The Jubilee Celebrations at Stratford-upon-Avon in the newspapers

Further Reviews of the Play

i. Lloyd’s Evening Post Oct. 13–16, 1769. An Account of the New Entertainment called The Jubilee, which was performed for the first time at the Theatre Royal in Drury-lane, on Saturday last.

Persons of the Drama

Ralph, a country clown	Mr. King
Gentlemen	Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Hurst
Irishman	Mr. Moody
Ballad Singer	Mr. Vernon
Shewmen	Mr. Hartry, Mr. Messink
Ostler	Mr. Parsons
Cook	Mr. Ackman
Cook’s Boy	Master Cape
Two Country Ladies	Mrs. Baddeley, Miss Radley
Goody Benson	Mrs. Bradshaw
Margery Jarvis	Mrs. Love
Female Ballad Singer	Mr. Dibden
Passengers, Waiters, Pedlars, and Mob

Scene, Stratford upon Avon

This little piece opens with a scene exhibiting the inside of a farm-house. Goody Benson is discovered nodding in a great chair; she is presently disturbed by her neighbour Jarvis, and a conversation ensues, in which they express their apprehensions of some mischief happening from the approaching Jubilee. These apprehensions are confirmed by Ralph, who assures them, he imagines a Popish Plot is in agitation, and that, probably, the whole town may be blown up with gunpowder. The report of cannon is soon after heard, and throws poor Ralph into an agony of terror, who, notwithstanding, pretends to keep up his courage, and entreats his companions not to be frightened.

The scene then changes to an inn-yard. A post-chaise, without horses, is seen standing at a distance. A number of Musicians in masquerade habits enter, and serenade the ladies with the following address:

Let Beauty with the Sun arise,
To Shakespeare tribute pay,
With heav’nly smiles, and speaking eyes,
Give grace and lustre to the day.
Each smile she gives protects his name,
What face shall dare to frown?
Not Envy’s self can blast the fame,
With Beauty deigns to crown.

In consequence of this serenade an Irish gentleman suddenly puts his head out of the post-chaise, and declares, it is “extremely hard they won’t let people rest in their beds. I could not get a lodging, says he, in all the town, and so I took up with the first floor of this post-chaise; there’s a bed-fellow with me, too, but the devil a wink of sleep I got till you waked me.” Upon the masquers apologizing for the disturbance they had fiven him, the Hibernian tells them, he’ll open his chamber-door, and get up; he then comes out of the chaise, and observes it is no bad thing to lie in bed ready dressed, and declares he was so hard put to it, that he was obliged to make a night-cap of his wig; he then asks the Musicians what this same Jubilee means, and is answered by one of them in the very words and manner of Mr. F. in the Devil upon two Sticks, viz. A Jubilee, is going post without horses, to hear an ode without poetry, music without melody, to have dinners without victuals, &c. &c. &c. The celebrated ballad of Warwickshire Will … is then sung by Mr. Vernon and Mr. Dibden, and upon their going off with the chorus runs Warwickshire Thief, &c. Paddy sagaciously remarks, he believes they are all thieves.

A great bustle soon after appears among the servants of the inn; the Waiters run across the stage in prodigious confusion: one traveller takes away another’s breakfast. A Gentleman calls for his boots to the Ostler, who says, they lie all in a heap in the stable, and he may go and chuse those he likes best; and on the Gentleman assuring the fellow, his were new ones, he is answered, Oh, lack a day, Sir, all the new ones ha’ been gone this half hour, first come, first served, you know. A Waiter orders one of his brethren to carry eight glasses of jelly to the little thin man, who is with the tall lady in Love’s Labour Lost; and bids another go and endeavour to prevent the quarrel in the Catharine and Petruchio. A Pedlar offers some toys made of the celebrated mulberry-tree to the Irishman, but is interrupted by another of the same calling, and a dispute ensues between them, by which it appears, that one never had any of the wood of the real tree, and the other, who had made an affidavit he was in possession of a small quantity, had sold more than would make a gallows to hang up his whole generation; this so irritates the Dublin gentleman, that he swears he will make some of the mulberry liquor run about their pates, beats them off the stage, and after determining to take a little hot punch, and steal a nap for nothing, in the midst of the hurry, makes his exit.

The scene now changes to a fine view of the principal street in Stratford. A number of Constables post themselves on each side of the stage, the musical bells ring, and the pageant is introduced to the following chorus.

Hence ye prophane! and only they,
Our pageant grace our pomp survey,
Whom love of sacred genius brings:
Let pride, let flatt’ry decree,
Honors to deck the memory,
Of warriors, senators, and kings;
Not less in glory, and desert,
The poet here receives his part,
A tribute from the feeling heart.

A conversation then commences between two country girls: one of them, a perfect rustic, is not a little astonished that such a noise and rout should be made about a poor poet; on which the other, who, from having seen Birmingham, Coventry, and some of the neighbouring towns, fancies herself a very accomplished lady, endeavours to explain the matter, by singing The pride of all Nature was Sweet Willy, O! &c. This, however, does not satisfy her companion, who replies in the following lines:

All this for a poet—O no,
Who liv’d lord knows how long ago!
How can you jeer one,
How can you steer one,
A poet, a poet—O no:
’Tis not so,
Who liv’d lord knows how long ago.

It must be some great man,
A prince, or a state-man,
It can’t be a poet—O no:
Your poet is poor,
And nobody sure,
Regards a poor poet I trow:
The rich ones we prize,
Send ’em up to the skies,
But not a poor poet—O no—
Who liv’d lord knows how long ago.

As the girls go off the Irishman appears, and enquires of the Cook’s Boy when the procession is to begin? The lad assures him the Pagans are passed by, and that the gentlefolks are all gone to see the Jubleo finished in the Round-house. This information greatly distresses the Hibernian, who is very angry at the wet weather, and says the Steward ought to be called to an account for it. He then laments his having fallen asleep when he ought to have been awake, and declares Stratford is the vilest place in the world, for we can get nothing to eat, says he, and are forced to pay double for that, too.

The inside of the grand room, decorated with transparent pictures, which make a most beautiful appearance, is then discovered. Shakespeare, crowned with laurels, is supported by the Tragic and Comic Muses, is seen at the extremity of the stage: the principle characters of his plays are ranged on each side.

The following roundelay is sung by Mr. Vernon, Miss Radley, &c.

Sisters of the tuneful strain!
Attend your parent’s jocund train,
’Tis Fancy calls you, follow me,
To celebrate the Jubilee.

On Avon’s banks, where Shakespeare’s bust
Points out, and guards his sleeping dust,
The sons of Scenic Mirth agree
To celebrate this Jubilee.

Come, daughters come, and bring with you
Th’Aerial Sprite and Fairy Crew,
And the Sister-Graces three,
To celebrate our Jubilee

Hang around the sculptur’d tomb
The ’broider’d vest, the nodding plume,
And the mask of comic glee,
To celebrate our Jubilee.

From Birnam Wood and Bosworth’s Field,
Bring the standard, bring the shield,
With drums, and marital symphony,
To celebrate our Jubilee.

In mournful numbers now relate,
Poor Desdemona’s hapless fate,
With frantic deeds of jealousy,
To celebrate our Jubilee.

No be Windsor’s Wives forgot,
With their harmless, merry plot,
The whit’ning mead and haunted tree,
To celebrate our Jubilee.

Now in jocund strains recite
The humours of the braggard knight,
Fat Knight! and antient Pistol, he!
To celebrate our Jubilee.

But see! in crowds the gay, the fair,
To the splendid scene repair,
A scene as fine, as fine can be,
To celebrate our Jubilee.

Yet Colin bring, and Rosalind,
Each shepherd true, and damsel kind,
For well with ours, their sports agree,
To crown the festive Jubilee.

A grand dance is performed, and the entertainment concludes with the following chorus:

Immortal be his name,
His memory, his fame!
Matchless Shakespeare, full in thee!
Join’d by everlasting ties,
Shakespeare but with Nature dies.
Immortal be his name,
His memory, his fame!

The prologue to this piece was admirably spoken by Mr. King, in the character of a Waiter. He compared the two theatres to a couple of little alehouses between Hounslow and Colnbrooke, the landlords of which both put up signs of the magpie, with the following inscriptions, viz. under the first was written,

—This is the Old Magpy and the right,
And the other set up for none but spight.

The present theatrical contention was then alluded to, by Mr. King’s observing that the young Magpye started first, and the old one hopped after; that, however, they might puff off their own praises, their customers would always judge for themselves, for their ware was, like Ashley’s, pro bono public; and that as each would crib from 2nd peck at the other,

—If the Town fair play would grant ’em,
They’d meet with pastime from each little Bantum.

Mr. King then said he must retire to make his Jubilee punch,

Well squeeze his fruit—put sugar and rum in—and on the ringing of a bell ran off crying,

—coming! coming! coming!

The above piece, which, with respect to the decorations and pageant, is one of the most magnificent exhibitions that ever was presented on the English Stage, is composed by Mr. Garrick, who modestly calls it, an entertainment of singing and dancing.

ii. Middlesex Journal or Chronicle of Liberty Oct. 14–17, 1769

An Account of the New Entertainment called The Jubilee, which was performed for the first time at the Theatre Royal in Drury-Lane on Saturday last.

… The order of the pageant exhibited in honour of Shakespeare, at the Theatre Royal in Drury-Lane, on Saturday last.

*The characters of each play were proceeded by persons properly habited, bearing streamers of various colours, on which were elegantly inscribed on a scroll, the name of the performance.

Sixteen attendants with tambours.
Two attendants bearing the inscrimptions.
A band of music.
As you like it. Touchstone and Audrey; Orlando and Rosalind; Jaques, Adam and Foresters.
Tempest. Prospero, Ferdinando, and Miranda; Ariel, Caliban and drunken sailors.
Merchant of Venice. Bassanio, Portia; the caskets on a bier richly ornamented; Shylock the Jew with his knife and bond, Senators, &c.
Twelfth Night. Sir Andrew Ague-Cheek, Sir Toby Belch, Malvolio, Oliva, and attendants.
Midsummer Night’s Dream. Bottom with an ass’s head, a number of children representing fairies; Oberon the fairy king and Titania his queen seated in an elegant carriage; Robin Good-fellow, Pease Blossom, Cobweb, &c.
Merry Wives of Windsor. Justice Shallow, Slender, Sir Hugh Evans, Dr. Caius, Jack Rugby, Host of the Garter, Ancient Pistol; Sir John Falstaff, between Mrs. For and Mrs. Page; Bardolph, Nym, &c.
Much-a-do about Nothing. Benedict and Beatrice; Pedro, Leonato, and Masqueraders.
The Comic Muse, (Mrs. Abington) seated on a magnificent car, drawn by Satyrs, and attended by the different characters of the ancient comedy.
A band of martial music.
Richard III. King Richard giving directions to Tyrrell, with respect to the murder of the two young princes, who follow, led by the Queen Dowager, their mother. Yeoman of the guards, &c.
Cymbeline. Bellarius, Guiderius, Arviragus, Imogen, Posthumous, and attendants.
Hamlet. The ghost beckoning to Hamlet, who is held by his mother; Ophelia in the mad scene; the two grave diggers.
Othello. The Duke conversing with Brabantio; Othello leading Desdemona; Jago, Roderigo, officers, &c.
Romeo and Juliet. Peter and the nurse, the friar, Romeo and Juliet, servants, &c.
Henry VIII. Lord Chaimberlain, the King, leaning on Cardinal Wolsey; Anna Bullen, Archbishop Cranmer, guards, &c.
King Lear. Edgar in the storm scene; Lear between Kent and Cordelia; heralds and attendants.
Macbeth. Macbeth and his lady in the dagger scene. Hecate and the witches with the burning cauldron.
Julius Caesar. Lictors, tribunes, &c. Caesar and the soothsayer followed by Brutus and Cassius.
Anthony and Cleopatra. Egyptian slaves, Anthony and Cleopatra, black eunuchs, &c.
Apollo with his lyre. (Mr. Vernon)
The Tragic Muse (Mrs. Barry) on a triumphal car, surrounded by Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, and Urania.
The figure of Shakespeare from his monument in Westminster Abbey, with emblematical ornaments, and a numerous train of attendants, which closed the procession.

The music of the pageant was composed by Dibdin, and the characters represented by the principal performers in the Theatre, as Mr. Garrick (Benedict), Mr. King (Touchstone), Mr. Holland (King Richard), Mr. Cautherly (Hamlet), Mr. Bereton (Romeo), Mr. Love (Falstaff), Mr. Reddish (Lear), Mr. Aikin (Anthony), Mrs. Hopkins (the Queen in Richard), Miss Pope (Beatrice), Mrs. W. Barry (Portia). &c. &c.

The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy theory from the late seventeenth century that imagined that Catholics were plotting to assassinate Charles II.