him several new scenes, for the diversion of his audience and the better acting of several incomparable dramas of his own composing, such as 'Whittington and his Cat,' 'The Children in the Wood,' 'Dr. Faustus,' 'Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay,' 'Robin Hood and Little John,' 'Mother Shipton,' 'Mother Goose,' together with the pleasant and comical humours of Valentini, Nicolini, and the tuneful warbling pig, of Italian race."
Nearly all the humour of the application to Sir Robert Walpole, of the "Second Tale of a Tub," is now lost; but the anonymous author seems to have possessed some wit, and was much better acquainted with the ancient as well as modern drama of this country than most of his contemporaries.
From these sources we collect, most distinctly, that the popularity of Punch was completely established, and that he triumphed over all his rivals, materially lessening the receipts at least at the Opera, if not at the regular national theatres; and accomplishing, at that period, by his greater attractiveness, what Dennis, by his "Essay on Operas after the Italian manner," and other critiques de profession had been unable to effect. He could hardly have taken such firm possession of the public mind if he had only recently emigrated from his native country; and no writer of the reign of Queen Anne, who notices him at all, speaks of him as a novelty. This may be established from poetry as well as prose. Gay, in his "Shepherd's Week—Saturday," distinguishes between the tricks of "Jack Pudding in his parti-coloured jacket," and "Punch's feats," and tells us that they were both well known at rustic wakes and fairs: but perhaps the most remarkable account of our hero is to be found among Swift's humorous political pieces, in "A Dialogue between mad Mullinix and Timothy," regarding which personages it is not necessary for us to insert explanations which may easily be found elsewhere. A description of a puppet-show, as it then was exhibited, is introduced by way of illustration; and from our extract (with one omission only, for the sake of decorum), it will be seen that it possessed the recommendation of extraordinary variety.
