| Citation |
BNL.749.014
1 Jun 1749:12 (2458)
From the Gentleman's Magazine for January last.
The Bottle Bubble. Monday the 16th of January. A person
advertised that he would this evening at the theatre in the
Hay-Market, play on a common walking cane the music of every
instrument now used, to surprising perfection; that he
would, on the stage, get into a tavern quart bottle, without
equivocation; and, while there, sing several songs, and
suffer any spectator to handle the bottle; that if any
spectator should come mask'd he would, if requested, declare
who they were; that in a private room, he would produce the
representation of any person dead, with which the party
requesting it should converse some minutes as if alive &c.
to begin after 6.
Accordingly a great company came, waited till 7 o'clock;
then growing impatient and noisy, a person came before the
curtain, and declared, that if the performer did not appear,
the money should be retuned; one in the pit then crying out,
For double prices the conjurer would go into a pint bottle,
a tumult began, and a person in one of the boxes threw a
lighted candle on the stage, the greater part of the
spectators hurried out, and the mob breaking in, they tore
down the inside of the house, & burnt it in the street,
making a flag of the curtain, which was placed on a pole in
the middle of the bonfire. During this confusion the money,
which was secur'd in a box, according to contract with the
owner of the house, was carried off. Several persons of
high rank being present, the pick pockets made a good booty,
and a great general's rich sword was lost, for the recovery
of which a reward of 30 guineas was advertised.
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