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Williamson, James or John Brown (d. 1802)
The leading actor in the dramatic company which occasionally played behind the George Inn in Dumfries. Th Burns Chronicle for 1948 alleges that the man's name was John Brown (not James as Chambers says), 'that he married Louisa Fontenelle (d. 1800) (see Fontenelle, Louisa), and that both emigrated to America. Like Burns, he had been admitted to the Riddell social circle at Woodley Park. When the company were playing at Whitehaven, the 'bad Earl of Lonsdale' imprisoned the entire company as vagrants. Burns — if the author of the piece was indeed Burns — took the opportunity of hitting back at Maria Riddell, who had broken off her friendship with him, and at the Earl, whom he disliked, by writing his 'Epistle from Esopus to Maria' (Aesopus was the most famous tragic actor in Cicero's Rome): "Why Lonsdale, thus thy wrath on vagrants pour?
Must earth no rascal save thyself endure?
Must thou alone in guilt immortal swell
And make a vast monopoly of Hell?
Thou know'st the Virtues cannot hate thee worse:
The vices also, must they club their curse?
Or must no tiny sin to others fall,
Because thy guilt's supreme enough for all?
Maria, send me, too, thy griefs and cares,
In all of thee sure thy Esopus shares;
As thou at all mankind the flag unfurls,
Who on my fair one Satire's vengeance hurls!
Who calls thee pert, affected, vain coquette,
A wit in folly and a fool in wit!
Who says that "fool" alone is not thy due,
And quotes thy treacheries to prove it true?"
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