The Dramatic Works of John Crowne, with Prefatory Memoir and Notes (Paperback)

General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1873 Original Publisher: W. Paterson Subjects: Drama / General Drama / American Drama / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh History / General Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: The History of Charles the Eighth of France, or the Invasion of Ara/ifcs by the French, as it is acted at his Highnesses the Duke of York's Theater. Written by Mr. Croicne. Honestum est secundis tertiisve consistere. Qu. London. Printed by T. R. and N. T. for Ambrose Isted, at the sign of the Golden Anchor, over against tit. Dun- stan's Church in Fleet Street. 1672. 4to. 11. 4to.-1680. With the difference of a fresh title page.The first new play brought out in Dorset Garden was the History of Charles VIII., or the Invasion of Naples by the French. It was performed, according to Geneste, "six days together and now and then afterwards." Adopting the fashion of the writers of tragedies in France, and aware of the prejudice of Charles II. in its favour, Crowne, following the example of Dryden in his siege of Grenada and other tragedies, and of Lord Orrery, in his successful dramas of Mustapha and Henry the Fifth, has ventured to woo Melpomene in rhyme. As Betterton performed the character of Charles VIII., Harris that of Ferdinand, son and successor of Alphonso the King of Naples, Smith the Prince of Salerne, and Mrs Betterton Isabella, widow of John Galeazzo, Duke of Milan, it is not surprising that the piece so well cast was successful; indeed, more so than some of Dryden'a tragedies in verse, the absurdities of which were at the time admirably satirized by the Duke of Buckingham in his comedy of the Rehearsal, of which Sheridan's Critic, a century later, was a clever ...