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836 COXE’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.
before a large affembly. Their firft performances were the fcriptural hiftories written
by the Archbifhop of Roftof; thefe were fucceeded by the tragedies of Lomonozof and
Sumorokof, and fometimes fatirical farces of their own compofition againft the inhabi-
tants of Yaroflaf. The fpectators being admitted gratis, his father-in-law objected to the
expence; and Volkof conftruéted, in 1750, a large theatre, partly by fub{cription, and
partly at his own rifk. Having fupplied it with fcenes, which he painted himfelf, and
dreffes, which he affifted in making; and procured additional aftors, whom he inftructed,
he and his troop performed with great applaufe before crowded audiences, who cheer-.
fully paid for their admiffion.
In 1752, the Emprefs Elizabeth, informed of their fuccefs, fummoned them to Peterf-
burgh; where they reprefented, in the theatre of the court, the tragedies of Sumorokof,
‘To improve this new troop, the four principal ators were placed in the feminary of the
cadets, where they remained four years. At the conclufion of that period, a Ruffian
theatre was eftablifhed at the court; three actrefles were admitted; Sumorokof was
appointed director, and 5,000 roubles were allowed for the ators. Befides this falary,
they were permitted to perform once a week to the public; and the admiflion-money
“was diftributed among them without deduction ; as the lights, mufic, and drefles were
provided at the expence of the Emprefs.
The chief performances were the tragedies and comedies of Sumorokof, and tranfla-
tions from Moliere and other French writers. The company continued to flourifh under
the patronage of Catharine, and the falaries of the a€tors were gradually increafed to
11,000 roubles per annum. Volkof and his brother were ennobled, and received from
their imperial miftrefs eftates in land: he performed, for the laft time, at Mofcow, in
the tragedy of Zemira, a fhort time before his death, which happened in 1763, in the
thirty-fifth year of his age. He equally excelled in tragedy and comedy ; but his prin-
cipal merit confifted in reprefenting madnefs. He was tolerably verfed in mufic, and
no indifferent poet.
His friend Sumorokof paid an affecting tribute to the memory of Volkof, who had
done ample juftice to his dramatic compofitions: ‘* Melpomene, unite thy tears with
mine; lament and tear thy locks. My friend is dead. Adieu, my friend; forrow pe-
netrates and diffolves my foul. The fource of Hipposcrene is frozen. O Ruffia! you
poffeffed a fecond Racine! but the new theatre is already tottering from its foundations;
and all the labours of a century are deftroyed! Volkof is feparated from the Mules for
ever.— Tragedy has loft her bufkin and her poignard. Melpomene, bedew his tomb
with thy ‘eal abe
The prophecy, however, of Sumorokof, which his enthufiafm for the theatrical abilities
of this great actor, or his affeCtion for the memory of his friend, led him to utter, is far
from being fulfilled. The ftage, though it fuffered a confiderable lofs by the death of
Volkof, ftill fubfifts and profpers under the protection of Catharine ; and from the fpe-
cimens which I faw among the foundlings at Mofcow, and in other feminaries, there is
no reafon to apprehend the want of able actors.
To return from this digreffion : Alexander Sumorokof, the fon of Peter Sumorokof,
a Ruffian nobleman, was born at Mofcow, on the 14th of November, 1727 t. He re-
ceived the firft rudiments of learning in his father’s houfe, where, befide a grammatical
knowledge of his native tongue, he was well grounded in the Latin language. Being
* Le Clerk, p. 81.
+ This account of Sumorokof is chiefly taken from ** Kurze Nachricht von den Leben und der Schriften
des, Alexander Petrowitch Sumorokof,” in Journ, St. Pet. for 1778.
a 10 removed
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