Page:The Eureka Stockade.djvu/126

116 "The writer of the above states, in a private note, that he wishes his name kept secret; but we trust that his intimacy with Camp officials will not prevent him from coming forward to save the life of a fellow creature, when the blood-hounds of the government are yelling with anxiety to fasten their fangs upon their victims."Ed. A.

The Age who certainly never got drunk yet on Toorak small-beer, had an able leading article, headed, "The State Trials"—see January 15th—concluding, "If they be found guilty, then Heaven help the poor State Prisoners."

Now turn the medal, and The Age of March 26th—always the same year,1855—that is, the day after my acquittal, gives copy of a Bill of the "LAST PERFORMANCE; or, the Plotters Outwitted."

"To-day, the familiar farce of "; or, the Plotters Outwitted," will be again performed, and positively for the last time; on which occasion that first-rate performer, Mr. W. F. Stawell, will (by special desire of a distinguished personage) repeat his well-known impersonation of Tartuffe, with all the speeches, the mock gravity, etc., which have given such immense satisfaction to the public on former occasions. This eminent low comedian will be ably supported by Messrs. Goodenough and Peters, so famous for their successful impersonations of gold-diggers; and it is expected that they will both appear in full diggers' costume, such as they wore on the day when they knelt before the 'Southern Cross,' and swore to protect their rights and liberties. The whole will be under the direction of that capital stage manager, Mr. R. Barry, who will take occasion to repeat his celebrated epilogue, in which he will—if the audience demand it—introduce again his finely melodramatic apostrophe to the thunder.

"With such a programme, what but an exceedingly successful farce can be anticipated? A little overdone by excessive repetition, it may be said; but still an admirable farce; and, as we have said, this is positively the last performance. Therefore, let it go on: or as Jack Falstaff says, 'play out the play.'"

Of course, I leave it to my good reader to guess, whether after four long months in gaol, which ruined my health for ever, I did laugh or curse on reading the above.

Concerning the four documents above, so far so good for the present; and the Farce will be produced on the stage of Teatro Argentina, Roma, by Great-works. The importance of the following observation, however, is obvious to any reader who took the proper trouble to understand the text of the first chapter of this book:—

Why Dr. A. Carr, Sub-inspector Carter, Messrs. Gordon and Binney were not present as witnesses on my trial, was, and is still, a MYSTERY to me.

''Sunt tempora nostra! nam perdidi spem: melior nunc lingua favere.''