Show WRITE E u THOMAS OTWAY WROTE TO ELIZABETH BARRY BABBY One of or the tho prettiest love stories of C the tho stage is 15 that between Thomas Otway t the te e I dramatist and amI Elizabeth Barry the I actress Mrs Barr Barry filled fillet the l leading adIng parts in the Initial performances of or all Otway's plays and for ro roher her ho conceived an absorbing passion which largely contributed contributed contributed con con- to the ruin rum of or his career The actress treated her admirer with coquet coquettish coquettish tish Ush disdain Elizabeth Barry is said to have been the daughter of or Edward Barry Baro a barrister bar bar- rl rister riter ter who during the civil cl wars War raised a regiment for Charles I. I and was subsequently subsequently sub sub- known as Colonel Barry Baro while Ue Elizabeth Ellzabeth had many lovers tho the one to whom she was W most constant was as John Wilmot the licentious earl carl of Rochester he whose satire is hi so o well known and which lie he Inscribed upon the door of or Charles II ns n's B bed chamber Here lies our sovereign lord the king Those Viloe v word ord no man relies on Who ne cr said paid a foolish thins thIn And never did a wi wise so one A group roup of Rochester's letters survive to throw some light lIht upon his liaison with Mrs Barry Barr to whom It Is believed he gave ga the most sincere love of or his de debauched do- do career In one of or them in part he wrote Madam So much wit and beauty as you jou have should think of nothing less than doing miracles and there cannot be bea a Jr greater than to continue continuo to love me affecting e everything is 18 mean as loving pleasure and being fond rond where you find merit but to lo pick out the wildest and most fantastical odd man alive and to place your jour our kindness there is an act as an brave and daring as will show the greatness greatness great great- ness nes of your jour OUr spirit and distinguish you jou jouIn OU In love as you ou arc nrc in all things else from womankind Dramatic authorship in Otway's day was not a aver very verj- pr profitable vocation Through destitution and de despair Dalr he W was gradually dragged down lower and lower but ho he kept on struggling Finally nally he brought out his Venice Preserved which has become a a. permanent memorial to his genius and which is often rated as one of the finest tragic dramas since Inca Shakespeare With Mrs Barry as the original Belvidera the play took London Lon Len don by storm but poor Otway found n ni n. helping hand to lift him up His us letters to Mrs l Barry Judging b by Internal evidence began with his return from Crom soldiering in the Low Countries in 1680 and ended with the production of Venice Preserved cd in 1682 The They toll tell a aslOr astory astory story of or wretchedness love Iove which w ich Is epic in its iti violence As an example of this fler fiery fier- correspondence we 6 quote the following written by Otway to Mrs Barr Barry My Tyrant I endure too much torment torment tor tor- ment meat to be silent and have endured it too Ion long not to mal make o the severest com corn plaint 1 L lovo you jou OU I dote on you jou ou desire makes makeR me mad when I am near you and d despair when hen I am from you Sure of or all wl miseries love lovo In is to me roe tho the most moat able It U haunts me mo in my sleep le-ep it perplexes perplexes per por me when waking every melancholy ely thought makes my Toy fears more I powerful and every deU delightful ono one makes my wishes more unruly unruh In all other uncas uneasy chances chance of a R mans man's life ure there thero is immediate re recourse recourse recourse re- re course to some soma succor or another In wants wanta we apply ourselves to friends In sickness to physicians physician But love 10 the sum the total of or all misfortunes must be endured with silence no friends so dear to lo trust with v. such a secret nor remedy In art so power powerful CuI to lo remove Its Ils anguish Since the tho first day I saw you I have hav hardly h enjoyed an hour of or perfect quiet I loved you early and and no soon oon 1 r rhad had hall I behe that soft bewitching face lace of or yours joura but I felt In my heart tho the ver very foundation of ot all my p peace e give Kiva Wa way But when you jou become another's I must confess con con- fess tess that I did then rebel had foolish Coolish pride enough ih to promise m myself elt that In time I would recover my liberty In spite of my nw enslaved nature I swore myself I I would not love hove you I affected a II resentment stifled my spirit I would not let it bond so o much as n. once to u upbraid up up- braid you jou ou each tAch da day It was my chance t to see lIeG or to bo be near you jou Ou With stubborn sufferance I rf resolved ol ed to beAr blAr and brave your power Na Nay Naj did It Jt often orten too successfully Generally with wine Ine or conversation I diverted or appeased ap ap- d the demon that possessed m m. ins but hut when at night T returning to my unhappy self elf Jo fo o give ghe m my heart an account of why I hud had done donI It sr so SD unnatural a violence It iwa W then that I always alwa's paid treble In Interest In- In terest for the thc mom moments moment of ease which I lied had borrowed then then thought roso rose up and took your part nor left me on my bed and opened t those ose sluices s of tears that were to run till morning Mrs Barr Barry the vampire to whom this poetic fool Cool made his Ineffectual pr prayer ot flourished nourIshed until tho the be beginning of oC the Georgian era dying on November 7 1713 s 's harassed life reached Its close in April 1685 when he was as little more than 33 years jears ears old A number of or varied accounts ac counts have been given as to the cause of ot his death |