I cannot think without horror, even now, of that play we saw on that
night in the King's Theatre. It was Mrs. Aphra Behn's tragedy, called
_Abdelazar_, or _The Moor's Revenge_, and Mrs. Lee acted the principal
part of _Isabella_, the Spanish Queen. We sat in a little box next the
stage, which we had to ourselves; and in the box opposite was my Lord
the Earl of Bath with a couple of his ladies. He was a pompous-looking
fellow, and a hot Protestant, and he looked very disdainfully at the
company. In the box over him was Mistress Gwyn herself, and the people
cried at her good-humouredly when she came in, at which she bowed very
merrily as if she were royal, this way and that, so that the whole
play-house was full of laughter. It was turned very cold, with a frost,
and before the play was half done the whole house was in a steam under
the glass cupola. Folks were eating oranges everywhere in the higher
seats, and throwing the peel down upon the heads of the people below.
The stage was lighted, as always, with wax candles burning on cressets;
and the orange girls were standing in the front row of the pit with
their backs to the stage.
Dolly, who was a little quiet at first, got very merry and excited
presently at all the good-humour, as well as at the actors. She had
thrown her hood back, so that her head came out of it very sweet and
pretty; and a spot of colour burned on each cheek. I saw her watching
Mistress Nell once or twice with a look of amazement--for she knew who
she was--for Nell, though she was not on the stage, bore herself as
though she were, and never ceased for an instant, though full of
merriment and good humour, to turn herself this way and that, and bow to
her friends, some of whom relished it very little; and to applaud very
heartily, and then, immediately to throw a great piece of orange peel at
Mr. Harris, who played the King. She had her boy with her--whom His
Majesty had made Duke of St. Albans--and two or three gentlemen whom I
did not know.
Dolly whispered to me once, to know who the boy was.
"That is her boy," I said.
Dolly said nothing; but I understood the kind of terror that she had to
see them both there, so outrageous and bold; but she presently turned
back again to the stage to observe the play.
* * * * *
I said just now that the play which we saw has very dreadful memories
for me; but I do not know that more than once or twice at the time I had
any such feeling. There were some pretty passages in the play that
distracted me altogether, and a song or two, of which I remember very
well one sung by a _Nymph_, and answered by her swain with his
shepherds, of which the refrain was:
_The Sun is up and will not stay;_
_And oh! how very short's a lover's day!_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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