The spoil'd child: A farce, in two acts, as performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

In Short

This 18th-century farce centers on a young boy whose incorrigible love for practical jokes—from swapping the dinner pheasant for a cooked parrot to arranging fake elopements—drives his family to madness. To "cure" him of his wild behavior, his father and aunt devise a scheme to convince the boy he is a commoner, sparking a dizzying series of retaliatory pranks. It remains a classic of the period for its brisk energy, sharp wit, and the sheer audacity of its central character, who effectively hijacks the adults' own plots.

The Story

The domestic peace of Old Pickle’s country estate is shattered by his son, Little Pickle, a boy whose appetite for mayhem knows no bounds. The boy spends his days laying traps for his father and aunt, turning the household into a minefield of wet floors, hidden buckets, and social humiliations. While his aunt insists that severe punishment is the only way to break these habits, Old Pickle, though frequently the victim of his son’s antics, remains too fond of the boy to act.

Tensions reach a breaking point when the boy replaces the dinner pheasant with the aunt’s pet parrot and ruins her reputation by spreading rumors of a secret lover—the wandering actor Mr. Tagg. Exasperated, the aunt threatens to disinherit the family unless the boy is brought to heel. To "reform" him, they hatch a scheme: they will convince Little Pickle that he is not actually Old Pickle’s son, but the child of a common nurse, Margery, who supposedly switched him at birth. They hope that the loss of his status and the prospect of being sent away will humble his spirit.

Little Pickle learns of the ruse, but instead of being cowed, he embraces the chaos. He turns the plot against his elders, playing the role of a rough sailor boy with such enthusiasm that he drives his aunt to distraction and makes a mockery of his father’s authority. He further complicates matters by befriending his sister, Maria, and mocking the aunt’s romantic aspirations regarding the pompous Mr. Tagg.

The climax arrives when the aunt attempts to elope with Tagg. Little Pickle, lurking in the shadows, sews their clothes together while they are distracted by their own theatrical posturing. When they attempt to flee, they find themselves physically stuck to one another, a spectacle that leads to their discovery by Old Pickle. As the adults’ machinations crumble, Little Pickle drops his sailor disguise, reveals his true identity, and offers a charming plea for forgiveness. Overjoyed to have his son back and his estate safe from the "poetical" Mr. Tagg, Old Pickle relents. The play concludes with a celebratory finale, as the boy promises to reform—though his final words suggest he expects the audience to laugh at his antics rather than judge them too harshly.

How It Unfolds

The provocation Little Pickle’s relentless pranks turn the dining room into a battlefield, forcing his aunt to demand a radical intervention. Old Pickle, tired of broken shins and ruined dinners, reluctantly agrees to a scheme to disown his son temporarily.

The ruse is set The aunt and father tell the boy he is a "beggar brat" and must live with his nurse, Margery. They assume this will crush his spirit, but the boy quickly unravels the deception by questioning the nurse.

The sailor’s turn Reappearing in the guise of a crude, song-singing sailor, the boy insults his aunt and provokes his father. He turns the household rules into a farce, leaving the adults unsure who is actually in charge.

The lovers' trap The boy discovers his aunt’s secret plan to run away with the actor Tagg. He sabotages their rendezvous in a garden bower, physically binding them together and exposing them to the entire household.

The final scene With the aunt’s elopement ruined and the adults’ plans in tatters, the boy reveals his true self. He secures his father’s forgiveness and reunites the family in a lighthearted, musical finale.

The People

Little Pickle is the engine of the play, a mischievous force of nature who values wit over decorum. He wants to expose his elders' hypocrisies and refuses to be manipulated by their "plots." By the end, he remains unchanged in spirit but secures his position by charming his father.

Old Pickle is a man of fluctuating tempers who wants to be a stern patriarch but is fundamentally softhearted. He is motivated by a desperate desire to keep his family fortune (the "consols") intact and is easily swayed by whoever is currently managing his household.

Miss Pickle is the aunt, a woman who considers herself a person of refinement and "poetical" taste, yet she is easily embarrassed. She wants to control her nephew’s behavior and secure a romantic life with Tagg, but her own vanity and poor judgment leave her vulnerable to the boy’s traps.

Mr. Tagg is a self-important, stilted actor who wanders the countryside. He wants to marry into the Pickle fortune and sees himself as a romantic lead, but he is fundamentally a buffoon who serves as the perfect target for the boy’s pranks.

In Its Own Voice

In the prologue, the audience is reminded that they are just as prone to being "spoilt" as the boy on stage:

“But to my talk—to own it tho’ you’re loath / You’re all spoilt children of a larger growth, / Longing for each poor tinsel’d toy you see, / And only constant to variety——”

When the aunt tries to force the boy to believe he is a stranger’s child, the boy tests his father’s true feelings:

“Yet, sir, for an instant hear me—pity me—ah too sure I know / I am not your child—or would that distress which now / draws tears of pity from a stranger, fail to move nature in you.”

Finally, the boy offers a plea to the audience, framing his defiance as mere entertainment:

“Then censure not a school-boy’s faults, / But laugh at, and excuse ’em.”

What It's Really About

The play explores the tension between adult authority and youthful instinct. It suggests that when adults attempt to "manage" children through dishonesty and complex schemes, they forfeit their right to be respected. The "spoilt" quality of the boy is mirrored by the "spoilt" nature of the adults, who are equally consumed by their own petty desires—be it for money, romantic vanity, or status. The play argues that these social hierarchies are often farcical and easily punctured by honesty, or even by a well-timed prank. It asks whether the rigidity of the older generation is truly superior to the spontaneous, if disruptive, spirit of the young.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the brisk, witty banter of 18th-century theater—think of the spirited energy of a play meant to be seen rather than read—will find this farce delightful. It is a very short, fast-paced work that captures the spirit of Drury Lane at the turn of the 19th century. The humor relies on the reversal of power dynamics: watching the "superior" adults get outsmarted by a child is a timeless satisfaction.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the limitations of the period. The dialogue is highly stylized and heavily reliant on the conventions of its time, such as the frequent asides to the audience and the exaggerated, "poetical" language used for comedic effect. Some attitudes, particularly regarding class and the treatment of servants, reflect the prejudices of the late 1700s. There are also moments where the dialect and the specific theatrical references (like the mention of "consols" and specific plays of the era) might feel distant. Despite this, the central theme of a child who refuses to be broken by parental hypocrisy feels surprisingly modern. If you approach it as an artifact of its time—a piece of "sportive" entertainment meant to make an audience laugh at its own flaws—it remains an engaging, breezy experience that leaves you grinning at the boy's audacity.