Add MS 38622

PLAYS in English, in various hands, viz: —

1. 'Der Freischütz, or the Spectre Huntsman of Bohemia': the libretto of Weber's opera, as performed at the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh [29 Dec. 1824, see J. C. Dibdin, [italics]Annals of the Edinburgh Stage,[/italics] 1888, p. 310], with the cast. Evidently the same version (attributed to — Logan by J[ames] R[obinson] Planché in a note on f. 1b) as that produced at the English Opera House on 22 July, 1824: see notice in [italics]The Times,[/italics] 23 July, 1824, and Genest, [italics]Some Account of the English Stage,[/italics] ix, p. 284. Signature of J[oseph] Ebsworth (one of the Edinburgh cast), dated 31 Dec. 1824 and 15 Jan. 1825 respectively, on ff. 20, 52. f. 1.

2. Comic piece, described by F[rederick] W[illiam] Fairholt (f. 53b) as a burlesque on James Cobb's [italics]The Haunted Tower,[/italics] and attributed by him, on grounds of handwriting, etc., to Thomas [John] Dibdin. f. 54.

3. 'The Incas, or the Peruvian Virgin: an historical opera by John Thelwall' (attribution by Thomas Crofton Croker): words only. f. 69.

4. 'Airs, etc. [words only] for Harlequin Omai, by J[ohn] O'Keeffe 1785.' With two [italics]engraved[/italics] portraits of the author prefixed. At the end: 'Mr. O'Keeffe has delay'd writing the Clown's songs till it is determin'd who does the part.' f. 165.

5. 'The Pagoda Bridge: a super-serio extra-ludicro bombastic operatic spectral spectacle interlude in one act, by the author of "Comic Tales by Two Franks."' The 'Two Franks' are identified by Planché with 'Francis Wyman, an actor at the Olympic, and his father.' f. 188.

At the end (f. 203b) is a list, in T.C. Croker's hand, of the contents of four volumes of MS. Plays, the present volume being vol. iv.

Paper; ff. i+ 204. Small quarto. XVIII-XIX centt. Art. 2 belonged in 1817 to C— Perkins (f. 68b). Belonged to Thomas Crofton Croker (d. 1854), who has annotated most of the title-pages; afterwards to his son Thomas Francis Dillon Croker (bookplate), 1851; sale-cat. 1912, part of lot 140).