1746

//The National Journal//, also known as //Country Gazette//,is an English newspaper founded by John Purser in 1746. Since its establishment, //The National Journal// was published three times a week in London, England, until the suppression of its publication in June 1746. //The National Journal// is an evening newspaper consists of political and humorous letters, news articles, and poems. It covers a wide range of topics including advertisements, commerce, history, politics, domestic events, and foreign affairs such the ongoing events of the War of Austria Succession and the accounts of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.
 * 1746: The Impact of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and //A Will and No Will//**

1746 is a chaotic year for England, as it continued to struggle from a series of domestic and foreign affairs such as wars, uprisings, and rebellions. One of the ongoing warfare during the 1746 in which England remained involved is the War of Austria Succession that had begun on December 16, 1740 (“War of Austrian Succession” 2012). The War of Austria Succession is a conglomeration of related wars triggered by the death of Charles VI, the Holy Roman Emperor and head of the Austrian branch of the house of Habsburg, on October 20, 1740 (“War of Austrian Succession” 2012). The alliance of the great powers of Europe including France, Spain, Prussia, Bavaria, and Saxony wrested for territorial claims and the imperial crown, while the alliance of England, Austria, Hanover, Sardinia, and Germany fought secure the throne (“War of Austrian Succession” 2012). The European powers battled in several campaigns over Maria Theresa’s ineligibility to succeed her father, Charles VI’s throne to be the Holy Roman Empress and the Queen of Hungary and Bohemia – the former considered her ineligible while the latter aimed to secure her legacy (“War of Austrian Succession” 2012).

In the first issue of //The National Journal//, published on Saturday, March 22, 1746, the journalist reveals that several difficulties of agreements remained in the treaty that French has signed with Sardinia. As a result of their inability to compromise, the journalist reports the Sardinians’ surprised ambush of the French force stationed at Asti, resulting in the force’s defeat and surrender without resistance. In issue 5, the journalist accounts for the Spaniards’ victory in one of the Italians’ campaigns, in which the Spaniards have evacuated Milan. The Spaniard’s victory against the Italian compensates for the defeat of the French force by pulling the chances of victory back in their direction. However, in issue 34, the journalist discloses that the War of Austria Succession has gradually become a financial burden for the European powers, causing many lives and resources and negatively affecting the domestic affairs. In issue 41, the journalist describes the continuation of the Italian campaigns and other related battles between the European powers, but overall reveals the damages of the war on the financial state, commerce and domestic affair of the European nations involved. The financial burden has eventually led the great powers to settle a treaty to end the war in 1748.

In the midst of the War of Austrian Succession in 1746, England struggled with the domestic chaos of the Jacobite Rebellion that began in 1745. A series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars occurred in England between 1688 and 1746, but the War of Austrian Succession has given rise to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, the “Second Jacobite Rebellion” in the English history (Hill 2012). Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788), also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland as the eldest son of James Francis Edward Stuart and grandson of King James VII and II (Hill 2012). He led the Jacobite forces, with the support of several European allies, against the loyalist troops of Scotland. Unfortunately, his forces ended in defeat during the Battle of Culloden in Scotland on April 16, 1746, which has officially ended the Stuart Restoration (Hill 2012).



//The National Journal// was established in March of 1746, which was toward the end of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. As such, it has very little documentation of the rebellion. However, //The National Journal// made a tremendous effort in reporting the accounts of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 to keep its readership. In Issue 2 published for March 22 to March 25, 1746, the journalist reports the rapid growth of the Jacobite forces, as two famous heroine ladies have joined to support the rebellion, along with their husbands’ numerous followers. In issue 15, published for April 22 to April 24, 1746 after the end of the Jacobite Rebellion in the Battle of Culloden, the journalist has composed a poem, //An Ode to Time//, to reflect upon the defeat of the Jacobite forces and the impact of the revolution.

Overall, //The National Journal// publishes weekly news articles based on foreign events, domestic affairs, commerce, and advertisements, etc. It aims to update its readers on the contemporary events in 1746, whether it is the warfare with foreign European powers such as France or Prussia, or the domestic uprisings leading to the revolution of the Jacobite Rebeelion of 1745. While it focuses on the report of foreign and domestic affairs, //The National Journal// strives to acknowledge the commercial activities and other types of events in London, such as the importation of tea mentioned in issue 4 and the crime incidents mentioned in several issues.


 * The London Stage **

The backwash of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 interfered tremendously with the theatrical activity in the beginning of 1746, marking a season of heavy losses in London, England. Many theaters revived various anti-Catholic plays in order to capitalize the interest in the rebellion (Scouten 1179). Unfortunately, various performances were dismissed due to small attendance, and the theaters such as Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and Goodman’s Fields suffered from a great loss in profit. In order to recoup their losses of the early season, the two theaters employed their leading actors and actresses such as Garrick and Mrs. Horton in their performances to increase the spectator crowd (Scouten 1179). Some of these actors and actresses performed for more than one theater due to the theaters’ need to increase their profits (1180)

The theaters experienced unsettled conditions in the attendance of the performances, which greatly affected their profits and admission prices. Due to the unsettled conditions, a new practice in singing the national anthem was instituted in all three theaters, Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and Goodman’s Fields, as a customary part of the evening’s play productions (Scouten 1180). During the theatrical season in the early 1746, only Drury Lane has produced two afterpieces and a new pantomime, while Covent Garden went through the season without a single new play production (Scouten 1179). One of Drury Lane’s new afterpieces is Charles Macklin’s //A Will and No Will, or A Bone for the Lawyers//, first performed in April, 1746. Unfortunately, the recession took a toll on the play, and like the other plays during this season, its first appearance at the Drury Lane theater was its only performance until its revival in 1748.

In the next, winter season of late 1746 and early 1747, the theaters began making improvements in their performances and profits. This season is marked by the resurgence of Covent Garden, as its manager John Rich presented numerous famous actors and actresses in a series of popular tragedies such as //Jane Shore// and //The Fair Penitent// (Scouten 1247). After four seasons, Covent Garden produced a new comedy //The Suspicious Husband// by Hoadly, which achieved immediate success (1247). The remarkable histrionic performances of various famous actors and actresses gained recognition from the London audiences, which greatly increased the attendance of performances in Covent Garden (1247). In the meanwhile, Drury Lane responded vigorously by displaying its new leading players in its new productions (1247). Overall, the winter season of late 1746 and early 1747 marked a turn in the success of the theaters, after the heavy losses of the spring season of early 1746. Legitimate drama was supported by the excellent acting of famous actor and actresses, which attracted a larger amount of audiences to the performances held at the mainstream theaters of Covent Garden and Drury Lane.


 * // A Will and No Will //**** ,or //A Bone for the Lawyers// (1746) ** :

1746 was a chaotic year for England domestically and internationally. England struggled between the ongoing War of Austrian Succession with foreign European powers and the domestic disarray of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. The Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 has not only affected the living conditions and commerce of the English people but also marked a low-profit season for the theaters in England. There were very few new play productions during the year of 1746, and one of which is //A Will and No Will// or //A Bone for the Lawyers// written by Charles Macklin, an Irish playwright and actor formerly known as Charles McLaughlin who performed extensively at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (“Charles Macklin” 2012).
 * Introduction**

//A Will and No Will// or //A Bone for the Lawyers// was first performed at the Drury Lane Theatre on April 23, 1746 (Macklin 2012). The play achieved nominal success in 1746, with only a couple performances due to low audience attendance and the inability to receive public attention due to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. As a result, the production ended shortly after its publication and was not revived until March 22, 1748 for Charles Macklin and his daughter’s own benefit (Macklin 2012). The play gained popularity upon its revival and was replayed many times until March 29, 1756 (Macklin 2012).

//A Will and No Will// is a farce based on Regnard’s Italian comedy, //Le Legetaire Universel// (1707), with which Macklin condensed the five-act plot into a two-act afterpiece (Macklin 2012). //A Will and No Will// begins with a long Prologue that ridicules the convention of the eighteenth century prologues by portraying a scene, in which two actors named Dick Rattle and Jack Smart chat with one another in the Pit, while waiting for the other actors to dress for the afterpiece. In the Prologue, Rattle and Smart discuss the puzzling Prologue of the farce for which they are about to perform and aim to uncover the speaker of the Prologue. They consult with Omnes and Mr. Dullman, who do not know the Pit, or speaker of the Prologue. Then, Rattle and Smart consult with the Irish lawyer, who has come to see the farce that is the “Pun upon us Gentlement of long Robe”. The Prologue is a satire of lawyers, who have received a superior education and are granted authority for their profession, but have minimal actual knowledge and intelligence. This irony is illustrated in the part in which Rattle and Smart consult with the Irish lawyer, hoping that he would know the answer because he belongs to the law, but the Irish lawyer fails to answer the question and instead, provides a useless response that the Prologue will be the kind “that will be spoken by the Pit”. In fact, the irony is further by the Irish lawyer’s long name, Laughlinbullruderrymackshoughlinbulldowny, which is impossible for the players to pronounce and remember. The Irish lawyer is a caricature of Charles Macklin, as his long name includes “McLaughin”, as Macklin’s effort to reference the failure of his own tragedy, //Henry VII// in 1745 (Macklin 2012). The mockery of lawyers becomes more apparent in the later participation of Mr. Snarlewit, who criticizes the Irish lawyer for being an idiot after he makes several pointless remarks. Macklin also ridicules the failure of his own tragedy through Mr. Snarlewit’s criticism, in which Mr. Snarlewit criticizes Macklin as a Blockhead for the failure of his tragedy in the winter and makes the sarcasm that this farce will be a success if it “has half so much Fun in it as his Tragedy had”. Overall, the Prologue is not only a ridicule of the convention of the eighteenth century prologues, but it is also a satire of the lawyers and the legal profession and a mockery of Macklin and the failure of his tragedy //Henry VII//.

//A Will and No Will// takes place in London, England and centers on the main plot in which Bellair plots with his servant, Shark to become the sole heir of his old and sick uncle, Sir Isaac Skinflint’s will. Sir Isaac Skinflint is reputed as an old hypocrite who is greedy and selfish, and makes false promises of legacies to his friends and family and gains his wealth by “Extortion and Usury and Cheating of Widows and Orphans” to whom he is the guardian and executor (Act I). Sir Isaac Skinflint is frugal with his money, as he is reluctant to spend his money even for his own health and believes that “since we are to dye we had better save our Money” (Act I). Despite his immoral character and reputation, Sir Isaac Skinflint possesses an enormous amount of wealth. He is in the process of settling a will and deciding on his heirs and is well aware that all his relations, including his nephew Bellair, are waiting for his death because they have “a Hawk’s Eye” on his wealth (Act II). In Act I, Sir Isaac Skinflint delays the settlement of his will due to his reluctance to give away his wealth, as well as to his agreement with Lady Lovewealth, in which he will marry her daughter, Harriet in exchange for his offer of giving Harriet one thousand pound a year during his life and his whole fortune in reversion upon his death (Act I). His nephew, Bellair is in love with Harriet but her mother has prohibited their marriage unless he becomes the sole heir to Skinflint’s will. Thus, Bellair plots with his servants, Shark and Lucy, in which Shark will disguise as Skinflint’s arriving nephew and niece, whom he has not seen since their childhood, in order to anger Skinflint and disinherit the siblings from his will. Meanwhile, Bellair must pretend to approve Skinflint’s marriage to Harriet in order to avoid tensions with his uncle during the critical period of the latter’s decision for his will. Ironically, during her visit to Skinflint, Harriet infuriates Skinflint by insulting his selfish character in attempting to marry a nineteen year old lady despite his old age, sickness, and predicted death. After Harriet leaves upon Skinflint’s command, Shark executes his plot with Bellair by disguising as Bumper, Skinflint’s nephew who is arriving from out of town and revealing the secret of his illegitimate birth. He then threatens Skinflint for his attempt to make any other nephews his heir and forces Skinflint to be measured for his coffin by Mr. Death, concluding Act I with his claim that he can help his master, Bellair achieve his aim to be the sole heir to Skinflint’s will.
 * Summary**

In Act II, Bellair and Shark continue their scheme to disinherit Skinflint’s out-of-town nephew and niece. Shark disguises as Skinflint’s widowed niece and pretends to have come to town to mourn for the supposed death of her uncle. In disguised, the widowed niece reveals that she has fifteen children, two of which were conceived after the death of her husband with Doctor Preach Field, “a Religious Gentleman...-an Itinerant Methodist” (Act II). Skinflint is startled at the news but forgives her, suggesting that he is obliged to make her heir. However, the widowed niece insults and infuriates Skinflint by calling him a thief who obtains his fortune “by biting and sharping, extortion and cheating” and a cannibal who took unnatural methods to prevent Lucy’s rumored pregnancy with him (Act II). After disinheriting Bumper and his widowed sister, Bellair plans a way to induce his uncle to settle his will until he discovers the news of his uncle’s death. Upon his uncle death, Shark disguises as Sir Isaac Skinflint to meet with his lawyers to settle a will – he makes Bellair the sole heir of his will and testament, gives a small portion to Lucy, for being “a good Girl [who has] managed my Concerns with great Skill and Decency”, and offers a set of diamond bracelets to Harriet Lovewealth in exchange for a kiss. As for Shark, Skinflint in disguised leaves him two hundred pounds per year due to his good nature and service. Bellair objects to the arrangement but lacks the power to revert the disguised Skinflint’s decision. After signing and settling the will, Lucy discovers that the real Skinflint is alive because Monsieur du Maigre, the Apothecary has healed him. Skinflint reveals that his decision in making Bellair and the Apothecary his co-heirs, but discovers from Mr. Littlewit that it is too late to change his will because the papers are signed and submitted to the Webminister Hall. The play ends with Skinflint being in an enormous amount of debt without any possible access to his own wealth due to his will settlement. Bellair marries Harriet and Shark celebrates his achievement.

There are two forms of irony in Act I, both serve to satirize the lawyers and vices of the legal system and the society. The first form of irony resides in the names of the characters. A skinflint is defined as an ungenerous person or miser that is reluctant to spend his money. Sir Isaac Skinflint is given his last name in order to show his selfish and stingy characteristics. Similarly, Skinflint’s lawyer is named Mr. Littlewit, which comically satirizes lawyers by demonstrating that lawyers in the eighteenth century are perceived be inefficient and have little wit or intelligence despite their superior education and professional title. Lastly, the name Mr. Death is a comical reference to the death of Skinflint, and his act of measuring Skinflint for his coffin foreshadows Skinflint’s death and demonstrates that the other characters wish Skinflint to decease in order to obtain his wealth. The second form of irony in Act I is in Skinflint’s attempt to make a will and a marriage article. The two objects appear as paradoxical as a will signifies death while a marriage article signals a new beginning. Skinflint is approaching his last step in life, as he is old and sick, but he still desires to marry Harriet because of her beauty and youth. In this irony, Macklin uncovers the social vices of the society, as individuals are greedy and selfish, with a lack of consideration for others and a strong desire for wealth and power. Overall, these two forms of irony illustrate Macklin’s effort to not only satirize the lawyers as being useless and unintelligent, but to also criticize the social vices of the English society – the measures that individuals would take in order to achieve their goals and fulfill their desires.
 * Analysis**

There is an interesting scene in Act II of the play. Upon Sir Isaac Skinflint’s death, Bellair consults with Shark about what can be done after his uncle’s death without a will, further hindering his chances of marriage with Harriet. Shark becomes both an audience and a character of the play, in which he comes out of the scene by stating that this aspect is the climax of this farce, as the sequence of the events are predetermined and that Bellair will not achieve his marriage with Harriet until the end of the play (Act II). Shark calls Bellair “the ignorant part of an Audience the first night of a new Play,” who fails to understand the normal structure of a play in which desires are not fulfilled before their time (Act II). Like the theme of the farce’s Prologue, Charles Macklin satirizes the conventions of the society and makes references to his failure in his tragedy by placing his characters in the position of the audience and the actor and having them comment on the farce as though they are outsiders of the play. It seems as though it is uncommon for characters to comment on the structure and content of the play within the play, and such technique is interesting in appealing to the audience and grabbing a hold of their attention.

Lastly, Charles Macklin continues to ridicule the social vices of the society and satirizes the capability of the lawyers in Act II. The schemes, in which Shark and Bellair plot to disinherit Bumper and his widowed sister and to create a will that makes Bellair the sole heir, demonstrate the folly of mankind, who will take any measures to achieve their goals. Skinflint is a selfish man with a distorted reputation; however, Bellair and Shark are equally as wicked in their over-the-top schemes that have resulted in Skinflint’s death. In fact, instead of mourning for his uncle’s death, Bellair is concerned with the will and his marriage with Harriet. Nonetheless, Shark disguises as Skinflint and distributes a portion of his wealth to Lucy and Harriet in his will, which demonstrates the benevolence of humankind and in the case of Skinflint’s debt, the karma of maliciousness. Furthermore, Macklin satirizes the inefficiency and immoral vice of lawyers by insinuating that they “have often made false Wills for their own Interests” (Act II). Mr. Littlewit fails to catch the error in Shark’s disguise as Skinflint, resulting in a false will. In such case, Macklin reveals that lawyers act upon self-interests rather than wholeheartedly serve the public with their superior education and expert skills.

In 1746, England is overwhelmed by constant warfare and rebellions. England juggled between the ongoing War of Austrian Succession (1740) and the concurrent Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. According to //The National Journal//, England experiences a period of foreign conflicts and domestic turmoil. The Jacobite forces initiated numerous uprisings and wars within the nation, giving rise to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and causing unrest and disorder in the people’s lives and living conditions. Although England continued to thrive in its commercial activities, the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 has impacted other aspects of the society. One of which is the entertainment field, in which theaters such as Covent Garden and Drury Lane suffered a low profit season with many cancelations of plays and only a couple new but unsuccessful play productions. It was not until the winter season of 1746 and early 1747 that the theaters began making profit and producing new plays after four seasons during the chaos of war. Charles Macklin’s //A Will and No Will//, or //A Bone for the Lawyers// is one of the only two new productions in 1746. It is a two-act farce that satirizes the social vices of humankind and the incompetence and dishonor of the English legal profession and system. In the play, Bellair plots a scheme with his servant, Shark to become the sole heir of his despised uncle, Skinflint’s will, in order to obtain Skinflint’s wealth and Lady Lovewealth’s approval to marry Harriet. Bellair’s scheme fails to work but results in an unexpected outcome, in which Shark is able to disguise as Skinflint, sign and enforce the will, and name Bellair as the sole heir. Macklin’s farce is similar to William Congrieve’s //The Way of the World// in several ways. In both plays, characters are wealth-driven and sought to inherit the large amount of wealth from the elder – Sir Isaac Skinflint in //A Will and No Will// and Lady Wishfort in //The Way of the World.// Skinflint is similar to Lady Wishfort in that they are both old and helpless in their own ways, and are unable to protect themselves from the schemes of the younger generation. For instance, Skinflint suffers from poor health and is unable to maintain his wealth against the schemes of Bellair and Shark. Similarly, Lady Wishfort has the disadvantage of being a woman who is old and weak in her ability to secure her wealth and to resist Mirabel’s plot. Furthermore, Bellair is equivalent to Mirabel in that they both are in love with a woman but remain as wealth-driven, with the intention to obtain Skinflint or Lady Wishfort’s fortune by plotting a scheme with their servants. In fact, Bellair and Mirabel are in love with women who exemplify the same qualities. Harriet and Millamant are witty and independent, who are willful, strong-minded and capable of expressing their thoughts and desires. Millamant is able to settle marriage conditions with Mirabel, while Harriet does not hesitate to insult Skinflint and express her love for Bellair. Overall, //A Will and No Will// contains various similarities to //The Way of the World// in its plot and characters. It is a farce through which Charles Macklin satirizes the social vices of the English society and the failure and lack of integrity in the legal profession and system.
 * Conclusion **

**Works Cited** "Charles Macklin." //TheaterHistory.com//. TheaterHistory.com, 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. Hill, Simon. "Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites." //Scotish History Online//. Scotish History Online, 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. .

Macklin, Charles. //A Will and No Will; Or, A Bone for the Lawyers (1746). The New Play Criticiz'd; Or, The Plague of Envy (1747).// Ed. Jean B. Kern. Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, 1967. //Gutenberg.org//. The Project Gutenberg EBook, 03 Sept. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.

Purser, John, ed. //The National Journal: Or, the Country Gazette.// 1746. Issues 1-43. //Eighteenth Century Journals//. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.

Scouten, Arthur H. //The London Stage 1660 - 1800//. 1st ed. Vol. 2. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1960. Print. 1179-1182 and 1247-1746.

"War of the Austrian Succession". //Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.// Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. .