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Untitled Article
X had formea an acquaintance With a gentleman of ancient famil y ^ possessed of a mass of deeds and papers relating' to his ancestors , who , finding me very partial to the examination of old documents , had permitted me to inspect them ; that , shortly after commencing my search , the mortgage deed in question had fallen into my hands , which
had been presented to me by the proprietor . I added , that the personage alluded to , well aware the name of Shakspeare must create a considerable sensation , and being a very retiring and diffident man , had bound me , by a solemn engagement , never to divulge his name . Such was the manner in which I accounted for becoming possessed of the deed , sincerely trusting that the matter would thenceforward remain buried in eternal oblivion . Your German writer of the
marvellous would exclaim—* ' No , no ! it was then too late : you had fallen into the demon ' s snare—was spell-bound—within the vortex of his machinations , and incapable of extricating yourself from the impending fate that awaited you : " be this as it may , I was not permitted to continue passive . The late Honourable Mr . Byng , afterwards Lord Torrington ; Sir Frederick Eden , Bart . ; and a long string of persons , whose names it would be superfluous to annex , gave it as their decided
opinions , that wheresoever I had found the deed , there , no doubt , the mass of papers existed which had been so long and vainly sought after by the numerous commentators upon Shakspeare , These assertions , incessantly dinned into my father ' s ears , were retailed to me with increased vehemence . I was sometimes supplicated , at others commanded to resume my search among * my supposed friend ' s papers , and not unfrequently taunted as being an absolute idiot for suffering
such a brilliant opportunity to escape me . Thus circumstanced , I knew not how to act , and cursed the first precipitate measure I had adopted ; while , at every meal , when I presented myself , the same alarum was rung in my ears , so that no alternative remained but to attempt something further , or be regarded in the light of a downright fool , not only by my father , but by the numerous personages who had
inspected and placed confidence in the mortgage deed . My evil genius predominated : I penned a few letters , and " The Profession of Faith , " all of which passed muster ; although , iu many instances , the documents produced as two hundred years oldy had not been fabricated many hours previous to their production . For a detailed account of all these forgeries I refer the reader to my " Confessions /' before adverted to ; having merely to add , that I ultimately announced
the existence of a drama , being guided in this , as in former instances , by the same thoughtless impetuosity : for it will scarcely be credited that , on hazarding such a bold statement , I literally had never essayed my pen at poetical composition , and had not penned one line of the play which I purposed producing , being no other than the present drama of Vortigern and Rowena . Prior to the completion of this
piece , the fame of my various fabrications had resounded from one extremity of the kingdom to the other ; and , on the completion of the undertaking , strenuous applications were made by the late Mr . Harris , of Covent Garden Theatre , who , in order to possess the play , forwarded a carte blanche ( by Mr . Wallace , father of the then highlyesteemed actress of that name ) to Mr . Samuel Ireland , with which , had my father acquiesced , as that theatre was favoured by the King
Untitled Article
716 Critical Notices . —Vortigerri *
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1832, page 716, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1822/page/66/
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