He, too, fought for the
king in the great Civil War, serving as a lieutenant of horse under
Sir Thomas Dallison in Prince Rupert's regiment. He had been
apprenticed to Robinson the actor, and had played women's parts at the
Blackfriars Theatre, winning special renown by his performance of the
Duchess in Shirley's tragedy of "The Cardinal." As an actor Hart won
extraordinary admiration; he soon took the lead of Burt, and from his
physical gifts and graces was enabled even to surpass Mohun in
popularity. He introduced Nell Gwynne to the stage, and became one of
the sharers in the management and profits of the theatrical company to
which he was attached.
There was soon an ample supply of actresses, and a decline altogether
in the demand for boy-performers of female characters. There was an
absolute end, indeed, of that industry; the established actors had no
more apprentices, now to serve as their footboys and pages, and now as
heroines of tragedy and comedy. A modern playgoer may well have a
difficulty in believing that these had ever any real existence,
sharing Lamb's amazement at a boy-Juliet, a boy-Desdemona, a
boy-Ophelia.
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