The Poems of Felicia Hemans
A day of triumph! Ay, for thee alone!
[_He throws himself upon the body of_ Raimond.
_Curtain falls._
ANNOTATIONS ON THE “VESPERS OF PALERMO.”
“_The Vespers of Palermo_ was the earliest of the dramatic productions
of our author. The period in which the scene is laid, is sufficiently
known from the title of the play. The whole is full of life and action.
The same high strain of moral propriety marks this piece as all others
of her writings. The hero is an enthusiast for glory, for liberty, and
for virtue: and on his courage, his forbearance, the integrity of his
love, making the firmness of his patriotism appear doubtful, rests
the interest of the plot. It is worthy of remark, that some of its
best parts have already found their way into an excellent selection of
pieces for schools, and thus contribute to give lessons of morality to
those who are most susceptible of the interest of tragedy.
“It may not be so generally remembered, that the same historical event
was made the subject of a French tragedy, about the same time that
the English one was written, and by a poet now of great popularity
in France. We hesitate not to give the preference to Mrs Hemans,
for invention and interest, accurate delineation of character, and
adherence to probability. Both the tragedies are written in a style of
finished elegance.”--Professor Norton _in North American Review_, 1827.
* * * * *
It was in 1821, as mentioned in the prefatory note, that Mrs Hemans
composed _The Vespers of Palermo_, and that the MS. was handed over to
the Managing Committee of Covent Garden. Two years elapsed before her
doubts regarding its fate were removed, and the result was as follows.
In giving it here, let the reader remember, meanwhile, that we are
carried forward, for the space of time mentioned, beyond the pale of
our literary chronology:--
“After innumerable delays, uncertainties, and anxieties,” writes her
sister, “the fate of the tragedy, so long in abeyance, was now drawing
to a crisis. Every thing connected with its approaching representation
was calculated to raise the highest hopes of success. ‘All is going
on,’ writes Mrs Hemans on the 27th November, ‘as well as I could
possibly desire. Only a short time will yet elapse before the ordeal
is over. I received a message yesterday from Mr Kemble, informing me
of the unanimous opinion of the green room conclave in favour of the
piece, and exhorting me to “be of good courage.” Murray has given me
two hundred guineas for the copyright of the “tragedy, drama, poem,
composition, or book,” as it is called in the articles which I signed
yesterday. The managers made exceptions to the name of _Procida_--why
or wherefore I know not; and out of several others which I proposed to
them, _The Vespers of Palermo_ has been finally chosen.’
“Under these apparently favourable auspices, the piece was produced
at Covent Garden on the night of December 12, 1823, the principal
characters being taken by Mr Young, Mr C. Kemble, Mr Yates, Mrs
Bartley, and Miss F. H. Kelly. Two days had to elapse before the news
of its reception could reach St Asaph. Not only Mrs Hemans’s own
family, but all her more immediate friends and neighbours, were wrought
up to a pitch of intense expectation. Various newspapers were ordered
expressly for the occasion, and the post-office was besieged at twelve
o’clock at night, by some of the more zealous of her friends, eager
to be the first heralds of the triumph so undoubtingly anticipated.
The boys had worked themselves up into an uncontrollable state of
excitement, and were all lying awake ‘to hear about mamma’s play;’ and
perhaps her bitterest moment of mortification was, when she went up to
their bedsides, which she nerved herself to do almost immediately, to
announce that all their bright visions were dashed to the ground, and
that the performance had ended in all but a failure. The reports in
the newspapers were strangely contradictory, and, in some instances,
exceedingly illiberal: but all which were written in anything like
an unbiassed tone, concurred entirely with the private accounts, not
merely of partial friends, but of perfectly unprejudiced observers,
in attributing this most unexpected result to the inefficiency of the
actress who personated Constance, and who absolutely seemed to be under
the influence of some infatuating spell, calling down hisses, and even
laughter, on scenes the most pathetic and affecting, and, to crown all,
_dying gratuitously_ at the close of the piece. The acting of Young
and Kemble in the two Procidi, was universally pronounced to have been
beyond all praise, and their sustained exertions showed a determination
to do all possible justice to the author. It was admitted that, at the
fall of the curtain, applause decidedly predominated: still the marks
of disapprobation were too strong to be disregarded by the managers,
who immediately decided upon withdrawing the piece, till another
actress should have fitted herself to undertake the part of Constance,
when they fully resolved to reproduce it. Mrs Hemans herself was
very far from wishing that this fresh experiment should be made. ‘Mr
Kemble,’ writes she to a friend, ‘will not hear of _The Vespers_ being
driven off the stage. It is to be reproduced as soon as Miss Foote, who
is now unwell, shall be sufficiently recovered to learn her part; but
I cannot tell you how I shrink, after the fiery ordeal through which I
have passed, from such another trial. Mr Kemble attributes the failure,
without the slightest hesitation, to what he delicately calls “a
singularity of intonation in one of the actresses.” I have also heard
from Mr Milman, Mr J. T. Coleridge, and several others, with whom there
is but one opinion as to the cause of the disaster.’
“Few would, perhaps, have borne so unexpected a reverse with feelings
so completely untinged with bitterness, or with greater readiness to
turn for consolation to the kindness and sympathy which poured in upon
her from every side. It would be doing her injustice to withhold her
letter to Mr Milman, written in the first moments of disappointment.
‘Bronwylfa, Dec. 16, 1823.
“‘My dear Sir,--It is difficult to part with the hopes of three years,
without some painful feelings; but your kind letter has been of more
service to me than I can attempt to describe. I will not say that it
revives my hopes of success, because I think it better that I should
fix my mind to prevent those hopes from gaining any ascendency; but it
sets in so clear a light the causes of failure, that my disappointment
has been greatly softened by its perusal. The many friends from whom
I have heard on this occasion, express but one opinion. As to Miss
Kelly’s acting, and its fatal effect on the fortunes of the piece,
I cannot help thinking that it will be impossible to counteract the
unfavourable impression which this must have produced, and I almost
wish, as far as relates to my own private feelings, that the attempt
may not be made. I shall not, however, interfere in any way on the
subject. I have not heard from Mr Kemble; but I have written both to
him and to Mr Young, to express my grateful sense of their splendid
exertions in support of the piece. As a female, I cannot help feeling
rather depressed by the extreme severity with which I have been
treated in the morning papers. I know not why this should be, for I am
sure I should not have attached the slightest value to their praise;
but I suppose it is only a proper chastisement for my temerity--for a
female who shrinks from such things has certainly no business to write
tragedies.
“‘For your support and assistance, as well as that of my other
friends, I cannot be too grateful; nor can I ever consider any
transaction of my life unfortunate, which has given me the privilege
of calling you a friend, and afforded me the recollection of so much
long-tried kindness.--Ever believe me, my dear sir, most faithfully,
your obliged
“‘F. Hemans.’
“Notwithstanding the determination of the managers again to bring
forward _The Vespers_, a sort of fatality seemed to attend upon it, and
some fresh obstacle was continually arising to prevent the luckless
Constance from obtaining an efficient representative on the London
stage. Under these circumstances, Mr Kemble at length confessed that
he could not recommend the reproduction of the piece; and Mrs Hemans
acquiesced in the decision, with feelings which partook rather of
relief than of disappointment. She never ceased to speak in the warmest
terms of Mr Kemble’s liberal and gentlemanly conduct, both before and
after the appearance of the piece, and of his surpassing exertions at
the time of its representation.
“It was with no small degree of surprise that, in the course of the
following February, she learned, through the medium of a letter from
Mrs Joanna Baillie,[192] that the tragedy was shortly to be represented
at the Edinburgh theatre--Mrs Henry Siddons undertaking the part of
Constance. The play was brought out on the 5th of April, and the
following particulars of its reception, transmitted by one of the
zealous friends who had been instrumental in this arrangement, will
prove how well their kindly intentions were fulfilled:
“‘The tragedy went off in a style which exceeded our most sanguine
expectations, and was announced for repetition on Wednesday, amidst
thunders of applause. The actors seem to have done wonders, and every
one appeared to strain every nerve, as if all depended on his own
exertions. Vandenhoff was the elder, and Calcraft the younger Procida.
The first recognition between father and son, was acted by them to such
perfection, that one of the most hearty and unanimous plaudits followed
that ever was heard.
“‘Every reappearance of the gentle Constance won the spectators more
and more. The scene in the judgment-hall carried off the audience into
perfect illusion, and handkerchiefs were out in every quarter. Mrs
Siddons’s searching the faces of the judges, which she did in a wild
manner, as if to find Raimond’s father was to save him, was perfect.
She flew round the circle--went, as if distracted, close up to judge
after judge--paused before Procida, and fell prostrate at his feet.
The effect was magical, and was manifested by three repeated bursts of
applause.’
“A neatly turned and witty epilogue, surmised, though not declared, to
be the production of Sir Walter Scott, was recited by Mrs H. Siddons.
When deference to a _female_ was there laid claim to, loud bursts of
applause ensued; but when generosity to a _stranger_ was bespoken, the
house absolutely rang with huzzas.”
“‘I knew how much you would rejoice,’ wrote Mrs Hemans to a
warm-hearted friend, ‘in the issue of my Edinburgh trial; it has,
indeed, been most gratifying, and I think, amongst the pleasantest of
its results I may reckon a letter from Sir Walter Scott, of which it
has put me in possession. I had written to thank him for the kindness
he had shown with regard to the play, and hardly expected an answer;
but it came, and you would be delighted with its frank and unaffected
kindliness. He acknowledges the epilogue, “stuffed,” as he says it
was, “with parish jokes, and bad puns;” and courteously says, that his
country folks have done more credit to themselves than to me, by their
reception of _The Vespers_.’
“To another uncompromising champion she wrote:--‘I must beg you will
“bear our faculties meekly:” you really seem to be rather in an
intoxicated state; and if we indulge ourselves in this way, I am afraid