Written at the time the great Rifle Volunteer movement was starting into life in England and Scotland.
——:o:——
Mr. Kemble’s Farewell Address.
On taking leave of the Edinburgh Stage.
Mr. Kemble’s last appearance in Edinburgh was on the evening of Saturday, March 29, 1817, on which occasion he performed Macbeth. At the close of the tragedy Mr. Kemble recited a beautiful farewell address, which had been composed for him by Walter Scott. It is only necessary to quote a few lines from the commencement and the end of this well-known poem:—
As the worn warhorse, at the trumpet’s sound,
Erects his mane, and neighs, and paws the ground,
Disdains the ease his generous lord assigns,
And longs to rush on the embattled lines,
So I, your plaudits ringing on mine ear,