IS^OTE ON SOME OLD PLAY-BILLS. 149 



hiindi'ed years ago, and probably a provincial theatre in the last 

 centxiry was better than now, when everyone can run up to Lon- 

 don and see the best actors. 



The company consisted of nine gentlemen, four ladies and a 

 boy, and their selection of plays included tragedies, such as 

 Eichard III, Hamlet, Eomeo and Juliet ; comedies, such as "As 

 you like it," and " The Brothers ;" farces and comic operas. 



The prices wei'e not extravagant ; for the best places, i.e. the 

 pit, you only had to pay Is. 6d., the 1st gallery cost Is., and the 

 2nd gallery 6d. 



The interesting point for inhabitants of this town is that we 

 invariably find the leading parts taken by a Mr. Foote. I am 

 strongly of opinion that this Mr. Foote is no other than the 

 great actor, wit and author, Samuel Foote, who was born in 

 Triiro, in 1721, and died in Dover, in 1777. It is true that in 

 the "Memoirs of Samuel Foote," by WiUiam Cooke, (London, 

 1805) there is no mention of Foote ever having acted in Cornwall, 

 but at the same time there is no mention of his having been 

 anywhere else in the spring of 1772, and therefore, until the 

 contrary is proved, I think we may safely assume that Foote 

 acted in Launceston. 



I have to thank Mr. Pearse for kindly allowing me to exhibit 

 his play-bills this evening, and he has been good enough to pre- 

 sent one of them to the Museum of this Institution. 



A o 



