The collected works of William Hazlitt, Vol. 08 (of 12)Hazlitt, William
General
The collected works of William Hazlitt, Vol. 08 (of 12)
Hazlitt, William
English essays -- 19th century
Mr. Foote was the brother of Sir Edward Mortimer. This gentleman is of
the Wroughton school; that is, he belongs to the old English class of
honest country gentlemen, who abound more in good nature than good
sense, and who have a most plentiful lack of gall and wit. Mr. Foote
does not discredit this branch of the profession. These persons are
always very comfortable in themselves, and busy about other people. This
is exceedingly provoking. They speak with good emphasis and discretion,
and are in general of a reasonable corpulence. Whenever we see an actor
of this class, with a hat and feather, a gold belt, and more than
ordinary merit, we are strangely reminded of our old friend Mr. Gyngell,
the celebrated itinerant manager, and the only showman in England, who,
after the festivity of the week, makes a point of staying the Sunday
over, and goes with all his family to church.
LIVING IN LONDON
_The Examiner._
_August 13, 1815._
A new Comedy, called Living in London, by the author (as it appears) of
Love and Gout, has been brought forward at the Haymarket Theatre. It is
in three acts. The first act promised exceedingly well. The scenes were
well-contrived, and the dialogue was neat and pointed. But in the second
and third, the comic invention of the writer seemed to be completely
exhausted; his plot became entangled and ridiculous, and he strove to
relieve the wearied attention of the audience, by some of the most
desperate attempts at _double entendre_ we ever remember. Thus a servant
is made to say, that ‘no one can _bring up_ his master’s dinner but
himself.’ We are told by very good authority, that ‘want of decency is
want of sense.’ The plot is double, and equally ill-supported in both
its branches. A lady of fashion (who was made as little disgusting as
the part would permit by Miss Greville) makes overtures of love to a
nobleman, (Lord Clamourcourt, Mr. Foote), by publishing an account of a
supposed intrigue between herself and him in the newspapers. The device
is new, at least. The same nobleman is himself made jealous of his wife
by the assumption of her brother’s name (Neville) by a coxcomb of his
acquaintance, by the circumstance of a letter directed to the real
Neville having been received by the pretended one, and by the blunders
which follow from it. The whole developement of the plot is carried on
by letters, and there is hardly a scene towards the conclusion, in which
a footman does not come in, as the bearer of some alarming piece of
intelligence. Lord Clamourcourt, just as he is sitting down to dinner
with his wife, receives a letter from his mistress; he hurries away, and
his Lady having no appetite left, orders the dinner back. Lord
Clamourcourt is no sooner arrived at the place of assignation than he
receives an anonymous letter, informing him that Neville is at his
house, and he flies back on the wings of jealousy, as he had come on
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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