Lovers’ Vows
A Play in Five Acts
From the German of Kotzebue
by Mrs. Inchbald
Contents
PREFACE.
THE PROLOGUE.
LOVERS’ VOWS.
ACT I
Scene I.A high road, a town at a distance—A small inn on one side of the road—A cottage on the other.
ACT II
Scene I.A room in the Cottage.
Scene II.An apartment in the Castle.
ACT III
Scene I.An open Field.
Scene II.A room in the Castle.
ACT IV
Scene I.A Prison in one of the Towers of the Castle.
Scene II.A Room in the Castle.
ACT V
Scene I.Inside of the Cottage.
Scene II.A Room in the Castle.
Epilogue.
Dramatis Personæ
Men
| BARON WILDENHAIM | Mr. Murray. |
| COUNT CASSEL | Mr. Knight. |
| ANHALT | Mr. H. Johnston. |
| FREDERICK | Mr. Pope. |
| VERDUN the BUTLER | Mr. Munden. |
| LANDLORD | Mr. Thompson |
| COTTAGER | Mr. Davenport. |
| FARMER | Mr. Rees. |
| COUNTRYMAN | Mr. Dyke. |
| Huntsmen, Servants, &c. |
Women
| AGATHA FIRBURG | Mrs. Johnson. |
| AMELIA WILDENHAIM | Mrs. H. Johnston. |
| COTTAGER’S WIFE | Mrs. Davenport. |
| COUNTRY GIRL | Miss Leserve. |
SCENE, Germany—Time of representation one day.
PREFACE.
It would appear like affectation to offer an apology for any scenes or passagesomitted or added, in this play, different from the original: its reception hasgiven me confidence to suppose what I have done is right; for Kotzebue’s“Child of Love” in Germany, was never more attractive than“Lovers’ Vows” has been in England.
I could trouble my reader with many pages to disclose the motives which inducedme to alter, with the exception of a few common-place sentences only, thecharacters of Count Cassel, Amelia, and Verdun the Butler—I could explainwhy the part of the Count, as in the original, would inevitably have condemnedthe whole Play,—I could inform my reader why I have pourtrayed the Baronin many particulars different from the German author, and carefully preparedthe audience for the grand effect of the last scene in the fourth act, bytotally changing his conduct towards his son as a robber—why I gavesentences of a humourous kind to the parts of the two Cottagers—why I wascompelled, on many occasions, to compress the matter of a speech of three orfour pages into one of three or four lines—