The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume III.Cibber, Theophilus
General
The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume III.
Cibber, Theophilus
Poets, English -- Biography -- Early works to 1800; Poets, Irish -- Biography -- Early works to 1800
His dramatic works are:
1. Damoiselles a-la-mode, a Comedy, printed 8vo, Lond. 1667, and
addressed to the duke and duchess of Newcastle. This comedy was designed
by the author to have been acted by his Majesty's servants, which they
thought proper however to refuse, we know not for what reason,--The poet
indeed has assigned one, whether true or false is immaterial; but it may
serve to shew his humour.
For the acting this comedy (says he) those who have the government of
the stage have their humours, and would be intreated; and I have mine,
and won't entreat them; and were all dramatic writers of my mind, they
should wear their old plays thread-bare, er'e they should have any new,
till they better understood their own interest, and how to distinguish
between good and bad.'
This anger of Mr. Flecknoe's at the players for refusing the piece,
bears some resemblance to that of Bayes, when the players went to dinner
without his leave. 'How! are the players gone to dinner? If they are
I will make them know what it is to injure a person who does them the
honour to write for them, and all that; a company of proud, conceited,
humorous, cross-grain'd persons, and all that; I'll make them the most
contemptible, despicable, inconsiderable persons, and all that; &c. &c.
&c.
2. Ermina, or the chaste lady; printed in octavo, London 1665.
3. Love's Dominion; a dramatic piece, which the author says, is full of
excellent morality; and is written as a pattern of the reformed stage,
printed in octavo, London 1654, and dedicated to the lady Elizabeth
Claypole. In this epistle the author insinuates the use of plays, and
begs her mediation to gain license to act them.
4. Love's Kingdom, a Tragi-Comedy; not as it was acted at the theatre
in Lincoln's-Inn; but as it was written and since corrected, printed
in octavo, London 1664, and dedicated to his excellency William lord
marquis of Newcastle. This is no more than the former play a little
alter'd, with a new title; and after the king's return, it seems the
poet obtained leave to have it acted, but it had the misfortune to be
damned by the audience, which Mr. Flecknoe stiles the people, and calls
them judges without judgment, for want of its being rightly represented
to them; he owns it wants much of the ornaments of the stage, but that,
he says, by a lively imagination may be easily supplied. 'To the same
purpose he speaks of his Damoiselles à la Mode:
That together with the persons represented, he had set down the
comedians he had designed should represent them; that the reader might
have half the pleasure of seeing it acted, and a lively imagination
might have the pleasure of it all entire.
5. The Marriage of Oceanus and Britannia, a Masque.
Our author's other works consist of Epigrams and Enigmas. There is a
book of his writing, called the Diarium, or the Journal; divided into
twelve jornadas, in burlesque verse.
Dryden, in two lines in his Mac Flecknoe, gives the character of our
author's works.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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