Alonzo took sail shortly after learning of Melissa’s death, so we are now in early 1783.
[Melissa’s gravestone] October 26, 1776
In the 18th year of her age.
Depending on the chronology chosen, Melissa’s reported death could have been in 1775, 1777 or 1781. Her 18th year is properly the year leading up to her 18th birthday, but may mean that she was 18 years old.
... to be opened that night only, with the tragedy of Gustavus.
Gustavus was written by Henry Brooke in 1739 and immediately banned. Its American premiere was in Baltimore on 14 June 1782.
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[Quotations]
In the 1851 text, quotations are shown either as inset verse or in quotation marks. In the 1804 original, some were printed in italics; in some of these, the italics were lost in later editions. Only a few quotations have been identified. Some of the others may be paraphrases.
Call round her laughing eyes, in playful turns,
The glance that lightens, and the smile that burns.