The notion of founding a drama upon one of those
made-up hermits who serve to decorate pleasure-grounds, is not altogether new to the English stage; O'Keefe having written a piece of the kind, called The London Her, mit, which was produced at the Haymarket in 1793. This notion has been used in a new farce, acted at the Lyceum, under the title of Wanted a Her- mit; probably without any knowledge of the former production, as O'Keefe's piece attained no permanent renown. The sham hermit, compelled to live on cold potatoes, makes a very diverting character for Keeley; while there is a good part of a maid-servant for Mrs. Keeley, and an originally-drawn Scotch gardener for Wigan. These actors could carry off any piece of tolerable merit: and there is more of intrinsic humour and knowledge of character in Wanted a Hermit, than is to be found in most of the short pro- ductions of the day.
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