On Thursday last, this amiable and always benevolent gentleman, who,
it is known, takes the deepest interest in the stage, invited all the
brethren of the college to a dinner, after which, he threw open his
grounds to all his acquaintances, indeed, to all Dulwich. The banquet
was of a sumptuous character, and was provided from the Greyhound.
After the usual loyal toasts, the warden proposed Mr. Pickwick's
health in appropriate terms, to which that gentleman responded in an
admirable speech, in which he reviewed some portions of his life.
After stating how dear and near to his affection was the college and
all that was concerned with it, he entered into some various details
of Ralph Alleyne, who, as we all know, was an actor and connected with
actors. "I have already, by means of my researches, shown how
strangely related he was to myself, being of the same family with an
eminent physician in India, Mr. Benjamin Allen. (Cheers.) I, myself,
have known actors--one who was known to his brethren as 'dismal
Jemmy'--(loud laughter)--from, I suppose, the caste of characters he
was always assuming. Dismal Jemmy, however, had to leave the
country--(laughter)--I will not say why." (Roars of laughter.)
Another actor whom he had known was one of the most remarkable men he
had ever met, for talent and resources--would that he had confined his
talent to its legitimate sphere, namely, on the _boards_--but,
unfortunately, he had chosen to exert it at his, Mr. Pickwick's,
expense. (Loud laughter.) This performer tried to live by his wits,
as it is called, and he, Mr. Pickwick, had encountered him, and his
wits, too and nearly always with success. Mr. Pickwick then
humorously described some of his adventures with this person, causing
roars of laughter by a description of a night in the garden of a
Boarding School, into which he had been entrapped on the pretext that
the actor was about to run away with one of the young ladies. In the
most comic fashion, he related how he had been captured by the whole
school, headed by its principal, and locked up in a cupboard, and was
only released by his faithful man, Sam, whom, personally, some of them
knew--(loud applause.) Well, after frustrating the knavish tricks of
this actor, he at last found him in a debtors' prison in the most
abject misery and destitution, and he was happy to tell them, that the
man was completely reformed, and getting an honest livelihood in one
of our colonies. Such was his experience of the actors' profession.
MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE AT IPSWICH.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account