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

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P R
clellan, to whom, when in
a. very low ftation in life, it
wasjoretcld by a Prophetjs
that he mould become Em-
peror of Rome, when he
ihould have killed a mighty
Boar ; in confequence of
which prediction, he appli-
ed hirnfelf more particular-
ly to the hunting of thofe
animals, but in vain. The
prophecy,, however, was at
la ft fulfilled by his putting
to death Aper, the father-
in-law, of the Emperor Mu-
merian whofe many tyran-
nies and acts of cruelty, and
particularlythe murder of his
ion-in-law, hadoccafioned a
mutiny among the people,
which Diocleiian heading,
immediately mounted the
throne he had fo long been
waiting for.
The Propbetefs ; or, The
Hijiory of Diochfian, with
alterations and additions,
alter the manner of an ope-
ra, by T. Betterton. Acted
at the Queen's Theatre, ^to.
1690. This is the above
play altered into the form
of an opera by the addition
of feveral muhcal entertain-
ments, composed by Mr.
Henry Purcell. It has been
alfo brought on the ftage
again feveral times, and
particularly during the thea-
trical adminiftration of the
late Mr. Rich.
c l 'he Prophet, Com. Op.
A&ed at Covent- Garden,
34 3
P R
1788. Met with fome ajjj&j
plaufe.
Proteus ; or, Harlequin tn
China. Pantomime, by Tylr.
Woodward, 1755. 'This
piece was performed with
very great luccefs.
The Pr.o<vok , d Knfoand ;
or,, A J ' carney to London.
Com. by C. Cibber. Acted
at Drury-Lane, 8vo. 1727.
This comedy was begun by
Sir John Vanbrugh, but
left by him imperfect at his
death, when Mr. Cibber
took it in hand, and finifh*
ed it. It met with very great
fuccefs ; yet fuch is the
power of prejudice and
perfonal pique in biafiing
the judgment, that Mr.
Cibber's enemies, ignorant
of what fhare he had in the
writing of the piece, he-
flowed the higher! applaufe
on the part which related to
Lord Townley's provoca-
tions from his wife, which
was moftly Cibber's, at the
fame time that they con-
demned and oppcied the
"journey to London part^
which was aim oft entirely
Vanbrugh's, for no other
apparent reafon but becaufe
they imagined it to be Mr.
Cibber's. He foon, how-
ever, Convinced them of
their miilake, by publishing
all the fcenes which Sir John
had left behind him, exact-
ly from his own MS. under
the