Narrative of the Life of Mrs Charlotte Charke

Robert M Rehder

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781315477237
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

In this picaresque novel, Charlotte Clarke recalls her life as an actress, and in particular, the difficulties facing a woman trying to make her way in a man's world. The issues of women's writing, education, motherhood, sexuality, and cross-dressing all come under scrutiny.

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A
NARRATIVE of the LIFE
OF
Mrs. CHARLOTTE CHARKE.

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[Price boundTwo Shillings and Six-pence.]

A
NARRATIVE of the LIFE
OF
Mrs. CHARLOTTE CHARKE,

(Youngest Daughter of COLLEY ClBBER, Esq;)

CONTAINING,

I.	An Account of her Birth, Education, and mad Pranks committed in her Youth.
II.	Her coming on the Stage; Success there; and sundry Theatrical Anecdotes.
III.	Her Marriage to Mr. Charke, and its Consequences.
IV.	Her Adventures in Mens Cloaths, and being belov’d by a Lady of great Fortune, who intended to marry her.
V.	Her being Gentleman to a certain Peer.
VI.	Her commencing Strolling – Player; with various and surprizing Vicissitudes of Fortune, during nine Years Peregrination.
VII.	Her turning Pastry Cook, &c. in Wales. With several extremely humourous and nteresting Occurences.

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Written by HERSELF.

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This Tragic Story, or this Comic Jest, May make you laugh, or cry—As you like best.

Prologue to The What d’ye Call It.¹

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LONDON:

Printed for W. Reeve, in Fleet-Street; A. Dodd, in the Strand; and E. Cook, at the Royal-Exchange.

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M.DCC.LV.

THE AUTHOR TO HERSELF.

MADAM,

THO’ Flattery is universally known to be the Spring from which Dedications frequently flow, I hope I shall escape that Odium so justly thrown on poetical Petitioners, notwithstanding my Attempt to illustrate those WONDERFUL QUALIFICATIONS by which you have so EMINENTLY DISTINGUISH’D YOURSELF, and gives you a just Claim to the Title of a NONPAREIL OF THE AGE.

That thoughtless Ease (so peculiar to yourself) with which you have run thro’ many strange and unaccountable Vicissitudes of Fortune, is an undeniable Proof of the native indolent Sweetness of your Temper. With what Fortitude of Mind have you vanquish’d Sorrow, with the fond Imagination and promissary Hopes (ONLY FROM YOURSELF) of a Succession of Happiness, neither WITHIN YOUR POWER OR VIEW?

Your exquisite Taste in Building must not be omitted: The magnificent airy Castles, for which you daily drew out Plans without Foundation, must, could they have been distinguishable to Sight, long ere this have darken’d all the lower World; nor can you be match’d, in Oddity of Fame, by any but that celebrated Knight-Errant of the Moon, G—E A—R ST—S;² whose Memoirs, and yours conjoin’d, would make great Figures in History, and might justly claim a Right to be transmitted to Posterity; as you are, without Exception, two of the greatest Curiosities that ever were the Incentives to the most profound Astonishment.

My Choice of you, Madam, to patronize my Works, is an evidential Proof that I am not disinterested in that Point; as the World will easily be convinc’d, from your natural Partiality to all I have hitherto produc’d, that you will tenderly overlook their Errors, and, to the utmost of your Power, endeavour to magnify their Merits. If, by your Approbation, the World may be perswaded into a tolerable Opinion of my Labours, I shall, for the Novelty — sake, venture for once to call you, FRIEND; a Name, I own, I never as yet have known you by.

I hope, dear Madam, as MANLY says in The Provok’d Husband,³ that “LAST REPROACH HAS STRUCK YOU”, and that you and I may ripen our Acquaintance into a perfect Knowledge of each other, that may establish a lasting and social Friendship between us.

Your two Friends, PRUDENCE and REFLECTION, I am inform’d, have lately ventur’d to pay you a Visit; for which I heartily congratulate you, as nothing can possibly be more joyous to the Heart than the Return of absent Friends, after a long and painful Peregrination.

Permit me, Madam, to subscribe myself for the future, what I ought to have been some Years ago,

Your real Friend,

And humble Servant,

Charlotte Charke.

A NARRATIVE of the LIFE OF Mrs. Charlotte Charke.

AS the following History is the Product of a Female Pen, I tremble for the terrible Hazard it must run in venturing into the World, as it may very possibly suffer, in many Opinions, without perusing it; I therefore humbly move for its having the common Chance of a Criminal, at least to be properly examin’d, before it is condemn’d: And should it be found guilty of Nonsense and Inconsistencies, I must consequently resign it to its deserved Punishment; instead of being honour’d with the last Row of a Library, undergo the Indignancy of preserving the Syrup of many a choice Tart; which, when purchas’d, even the hasty Child will soon give an Instance of its Contempt of my Muse, by committing to the Flames, or perhaps cast it to the Ground, to be trampled to Death by some Thread-bare Poet, whose Works might possibly have undergone the same Malevolence of Fate.

However, I must beg Leave to inform those Ladies and Gentlemen, whose Tenderness and Compassion may excite ’em to make this little Brat of my Brain the Companion of an idle Hour, that I have paid all due Regard to Decency wherever I have introduc’d the Passion of Love; and have only suffer’d it to take its Course in its proper and necessary Time, without fulsomely inflaming the Minds of my young Readers, or shamefully offending those of riper Years; a Fault I have often condemn’d, when I was myself but a Girl, in some Female Poets. I shall not descant on their Imprudence, only wish that their Works had been less confined to that Theme, which too often led ’em into Errors, Reason and Modesty equally forbid.

In Regard to the various Subjects of my Story, I have, I think, taken Care to make ’em so interesting, that every Person who reads my Volume may bear a Part in some Circumstance or other in the Perusal, as there is nothing inserted but what may daily happen to every Mortal breathing.

Not that I would have the Publick conceive, tho’ I am endeavouring to recommend it to their Protection, that my Vanity can so far overcome my small Share of Reason, as to impute the Success it should meet with to any other Motive, than a kind Condescension in my Readers to pity and encourage one, who has used her utmost Endeavours to entertain ’em.

As I have promis’d to give some Account of my UNACCOUNTABLE LIFE, I shall no longer detain my Readers in respect to my Book, but satisfy a Curiosity which has long subsisted in the Minds of many: And, I believe, they will own, when they know my History, if Oddity can plead any Right to Surprize and Astonishment, I may positively claim a Title to be shewn among the Wonders of Ages past, and those to come. Nor will I, to escape a Laugh, even at my own Expence, deprive my Readers of that pleasing Satisfaction, or conceal any Error, which I now rather sigh to reflect on; but formerly, thro’ too much Vacancy of Thought, might be idle enough rather to justify than condemn.

I shall now begin my Detail of the several Stages I have pass’d thro’ since my Birth, which made me the last-born of Mr. Colley Cibber, at a Time my Mother began to think, without this additional Blessing (meaning my sweet Self) she had fully answer’d the End of her Creation, being just Forty-five Years of Age when she produc’d her last, “THO’ NOT LEAST IN LOVE”. Nor was I exempted from an equal Share in my Father’s Heart; yet, partly thro’ my own Indiscretion (and, I am too well convinc’d, from the cruel Censure of false and evil Tongues) since my Maturity, I lost that Blessing: Which, if strongest Compunction and uninterrupted Hours of Anguish, blended with Self-conviction and filial Love, can move his Heart to Pity and Forgiveness, I shall, with Pride and unutterable Transport, throw myself at his Feet, to implore the only Benefit I desire or expect, his BLESSING, and his PARDON.

But of that, more hereafter—And I hope, ere this small Treatise is finish’d, to have it in my Power to inform my Readers, my painful Separation from my once tender Father will be more than amply repaid, by a happy Interview; as I am certain neither my present or future Conduct, shall ever give him Cause to blush at what I should esteem a justifiable and necessary Reconciliation, as ’tis the absolute Ordination of the Supreme that we should forgive, when the Offender becomes a sincere and hearty Penitent. And I positively declare, were I to expire this Instant, I have no self-interested Views, in Regard to worldly Matters; but confess myself a Miser in my Wishes so far, as having the transcendent Joy of knowing that I am restor’d to a Happiness, which not only will clear my Reputation to the World, in Regard to a former Want of Duty, but, at the same Time, give a convincing Proof that there are yet some Sparks of Tenderness remaining in my Father’s Bosom, for his REPENTANT CHILD.

I confess, I believe I came not only an unexpected, but an unwelcome Guest into the [F]amily, (exclusive of my Parents,) as my Mother had borne no Children for some few Years before; so that I was rather regarded as an impertinent Intruder, than one who had a natural Right to make up the circular Number of my Father’s Fire-Side⁴: Yet, be it as it may, the Jealousy of me, from her other Children, laid no Restraint on her Fondness for me, which my Father and she both testified in their tender Care of my Education. His paternal Love omitted not...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction: The Woman who was Mr Brown
• Chronology
• Suggestions for Further Reading
• Note on the Text
• A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Charlotte Charke
• Notes