John O'Keeffe (writer)

John O'Keeffe (24 June 1747 – 4 February 1833) was an Irish actor and dramatist. He wrote a number of farces, amusing dramatic pieces and librettos for pasticcio operas, many of which had great success. Among these are Tony Lumpkin in Town (1778), Love in a Camp (1786), and Omai (1785), an account of the voyages of the Tahitian explorer Omai, and Wild Oats (1791).

Quotes

• Amo, amas, I love a lass,
  As a cedar tall and slender;
  Sweet cowslip's grace
  Is her nom'native case,
  And she's of the feminine gender.
  • The Agreeable Surprise (1781), act 2, sc. 2

• Dear sir, this brown jug, that now foams with mild ale,
  Out of which I now drink to sweet Kate of the vale,
  Was once Toby Filpot, a thirsty old soul,
  As e'er crack'd a bottle, or fathom'd a bowl;
  • The Poor Soldier (1783), act 2, sc. 2
  • Cf. Francis Fawkes

• A glass is good, and a lass is good,
     And a pipe to smoke in cold weather;
  The world is good, and the people are good,
     And we're all good fellows together.
  • Sprigs of Laurel (1793), act 2, sc. 1

• I am a friar of orders grey,
  And down in the valleys I take my way;
  I pull not blackberry, haw, or hip,—
  Good store of venison fills my scrip.
  • Merry Sherwood, or Harlequin Forrester, 7th ed. (1795), pt. 2

External links

• Encyclopedic article on John O'Keeffe (writer) on Wikipedia