Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

DRAMAS.

THE GOOD-NATURED MAN;

A COMEDY:

AS PERFORMED AT

THE THEATRE-ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.

London: Printed for W. Griffin, in Catharine Street, Strand, 1768. 8vo. Price 18. 6d.

"The Good-Natured Man " was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre (then under the management of the elder Colman), on the 29th of January, 1768; ran ten nights, and went through at least five editions the same year.

Goldsmith seems to have taken the hint of Mr. Honeywood's character (the Good-natured man of the piece), from "the celebrated Mr. Swho, at that time, went by the name of "The Good-Natured Man,” the lover of the unfortunate Miss Braddock, commemorated in his own "Life of Nash." (See Vol. iv.) He owned to Johnson, as Johnson informed Boswell, that he had borrowed the character of Croaker from Suspirius in The Rambler (No. 59). Mr. Forster has pointed out resemblances in the 92nd Letter of "The Citizen of the World." Forster's Goldsmith, vol. ii., p. 58; ed. 1854.

See

PREFACE.

WHEN I undertook to write a comedy, I confess I was strongly prepossessed in favour of the poets of the last age, and strove to imitate them. The term, genteel comedy, was then unknown amongst us, and little more was desired by an audience, than nature and humour, in whatever walks of life they were most conspicuous. The author of the following scenes never imagined that more would be expected of him, and therefore to delineate character has been his principal aim. Those who know anything

of composition, are sensible that, in pursuing humour, it will sometimes lead us into the recesses of the mean; I was even tempted to look for it in the master of a sponging-house; but in deference to the public taste, grown of late, perhaps, too delicate, the scene of the bailiffs was retrenched in the representation.' In deference also to the judgment of a few friends, who think in a particular way, the scene is here restored. The author submits it to the reader in his closet; and hopes that too much refinement will not banish humour and character from ours, as it has already done from the French theatre. Indeed, the French comedy is now become so very elevated and sentimental, that it has not only banished humour and Molière from the stage, but it has banished all spectators too.2

"The scene of the bailiffs" in the opening of the third act appeared so broad in its humour, as on the first night to keep the fate of the piece some time in suspense; nor was its safety fully secured till the fourth act, where Shuter, in the character of Croaker, read the supposed incendiary letter.

2 "Returning home one day from dining at the chaplain's table, Mr. Johnson told me that Dr. Goldsmith had given a very comical and unnecessarily exact recital there of his own feelings when his play was hissed; telling the company how he went to the

« ZurückWeiter »