At seven the court
arrived, the curtain rose, and displayed the whole _corps dramatique_,
who sang _Dio Salve il Re;_ or an Italian version of the words and
music of our "God save the King," in which Madame Caradori took the
principal part. Thus our national anthem is getting naturalized in
Italy, the parent of song, and once the manufacturer of it for all
Europe. It is already adopted in Russia, I am told, and is well known
in France, though not likely to supplant the fine national air, "_Vive
Henri Quatre_."--_Harmonicon, Feb._ 1.
* * * * *
ILLUSTRATIONS OF SHAKSPEARE.
[Illustration: FLINT CASTLE.]
This Castle is, or rather was, situated on an insulated rock, in
a marsh on the river Dee, which still, at high tides, washes its walls.
It is a site of considerable historical interest, being the place where
the unhappy King Richard II was delivered into the hands of his rival,
Bolingbroke. The unfortunate monarch, it appears, finding himself
deserted, had withdrawn to North Wales, with a design to escape to
France. He was, however, decoyed to agree to a conference with
Bolingbroke, and on the road was seized by an armed force, conveyed to
Flint Castle, and thence led by his successful rival to the metropolis.
Shakspeare has perpetuated Flint Castle by its frequent mention in his
"Life and Death of King Richard the Second.
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