The School of Action was the play which Steele was endeavouring to finish in 1723-5. The fragment which we have would have required a great deal of revising before it could have been put upon the stage. The MS., from which the piece was printed by Nichols, is in the British Museum (Add. MS., 5145c). It is not in Steele's writing, and the first few leaves are now wanting. I have restored the original reading in several instances in which Nichols made unnecessary alterations. There are several memoranda on the subject among the Blenheim MSS. Here is one of them:—
"Minutes for the play itself.—First Act. The beginning as I have it at Home in ye Scheme between Brainwell and Lightfoot; after yt ye calling over ye House wth the actors, and ye severall purposes yt ye Playhouse might be usefull for signified.—Act 2d. The Country family wait as in an Inn at the playhouse; all that can be done by the playhouse to terrifie ye Attorney and his Wife, and all that can delight ye young Lady by Theatricall Powers is exposed and explained. A Critick upon various Actions.—Act 3d. The Electra of Sophocles, where Mrs. Porter is to be the Queen, and ye Tragedy of Sophocles to be made ye Moddle is thoroughly set forth in a way attempted to be truly sublime.—Act 4th. The Country Family, knowing of the Murder done there, resolved to bear Witness of it and prosecute it according to Law." And again, "Let Booth be Orestes, with all the prepossession and love of His Mother with the necessity upon Him of killing Her, and resolving upon it all of a sudden from passion to passion in an Hurry,—yet commanding all his Resentments to execute His design.—His regard for His sister and her urging Him." The following are other rough notes:—"Jenky to be instructed to be a ghost and torment His Brother—not to be yt of Hamlet. Johnson to be the false Brother—Mrs. Willis, His Wife, urging to give up.—They miss the young lady for 2d. Act—but don't value so yt Her fortune is safe in His hands.... Let Pinsars ramble from place to place, and getting clear of the Play House—where he meets Evill Constable (?) and His Mirmidons.—Then Buntho's Ghost and all the other incidents possible—appears still in ye House, and gives up to Severn, &c." And again:—"Introduce a Woman, Drunk, to be acted by Cibber, to talk at beginning Lewdly in a Mask, ye rest in Whisper. Let Pinsars be assisted by an Army of ye Playhouse to fight his way out; he and his man Ralph and his Wife Striking all in earnest, assisted by the Constable.... Let Him Threaten to demolish the Whore of Babylon—Speak of the Dragon and all the Cant of the Presbyterian Zeal against Plays, &c., but fight.... For the Prologue take notice of this play as a Posthumous Work according to Dr. Partridge's freinds. Spider and Dotterell's Quality: Beasts made before men—Therefore the Dotterells must give way, for they were made before Spiders were in being, and not made before they were men."
The following notes evidently refer to another piece:—"To take the play yt Lyes in loose parts in my Scrutoire and lay it together for the Stage: To ridicule ye whole Mechanick of Dr. Faustus, &c., and all things of that kind for ye Theatre—make persons to play tricks, break necks, and the like.... There is no true nobility but in the practise of Vertue and right reason, where there is nothing can be little.... Make him go to his certain Ruin for want of knowledge in a Circumstance he might know if he had looked into a letter wch contains a secret Contrived against him, but he cannot pry into because it comes into his Hands unwarrantably: make this ye great Incident of his distress.... To ridicule our Slavery to Italian Musick, to have an ode of Anacreon set in Greek performed. To observe upon ye absurdity of making distresses and mirth for ye Vulgar out of ye Accidents yt befall the body, as in the play of The Chances: The old Woman in her Colick pains toothless and defective through age is exposed as a Jest."
DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.
Mr. Severn, a barrister, lover of Miss Dolly.
Mr. Humber, his friend.
Mr. Pincers, an old wealthy country Attorney, guardian to Dolly.