Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 2.djvu/389

 12 s. ii. NOV. n, 1916.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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' Nero, Emperor of Rome.' In the late suit um n she acted in Lee's heroic tragedy ' Sophonisba,' sustaining the languishing Rosalinda, " a Roman lady, Mistress of Hannibal," to the Hannibal of Mohun. In the winter of the same year she played Bellinganna in Sir Francis Fane's capa y espada comedy, ' Love in the Dark.' In January, 1677, she acted Clarona in Crowne's heroic tragedy in two parts, ' The Destruction of Jerusalem.' Clarona, the daughter of the High Priest, has in this effective drama for lover a Parthian king, Phraates. This hero was sustained by Hart. Kynaston played Titus, and Mrs. Marshall Berenice. The same year Mrs. Bout ell was cast for Glorianda in Chamberlayne's tragi-comedy, ' Wits led by the Nose.'

In 1677 also she created what was perhaps her most famous role, Statira in Lee's superb tragedy ' The Rival Queens ; or, Alexander the Great.' Alexander was Hart ; Clytus, Mohun ; Hephestion, Clark ; C'assander, a conspirator, Kynaston ; Statira, Mrs. Bout ell ; and Roxana, Mrs. Marshall. " The original Rival Queens," says Da vies, " Mrs. Marshall and Mrs. Bout ell, were much celebrated." Although, after the retirement of Hart and Mrs. Marshall, Cardell Goodman, Mount fort, and Betterton himself all played Alexander to the Roxana of Mrs. Barry, none of them was able to approach the original representatives of those two roles. Curll's ' History of the Stage ' has a celebrated anecdote in regard to Lee's tragedy :

" Once at the acting the last scene of this Play Mrs. Barry wounded Mrs. Boulel (who first played the Part of Statira) the Occasion of which I shall here relate. It happened these Two Persons before they had appeared to the Audience, un- fortunately had some Dispute about a Veil which Mrs. Boviel, by the Partiality of the Property -Man, obtained ; this offending 'the haughty Roxana, they had warm Disputes behind the Scenes, which spirited the Rivals with such a natural Resentment to each other, they were so violent in performing their Parts, and acted with such Vivacity, that S In lira on hearing the King was nigh, begs the Gods to Jtelp her for that Moment ; on which Ho.rana hastening the designed Blow, struck with such Force, that tho' the Point of the Dagger was blunted, it made way through Mrs. BoideVs staves, a nd entered about a Quarter of an Inch in the Flesh.

" This Accident made a great Bustle in the House, and alarmed the Town ; many different Stories were told ; some affirmed Mrs. Barry was jealous of Mrs. Boutel and Lord Rochester, which made them suppose she did it with Design to destroy her ; but by all that could be discovered on the strictest Examination of both Parties, it was only the Veil these two Ladies contended for, and Mrs. Barry being warm with Anger, in her Part she struck the Dagger with less caution than at other times."

The satires of the day spefk in broad terms of Mrs. Boutell's amours, many and free,, and there is little doubt that the veil was a pretext, and jealousj' of some admirer lured from her mercenary toils nerved Mrs. Barry's arm. A somewhat similar anecdote is related of George Ann Bellamy and Peg Woffington whilst acting in the same play. Angered at two gorgeous dresses that Bellamy had procured from Paris wherein to act Statira, Roxana in the assassination scene fairly rolled her rival in the dust, tore her fine clothes, and pommelled her soundly with the handle of her dagger.

Circa November, 1677, Mrs. Bout ell acted the Princess Matilda in Ravenscroft's ' King Edgar and Alfreda.' The following February she played Cellida in ' Trick for Trick,' D'Urfey's lively alteration of ' Monsieur Thomas.' About March she created Se- mandra in Lee's ' Mithridates, King of Pontus.' In 1677-8 she was the original Cleopatra to the Antony of Hart in Dryden's magnificent tragedy ' All for Love.' la 1677-8 also Mrs. Bout ell acted Marcellina in a version of Rochester's alteration of ' Valentinian.' Hart was the Emperor, and Mrs. Marshall Lucina.*

During the following three years grave internal dissensions and material changes at the Theatre Royal came to a head in open, strife, difficulties which were not finally settled until the union of the two theatres,, on which event the Duke's Company mi- grated from Dorset Gardens to Drury Lane. Here the amalgamated companies opened Nov. 16, 1682. After the union Mrs. Boutell's name infrequently occurs.

.In February, 1687, Mrs. Bout ell played Mrs. Termagant in Shadwell's highly ap- plauded ' The Squire of Alsatia.' Circa March, 1688, she acted Aurelia to the Cocklebrain of Nokes in D'Urfey's ' A Fool's Preferment ; or, The Three Dukes of Dunstable,' which, although a mere adapta- tion of Fletcher's ' The Noble Gentleman,' is by no means deserving of Sir George Etheredge's bitter censure. In the spring of the following year she created in Shad- well's ' Bury Fair ' a good character, Mrs. Fantast the precieuse, who, however, owes her existence to Moliere. Circa February, 1690, she was seen as Lady Credulous in Crowne's unworthy satire ' The English Friar.'

About 1694 fresh quarrels broke out in the theatre. The patentees unwisely

mus, died in July, 1679.
 * The veteran Wintershal, who played Maxi-