and, on their stating this to the Beggar, he challenges them to drop gold with them for her portion, which offer being accepted, he produces three thousand pounds and upwards, which, as might be expected, reconciles them to the marriage, which, accordingly, takes place. This is the First Part, or Fit, as it is called.

The Second Part gives an account of the celebration of the nuptials, at which many of the first nobles and gentry of the land are present. At this the blind Beggar is introduced as a Musician or Minstrel; when, accompanying himself on a lute, he sings a Ballad, giving an account of his daughter and her fortune, and asserting the greatness of her birth. On the company laughing at this idea, he begins a Ballad respecting Sir Simon de Montfort, the great earl of Leicester, who was the chief of the Barons who opposed Henry the IIId, and who was killed at the decisive battle of Evesham, in Worcestershire, fought August the 4th, 1265, where his eldest son Henry fell by his side.* This Ballad then supposes a young lady, a knight's daughter, to go to the field of battle to search for her father, and there she finds this young man, Henry de Montfort, who had received a blow which had deprived him of sight, but not dead. Moved by pity, she led him away and took care of him, and in time consented to marry him; but, lest his foes should pursue him to ruin, they determined to conceal their condition under the garb of Beggars, and live in a small house on Bethnal Green. The fruit of this marriage is Bessy.

The reader will perceive that it is merely the outline of this story which Dodsley has adopted for his drama. The 'mother is omitted, the suitors are different, the daughter is not bestowed upon the one of superior rank, and the circumstances of the Beggar's telling his story and declaring who he is, are also different. Dodsley makes the Beggar to be Sir Simon Montford himself, and the reason for

*See Percy's Reliques, Vol. II. p. 163, and Hume's History of England, Vol. II. ch. xii. p. 215.

his disguise is, that he had killed an earl of Essex in a duel, in consequence of having upbraided him for cowardice in battle, when the earl gave him the lie, and on that Sir Simon had challenged him.

Dodsley's Drama is certainly the more simple story of the two, and simplicity was Dodsley's forte; but the other is better calculated for stage effect, and more in the taste of the present day. Dodsley's piece, however, is, I think, interesting, and has much merit; many of the sentiments are good, and the songs are much superior to those commonly introduced into such pieces. The music to them I never heard; but, if it be not good, the songs are worthy of having new music composed to

them.

Dodsley had introduced a character, John Sly, who, I suppose, from his being called Friend Sly, and from other phrases, was intended for one of the Society of Friends or Quakers. He has evil designs upon Bessy, and is going to assist Lord Ranby in carrying her off. This character I have omitted, partly for the same reasons which I have assigned in my Preface to The Provok'd Husband (See Vol. II. p. 13.) against Cibber's character of The Non-Juror and Bickerstaff's of The Methodist, and partly because in the reign of Henry the IIId. there were no Quakers, that sect (I use not the term in an invidious sense) having been founded by George Fox, in the reign of Charles the Second, in the year 1664. Perhaps the Author might design him for a Puritan, the origin of which sect may be ascribed to the reign of Queen Elizabeth. But, whatever might be the author's design, the character would be considered now as a Quaker; and the Quakers, as a body of men, whatever unworthy individuals they may have amongst them, I consider as particularly respectable and moral, and I should be sorry that the stage should foster any illiberal prejudices against them.

The other alterations which I have made, are not numerous. In the Vignette in the frontispiece to the edition printed in 1741, and in that in Dodsley's Trifles, the

Beggar is represented as led by a Dog, and so the old Ballad represents him,

"He always is led with a dogg and a bell."

Dodsley changed this Dog to a Boy, probably for convenience, on account of the difficulty of procuring a dog who had theatrical talents; but he had made the Boy a mute. To give him greater interest with the audience, I have put two short speeches into his mouth, and given him a song for the purpose of preserving the very beautiful verse of the older Ballad repeated by Mr. Guthrie to Dr. Percy. Though the piece is short, it would do to perform after a long first-piece. The character of the Beggar is not unworthy of exercising the good talents of a first-rate performer; his situation is interesting, and his appearance picturesque. It does not very decidedly appear whether he is really blind or not; I rather think he is not; for, though he is represented so in the Ballad, yet that part of the story is so varied as to do it away, and I do not find any thing in the drama positively to determine it. The Beggar's second song makes the most for a real blindness; but that might be sung on account of the presence of the Boy and Passengers.

The copy used in printing is the original 8vo. printed in 1741, which I have compared with the edition in Dodsley's Trifles.

Clare Hall, Feb. 6, 1812.

DRAMATIS PERSONE.

Sir SIMON MONTford,
The BLIND BEGGAR.

BESSY, his Daughter.

Sir WILLIAM MORLEY, in love with her.
WELFORD, in love with, and belov'd by her.
Lord RANBY, Suitor to Bessy, as a Mistress.
Three PASSENGERS, &c.

Boy attending on the Beggar.

SCENE, Bethnal Green, and the Beggar's House upon it.

TIME, that of the Representation.