HELEN;

OR,

TAKEN FROM THE GREEK.

A Burlesque,

IN THREE SCENES,

A Companion Picture to "Paris; or, Vive Lempriere!"

BY

F. C. BURNAND, Esq.,

(Member of the Dramatic Authors' Society),

AUTHOR OF

Patient Penelope, or The Return of Ulysses; Ixion, or the Man at the Wheel; Alonzo the Brave, or Faust and the Fair Imogene; Villikins and his Dinah; Lord Lovel and Lady Nancy Bell; Romance under Difficulties; In for a Holiday; Dido; King of the Merrows; Deerfoot; Fair Rosamond; Robin Hood, or The Foresters' Fete; Acis and Galatea; The Deal Boatman; Madame Berliot's Ball, or the Chalet in the Valley; Rumplestiltskin, or The Woman at the Wheel; Snowdrop, or the Seven Mannikins and the Magic Mirror; Cupid and Psyche, or as Beautiful as a Butterfly; Ulysses, or the Iron Clad Warrior and the Little Tug of War; Pirithous, the Son of Ixion; Windsor Castle; Dido (second edition); Paris, or Vive Lempriere; L'Africaine (opera-bouffe); L'Africaine (burlesque, Liverpool); Boabdil el Chico, or the Moor the Merrier; Sappho, or Look before you Leap; Our Yachting Cruise (G. Reed's); Der Freischutz, or a good Cast for a Piece; Antony and Cleopatra, or His-story and Her-story in Modern Nilo-metre; Olympic Games, or the Major, the Miner, and the Cock-a-doodle-doo; The Latest Edition of Black-eyed Susan, or the Little Bill that was Taken up; Guy Fawkes, or the Ugly Mug and the Couple of Spoons, &c., &c.

AND PART AUTHOR OF

B. B.; Volunteer Ball; Turkish Bath; Carte de Visite; The Isle of St. Tropez; Easy Shaving; &c., &c.

An adaptation of "La Belle Hélène," in Three Acts, (with Offenbach's music) by the same Author, was performed at the Adelphi.

THOMAS HAILES LACY,

THEATRICAL PUBLISHER,

LONDON.

Characters.

(invulnerable everywhere)

...

ENTHYCLES (a Worker in Iron, one of the ancient family of Greek-Smiths) ORESTES (Helen's Nephew, an Anachronism, Son of Agamemnon)

...

...

....

Mr. THOMAS.

HELEN (the Fairest One with the Golden Locks, and the loveliest creature ever seen, Queen of
Sparta).

Programme of the Scenery, &c.

SOLD!!!

HELEN;

OR,

TAKEN FROM THE GREEK.

SCENE FIRST.-Exterior of the Temple of Jupiter, at Sparta.

Chorus of DEVOTEES, discovered presenting their offerings, chiefly flowers, before the Temple. The Temple door is opened, and CALCHAS enters, followed by PHILOCOMENOS, c. Exit DEVOTEES and SLAVES, carrying the offerings into the Temple.

CALCHAS. Business is bad. It's very hard to state
That Jove has not been patronized of late.
I seldom see 'em to our Temple going;

Men are becoming so uncommon knowing. PHILOCOMENOS. But, reverend Mister Calchas, I've heard tell,

The priest of Venus does uncommon well.
CALCH. The priest of Venus goes on well; but how?
'Cos, Phil, that goddess is the rage just now.
For wasn't she proclaimed the fairest by
Young Paris, on Mount Ida? Ah, that's why.
But stir yourself, to day's the annual fête
Of great Adonis, which to celebrate,
Helen, our queen, will hold a festive court
To all the Grecian Princes; and I ought
To give an oracle to-day-a tip

For next year's Derby-can't let this chance slip.
Old Calchas's right again, so pay your fees! (music)
What's that?

PHILO.

Queen Helen and her devotees.
(goes up steps, c.)

Music.-Enter, R. U. E., four LADIES, with double flutes, four with cymbals, then HELEN, followed by two LADIES, with offerings.

Hymn to Adonis.—" C'est le devoir des Femmes Filles."

HELEN. Adonis he was killed by a little boar;
He was no less than loved by Venus-
No less, no more-
Killed by a boar,

CHORUS.

He is no more.

He is no more.

HELEN. Adonis, dear, we'll thus address you;
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, little star;
To shed a tear will not distress you,
Since high above the world you are.
I'm sure you'll hear us, Venus;
Oh, Venus, up yonder;

CHORUS.

I'm sure you'll hear us, Venus, up yonder.
Lovely goddess (between us),

No one of him was fonder,

Whose praise we sing to you-
Whom we hymn to you.

Lovely Venus up yonder,

Of that youth none fonder,

Of him no one was fonder than you.

(CALCHAS invites them to enter the Temple-the MAIDENS accept his kind invitation—HELEN stops on the first step and beckons CALCHAS-they come down)

HELEN. A word with you.

CALCH. (obsequiously)

HELEN. (stopping him)

Queen Helen! (bows)
That'll do;

I simply said, I want a word with you;
But if those foolish attitudes you strike,

I shall have words with you which you won't like.
Tell me that Ida business.

CALCH. (taken by surprise)

Most unfottinit.

Ida! now I'd ha' thought you had forgotten it.
(coaxingly) Don't think about it, queen.