their little Bayes in all his dramatic splendour . The party consisted of near seventy people , composed of authors , booksellers , and the nei ghbouring tradesmen , Avho , from attachment , flattery , or ignorance , pouredout one continued stream of adulation ; ' ' it was , " in their opihioi }; " the . best first comedy ever produced "— " The author Avas a heaven-born genius , and he v / as destined by his pen to reclaim the former
immoralities of the stage . " For all these Kelly seemed by his obeisance " to steal all humility , from heaven . " He thanked them for their . flattering opinion of his , poor abilities—that he claimed little more than the merit of industry , and that if , by a pursuit in this line , he could obtain a decent livelihood for a deserving Avife and a young family his hig hest Avishes would bs completely gratified .
When Gibber tells us , that on the circumstance of his salary being raised in consequence of his merit from fifteen to twenty shillings per week , he compared the state of his own mind to that of Alexander the Great in the moment of his greatest victory , what must the state of our Author's mind be under this temporary glow of fame , when he considered that his situation , a very few years before , was that of an indigent
stay-maker , without friends , and without Connections ; but that UOAV he could see himself on the high-road to fame and independence , and surrounded by a number of respectable people , proud to own themselves his wannest friends and supporters . . -Let not the great and vain sneer at this little instance of self-satisfaction ; it is for the same feel they are labouring , Avhen they are aspiring after the hi g hest honours and rewards , though they often lose a great part of its purity , from the means they make use of to obtain them , 0 2
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Anecdotes Of The Late Hugh Kelly.
ANECDOTES OF THE LATE HUGH KELLY .
[ Continuedfrom Page 55 . ] TN the Winter of 17 68 , his first comedy Called " False Delicacy" ap-r J | . peared at Drury-laneTheatre , and notwithstanding many of the per * formers Avere still smarting under die lash of his " Thespis , " they forgot their injuries this occasionand his Dramatis Persons boasted the
upon , first names in the house , such as King , Holland , Mrs * Barry , & c » & c . The success of this comedy Avas very considerable ; and it is but fair to say , it made its Avay to public approbation , entirely from its own -intrinsic merit ; Some favourable allusions to the-superiority of English over foreign education in the second act caught John Bull's attention , and from that to the dropping of the curtain , it was almost one
unremitted scene of applause . Kelly ' s friends anticipated the success of this piece , by ordering an handsome supper at the Globe Tavern on the same night , to receive their little Bayes in all his dramatic splendour . The party consisted of near seventy people , composed of authors , booksellers , and the nei ghbouring tradesmen , Avho , from attachment , flattery , or ignorance , pouredout one continued stream of adulation ; ' ' it was , " in their opihioi }; " the . best first comedy ever produced "— " The author Avas a heaven-born genius , and he v / as destined by his pen to reclaim the former
immoralities of the stage . " For all these Kelly seemed by his obeisance " to steal all humility , from heaven . " He thanked them for their . flattering opinion of his , poor abilities—that he claimed little more than the merit of industry , and that if , by a pursuit in this line , he could obtain a decent livelihood for a deserving Avife and a young family his hig hest Avishes would bs completely gratified .
When Gibber tells us , that on the circumstance of his salary being raised in consequence of his merit from fifteen to twenty shillings per week , he compared the state of his own mind to that of Alexander the Great in the moment of his greatest victory , what must the state of our Author's mind be under this temporary glow of fame , when he considered that his situation , a very few years before , was that of an indigent
stay-maker , without friends , and without Connections ; but that UOAV he could see himself on the high-road to fame and independence , and surrounded by a number of respectable people , proud to own themselves his wannest friends and supporters . . -Let not the great and vain sneer at this little instance of self-satisfaction ; it is for the same feel they are labouring , Avhen they are aspiring after the hi g hest honours and rewards , though they often lose a great part of its purity , from the means they make use of to obtain them , 0 2