Only five years had gone by since that period, and now the second Théâtre-Français greatly astonished everybody by advertising that a company of English actors was going to act the chief plays of Shakespeare. So quickly did ideas mature in the burning sun of the nineteenth century that only five years were necessary to bring about such an enlightenment of public opinion as this. However, the example of courtesy had been set us by our neighbours across the Channel. Mademoiselle Georges had just succeeded--thanks, no doubt, to the political reminiscences that surrounded her--in obtaining what Talma never obtained, in spite of his Anglo-French descent, namely, a public non-subsidised performance of a French play. On 28 June 1827, Mademoiselle Georges gave a most successful representation of _Sémiramis_, under the patronage of the Duke of Devonshire. The receipts amounted to eight hundred pounds sterling (20,000 francs). A few days later, again with similar success, she played _Mérope._ This twofold triumph suggested to the director of the Odéon the idea of inviting a company of English actors over, and a series of performances, announced for the beginning of September, was looked forward to eagerly. In fact, opinion had changed from complete disdain of English literature to enthusiastic admiration of it. M. Guizot, who did not then know a word of English--and who has known it but too well since--had re-translated Shakespeare with the help of Letourneur. Walter Scott, Cooper and Byron were in everybody's hands. M. Lemercier had made a tragedy out of _Richard III._; M. Liadière had produced another on _Jane Shore. Kenilworth Castle_ had been played at the Porte-Saint-Martin; _Louis XI. à Péronne_ at the Théâtre-Français; _Macbeth_ at the Opéra. People talked of Frédéric Soulié's _Juliette_ and of Alfred de Vigny's _Othello._ Assuredly, the wind had veered round to the west and pointed to a literary revolution. Nor was this all: a play was produced at the Porte-Saint-Martin, with a denouement borrowed from Werner's _Vingt-Quatre Février_, which had brought about a revolution both by its style and its execution. We should like to say a few words with reference to _Trente Ans_, or _la Vie d'un Joueur_, by MM. Victor Ducange and Goubaux. Besides the dramatic importance of this work, it brought to light two eminent artistes, Frédérick and Madame Dorval. It is rarely one finds two actors so highly endowed, the one as good as the other. He, as a matter of fact, was the wretched tragedian who, three years before, had played one of the brothers Macchabée at the Odéon! She was the little girl, forgotten as soon as she had played the thankless part of Malvina, in the _Vampire!_