The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 06Dryden, John
General
The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 06
Dryden, John
English literature
"The only day her Majesty gave herself the diversion of a play, and
that on which she designed to see another, has furnished the town
with discourse for near a month. The choice of the play was THE
SPANISH FRIAR, the only play forbid by the late K[ing], Some
unhappy expressions, among which those that follow, put her in some
disorder, and forced her to hold up her fan, and often look behind
her, and call for her palatine and hood, and any thing she could
next think of; while those who were in the pit before her, turned
their heads over their shoulders, and all in general directed their
looks towards her, whenever their fancy led them to make any
application of what was said. In one place, where the queen of
Arragon is going to church in procession, 'tis said by a spectator,
'Very good; she usurps the throne, keeps the old king in prison,
and, at the same time, is praying for a blessing on her army;'--And
when said, 'That 'tis observed at Court, who weeps, and who wears
black for good king Sancho's death,' 'tis said, 'Who is that, that
can flatter a Court like this? Can I sooth tyranny? seem pleas'd to
see my Royal Master murthered; his crown usurped; a distaff in the
throne?'--And 'What title has this queen, but lawless force; and
force must pull her down'--Twenty more things are said, which may
be wrested to what they were never designed: but however, the
observations then made furnished the town with talk, till something
else happened, which gave it much occasion for discourse; for
another play being ordered to be acted, the queen came not, being
taken up with other diversion. She dined with Mrs Gradens, the
famous woman in the hall, that sells fine laces and head-dresses;
from thence she went to the Jew's, that sells Indian things; to Mrs
Ferguson's, De Vett's, Mrs Harrison's, and other Indian houses; but
not to Mrs Potter's, though in her way; which caused Mrs Potter to
say, that she might as well have hoped for that honour as others,
considering that the whole design of bringing the queen and king
was managed at her house, and the consultations held there; so that
she might as well have thrown away a little money in raffling
there, as well as at the other houses: but it seems that my lord
Devonshire has got Mrs Potter to be laundress: she has not much
countenance of the queen, her daughter still keeping the Indian
house her mother had. The same day the queen went to one Mrs
Wise's, a famous woman for telling fortunes, but could not prevail
with her to tell anything; though to others she has been very true,
and has foretold that king James shall came in again, and the duke
of Norfolk shall lose his head: the last, I suppose, will naturally
be the consequence of the first. These things, however innocent,
have passed the censure of the town: and, besides a private
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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