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BARTON HOLIDAY.

A DRAMATIST of this name was the author of a comedy called "Technogamia, or, the Marriage of the Arts," which was performed at Christ-Church Hall, Oxford, in 1617. Antony Wood relates the following anecdote of subsequent representation of the same piece."The wits of these times being minded to show themselves before the King, (James I.) were resolved, with leave, to act the same comedy at Woodstock. Whereupon, the author making some foolish alterations in it, it was accordingly acted on a Sunday night, August 26, 1621; but it being too grave for the King, and too scholastic for the auditory; or, as some have said, the actors having taken too much wine before they began, his majesty, after two acts, offered several times to withdraw. At length, being persuaded, by some one near him, to stay till it was ended, lest the young men should be discouraged, he sat down, though much against his will; whereupon, these verses were made by a certain scholar :

"At Christ Church Marriage, done before the King, Lest that these mates should want an offering,

The King himself did offer-what, I pray?
He offer'd, twice or thrice-to go away."
DANCOURT.

WHEN Dancourt gave a new piece, if it were unsuccessful, to console himself, he was accustomed to go and sup with two or three of his friends, at the sign of "the Bag-pipes," kept by Cherit. One morning, after the rehearsal of his comedy called "Les Agioteurs, or Stock-brokers," which was to be performed, for the first time, that evening, he asked one of his daughters, not ten years of age, how she liked the piece; "Ah, papa," said the girl, "you'll go to night, and sup at the sign of The Bag-pipes.'

RECRUITING OFFICER."

FOOTE relates that the characters of this play were taken, by Farquhar, from the following originals:

Justice Balance was a Mr. Beverley, a gentleman of strict honour and independence, then Recorder of Shrewsbury.

Another of the Justices was a Mr. Hill, an inhabitant of Shrewsbury.

Worthy was a Mr. Owen, who lived on the borders of Shropshire.

Captain Plume was Farquhar himself.

Captain Brazen, unknown.

Sylvia was Miss Beverley, the daughter of the gentleman of that name, above mentioned.

Melinda was a Miss Harnale, of Belsadine, near the Wrekin.

The plot is supposed to be the author's own invention.

FRENCH HORSE-PERFORMER.

Corneille wrote a tragedy called "Andromeda," with machinery, to divert Louis XIV. when a boy; the decorations of which were so grand, that they were engraved. The piece was revived, in 1682, with great success, and with the addition of a living horse, to represent Pegasus. The horse played his part admirably, and pranced as much in the air, as he could have done on terra-firma. The Italians have often brought on living horses in their grand operas, but they bound with such precaution, as to produce little effect. Other means were taken, in the tragedy of "Andromeda," to give the horse a warlike ardour: before he was hoisted, by machinery, up in the air, he was kept fasting so long that his appetite was extreme; and when he appeared, a groom, behind the scenes, stood shaking oats in a sieve.

Pressed by hunger, the horse neighed, pawed with his feet, and perfectly answered the end designed. By this stratagem, the piece had a great run, for every body was eager to visit this famed quadrupedal Roscius.

SHUTER'S RECKONING.

It is well known that this celebrated comedian, in the earlier part of his life, was tapster at a public house, in the neighbourhood of Covent Garden. A gentleman, one day, ordered him to call a hackney coach, which he did accordingly. It so happened, that the gentleman left his gold headed cane, and missing it, the next morning, went immediately to the public house, to inquire of the boy, Ned, (who called the coach,) whether he could tell the number. Shuter, who was then no great adept in figures, except in his own way of scoring up a reckoning, immediately replied, "It was two pots of porter, a shilling's worth of punch, and a paper of tobacco." The gentleman, upon this, was as much at a loss as ever; till Ned took out his chalk, and thus scored down his reckoning :-4, 4, for two pots of porter, 0, for a shilling's worth of punch; and a line, across the two pots of porter, for a paper of tobacco, which

formed the number 440. The gentleman, in consequence, recovered his cane; and thinking it a pity that such acuteness of genius should be hidden, like a diamond in the mine, he very generously gave him an education, and thus enabled Shuter to shine in the profession which he afterwards adopted.

DUFRESNY, AND THE ABBE PELLEGRIN.

DUFRESNY, a French author, having written. "L'Amant Masqué," in three acts, had it reduced to one act by the performers; and his comedies of five acts were generally reduced to three. "What!" said he, excessively piqued; "shall I never get a five-act piece on the stage?""Oh, yes," answered the Abbé, "you have only to write a comedy in eleven acts; six of which will be retrenched by the comedians." In France, the comedians are their own managers; except so far as government interferes.

MADEMOISELLE DUMESNIL.

THIS lady, who was an actress at Paris, about the middle of the last century, was one evening performing the part of Cleopatra, where, in the 5th

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