Bessy. If your joy is but equal to mine, I am happy.

DUET.

Welford.

The man who in a dungeon lies for debt,
Esteems not light and liberty so dear.
Bessy.

The frighted bird just scap'd the fowler's net,
Its heart not flutters more 'twixt joy and fear.
Welford.

In these fond arms,
On this true breast,
From all alarms
Securely rest.
Bessy.

In that kind haven let me lie,
With thee to live, with thee to die.
Both.

With thee to live with thee to die.

Welf. Dear father, let me indulge the joy to call The happiness you give me with your daughter, you so. is half destroyed by this unexpected fortune. The pleasure I had promised myself in labouring with my hands to maintain the father of my love, is now no more; but let me still rejoice, that by this means

My Bessy's gentle heart is freed from care,
And her fair hand no labour needs to share.
When Heaven sees fit, it can reward us here:
Our virtue and true love to Heaven are dear.

THE END.

BARATARIA:

OR,

cho turn'd Governor;

A FARCE,

IN TWO ACTS;

FIRST PERFORMED AT THE

TRE-ROYAL, COVENT-GARDEN,

MARCH 29, 1785.

WRITTEN BY

FREDERICK PILON.

P

THE EDITO

REDERICK PILON
aria; or, Sancho t
Ireland, in the
s distinguished fo
display of abilities

entieth

year,

he wa

but having littl partiality for the s to which he had be enced actor, at the onoko. To his suc stacles which geni remove; his void e wanted grace an Fed him that he co felt all the conseq incurred the displea of other resources. for three or four yea rthern parts of th to Cork, where he aracter of The E rice of some judic on for which he repaired to Lon turer. On his first nzed by Griffin, t orning Post, a d the death of his e Epilogue written by

se particulars of the Li ALAND'S Dramatic Mirro edition 1812.

THE EDITOR's PREFACE.*

FREDERICK PILON, the author of the Farce of

Barataria; or, Sancho turned Governor, was born at Cork, in Ireland, in the year 1750. At a very early age he was distinguished for his classical attainments, and a great display of abilities in oratory. Before he reached his twentieth year, he was sent to Edinburgh to study medicine; but having little relish for that science, and a great partiality for the stage, he relinquished the profession to which he had been destined by his friends, and commenced actor, at the Edinburgh Theatre, in the part of Oroonoko. To his success in this line, however, there were obstacles which] genius could not subdue, nor even industry remove; his voice was deficient in melody, and his figure wanted grace and importance, and a few trials convinced him that he could never succeed on the stage. He now felt all the consequences of his imprudence, for, having incurred the displeasure of his friends, he was deprived of other resources. He, therefore, continued to play for three or four years at the provincial theatres in the northern parts of the kingdom. At length he returned to Cork, where he appeared once on the stage, in the character of The Earl of Essex; but, yielding to the advice of some judicious friends, he abandoned a profession for which he found himself so ill-qualified. He then repaired to London, and commenced literary adventurer. On his first arrival in the metropolis, he was engaged by Griffin, the bookseller, and then printer of the Morning Post, a daily paper, to write for that; but at the death of his employer, he lost his situation. In an Epilogue written by Keate for the First Part of

* These particulars of the Life of Pilon are taken principally from GILLILAND'S Dramatic Mirror, and from The Biographia Dra-, malica, édition 1812.

King Henry the IVth. acted at Mr. Newcome's School at Hackney, in the year 1777, The Morning Post is celebrated for dealing in scandal:

"Become a public Object-public Toast-
"And furnish Scandal for the Morning Post.-

See Keate's Poems, Vol. II. p. 255.

It is curious, therefore, to see Pilon in The Invasion, the first Dramatic Piece which he brought out, in 1778, say, in the character of Brussels, "There were a few

squibs in the newspapers, but these are so common 66 now, that, even when they are true, nobody believes "them." A. I. S. II.

Pilon next exercised his pen in occasional tracts; and, having produced A critical Essay on Hamlet, as performed by Mr. Henderson, procured the friendship and patronage of Colman. The first eight pieces which he produced, were Farces, with the exception of one, which was a Prelude, and were performed at Covent Garden. He generally caught whatever subject was floating uppermost in the public mind, and immediately adapted it to the stage: of course his pieces contained more ingenuity than correctness, more temporary entertainment than permanent humour. Of these pieces I have only read two lately, namely The Invasion, or a Trip to Brighthelmstone, mentioned before, and The Deaf Lover, acted in 1780. They are both laughable pieces, but with a considerable portion of alloy, and with very little, if any, pure metal.

Notwithstanding the success of his pieces at Covent Garden, the managers rejected the Opera of The Fair American, which was brought out at Drury Lane in 1782. It was acted with applause, but was the origin of all the author's future misfortunes, as he was prosecuted by the Composer for a specific and considerable sum for the music, and was obliged to conceal himself.

His next two pieces were performed at Covent Garden, Ærostation, a Farce, in 1784, and Barataria in 1785. In this year also he produced an alteration of Shakspeare's All's Well that ends Well, at the Haymarket.