142
NOTES AND QUERIES. [10* s. n. AUG. 20, im.
for quotations from Byron, make up the notes of a
rather unsatisfactory writer. How different from
these are the characteristics of Praed's style his
admirers will not need to be informed ; and it is
nothing less than a duty in his editor to protect
Praed's memory from the ascription of pieces im-
possible for him to have written and quite unworthy
of his fame."
These last words may be taken to heart by any biographer of FitzGerald, for it is quite impossible to ascribe to his fastidious pen the "poems" which Mr. Wright has re- printea from ' The Keepsake,' and which are even below E. M. Fitzgerald's usual form. The three pieces selected by Mr. Locker- Lampson are probabty the best that could be found, and when compared with such a poem as Praed's lines to 'My Little Cousins,' how immeasurably poor they seem. The best of these pieces, ' Chivalry at a Discount,' was corrected throughout by Praed, as is proved by the original manuscript in the possession of Sir Theodore Martin. The last four lines, for instance, originally ran :
Oh, had I lived in those bright times, Fair Cousin, for thy glances
Instead of many senseless rhymes, I had been breaking lances !
This was altered by Praed into : Oh, had I in those times been bred,
Fair Cousin, for thy glances Instead of breaking Priscian's head,
I had been breaking lances.
When the grammar of the original lines is examined, one can understand the irony of Praed's emendation. It is easy to compre- hend that FitzGerald had no desire to be mistaken for a poet of this calibre, and it is to be hoped that, should another edition of Mr. Wright's pleasant biography be called for, these pieces, which do no credit to the memory of his hero, may be expunged.
W. F. PKIDEAUX.
LOCKE'S MUSIC FOR ' MACBETH.'
MUCH confusion seems to have arisen in
the minds of our musical and theatrical
historians owing to the erroneous impression
conveyed by that arch-blunderer Downes,
in his ' Eoscius Anglicanus,' to the effect that
Davenant's sophistication of * Macbeth ' first
saw the light at the Dorset Garden theatre
late in 1672. So far from being a novelty,
the semi-opera (to adopt North's phrase)
would appear to have been a mere revival of
an older version of the tragedy, embellished
by a few spectacular adjuncts, such as the
effect of the flying witches, whose inclusion
was doubtless suggested by the superior
mechanical resources of the gorgeous new
theatre.
Davenant had died in April, 1668, after
conducting affairs at the Duke's playhouse
in Lincoln's Inn Fields since June, 1661, and
we know that during that period there had
been several revivals of ' Macbeth,' at least
two of which had had the adventitious aid
of dance and song. The tragedy was in the
bill on 28 December, 1666, when Pepys con-
sidered it "a most excellent play for variety."
What he means by " variety " is shown in his
entry of 7 January, 1667, recording another
visit to the Duke's to see ' Macbeth,' " which,
though I saw it lately, yet appears a most
excellent play in all respects, but especially
in divertisement, though it be a deep tragedy,
it being most proper here, and suitable." He
paid another visit to Davenant's house on
19 April following, and "saw 'Macbeth/
which, though I have seen it often, yet it is-
one of the best plays for a stage, and variety
of dancing and musick, that ever I saw."
The music for the production of 1666-7 was
apparently written by Matthew Locke, an
old associate of Davenant's, for some of his
"dance music in 'Macbeth'" was published
in 1666, and again in 1669. These compo-
sitions differ so strikingly in style from the
'Macbeth' music of 1672, that historians
who placidly take on trust the statement of
Downes that the latter was the work of Locke
are hard put to it to explain the discrepancy.
Surely the discovery of a score of the later
production in the autograph of Henry Pur-
cell, combined with the fact that the music
is written distinctly in his earlier style, settles
the question. Croakers, of course, will re~
mind us of the juvenility of Purcell in 1672,
and point triumphantly to Downes's state-
ment that his first theatrical effort was com-
posed in 1680 for ' Theodosius.' But the
uncorroborated testimony of a stupid old
gossip in the last stages of senile decay goes
for naught. No historical chronicle ever
published is so replete with error as the
' Roscius Anglicanus.'
One sees very well now how Downes's blunder in ascribing the 'Macbeth' music of 1672 to Locke occurred. As prompter of the old Duke's company, he had seen the pro- duction of 1666-7, for which Locke un- doubtedly composed, and a mind and memory none too well ordered at the best readily confused the two. W. J. LA WHENCE.
Dublin.
COBDEN BIBLIOGRAPHY. (See 10 th S. i. 481 ; ii. 3, 62, 103.) I ADD a few titles, accidentally omitted OF which have come to hand whilst the list was- being printed.
