506 Modern Italian Comedy : [MAY/ 



The Englishman then disappears ; and the whole party,, disappointed, 

 fall out among themselves. The Cavaliere Florido," (the quarrel- 

 some gentleman) proclaims that Psctth is a shoemaker ; and the Mar- 

 chesa Livia is furious at the introduction of such a person to her house. 

 The Count Ernesto and his lady lay all the blame upon Rosbif, whom, 

 they say, deceived them, and ought to be tossed in a blanket. And 

 Rosbif then, being assailed on all sides, turns round and tells his perse- 

 cutors plainly, that the fraud, if it is one, is only one which they ought 

 to expect. That real English lords are not such ninnies as to come to 

 Rome to buy cameos or relics ; or to pay thousands of pounds for pic- 

 tures and statues, not worth a shilling, in order to get into " high 

 society/' There are many scenes in this play, and a considerable por- 

 tion of the plot, which might be adopted, either to the French or the 

 English stage, and become very pleasing and effective. 



The Prima Sera del Opera, and the Officio della Posta, are both plays 

 deriving their chief interest, as far as the English reader is concerned, 

 from the spicmens of Italian manners, which they present. The latter, 

 which was presented subsequent to the Calzolajo Inglese, contains the 

 character (by name) of " Signor Flutt," who is so constantly referred 

 to, and probably had acquired a certain reputation, in that piece. Flutt, 

 however, was better when he was heard of than when seen. In the 

 latter play, he is merely a Dutch merchant ; shrewd and plodding ; but 

 devoid of that whimsicality which distinguishes his admirer and proto- 

 type. The " First Night of the Opera," turns chiefly upon the efforts 

 of two Italian cavaliers (a title which, as it is applied in these come- 

 dies, generally, might not very improperly be translated " swindlers") 

 to procure a box for their mistresses on the first night of a new opera ; 

 both being destitute of any means of paying for it. The scene in which 

 this desired accommodation is coaxed out of a young booby citizen; 

 with the subsequent scene at the supper, which he pays for, where he 

 is cut by all the people whom he is feasting ; both these scenes are gra- 

 phically and spiritedly imagined. A scene, however, in another play 

 the last of the published series a drama, in one act, called La Bottega 

 del Caffe nel Festino, strikes us as affording a more novel picture of 

 some Italian peculiarities : and as we can only find room for one extract 

 farther, we shall conclude with a translation from it. 



The action passes in a coffee-room or saloon of refreshments at- 

 tached to and communicating with a theatre, in which a masquerade is 

 going on. Seats are arranged in different parts of the apartment, the 

 sides of which are divided into boxes, and the whole gaily lighted ; and 

 there is a " bar" in the back ground, from which a waiter serves 

 refreshments, as the company pass in and out. The first speaking 

 character who enters, in the dress of a female, and masked, is " Gia- 

 cinto," a silly lad, who is disposed to marry a girl of bad character, 

 named " Rosina ;" and the cavalier who enters, escorting the supposed 

 lady, is " Volpino," Giacinto's valet, who has brought his patron to the 

 masquerade in disguise, that he may be convinced of Madam Rosina' s 

 infidelities. 



Gia. (as they enter). "Well! but don't you see they are not here? And I 

 knew I told you they would not be. You think ill of every body ; you 

 don't know the sort of girl Rosina is. 



Vol. And you, Signer, don't know the sort of good lady, Mamma Susanna, 

 her worthy mother, is. 



