Endnote 21 – Bah, Humbug!

Bluestockings objected to performances of sacred text as entertainment in concert halls and even taverns by performers whose personal morals did not necessarily attain to the Anglican ideal. For instance, the contralto and actress Susanna Cibber had conducted a notorious love affair. Nonetheless, a cleric at the Dublin premier is reported to have responded to her rendition of “He was Despised” with the exclamation, “Woman, for this thy sins be forgiven thee!”