and the bishop's arguments, that
apron of black silk which has long been thought peculiar to prelates.
Another satirical illustration bore the title of "Ecclesiastical
Scrutiny; or, The Durham Inquest on Duty." Bishops were represented as
attending in the dressing department of the opera-house; one is seen
to be measuring the dancers' skirts with a tailor's yard; another
arranges their stockings in an ungraceful fashion; while a third
inspects their corsets, decreeing some change in the form of those
articles of attire. The Bishop of Durham was further portrayed in
another broadsheet as armed with his pastoral staff, and sturdily
contesting hand to hand with the Spirit of Evil arrayed in ballet
costume. In short, this subject of the bishops and the ballet-girls
occupied and amused the public very considerably, and doubtless proved
profitable, as an advertisement of his wares, to the manager of the
opera-house.

Still the bishops kept a watchful eye upon the proceedings of the
theatre. In 1805 there is record of a riot at the opera-house, "some
reforming bishops having warned the managers that if the performances
were not regularly brought to a close before twelve o'clock on
Saturday evenings, prosecutions would be commenced." Accordingly, the
performances were shortened by the omission of an act of the ballet of
"Ossian," greatly to the dissatisfaction of the audience, who
assaulted Mr. Kelly, the manager, commenced an attack upon the
chandeliers, benches, musical instruments, &c., and indeed threatened
to demolish the theatre. The curtain had fallen at half-past eleven,
which the audience thought much too early. Of a certain prelate it was
recorded that he frequently attended the Saturday-night performances
at the opera-house, and that upon the approach of midnight he was wont
to stand up in his box holding out his watch at arm's length, by way
of intimating to the spectators that it was time for them to depart
and for the theatre to close. Of course this bishop could hardly have
avoided seeing the ballet; but for whatever distress he may have
endured on that account, a sense of his efforts to benefit his
species, including of course the opera-dancers, no doubt afforded him
a sufficient measure of compensation.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

CORRECT COSTUMES.

The question of dress has always been of the gravest importance to the
theatrical profession. It was a charge brought against the actors of
Elizabeth's time, th