A Set of Rogues

A travelling troupe of actors struggles to earn its supper after plague and fire disrupt theatrical life in London. Christopher Sutton, the narrator of Frank Barrett's 1895 novel, joins Jack Dawson, his lively daughter Moll, and Ned Herring on the road. Their costumes, cart, and musical talents offer a precarious living, while an accidental barn fire brings them into conflict with a farmer and a severe magistrate. Sutton tells these misadventures as a confession, mixing comic observation with accounts of hardship.

Set in the reign of Charles II, the story brings together imposture, wandering players, and pirate adventures. A later scene places Moll in charge of a house, negotiating through Sutton with a reluctant steward over money for elaborate painted ceilings. The contrast between roadside performance and costly domestic display gives the novel its particular interest: theatrical resourcefulness meets questions of money, social position, and conscience.