Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 11.djvu/147

 shared the same fate, ‘the loss would not have been very great.’ In ‘Strangers at Home,’ an opera (Drury Lane, 8 Dec. 1785), with music by Linley, Mrs. Jordan is said to have made her first appearance as a singer, and to have played her first original character. ‘Doctor and Apothecary,’ a two-act musical farce (Drury Lane, 25 Oct. 1788), introduced to the London stage Stephen Storace, from whose ‘Singspiele’—‘Der Doctor und der Apotheker’—performed at Vienna on 11 July 1786, music and plot were taken. ‘The Haunted Tower’ (Drury Lane, 24 Nov. 1789), also with music by Storace, served for the début in English opera of his sister, Anna Selina Storace. It was very successful, and frequently revived. The works of Cobb which were printed with his sanction are: 1. ‘Strangers at Home,’ comic opera, 8vo, 1786 (Drury Lane, 8 Dec. 1785). 2. ‘English Readings,’ an occasional prologue, 8vo, 1787 (Haymarket, 7 Aug. 1787). 3. ‘The First Floor,’ farce, 8vo, 1787 (Drury Lane, 13 Jan. 1787). 4. ‘Love in the East,’ comic opera, 8vo, 1788 (Drury Lane, 25 Feb. 1788). 5. ‘Doctor and Apothecary,’ musical farce, 8vo, 1788 (see above). 6. ‘Haunted Tower’ (see above). 7. ‘Ramah Droog, or Wine does Wonders,’ comic opera, 8vo, 1800 (Covent Garden, 12 Nov. 1798). 8. ‘A House to be sold,’ musical piece in two acts, 8vo, 1802 (Drury Lane, 17 Nov. 1802). This is a clumsy expansion of ‘Maison à vendre,’ a one-act opera of Duval, with music by D'Aleyrac, played in 1800. 9. ‘The Wife of Two Husbands,’ musical drama, 8vo, 1803 (Drury Lane, 1 Nov. 1803), a translation of ‘La Femme à deux Maris’ of Guilbert de Pixérécourt, Paris, 1803. Surreptitious editions were issued of (10) the ‘Cherokee,’ opera, 1795, 8vo (Drury Lane, 20 Dec. 1796). 11. ‘Paul and Virginia,’ musical drama, 12mo, 1801 (Covent Garden, 1 May 1800). 12. ‘Siege of Belgrade,’ comic opera, 12mo, 1792 (Drury Lane, 1 Jan. 1791), and other works. Of this last piece, as of (13) ‘The Pirates,’ comic opera in three acts (Drury Lane company at Haymarket, 21 Nov. 1792), and (14) ‘The Shepherdess of Cheapside,’ musical farce (Drury Lane, 20 Feb. 1796), the songs only were printed in octavo. In addition to the works named Cobb wrote: 15. ‘Wedding Night,’ musical farce (Haymarket, 12 Aug. 1760?). 16. ‘Who'd have thought it?’ farce (Covent Garden, 28 April 1781). 17. ‘Kensington Gardens, or the Walking Jockey,’ prelude (Haymarket, 22 Aug. 1791?), unmentioned by Genest. 18. ‘Hurly Burly,’ a pantomime (Drury Lane, 1785–6). In this Cobb was assisted by Thomas King the comedian. 19. ‘Poor Old Drury,’ prelude (Haymarket, by the Drury Lane company, 22 Sept. 1791). 20. ‘The Algerine Slaves,’ a musical entertainment abridged from ‘The Strangers at Home,’ and given at the Haymarket Opera House in 1792. 21. ‘Algonah,’ a comic opera (Drury Lane, 30 April 1802). 22. ‘Sudden Arrivals; or Too Busy by Half,’ a comedy (Lyceum, by Drury Lane company, 19 Dec. 1809), making, with ‘The Contract’ and ‘The Humourist’ mentioned above, twenty-four works. Besides the composers previously named, Mazzinghi, Kelly, and Dr. Arnold supplied music to Cobb's pieces. In Gifford's ‘Mæviad’ Cobbe (sic) is mentioned in contemptuous terms. Cobb married in 1800 Miss Stanfell of Fratton, Hampshire, and died in 1818.  COBB, SAMUEL (1675–1713), translator and versifier, was connected nearly all his life with Christ's Hospital, London. His father, Samuel Cobb, citizen and cooper of London, died before April 1683, in which month the boy was admitted into the hospital on the presentation of Sir John Moore, sometime lord mayor. He was then stated to have been baptised on 17 Oct. 1675, and to have been admitted from St. Andrew's, Holborn. The boy became in due time a Grecian, and proceeded with an exhibition from the hospital to Trinity College, Cambridge, the date of his discharge from the school being 27 Feb. 1694. He is said to have successfully defended a Greek exercise against Bentley by quoting Pindar (Johnson's Poets, ed. Cunningham, iii. 119). He took the degrees of B.A. in 1698 and M.A. in 1702, being allowed by the governors of his old school in London the sum of 12l. towards the cost of the first degree, and 15l. for the second. From college he returned to Christ's Hospital, and was elected to the post of 'under grammar school master' on 11 March 1701-2, and granted residence in 1704. He was more than once reported as being 'often disguised with strong liquors,' but he kept his place until his death, 18 Sept. 1713. He was buried in the school cloisters. For many years he wrote the Easter anthem, particulars of which are given in Trollope's 'History of Christ's Hospital,' p. 107.

Cobb's writings were of considerable popularity in their day. His earliest production was an ode on the death of Queen Mary, which he published under the disguise of 'J.D., gent.,' very soon after his matriculation