The following passage from an amusing brochure, entitled "Alfred the
Little, or Management; a Rejected Play," solves the mystery which had puzzled our simplicity, by reconciling the great talk about Shakspeare and the Legitimate Drama with the small deeds in support of them.
Alfred the Little speaks-
" Be this my policy :— I must convince the mass, by hook or crook, • How tar superior is a fairy tale To any play of Shakspeare`s—and how much A noisy Op'ra does exceed in talent Our very best—our standard dramas' range.
B—. A bold attempt—pray how attain your end? Alf Why thus : some aucient dramas do we own,
So cut and hack'd about from time to time, By fashion and caprice—that few can see The band of our immortal Shakspeare One Of these do I produce—mark me, Legitimate's
The word—a play LEGITIMATE—and this, The scenes ill-managed, and the parts ill-read,
Must so disgust capricious play-goers,
They'll cry—no more LEGITIMATES for us; And rather flock to view our scenery—
To hear our music—feast upon the beauty Ourself and friends have catered to their taste Swear there's more soul in dancing than the Bard:
And then—the vicery's ours!" • .
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