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Article PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS. ← Page 2 of 2
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Public Amusements.
circumstances . She comes to London , and applies to a man who had been raised to affluence by lier fathei ; but meets wfch nothing but a cold profession of pity ; and the Banker who possessecfthe wreck of her fortune , two hundred pounds , failing , she is brought to great distress . Dick Dowlas , who has arrived in town , at his fathei ' s deure , is accompanied on his journey by a country friend , named Ezekiel Homespun , and his sister , Cicely Homespun , to whom Dick Dowlas is attached , and intends to marry , before be
hears of the prosperous turn in the affairs of his father . The sudden elevation intoxicates him , and after some struggles between his old honest feelings and the new-born pride of rank , he proposes to Ezekiel to take his sister into keeping . ' The honest rustic feels the utmost indignation , and renounces all connection with Dick Dowlas . The latter , however , is in reality a good lad ; and sensible of his misconduct , and of the merit of Cicely , he waits on her , ¦ his penitenceand offers her his handCaroline Dormerbefore she
avows , . , knew of the loss of her money at the Banker ' s , " and while she expected protection from the friend of her father , had advertised for a maid-servant , and bad taken Cicely into her service . Ezekiel Homespun having found a lottery'tickec , purchased by his late father , applies to know the event , and has the good fortune to get a prize of twenty thousand pounds . As Miss
Dormer had behaved with great kindness to his sister , he lays his bank-notes upon the table , and bids her take all she likes . At this time , however , KLendrick , her old faithful Irish servant , meets Henry Moreland in the street , and leads him to Caroline , whose happiness in finding a lover she supposes dead is exquisite . At length Old Daniel Dowlas finds that he has possessed a title and estate to which he has no right , and he quietly resigns it to The Heir at Law , who promises him a liberal provision . The real Lord Duberly
marries Miss Dormer , Dick Dowlas is united to Cicely , and all the parties are finally happy , except poor Dr . Pangloss , who having been promised an annuity of three hundred . pounds a year by the pretended Lord Duberly , his Lady , and their Son , if he pursues the mode of education which each recommends , is , by their degradation to their original state , reduced from his supposed nine hundred a year to the hopeless prospect of living by his wits . In this Comedy Mr . Colman has not attempted to build upon ' the
established rules of dramatic composition in point of fable , but to introduce a mixture and contrast of characters , whimsical situations , and pleasantry of dialogue . He has , thereto ; e , not studied the stratagems of surprise , and the artifices of suspense , for the catastrophe is evident the moment Henry Moreland appears , which is early in the play . Though the mind , however , must unavoidably anticipate the conclusion , there is such a ludicrous display of cha--racter , with such whim aud spirit in the dialogue , that there is a constant interest and amusement through the piece .
The only attempt at angina : ity of character is in Dr . Pangloss , who is eternally quoting from Greek , Latin , and English Authors , and who always annexes to every passage , so introduced , the name of the writer from whose works it is derivedT This practice produces the most risible effect , and though John Bull heard of Horace , Ovid , Prope ; tius , Cicero , and a hundred names that he had never , perhaps , heaid of bcfoie , and was wholly ignorant of the meaning of the quotations , yet he was highly diverted . This
character may be considered as a satire noon many pedantic nliters , who , in their works , make an ostentation of numerous authorities for the illustration of a trifle . Mr . Colman has s . ' . ewn adroitness in g . ' vmg the several passages a ludicrous appl-. tation to the rirc-. imstmces that Jf-doce tlie'n . Upon the whoh .-, this Comed y is very creditable to the ta ems of the Author ; and we ca . mot but admire the versa ! iity of his genius , which can so well imitate , in his hi ^ h ' . r compositions , the manner of Shakspeare , and the vio-orous style of tin-old dramatists , and descends so pleasantly to ridicule the foflies and fopperies of the day .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Public Amusements.
circumstances . She comes to London , and applies to a man who had been raised to affluence by lier fathei ; but meets wfch nothing but a cold profession of pity ; and the Banker who possessecfthe wreck of her fortune , two hundred pounds , failing , she is brought to great distress . Dick Dowlas , who has arrived in town , at his fathei ' s deure , is accompanied on his journey by a country friend , named Ezekiel Homespun , and his sister , Cicely Homespun , to whom Dick Dowlas is attached , and intends to marry , before be
hears of the prosperous turn in the affairs of his father . The sudden elevation intoxicates him , and after some struggles between his old honest feelings and the new-born pride of rank , he proposes to Ezekiel to take his sister into keeping . ' The honest rustic feels the utmost indignation , and renounces all connection with Dick Dowlas . The latter , however , is in reality a good lad ; and sensible of his misconduct , and of the merit of Cicely , he waits on her , ¦ his penitenceand offers her his handCaroline Dormerbefore she
avows , . , knew of the loss of her money at the Banker ' s , " and while she expected protection from the friend of her father , had advertised for a maid-servant , and bad taken Cicely into her service . Ezekiel Homespun having found a lottery'tickec , purchased by his late father , applies to know the event , and has the good fortune to get a prize of twenty thousand pounds . As Miss
Dormer had behaved with great kindness to his sister , he lays his bank-notes upon the table , and bids her take all she likes . At this time , however , KLendrick , her old faithful Irish servant , meets Henry Moreland in the street , and leads him to Caroline , whose happiness in finding a lover she supposes dead is exquisite . At length Old Daniel Dowlas finds that he has possessed a title and estate to which he has no right , and he quietly resigns it to The Heir at Law , who promises him a liberal provision . The real Lord Duberly
marries Miss Dormer , Dick Dowlas is united to Cicely , and all the parties are finally happy , except poor Dr . Pangloss , who having been promised an annuity of three hundred . pounds a year by the pretended Lord Duberly , his Lady , and their Son , if he pursues the mode of education which each recommends , is , by their degradation to their original state , reduced from his supposed nine hundred a year to the hopeless prospect of living by his wits . In this Comedy Mr . Colman has not attempted to build upon ' the
established rules of dramatic composition in point of fable , but to introduce a mixture and contrast of characters , whimsical situations , and pleasantry of dialogue . He has , thereto ; e , not studied the stratagems of surprise , and the artifices of suspense , for the catastrophe is evident the moment Henry Moreland appears , which is early in the play . Though the mind , however , must unavoidably anticipate the conclusion , there is such a ludicrous display of cha--racter , with such whim aud spirit in the dialogue , that there is a constant interest and amusement through the piece .
The only attempt at angina : ity of character is in Dr . Pangloss , who is eternally quoting from Greek , Latin , and English Authors , and who always annexes to every passage , so introduced , the name of the writer from whose works it is derivedT This practice produces the most risible effect , and though John Bull heard of Horace , Ovid , Prope ; tius , Cicero , and a hundred names that he had never , perhaps , heaid of bcfoie , and was wholly ignorant of the meaning of the quotations , yet he was highly diverted . This
character may be considered as a satire noon many pedantic nliters , who , in their works , make an ostentation of numerous authorities for the illustration of a trifle . Mr . Colman has s . ' . ewn adroitness in g . ' vmg the several passages a ludicrous appl-. tation to the rirc-. imstmces that Jf-doce tlie'n . Upon the whoh .-, this Comed y is very creditable to the ta ems of the Author ; and we ca . mot but admire the versa ! iity of his genius , which can so well imitate , in his hi ^ h ' . r compositions , the manner of Shakspeare , and the vio-orous style of tin-old dramatists , and descends so pleasantly to ridicule the foflies and fopperies of the day .