Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 11.djvu/174

 164

NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. XL FEB. 27, 1915.

reason, that "Wordsworth still retained some puritanical objections Jo the Admiral s suwosed private character.'''

W. F. P. STOCKLEY.

University College, Cork.

A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THOMAS

HOLCROFT.

(See 11 S. x. 1, 43, 83, 122, 163, 205, 244, 284, 323, 362, 403, 442, 484 ; xi. 4, 43, 84, 123.)

1802. " A Tale of Mystery ; a melodrama, as per- formed at the Theatre-Royal, Co vent Garden. By Thomas Holcroft. London : Published by Richard Phillips, 71, St. Paul's Church- Yard. 1802. Printed by Thomas Davison, White- friars. (Price 2s.)" Octavo, 8 + 1-51 pp. On p. 51 is the note, " Printed by T. Gillet, Salisbury Square."

This play was produced 13 Nov., 1802. The book was noticed in The Monthly Review for March, 1803 (40: 330). A copy in the Yale University Library bears the autograph of " Tate Wilkinson" on the title-page.

I have just located the second edition. There was in the Bodleian Library (Malone B. 42) :

" A Tale of Mystery, a Melo-Drame ; as per- formed at the Theatre-Royal Co vent-Garden. By Thomas Holcroft. Second Edition, with etchings after designs by Tresham. London : Published by Richard Phillips, 71, St. Paul's Church-Yard. 18U2. Printed by Thomas Davison, \Vhite-friars. (Price Tivo Shillings.}" Octavo, p.l.+front.+2 [title] + 6 + 1-51. This also has 011 p. 51, " Printed by T. Gillet, Salisbury-square." The illustrations are : frontispiece, marked for p. 27 the murder scene in Act I. ; p. 48 (marked for p. 47), Micholli discovering the scar on Romaldi's ri<_-ht hand, Act II. ; p. 50, the final tableau before the last curtain.

There was a " Third edition ": 41 A Tale of Mystery. A Melo-drame ; as per- formed at the Theatre-Royal, Covent-Garden. By Thomas Holcroft. Third Edition. London : Printed by and for J. Roach, at the Theatrical Library, Woburn-Street, Drury-Lane. Price 2s. A Superior Edition, with plates, 2s. Gd. 1813." Octavo, 8 + 9-40 pp. A later edition was :

" A Tale of Mystery, A Melo-Drame ; As per- formed at the Theatres Royal, Covent Garden and Drury Lane. By Thomas Holcroft. Sixth Edition. London : Printed and pub- lished at Roach's Theatrical Library, Russell Court, Drury Lane. 1813. Price 2s." Octavo, 8+0-10 pp. (Dyce Collection, South Kensing- ton.)

The play appeared in the following collec- tions : ' The London Stage,' 1824 ; J. Cumberland, * Cumberland's British Theatre,'

1829; 'The Acting Drama,' 1834; 'The British Drama, Illustrated,' 1864 ; ' The British Drama ' ( J. Dicks), 1864 ; and Dicks's ' Standard Plays,' No. 38, 1883.

Following are the American editions : " A Tale of Mystery, a melodrama : as perform- ing in New York. By Thomas Holcroft. New York : Printed for N. Judah, No. 84, Maiden Lane, by G. and R. Waite. 1803." Duodecimo, 4 + 1-54 pp.

" A Tale oi: Mystery, A Melo-drame ; By Thomas

Holcroft. As performed at the New- York

Theatre, from the prompt-book, By permission

of the Manager. New-York. Published by

D. Longworth, at the Shakspeare Gallery. L.

Nichols, Print. 1803." Duodecimo, 35 pp.

This edition was still unexhausted in 1807,

when Longworth issued his second edition of

John Tobin's ' Honey-Moon ' and advertised

the ' Tale of Mystery.'

"A Tale of Mystery: a melodrame, in three acts, by Thomas Holcroft. As performed at the New-York Theatre, from the prompt-book, by permission (f the manage 1 . (Second Edition.) New York : Published by D. Longworth, at the Dramatic Repository, Shakspeare Gallery. 1808." Duodecimo, 2+3-38 pp. " A Tale of Mystery : a rnelo-drame ; by Thomas Holcroft. As performed at the New- York Theatre, From the prompt-book, By per- mission of the Manager. Boston, Printed by Munroe & Francis. For Edward Cotton, No. 47, Marlborough-Street. 1803." Duodecimo, 4 + 5-35 pp.

1803. " Hear Both Sides : a comedy, in Five Acts, as it is performed at the Theatre Royal Drury-Lane. By Thomas Holcroft. London, Printed for R. Phillips, 71, St. Paul's. 1803, By T. Gillet, Salisbury Square." Octavo. 8+5-90+2 pp.

References to this play are to be found in the ' Memoirs,' pp. 21519. It was produced 29 Jan., 1803. I have seen 1803 copies marked " The Second Edition " having pagination identical with the above, bearing the price -mark " two shillings," and show- ing on the last page, with strange incon- sistency, the declaration : " W. Flint, Printer, Old Bailey." I have seen a copy marked " The Third Edition " identical with these " Second Edition " copies, except that the price is altered to 2s. 6d., and that there are included at the end some adver- tisements of Holcroft 's and Godwin's books.

All three copies in the British Museum have

" Printed by T. Gillet " on the title-page,

and " W. Flint, Printer, Old Bailey," on p. 90. Of the three, however, the prices appear on the title-pages as follows : 1st ed., no price marked ; 2nd ed., " Price Two Shillings and Sixpence," which does not agree \vith the other copies ; and the usual 3rd ed., " Price Two Shillings and Sixpence." Then the 1st ed. in the British Museum is the only one