A TRAGEDY. ALTERED FROM BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER, And adapted to the Stage, BY GEORGE COLMAN, ESQ. AS PERFORMED AT THE THEATRE-ROYAL, HAY-MARKET. REGULATED FROM THE PROMPT-BOOK, The Lines distinguished by inverted Commas, are omitted in the Representation. LONDON: Printed for, and under the Direction of, GEORGE CAWTHORN, British Library, STRAND. MDCCXCVI. GEORGE COLMAN, ESQ. THIS gentleman was the son of Francis Colman, Esq. his Majesty's Resident at the Court of the Grand Duke of Tuscany at Florence, by a sister of the late Countess of Bath. He was born at Florence, and had the honour of having the late King George II. whose name he bears, for his godfather. He received his education at Westminster-school, where he very early shewed his poetical talents. The first performance by him is a Copy of Verses addressed to his cousin Lord Pulteney, written in the year 1747, while he was at Westminster, and since printed in the St. James's Magazine, a work published by his unfortunate friend Robert Lloyd. From Westminster-school he removed to Oxford, and became a Student of Christ Church. It was here at a very early age, he engaged with his friend Bonnel Thornton, in publishing The Connoisseur, a periodical paper which appeared once a week, and was continued from January 31, 1754, to September 30, 1756. When the age of the writers of this entertaining paper is considered, the wit and humour, the spirit, the good sense and shrewd observations on life and manners, with which it abounds, will excite some de gree of wonder, but will, at the same time, evidently point out the extraordinary talents which were afterwards to be more fully displayed in the Jealous Wife, and the Clandestine Marriage. At the recommendation of his friends, or his choice, but probably the former, induced him to fix upon the Law for his profession; and he accordingly was entered of Lincoln's-Inn, and in due season called to the bar. He attended there a very short time, though if our recollection does not mislead us, he was seen often enough in the Courts to prevent his abandoning the profession merely for want of encouragement. It is reasonable, however, to suppose, that he felt more pleasure in attending to the Muse, than to Briefs and Reports; and it will, therefore, excite no wonder that he took the earliest opportunity of relinquishing pursuits not congenial to his taste. Apollo and Littleton (says Wycherley) seldom meet in the same brain. On the 18th of March 1758, he took the degree of Master of Arts at Oxford, and in the year 1760, his first dramatic piece, Polly Honeycombe, was acted at Drury-Lane, with great success. For several years before, the Comic Muse seemed to have relinquished the stage. No comedy had been produced at either theatre since the year 1751, when Moore's Gil Blas was with difficulty performed nine nights. At length, in the beginning of the year 1761, three different authors were candidates for public favour in the same walk, almost at the same time, viz. Mr. Murphy, who exhibited the Way to Keep Him; Mr. Macklin, |