The Project Gutenberg EBook of Speed the Plough, by Thomas Morton

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Title: Speed the Plough
A Comedy, In Five Acts; As Performed At The Theatre Royal, Covent Garden

Author: Thomas Morton

Release Date: September 29, 2006 [EBook #19407]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: SPEED THE PLOUGH

ASHFIELD--DICKENS AND DAISES! WHAT A GENTLEMAN
YOU WOU'D BE TO SHEW AT A FAIR!

ACT I SCENE II

PAINTED BY SINGLETON PUBLISH'D BY LONGMAN & CO. ENGRAVED BY FITTLER

1806]

SPEED THE PLOUGH;
A COMEDY,
IN FIVE ACTS;

AS PERFORMED AT THE
THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.

BY THOMAS MORTON, ESQ.

PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE MANAGERS FROM THE PROMPT BOOK.

WITH REMARKS
BY MRS. INCHBALD.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, AND ORME,
PATERNOSTER ROW.

SAVAGE AND EASINGWOOD,
PRINTERS, LONDON.

REMARKS.

This comedy excites that sensation, which is the best security for the
success of a drama--curiosity. After the two first acts are over, and
pleasantly over, with the excellent drawn characters of Ashfield and his
wife, and the very just satire which arises from Sir Abel's propensity
to modern improvements--the acts that follow excite deep interest and
ardent expectation; both of which are so highly gratified at the
conclusion of the play, that, from the first night of its performance,
it has ranked among the best of the author's productions, and in the
first class of modern comedies.

The various characters of this play are admirably designed, but not so
happily finished as the author meant them to be--witness, Bob Handy, who
begins a self-conceited coxcomb, and ends a tragedy confidant.

But the good intentions of an author are acceptable: execution will not
always follow conception; and the last may often give as much
instruction, though not equal delight with the former: as an instance,
who does not see the folly of attempting to _do every thing_ in Handy,
though he is more the shadow, than the substance of a character.

Notwithstanding th