Event Comment: The
United Company. The date of this production is determined by a letter (see below). For a discussion of the origin and development of this play, see
Hotson,
Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, pp. 274-76. A song,
Why shou'd the world mistake, the music composed by
John Eccles and sung by
Mrs Hudson, is in
Thesaurus Musicus, 1695. An unidentified letter, 22 March 1693@4: We had another new play yesterday, called
The Ambitious Slave, or a Generous Revenge.
Elkanah Settle is the author of it, and the success is answerable to his reputation. I never saw a piece so wretched, nor worse contrived. He pretends 'tis a
Persian story, but not one body in the whole audience could make any thing of it; 'tis a mere babel, and will sink for ever. The poor poet, seeing the house would not act it for him, and give him the benefit of the third day, made a present of it to the women in tie house, who act it, but without profit or incouragement (
Edmond Malone,
An Historical Account of the Stage in
Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare [
London, 1821], III, 163-64).
Gentleman's Journal, March 1694: 'Tis not altogether strange for a Play to be less kindly receiv'd, immediately after one that has deservedly ingross'd all the Applause which the Town can well bestow in some time on new Dramatic Entertainments. Perhaps
Mr Settle may partly impute to this, the want of success of a new Tragedy of his which was lately acted, 'tis called,
The Ambitious Slave; or, The Generous Revenge. [This play followed
Southerne's
The Fatal Marriage.
Performances
Mainpiece Title: The Ambitious Slave; Or, A Generous Revenge