Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > New theatrical dictionary

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vourite folly, thus vehe-
mently attacked by the ftrong
lance of rea'^n and dramatic
execution. As the Gil Bias
of this author had been
forced upon the town feveral
nights after the ftrongeft
public difapprobation of it
had been exprefTed, it was
thought by his friends, that
any piece acled under his
name would be treated with
vindictive feverity. The
Rev. Jofeph Spence there-
fore permitted it, for the
frrft four nights, to be im-
puted to him, but immedi-
ately afterwards threw afide
the mafk, as he fuppofed the
fuccefs of the piece to be
no longer doubtful ; when,
flrange to tell 1 fome of the
very perfons, who had ap-
plauded it as his work, were
among the very foremoft to
condemn it as the perform-
ance of Mr. Moore. Some
part of this tragedy was
originally compofedin blank
verfe, of which feveral vef-
tiges remain.
The Gamefiers. Com. by
David Garrick, Efq. A&l-
cdatDrury-Lane,8vo.i758.
This is the piece mentioned
above, as an alteration of
Shirley's Gamejler. In this
alteration the affair of the
duel between the two friends
and the love fcenes between
them and their miftrefTes,
are very judicioufly omitted;
yet we cannot help thinking
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G A
that two very capital fcenef,
the one between Volatile and
Riot, and the other between
Riot and Arabella, which
Hand in the lait act of the
Wife's Relief, have too much
both of nature and judg-
ment not to injure the piece
by the lofs of them ; and
that therefore the alteration
of this play would have done
more juitice to the original
author, had they been fuf-
fered to remain in the fame
fituation they before pof-
fefled.
Gammer Garten's Needle.
Com. by John Still, after-
wards bifhop of Bath and
Wells, 4to. 1575: It is
one of the oldeft of our
dramatic pieces, and affords
an initance of the fimplicity
which mult ever prevail in
the early dawnings of genius.
The plot of this play, which
is written in metre, and
fpun out into five regular
acts, being nothing more
than Gammer Gurton's hav-
ing miflaid the needle with
which fhe was mending her
man Hodge's breeches
againft the enfuing Sunday,
and which, by way of cataf-
trophe to the piece, is, after
much fearch, great alterca-
tion, and fome battles in its
caufe, at lall found flicking
in the breeches themfelves.
Garrick in the Shades ; or,
A Peep into Elyfeu?n. Farce.
8vo. 1779. Tias f eems to
be