Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 13.djvu/250

 In the dedicatory epistle to the Earl of Orrery he states that ‘this unworthy poem … was the offspring of many confused, raw, indigested, and immature thoughts, penn'd in a crowd and hurry of business and travel; … and lastly the first-born of this kind that my thoughts ever laboured with to perfection.’ His next play, the ‘History of Charles the Eighth,’ a tragedy in rhyme, was acted for six days together at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1672 (, History of the Stage, i. 124), Betterton taking the part of Charles VIII, and was published in that year with a dedication to the Earl of Rochester; 2nd ed. 1680. In ‘Timon, a Satyr,’ published in the 1685 collection of Rochester's poems, some high-flown lines from Crowne's tragedy are selected for ridicule. On the appearance in 1673 of Settle's ‘Empress of Morocco,’ Crowne joined Dryden and Shadwell in writing satirical ‘Notes and Observations on the Empress of Morocco.’ Many years afterwards, in the address to the reader prefixed to ‘Caligula,’ 1698, he stated that he had written ‘above three parts of four’ of the pamphlet, and expressed his regret that he had shown such bitterness. In 1675 was published Crowne's court masque, ‘Calisto, or the Chaste Nymph,’ with a dedication to the Princess Mary, afterwards Queen Mary. It was by Rochester's influence that Crowne was engaged to prepare the masque. Under ordinary circumstances the task would have been assigned to the poet laureate, Dryden; but Dryden expressed no chagrin, and even composed an epilogue, which by Rochester's intervention was not accepted. ‘Calisto’ is smoothly written and gave great satisfaction. In the address to the reader, Crowne says that he had to prepare the entertainment in ‘scarce a month.’ He was directed to introduce only seven persons, who were all to be ladies, and two only were to appear in men's habits. The writing of masques was a lost art at this date; but Crowne's attempt at a revival has considerable merit. In 1675 the ‘Country Wit,’ a favourite play with Charles II, was acted with applause at the Duke's Theatre; it was published in the same year, with a dedication to Charles, earl of Middlesex. The plot was partly drawn from Molière's ‘Le Sicilien, ou l'Amour Peintre.’ ‘Andromache,’ a tragedy translated from Racine into English verse by ‘a young gentleman,’ was revised by Crowne (who reduced the verse to prose), and, after being acted without success, was published in 1675. In 1677 were produced the two parts of the ‘Destruction of Jerusalem,’ written in heroic verse; they were printed in that year with a dedication to the Duchess of Portsmouth. These declamatory dramas met with extraordinary success on the stage, and were reprinted in 1693 and 1703. St. Evremond, in a letter to the Duchess of Mazarin (Works of Rochester and Roscommon, 1709), states that it was owing to the success of these plays that Rochester, ‘as if he would still be in contradiction to the town,’ withdrew his patronage from Crowne, who was afterwards lampooned by Rochester and Buckingham in ‘A Tryal of the Poets for the Bayes.’ Crowne's next work was ‘The Ambitious Statesman, or the Loyal Favorite,’ acted in 1679, and published with a dedication to the Duchess of Albemarle in the same year. In the preface the author styles this play ‘the most vigorous of all my foolish labours,’ and attributes its ill-success on the stage to the malice of his enemies. ‘The Misery of Civil War,’ founded on the second part of ‘Henry VI,’ was printed in 1680, but was not acted until 1681; it was followed by ‘Henry the Sixth, the First Part,’ 1681. ‘Thyestes, a Tragedy,’ 1681, founded on Seneca's play, was favourably received, in spite of the repulsive nature of the plot; and it must be allowed that there are passages of striking power. It is stated in ‘Biographia Dramatica’ that the first edition of the comedy ‘City Politiques,’ acted at the King's Theatre, was published in 1675; Genest (i. 399) gives 1688 as the date of the first edition, and the editors of Crowne's ‘Dramatic Works,’ 1874 (ii. 83), follow Genest. Some copies are undoubtedly dated 1683 (Brit. Mus. press-mark, 644. g. 46), and the play seems to have been first performed about that date. In the ‘Address to the Reader’ Crowne writes: ‘I have printed Bartholine's part in the manner of spelling by which I taught it Mr. Leigh;’ and it is known that Leigh did not join the King's Theatre until 1682. Langbaine describes the comedy (which he had seen acted with applause) as a ‘severe satire upon the whiggish faction.’ The character of Dr. Panchy was evidently intended as a satirical portrait of Titus Oates; the Bricklayer is Stephen Colledge; and Bartholine, ‘an old corrupt lawyer,’ is probably Sergeant Maynard, though the name of Aaron Smith (Titus Oates's counsel) has also been suggested. Strong efforts made by the whigs to have the play suppressed were frustrated by the king's intervention. In 1685 was produced by his majesty's servants ‘Sir Courtly Nice, or It cannot be,’ which was published in the same year with a dedication to the Duke of Ormonde. This was the most popular of Crowne's plays, and held the stage for upwards of a century. Mountfort and Colley Cibber were famous in the character of Sir Courtly. In the dedicatory epistle Crowne