Skip to content
Scan a barcode
Scan
Added to your cart
Hardcover The Country Gentleman: A Lost Play and Its Background Book

ISBN: 0812277058

ISBN13: 9780812277050

The Country Gentleman

"There was a challenge lately intended for the Duke of Buckingham upon Sir William Coventrys account. . . . The occasion . . .was a new play to be acted on Saturday last called the Country gentleman. . . . But the King hath prevented all; and the play is not acted."--Samuel Pepys, 2 March 1669

This edition makes available for the first time The Country Gentleman, a play written by Sir Robert Howard and the Duke of Buckingham, personally suppressed by King Charles II in 1669. Its vicious personal attack on Sir William Coventry provoked a scandal. Consequently, it was banned before public performance and very naturally never printed. The play was long presumed lost.

Fortunately, Pepys recorded the whole affair in some detail, and his description of the play's central satiric scene with "two tables . . . with a round hole in the middle" made it possible to identify an untitled, undated, anonymous MS in the Folger Library as a complete scribal copy of the play. This find is only the second such recovery of a "lost" Restoration play in the twentieth century.

The Introduction gives a full account of the play's scandalous genesis--a lurid tale of political intrigue, a prevented duel between members of the King's Privy Council, and a fall from high office. For those curious about how literary "discoveries" come about, the editors have added an account of the detective work which began with an odd entry in Annals of English Drama, and led from the Folger Library in Washington to artistocrats' private collections in England.

The play itself is brisk, delicious comedy, featuring pairs of lovers caught up in the intrigues of rivals--all against motifs of city vs. country life and scathing satire of government "business." The Country Gentleman is both timely in its use of the gay-couple love game, and a surprisingly early precursor of the exemplary comedies of the 1690s. Ironically, this cheerful, witty play became the vehicle for satire which shook the whole government of England.

Recommended

Format: Hardcover

Condition: New

$78.89
Save $1.06!
List Price $79.95
50 Available
Ships within 2-3 days
More by Robert E. Howard
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Conan the Cimmerian #1)
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Conan the Cimmerian #1)
Robert E. Howard

from: $12.69

Conan
Conan
Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, Robert E. Howard and others

from: $11.19

Conan of Cimmeria
Conan of Cimmeria
Robert E. Howard

from: $16.19

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
Robert E. Howard

from: $9.49

The Hour of the Dragon
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert E. Howard

from: $9.89

Conan the Freebooter
Conan the Freebooter
Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp

from: $10.69

Conan the Adventurer
Conan the Adventurer
Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp

from: $9.89

Conan the Wanderer
Conan the Wanderer
Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp

from: $7.09

The Bloody Crown of Conan
The Bloody Crown of Conan
Robert E. Howard

from: $14.33

Conan the Warrior
Conan the Warrior
Robert E. Howard

from: $7.99

Conan of Cimmeria: The Conquering Sword of Conan
Conan of Cimmeria: The Conquering Sword of Conan
Robert E. Howard

from: $14.29

Conan the Usurper
Conan the Usurper
Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp

from: $24.59

Conan the Avenger
Conan the Avenger
L. Sprague de Camp, Robert E. Howard, Björn Nyberg, Bjorn Nyberg

from: $12.09

Conan the Swordsman
Conan the Swordsman
Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp, Björn Nyberg, Robert E. Howard

from: $5.09

Bran Mak Morn: The Last King
Bran Mak Morn: The Last King
Robert E. Howard, Linda Howard

from: $11.09

Kull: Exile of Atlantis
Kull: Exile of Atlantis
Robert E. Howard

from: $14.33

The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard

from: $15.19

Cormac Mac Art
Cormac Mac Art
Robert E. Howard

from: $13.39

Almuric
Almuric
Robert E. Howard

from: $8.39

People of the Black Circle
People of the Black Circle
Robert E. Howard

from: $6.29

Conan the Barbarian: The Complete Collection
Conan the Barbarian: The Complete Collection
Robert E. Howard

from: $21.39

The Cimmerian Vols 1-4 Box Set
The Cimmerian Vols 1-4 Box Set
Robert E. Howard, Jean-David Morvan, Régis Hautière

from: $56.39

Red Nails
Red Nails
Robert E. Howard, Robert Ervin Howard

from: $9.33

The Sword Woman
The Sword Woman
Robert E. Howard

from: $11.69

Customer Reviews

0 customer rating | 0 review
There are currently no reviews. Be the first to review this work.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
GoDaddy Verified and Secured