With these words he left the apartment, and very soon afterwards the house.
It may appear to a great many persons a remarkable circumstance that a pantomime Clown should have been called upon to read a lesson of politeness and common decency to a reverend divine. The circumstance, however, happened literally as it is here narrated. A somewhat similar story has been told of another well-known actor; but this rudeness, whether it arose in ignorance or intention, was offered to Grimaldi by the reverend gentleman in question, whose name he well remembered, but which we abstain from mentioning.
The Christmas pantomime at Covent Garden was entitled "Harlequin and the Red Dwarf, or the Adamant Rock:" it was entirely successful.[61] On Easter Monday, 1813, the melodrama of "Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp," written by Mr. Farley, was acted for the first time, Grimaldi playing the character of Kasrac, a dumb slave, which became one of his most popular characters.[62] The Sadler's Wells season merits no further notice than that, as usual, it was very profitable, and that Grimaldi produced a dance, called "Fun and Physic," which was performed every night.
[61] The pantomime of "Harlequin and the Red Dwarf," notwithstanding the scenery was superb, and the changes and machinery entitled to great praise, was in no way so successful as several of the former similar productions brought out at Covent Garden; and yet the burlesques introduced by Joe were sufficiently droll to prompt several highly coloured prints of certain characters in the print-shops of that day. The scenes in which the Epping Hunt was represented, supplied one of the finest landscapes ever displayed in any theatre. Horses were introduced—a jolly fat Parson, Pantaloon, and the Clown, took part in the joys of the chase; Pantaloon on a little Shetland pony was followed by Grimaldi on a great cart-horse, aping the mammoth wonder for size; Joe with a long wagoner's whip in his hand, and a jockey-cap, the peak of prodigious extent, seemed as anxious to be in at the death as if nothing in the world was comparable to it; his eagerness created a doubt whether Barnes and his miniature horse would or would not be galloped over by Joe and his Bucephalus—or be trundled over, horse and man, for the popular diversion.
On February 8th, 1813, the comic burletta of "Poor Vulcan" was revived at Covent Garden—the bills stated, "not acted for many years." In this piece there was a pastoral ballet at Mount Ida, in which the characters were thus sustained: Silenus, Mr. Bologna; Bacchanals, Mr. Bologna, jun., and M. Montignani; Pan, Mr. Grimaldi; and Bacchante, Mrs. Parker. Joe's attachment to his old part of Pan in "Terpsichore's Return," was here again renewed; it was performed a sixth time on the 16th of the same month.
[62] The gorgeous spectacle of "Aladdin" was, after Douglas by Master Betty, performed for the first time on April 19th. "Aladdin" was represented by Mrs. C. Kemble; Abanazar, the Magician, by Mr. Farley; and Kasrac, his Chinese Slave, by Mr. Grimaldi: it was highly attractive, and was performed for the thirty-fourth time on June 21. Grimaldi's benefit this year was on July 1st, when were performed "Five miles off;" "Love, Law, and Physic," and for the forty-second time, "Harlequin and the Red Dwarf." At the close of this season, by permission of the proprietors of Drury Lane Theatre, Sheridan's "Robinson Crusoe and his Man Friday" was produced at Covent Garden; the Shipwrecked Mariner, by Mr. Grimaldi; his Man Friday, by Mr. Bologna, jun. It was repeated a few times, and the season terminated on July 15th.
Joe's popularity at this period is thus happily celebrated by the late James Smith, in the following—
TRIBUTARY STANZAS TO GRIMALDI, THE CLOWN.
Facetious mime! thou enemy of gloom;
Grandson of Momus, blithe and debonair,