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Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
Chapter 08
Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
1. According to Robert J. House and Terence R. Mitchell's path-goal model, role ambiguity
calls for participative leadership to clarify the path to performance.
True False
3. Leaders with a low least preferred co-worker (LPC) score are more task-oriented, and they
tend to evaluate their least preferred co-worker fairly negatively.
True False
4. The need for leadership is defined in terms of the extent to which an individual wishes
independence in facilitating the paths toward individual, group, and/or organizational goals.
True False
5. Situational conditions and follower attributes interact with the leader, shaping what might
be effective leadership.
True False
6. The path-goal approach has its roots in a more general motivational theory called
expectancy theory.
True False
8-1
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
7. The expectations of subordinates that effort will result in effective performance and that
effective performance will result in a reward is one of the subordinate attitudes described in
the path-goal theory.
True False
9. A number of studies suggest that each leader follows a unique leadership style irrespective
of the situation.
True False
10. A contingency factor is a variable which moderates the relationship between two other
variables such as leader behavior and subordinate satisfaction.
True False
11. The path-goal theory asserts that the more dissatisfying the task, the more the subordinate
will appreciate leader behavior directed at increasing productivity or enforcing compliance.
True False
12. According to Mitchell, a participative climate should increase the clarity of organizational
contingencies.
True False
13. The path-goal theory hypothesizes that achievement-oriented leadership will cause
subordinates to strive for very high standards of performance thereby reducing their
confidence in performing the tasks.
True False
8-2
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
14. The path-goal theory not only suggests what type of style may be most effective in a given
situation, but it also attempts to explain why it is most effective.
True False
15. According to Fiedler, the effectiveness of the leader will be defined in terms of how well
his/her group or organization performs the primary tasks for which the group exists.
True False
16. The contingency model holds that the effectiveness of group performance is contingent
upon the subordinates' motivational pattern and the actual performance of followers.
True False
17. The study by Fiedler determined that task-motivated individuals performed better than
relationship-motivated leaders in situations that were intermediate in favorableness.
True False
18. An organization can change leadership performance either by trying to change the
individual's personality and motivational pattern or by changing the favorableness of the
leader's situation.
True False
19. Common sense suggests that it is much easier to change the man than to change various
aspects of a man's job.
True False
20. One of the myths that the Fiedler article discredits is the idea that some men are born
leaders and that neither training, experience, nor conditions can materially affect leadership
skills.
True False
8-3
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
22. Robert J. House contends that leader effectiveness is most appropriately examined in
terms of the leader's impact on:
A. the attrition in an organization or department.
B. the performance of his/her followers.
C. his/her own performance and its transparency.
D. the labor management in the organization.
23. _____ enable(s) followers to see their way more clearly toward performance
accomplishment.
A. Reduction of role ambiguity
B. Job rotation policies
C. Complex jobs and job sharing
D. Achievement orientation
24. Which of the following statements about leaders with a low LPC score is true?
A. They associate themselves with participative leadership style.
B. They tend to be relationship-oriented.
C. They are most effective as leaders in situations of intermediate favorability.
D. They tend to evaluate their least preferred co-worker fairly negatively.
25. The focus of the contingency model of leadership offered by Vroom and Yetton is limited
to the:
A. role of management in legitimizing leadership.
B. role of the leader and his/her followers in decision-making situations.
C. extent of power available to the leader.
D. various decision-making models used by leaders.
8-4
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
26. According to the _____ theory of leadership, leaders are effective because of their impact
on subordinates' motivation, ability to perform effectively, and satisfactions.
A. situational
B. path-goal
C. contingency
D. expectancy
27. The path-goal approach has its roots in a more general motivational theory called the:
A. hygiene theory.
B. ERG theory.
C. expectancy theory.
D. equity theory.
28. _____ leadership is characterized by a friendly and approachable leader who shows
concern for the status, well-being, and needs of subordinates.
A. Achievement-oriented
B. Voluntary
C. Goal-oriented
D. Supportive
29. Which of the following statements is consistent with the general propositions of the path-
goal theory?
A. Employee satisfaction is not related to leaders' motivational behavior.
B. Leaders' operational functions are more crucial than the strategic functions.
C. Effective leaders could minimize personal payoffs to subordinates.
D. Coaching, guidance, support, and rewards are necessary for effective performance.
8-5
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
31. The two contingency variables discussed in the path-goal theory are personal
characteristics of the subordinates and the _____ and demands with which subordinates must
cope in order to accomplish the work goals and to satisfy their needs.
A. leadership behaviors
B. environmental pressures
C. personal characteristics of the leader
D. traits of leaders
32. _____ leadership will have its most positive effect on subordinate satisfaction for
subordinates who work on stressful, frustrating, or dissatisfying tasks.
A. Voluntary
B. Achievement-oriented
C. Supportive
D. Goal-oriented
33. Leader directiveness has a positive correlation with satisfaction and expectancies of
subordinates who are engaged in:
A. ambiguous tasks.
B. explicit tasks.
C. tasks with definite goals.
D. structured jobs.
34. Managers should be alert to the critical need for supportive leadership under conditions
where:
A. tasks are simple.
B. workers have an external orientation.
C. workers are not under control.
D. tasks are dissatisfying.
8-6
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
35. The path-goal theory hypothesizes that _____ leadership will cause subordinates to strive
for higher standards of performance and to have more confidence in the ability to meet
challenging goals.
A. participative
B. directive
C. achievement-oriented
D. supportive
37. Participative leadership will have a positive effect on the satisfaction and motivation of
subordinates when the:
A. subjects are highly ego-involved in a decision or a task.
B. task demands are clear to the subordinates.
C. task demands are structured and closely aligned.
D. subordinates value self-interest and independence.
8-7
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
40. _____ model holds that the effectiveness of a group depends on the leader's motivational
pattern and the degree to which the situation gives the leader power and influence.
A. Contingency
B. Path-goal
C. Situational
D. Five forces
41. Leaders will have more power and influence if their station is vested with such
prerogatives as being able to hire and fire. This illustrates which leadership dimension?
A. Leader-member relations
B. Goal emphasis
C. Task structure
D. Position power
43. According to Fiedler's study, to improve leadership performance, we can either change the
leader by training or change the:
A. leader's leadership situation.
B. context of evaluation.
C. follower.
D. performance targets.
44. Which of the following types of managers should be trained for jobs in which the
situational favorableness is intermediate?
A. Managers who are neither relationship-motivated nor task-motivated.
B. Managers who are relationship-motivated and task-motivated.
C. Managers who are not relationship-motivated but task-motivated.
D. Managers who are relationship-motivated but not task-motivated.
8-8
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
45. Which of the following is a conclusion derived from the study conducted by Fiedler on
leader effectiveness?
A. People differ in how they respond to management situations.
B. There is one ideal type of leader.
C. Traits such as cognitive abilities and intelligence are important in leadership.
D. Experience and training can materially affect leadership skills.
Essay Questions
46. Explain the effects of inconsistent relationships between the behaviors that leaders engage
in.
47. Explain the relationship between the behavior of leaders and the subordinates'
expectations that effort leads to rewards based on Evans's study.
8-9
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
49. What are the two contingency variables associated with the path-goal theory? Explain
these variables.
8-10
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
1. (p. 195) According to Robert J. House and Terence R. Mitchell's path-goal model, role
ambiguity calls for participative leadership to clarify the path to performance.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
2. (p. 196) According to the contingency theory of leadership, leaders' motivational orientation
toward others can be captured by the attitudes they express about their most preferred
worker.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
3. (p. 196) Leaders with a low least preferred co-worker (LPC) score are more task-oriented, and
they tend to evaluate their least preferred co-worker fairly negatively.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
4. (p. 198) The need for leadership is defined in terms of the extent to which an individual
wishes independence in facilitating the paths toward individual, group, and/or organizational
goals.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
8-11
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
5. (p. 199) Situational conditions and follower attributes interact with the leader, shaping what
might be effective leadership.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
6. (p. 201) The path-goal approach has its roots in a more general motivational theory called
expectancy theory.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
7. (p. 202) The expectations of subordinates that effort will result in effective performance and
that effective performance will result in a reward is one of the subordinate attitudes described
in the path-goal theory.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
8. (p. 202) Supportive leadership is characterized by a leader who lets subordinates know what is
expected of them, gives them specific guidance as to what should be done and how it should
be done, and asks that group members follow standard rules and regulations.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
9. (p. 202) A number of studies suggest that each leader follows a unique leadership style
irrespective of the situation.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
8-12
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
10. (p. 203) A contingency factor is a variable which moderates the relationship between two
other variables such as leader behavior and subordinate satisfaction.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
11. (p. 204) The path-goal theory asserts that the more dissatisfying the task, the more the
subordinate will appreciate leader behavior directed at increasing productivity or enforcing
compliance.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
12. (p. 205) According to Mitchell, a participative climate should increase the clarity of
organizational contingencies.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
13. (p. 205) The path-goal theory hypothesizes that achievement-oriented leadership will cause
subordinates to strive for very high standards of performance thereby reducing their
confidence in performing the tasks.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
14. (p. 206) The path-goal theory not only suggests what type of style may be most effective in a
given situation, but it also attempts to explain why it is most effective.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
8-13
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
15. (p. 208) According to Fiedler, the effectiveness of the leader will be defined in terms of how
well his/her group or organization performs the primary tasks for which the group exists.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
16. (p. 209) The contingency model holds that the effectiveness of group performance is
contingent upon the subordinates' motivational pattern and the actual performance of
followers.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
17. (p. 210) The study by Fiedler determined that task-motivated individuals performed better
than relationship-motivated leaders in situations that were intermediate in favorableness.
FALSE
Difficulty: Medium
18. (p. 211) An organization can change leadership performance either by trying to change the
individual's personality and motivational pattern or by changing the favorableness of the
leader's situation.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
19. (p. 212) Common sense suggests that it is much easier to change the man than to change
various aspects of a man's job.
FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
8-14
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
20. (p. 212) One of the myths that the Fiedler article discredits is the idea that some men are born
leaders and that neither training, experience, nor conditions can materially affect leadership
skills.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
21. (p. 194) Smircich and Morgan define leadership as a product of:
A. desirable traits and behaviors of an individual.
B. the inherent skills and abilities of a manager or leader.
C. an interaction between the situation, the leader, and the followers.
D. interpersonal and intergroup conflicts in an organization.
Difficulty: Easy
22. (p. 195) Robert J. House contends that leader effectiveness is most appropriately examined in
terms of the leader's impact on:
A. the attrition in an organization or department.
B. the performance of his/her followers.
C. his/her own performance and its transparency.
D. the labor management in the organization.
Difficulty: Easy
23. (p. 195) _____ enable(s) followers to see their way more clearly toward performance
accomplishment.
A. Reduction of role ambiguity
B. Job rotation policies
C. Complex jobs and job sharing
D. Achievement orientation
Difficulty: Easy
8-15
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
24. (p. 196) Which of the following statements about leaders with a low LPC score is true?
A. They associate themselves with participative leadership style.
B. They tend to be relationship-oriented.
C. They are most effective as leaders in situations of intermediate favorability.
D. They tend to evaluate their least preferred co-worker fairly negatively.
Difficulty: Easy
25. (p. 198) The focus of the contingency model of leadership offered by Vroom and Yetton is
limited to the:
A. role of management in legitimizing leadership.
B. role of the leader and his/her followers in decision-making situations.
C. extent of power available to the leader.
D. various decision-making models used by leaders.
Difficulty: Medium
26. (p. 201) According to the _____ theory of leadership, leaders are effective because of their
impact on subordinates' motivation, ability to perform effectively, and satisfactions.
A. situational
B. path-goal
C. contingency
D. expectancy
Difficulty: Easy
27. (p. 201) The path-goal approach has its roots in a more general motivational theory called
the:
A. hygiene theory.
B. ERG theory.
C. expectancy theory.
D. equity theory.
Difficulty: Easy
8-16
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
28. (p. 202) _____ leadership is characterized by a friendly and approachable leader who shows
concern for the status, well-being, and needs of subordinates.
A. Achievement-oriented
B. Voluntary
C. Goal-oriented
D. Supportive
Difficulty: Easy
29. (p. 202) Which of the following statements is consistent with the general propositions of the
path-goal theory?
A. Employee satisfaction is not related to leaders' motivational behavior.
B. Leaders' operational functions are more crucial than the strategic functions.
C. Effective leaders could minimize personal payoffs to subordinates.
D. Coaching, guidance, support, and rewards are necessary for effective performance.
Difficulty: Medium
Difficulty: Medium
31. (p. 203) The two contingency variables discussed in the path-goal theory are personal
characteristics of the subordinates and the _____ and demands with which subordinates must
cope in order to accomplish the work goals and to satisfy their needs.
A. leadership behaviors
B. environmental pressures
C. personal characteristics of the leader
D. traits of leaders
Difficulty: Medium
8-17
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
32. (p. 204) _____ leadership will have its most positive effect on subordinate satisfaction for
subordinates who work on stressful, frustrating, or dissatisfying tasks.
A. Voluntary
B. Achievement-oriented
C. Supportive
D. Goal-oriented
Difficulty: Easy
33. (p. 204) Leader directiveness has a positive correlation with satisfaction and expectancies of
subordinates who are engaged in:
A. ambiguous tasks.
B. explicit tasks.
C. tasks with definite goals.
D. structured jobs.
Difficulty: Medium
34. (p. 205) Managers should be alert to the critical need for supportive leadership under
conditions where:
A. tasks are simple.
B. workers have an external orientation.
C. workers are not under control.
D. tasks are dissatisfying.
Difficulty: Easy
35. (p. 205) The path-goal theory hypothesizes that _____ leadership will cause subordinates to
strive for higher standards of performance and to have more confidence in the ability to meet
challenging goals.
A. participative
B. directive
C. achievement-oriented
D. supportive
Difficulty: Easy
8-18
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
36. (p. 205) From a path-goal viewpoint, participation would lead to:
A. many goals through a single path.
B. greater clarity of the paths to various goals.
C. many paths that would lead to a single goal.
D. productive intrapersonal conflicts.
Difficulty: Medium
37. (p. 206) Participative leadership will have a positive effect on the satisfaction and motivation
of subordinates when the:
A. subjects are highly ego-involved in a decision or a task.
B. task demands are clear to the subordinates.
C. task demands are structured and closely aligned.
D. subordinates value self-interest and independence.
Difficulty: Medium
Difficulty: Medium
Difficulty: Easy
8-19
Chapter 08 - Contingency and Path-Goal Theories of Leadership
40. (p. 209) _____ model holds that the effectiveness of a group depends on the leader's
motivational pattern and the degree to which the situation gives the leader power and
influence.
A. Contingency
B. Path-goal
C. Situational
D. Five forces
Difficulty: Easy
41. (p. 210) Leaders will have more power and influence if their station is vested with such
prerogatives as being able to hire and fire. This illustrates which leadership dimension?
A. Leader-member relations
B. Goal emphasis
C. Task structure
D. Position power
Difficulty: Easy
42. (p. 210) Relationship-motivated leaders tend to perform better than task-motivated leaders in
situations that are:
A. extremely favorable and structured.
B. least favorable.
C. intermediate in favorableness.
D. extremely favorable and unstructured.
Difficulty: Medium
43. (p. 212) According to Fiedler's study, to improve leadership performance, we can either
change the leader by training or change the:
A. leader's leadership situation.
B. context of evaluation.
C. follower.
D. performance targets.
Difficulty: Easy
8-20
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foot, and chamber men,” independently of the noble maidens who
tended her, and who seem to have been equally served by three
“valets de main, de pied, et de chambre.”
But short-lived was the glory; no, I will not say that, let me rather
remark that short-lived was the worldly splendor of the chivalrous
my-lady countess. She had rendered all the service she could, when
she fell wounded before Paris, and was basely abandoned for a
while by her own party. She was rescued, ultimately, by D’Alençon,
but only to be more disgracefully abandoned on the one side, and
evilly treated on the other. When as a bleeding captive she was
rudely dragged from the field at Compiègne; church, court, and
chivalry, ignobly abandoned the poor and brave girl who had served
all three in turn. By all three she was now as fiercely persecuted; and
it may safely be said, that if the English were glad to burn her as a
witch, to account for the defeat of the English and their allies, the
French were equally eager to furnish testimony against her.
Her indecision and vacillation after falling into the hands of her
enemies, would seem to show that apart from the promptings of
those who had guided her, she was but an ordinary personage. She,
however, never lost heart, and her natural wit did not abandon her.
“Was St. Michael naked when he appeared to you?” was a question
asked by one of the examining commissioners. To which Jeanne
replied, “Do you think heaven has not wherewith to dress him?” “Had
he any hair on his head?” was the next sensible question. Jeanne
answered it by another query, “Have the goodness to tell me,” said
she, “why Michael’s head should have been shaved?” It was easy, of
course, to convict a prejudged and predoomed person, of desertion
of her parents, of leading a vagabond and disreputable life, of
sorcery, and finally, of heresy. She was entrapped into answers
which tended to prove her culpability; but disregarding at last the
complicated web woven tightly around her, and aware that nothing
could save her, the heart of the knightly maiden beat firmly again,
and as a summary reply to all questions, she briefly and emphatically
declared: “All that I have done, all that I do, I have done well, and do
well to do it.” In her own words, “Tout ce que j’ai fait, tout ce que je
fais, j’ai bien fait, et fais bien de le faire;” and it was a simply-
dignified resume in presence of high-born ecclesiastics, who did not
scruple to give the lie to each other like common ploughmen.
She was sentenced to death, and suffered the penalty, as being
guilty of infamy, socially, morally, religiously, and politically. Not a
finger was stretched to save her who had saved so many. Her
murder is an indelible stain on two nations and one church; not the
less so that the two nations unite in honoring her memory, and that
the church has pronounced her innocent. Never did gallant
champion meet with such base ingratitude from the party raised by
her means from abject slavery to triumph; never was noble enemy
so ignobly treated by a foe with whom, to acknowledge and admire
valor, is next to the practice of it; and never was staff selected by the
church for its support, so readily broken and thrown into the fire
when it had served its purpose. All the sorrow in the world can not
wash out these terrible facts, but it is fitting that this sorrow should
always accompany our admiration. And so, honored be the memory
of the young girl of Orleans!
After all, it is a question whether our sympathies be not thrown away
when we affect to feel for Jeanne Darc. M. Delepierre, the Belgian
Secretary of Legation, has printed, for private circulation, his “Doute
Historique.” This work consists chiefly of official documents, showing
that the “Maid” never suffered at all, but that some criminal having
been executed in her place, she survived to be a pensioner of the
government, a married lady, and the mother of a family! The work in
which these documents are produced, is not to be easily procured,
but they who have any curiosity in the matter will find the subject
largely treated in the Athenæum. This “Historical Doubt” brings us so
closely in connection with romance, that we, perhaps, can not do
better in illustrating our subject, than turn to a purely romantic
subject, and see of what metal the champions of Christendom were
made, with respect to chivalry.
THE CHAMPIONS OF CHRISTENDOM
GENERALLY
AND HE OF ENGLAND IN PARTICULAR.
“Are these things true?
Thousands are getting at them in the streets.”
Sejanus His Fall.
“If Cottington outdo me,” says the son, “he be-whipt.” And so, after
the election of St. George as the seventh champion of Christendom,
ends one of the longest acts that Bull or Cockpit was ever asked to
witness and applaud.
The next act is briefer but far more bustling. We are in that
convenient empire of Trebizond, where everything happened which
never took place, according to the romances. The whole city is in a
state of consternation at the devastations of a detestable dragon,
and a lion, his friend and co-partner. The nobles bewail the fact in
hexameters, or at least in lines meant to do duty for them; and the
common people bewail the fact epigrammatically, and describe the
deaths of all who have attempted to slay the monsters, with a
broadness of effect that doubtless was acknowledged by roars of
laughter. Things grow worse daily, the fiends look down, and general
gloom is settling thick upon the empire, when Andrew of Scotland
and Anthony of Italy arrive, send in their cards, and announce their
determination to slay both these monsters.
Such visitors are received with more than ordinary welcome. The
emperor is regardless of expense in his liberality, and his daughter
Violetta whispers to her maid Carinthia that she is already in love
with one of them, but will not say which; a remark which is answered
by the pert maid, that she is in love with both, and would willingly
take either. All goes on joyously until in the course of conversation,
and it is by no means remarkable for brilliancy, the two knights let fall
that they are Christians. Now, you must know, that the established
Church at Trebizond at this time, which is at any period, was
heathen. The court appeared to principally affect Apollo and Diana,
while the poorer people put up with Pan, and abused him for
denouncing may-poles! Well, the Christians had never been
emancipated; nay, they had never been tolerated in Trebizond, and it
was contrary to law that the country should be saved, even in its dire
extremity, by Christian help. The knights are doomed to die, unless
they will turn heathens. This, of course, they decline with a dignified
scorn; whereupon, in consideration of their nobility, they are
permitted to choose their own executioners. They make choice of the
ladies, but Violetta and Carinthia protest that they can not think of
such a thing. Their high-church sire is disgusted with their want of
orthodoxy, and he finally yields to the knights their swords, that they
may do justice on themselves as the law requires. But Andrew and
Anthony are no sooner armed again than they clear their way to
liberty, and the drop scene falls upon the rout of the whole empire of
Trebizond.
The third act is of gigantic length, and deals with giants. There is
mourning in Tartary. David has killed the king’s son in a tournament,
and the king remarks, like a retired apothecary, that “Time’s plaster
must draw the sore before he can feel peace again.” To punish
David, he is compelled to undertake the destruction of the enchanter
Ormandine, who lived in a cavern fortress with “some selected
friends.” The prize of success is the reversion of the kingdom of
Tartary to the Welsh knight. The latter goes upon his mission, but he
is so long about it that our old friend Chorus enters, to explain what
he affirms they have not time to act—namely, the great deeds of St.
George, who, as we learn, had slain the never-to-be-forgotten
dragon, rescued Sabrina, been cheated of his reward, and held in
prison seven years upon bread and water. His squire, Suckabus,
alludes to giants whom he and his master had previously slain, and
whose graves were as large as Tothill Fields. He also notices
“Ploydon’s law,” and other matters, that could hardly have been
contemporaneous with the palmy days of the kingdom of Tartary.
Meanwhile, David boldly assaults Ormandine, but the enchanter
surrounds him with some delicious-looking nymphs, all thinly clad
and excessively seductive; and we are sorry to say that the Welsh
champion, not being cavalierly mounted on proper principles, yields
to seduction, and after various falls under various temptations, is
carried to bed by the rollicking nymph Drunkenness.
But never did good, though fallen, men want for a friend at a pinch.
St. George is in the neighborhood; and seedy as he is after seven
years in the dark, with nothing more substantial by way of food than
bread, and nothing more exhilarating for beverage than aqua pura,
the champion of England does David’s work, and with more
generosity than justice, makes him a present of the enchanter’s
head. David presents the same to the King of Tartary, that, according
to promise pledged in case of such a present being made, he may
be proclaimed heir-apparent to the Tartarian throne. With this bit of
cheating, the long third act comes to an end.
The fourth act is taken up with an only partially successful attack by
James, David, and Patrick, on a cruel enchanter, Argalio, who at
least is put to flight, and that, at all events, as the knights remark, is
something to be thankful for. The fifth and grand act reveals to us the
powerful magician, Brandron, in his castle. He holds in thrall the King
of Macedon—a little circumstance not noted in history; and he has in
his possession the seven daughters of his majesty transformed into
swans. The swans contrive to make captives of six of the knights as
they were taking a “gentle walk” upon his ramparts. They are
impounded as trespassers, and Brandron, who has some low
comedy business with Suckubus, will not release them but upon
condition that they fight honestly in his defence against St. George.
The six duels take place, and of course the champion of England
overcomes all his friendly antagonists; whereupon Brandron, with his
club, beats out his own brains, in presence of the audience.
At this crisis, the King of Macedon appears, restored to power, and
inquires after his daughters. St. George and the rest, with a use of
the double negatives that would have shocked Lindley Murray,
declare
The swans, however, soon take their pristine form, and the three
daughters appear fresh from their plumes and their long bath upon
the lake. Upon this follows the smart dialogue which we extract as a
sample of how sharply the King of Macedon looked to his family
interests, and how these champion knights were “taken in” before
they well knew how the fact was accomplished.
And, fore George, as our fathers used to say, they make a night of it.
The piece ends with a double military reel, and the audiences at the