PREFACE.
The following tragedy is founded on a well-known
fact, which happened, the author believes,
somewhere in the South of France, and so recently
as in the year Eighty-three. The old count in question,
had been immured in a secret dungeon six years,
by his cruel son, and a confidential villian who had
been bred up in the castle, when he was accidentally
discovered by a nobleman who was the old count's
particular friend. Not having heard of the count's
supposed death (owing to a long absence from France),
he unexpectedly arrived to pass a few days with him,
when the castle was so full of guests, that the old
count's bed-chamber was the only one unoccupied.
This chamber communicated with the dungeon by a
secret door, concealed by tapestry; and through the
hurry attending the revelry in the castle, had been left
open by the young count's abominable agent, the
evening his father's old friend was to sleep in a room
which had been carefully shut up till that night, ever
since the count's supposed decease. In the course of
the night, the noble guest, awakened by a noise in
the chamber, discovered his old friend, and an explanation
taking place, the officers of justice were, unexpectedly,
called in the next day from a neighbouring
city: the old count was liberated, but, too feeble to
bear such a sudden change, died in a few days; his
execrable son was condemned to be imprisoned for his
life, which would not have been spared, but at the
powerful intercession of his noble relations, who, according
to the laws of France, would have been disgraced
and degraded by his public and merited execution.
The part of the countess, with some others,
have been imagined by the author, to form a plot fit
for the stage; and to give it all the advantages of
Mrs. Siddons's unrivalled performance. How well
she has justified his hopes, the public, whom she has
enchanted with her transcendent efforts, knows; but
it cannot know how much she has surpassed his highest
expectations in a part, which, as it was only written
for her, so she only could have given it such wonderful
force and effect.
It has been supposed by some, that the author borrowed
his plot partly from the Robbers, and partly from
the Castle Spectre. The plain and honest narrative he
has given will, he trusts, vindicate him from this imagined
imitation. Indeed his tragedy was written some
time before he read the play of the Robbers, and as
it was in the hands of the managers of Drury-lane
Theatre very early in May 1797, no part of it could
have been stolen from the Castle Spectre, which was
put into their hands some time after, and which ought,
in justice, to have succeeded, and not preceded, the
Castle of Montval on the stage.
The AUTHOR.
