rst
mistress and then wife of old Colonel Ranter, recently deceased,
a wealthy, buxom virago who has followed her soldier during the fighting
in man's attire and even allowed herself to be taken prisoner by a young
gallant, Hazard, just landed from England, and who has occupied his time
in an amour with a certain Mrs. Surelove. Hazard, upon his arrival,
meets an old acquaintance, Friendly, who loves and is eventually united
to Crisante, daughter to Colonel Downright; whilst Parson Dunce, the
Governor's chaplain, is made to marry Mrs. Flirt, the keeper of a
hostelry, a good dame with whom he has been a little too familiar on a
promise of matrimony.

SOURCE.

The admirable comic scenes and characters of _The Widow Ranter_ are
original invention, but Mrs. Behn has founded the serious and historical
portion of her play upon a contemporary pamphlet, _Strange News from
Virginia being a full and true account of the Life and Death of
Nathaniel Bacon esq. London: printed for Wm. Harris, 1677_. With regard
to the catastrophe and Bacon's love for the Indian Queen, Mrs. Behn has
quite legitimately departed from the narrative, but otherwise she keeps
fairly closely to her sources. There is also a _History of Bacon and
Ingram's Rebellion in Virginia in 1675-76_, written at the time but
first published in 1867.

The _Dictionary of National Biography_ gives a very ample yet concise
account of Bacon, with valuable references to original documents. He
was the son of Sir Thomas Bacon of Friston Hall, Suffolk. Born in 1642,
about 1673 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Edward Duke, Bart.,
and shortly afterwards in a spirit of roving adventure emigrated to
Virginia. Here he was elected a member of the Council, and his estates
being especially exposed to Indian raids the volunteer colonists chose
him General. The Governor, however, delayed to send the necessary
commission, and Bacon having in this interval attacked a band of Indian
marauders was promptly declared a rebel. The Governor was thereupon
forced to yield by a general revolt, and in a second expedition Bacon
defeated the Indians with terrific slaughter. A little later when
reinforcements had arrived the Governor again declared him an outlaw,
but after a brief struggle was himself obliged to take refuge at sea,
whilst Jamestown fell into the hands of the victorious General, who not
being able to garrison the houses, burned it to the ground. In the midst
of his success,