The Auto-Biography of John Britton, F.S.A., Honorary Member of Numerous English and Foreign Societies

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

97–99

text excerpt

Partial to comedy and farce, and disposed to the vis-comica, I chose for singing and recitation those writings of Peter Pindar, George Colman, jun., George Alexander Stevens, Charles Dibdin, and others, which seemed best calculated to amuse mixed and miscellaneous assemblies of persons, who preferred mirth to melancholy, and smiles to sighs.  Hence I was generally greeted with plaudits, and my efforts to please were always cheerfully received.

In the winter of 1799, I was engaged by a Mr. Chapman, at three guineas per week, to write, recite and sing for him, at a theatre in Panton Street, Haymarket.  That gentleman had assisted De Loutherbourg in preparing and exhibiting his “Eidophusikon,” which had proved very effective.  The scenes and machinery were purchased by Chapman, to combine with other objects for an evening entertainment. […]

[…] He added to the scenery, and introduced three or four other objects calculated to amuse the auditors.  A learned Dog, Musical Glasses, and my Monologue, were among the heterogeneous parts of this divertissement.  On the first night of my appearance, my courage and vanity were not a little damped and daunted, by a vehement volley of hisses and groans from one of the boxes, which I found proceeded from a noted roué Lord, who was in the habit of frequenting the minor theatres, for the express purpose of annoying performers and disturbing audiences, by vulgar and disgusting conduct.  Mr. Chapman’s theatre, with its contents, was consumed by fire in March, 1800.

excerpt from 'The Auto-Biography of John Britton, F.S.A., Honorary Member of Numerous English and Foreign Societies' pp. 97–99 (243 words)

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