The first burlesque of "The Tempest" made its appearance at the Adelphi in 1848. It was from the pen of the Brothers Brough, and was entitled "The Enchanted Isle, or Raising the Wind on the most Approved Principles." "O." Smith was Prospero, with Miss Taylor as his daughter Miranda; Miss Woolgar being the Ferdinand, with Paul Bedford for her father--the Ariel Mme. Celeste, and the Caliban Munyard. Some years were destined to elapse before the subject again attracted the burlesque writer; and the writer then was Mr. Burnand, who gave to his work the name of "Ariel," submitting it to the public in 1883 at the Gaiety. Miss Ellen Farren took the title-part, with Mr. Henry Monkhouse as Prospero, Mr. Frank Wyatt as Sebastian, Mr. Dallas as Alonso, and Miss Connie Gilchrist as Miranda. This "perversion" was in three acts, and was one of the productions which led the way to the New Burlesque. To Talfourd belongs the distinction of being the first to burlesque "The Merchant of Venice." He called his work "Shylock, or the Merchant of Venice Preserved: an entirely New Reading of Shakespeare, from an edition hitherto undiscovered by modern authorities, and which it is hoped may be received as the stray leaves of a Jerusalem Hearty-Joke." This came out at the Olympic in 1853, and again Talfourd had Robson as the exponent of his principal character. Again, too, he followed his original with some care, burlesquing rather in detail than on broad lines. Take, for example, his "reading" of a portion of the trial scene. Shylock has been foiled by Portia, and wishes to leave the court:-- _Shy._ Give me my principal, and I'll away. _Por._ Best _carry out_ your _principle_ and stay. Nay, Shylock, though you choose forgive the debt, You'd find the law had hold upon you yet. _Shy._ I say, young man, your practice rather sharp is. _Grat._ Not when he practises on the _Jews-harp-ies_. _Ant._ Shylock, although your conduct in this case In its whole tenor has been thorough base, On one condition I won't press the charge, And you're at liberty to go at large. _Shy._ At large? I feel particularly small, (_Aside_) But thank my stars that I can go at all. (_Shylock is going, but is prevented by the officers of the Court_) _Ant._ There are two points, though, that I must insist on: You'll shave your face and look more like a Christian, And take your daughter to your arms again. _Shy._ Well, since you've got the upper hand, it's plain I must knock under--and I will, I swear, Receive my heiress and cut off my _hair_! (_Jessica and Lorenzo come forward._) _Jess._ You pardon us, pa? _Shy_. Yes, howe'er distressing To my paternal feelings, take my blessing. Fathers, I think, will own my case a hard 'un, She's done for pa, and now she asks her _par-don_.