Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, CompleteVarious
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, Complete
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
The piece was, as it deserved to be, highly successful; it was admirably
acted by Mr. Webster as one of the injured loversMr. Strickland and
Mrs. Stirling, as a vulgar citizen and citizenessby Miss P. Horton as
Lady Belland even by a Mr. Clarke, who played a very small partthat of
a barberwith great skill. Lastly, Madlle. Celeste, as the hero,
acquitted herself to admiration. We suppose the farce is called Foreign
Affairs out of compliment to this lady, who is the only Foreign
Affair we could discover in the whole piece, if we except that it is
translated from the French, which is, strictly, an affair of the
authors.
MARY CLIFFORD. If, dear readers, you have a taste for refined morality
and delicate sentiment, for chaste acting and spirited dialogue, for
scenery painted on the spot, but like nothing in nature except canvas
and colourgo to the Victoria and see Mary Clifford. It may, perhaps,
startle you to learn that the incidents are faithfully copied from the
Newgate Calendar, and that the subject is Mother Brownrigg of
apprentice-killing notoriety; but be not alarmed, there is nothing
horrible or revolting in the dramait is merely laughable.
Mary Clifford, or the foundling apprentice girl, is very appropriately
introduced to the auditor, first outside the gates of that noble
charity-school, taking leave of some of her accidental companions. Here
sympathy is first awakened. Mary is just going out to place, and
instead of saying good bye, which we have been led to believe is the
usual form of farewell amongst charity-girls, she sings a song with such
heart-rending expression, that everybody cries except the musicians and
the audience. To assist in this lachrymose operation, the girls on the
stage are supplied with clean white apronstime out mind a charity-
girls pocket-handkerchief. In the next scene we are introduced to Mr.
and Mrs. Brownriggs domestic arrangements, and are made acquainted with
their private charactersa fine stroke of policy on the part of the
author; for one naturally pities a poor girl who can sing so nicely, and
can get the corners of so many white aprons wetted on leaving her last
place, when one sees into whose hands she is going to fall. The fact is,
the whole family are people of tastepeculiar, to be sure, and not
refined. Mrs. B. has a taste for starving apprenticesher son, Mr. Jolin
B., for seducing themand Mr. B. longs only for a quiet life, a pot of
porter, and a pipe. Into the bosom of this amiable family Mary Clifford
enters; and we tremble for her virtue and her meals! not, alas, in vain,
for Mr. John is not slow in commencing his gallantries, which are
exceedingly offensive to Mary, seeing that she has already formed a
liaison with a school-fellow, one William Clipson, who happily resides
at the very next door with a baker. During the struggles that ensue she
calls upon her hearts master, the journeyman baker. But there is
another and more terrible invocation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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