it without seeming to boast?-that with my partners in this brothers' act, I was asked if I would care to accept an engagement with a circus for the summer. As to the merits of the other efforts I need say nothing now; the rest is silence. When the cynic declared that the critics were those who had failed in literature and art, he overstated his case, as is the custom of cynics. But it is an indisputable advantage for any critic to have adventured himself in the practise of the art to the discussion of which he is to devote himself; he may have failed, or at least he may not have succeeded as he could wish; but he ought to have gained a firmer grasp on the principles of the art than he would have had if he had never risked himself in the vain effort. With this brief word of personal explanation I step down from the platform of the preface to let these various essays speak for themselves. If they have any message of any value, I feel assured in advance that your friendly ear will be the first to interpret it. And I remain, Ever yours, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK. BRANDER MATTHEWS. Le ballet de la reine ILLUSTRATIONS Frontispiece FACING PAGE Upper half of Plate No. 1, the 'Miller and His Men'. A group of the principal characters from Pollock's juvenile drama, the 'Miller and His Men' ✓ Explosion of the mill. A back drop in the 'Miller and His Men' Plate No. 7, the 'Miller and His Men' Lower half of Plate No. 5, the 'Miller and His Men'. The Roman Theater at Orange 40 42 46 48 The multiple set of the French medieval stage. 134 ✔ The set of the Italian comedy of masks. 134 An outdoor entertainment in the gardens of the Pitti Palace in The set for the opera of 'Persée' (as performed at the Opéra in ✔ A prison (designed by Bibiena in Italy in the eighteenth century) 140 The screen scene of the 'School for Scandal' at Drury Lane in 1778.. The set of the last act of the 'Garden of Allah' |