圍攻波士頓 - 古德明

                
                
General John Burgoyne, who attained note as a dramatist, went out to command in America in 1774. Previous to the British evacuation of Boston, he had prepared a tragedy, The siege of Boston, to be performed by some officers and soldiers.
At the moment when a crowded house was impatient for the show, American heavy artillery began bombarding the town. The audience, who thought the discharge of artillery was a prelude to the play, gave the warlike sounds every mark of their approbation. And when a performer entered on the stage in great hurry and agitation to tell them that the siege was begun, they considered him as performing his part, and received him with great applause. It was not long, however, before the Americans' balls gave an unexpected turn to the tragedy of the evening.
約翰．伯戈因將軍是個著名劇作家，一七七四年到美洲指揮軍隊。英軍撤出波士頓之前，他寫了悲劇《圍攻波士頓》，由軍官和士兵演出。
劇院裏坐滿了人，正等候開場。恰巧美軍就在這個時候，以重砲轟擊波士頓。觀眾以為砲聲是開場的前奏，對那逼真的聲響大為讚賞。一個演員匆匆走到舞臺上，很緊張的跟大家說，攻城戰已經展開，觀眾卻以為他是在演戲，大聲喝采。不過，美軍砲彈不久就給這一晚的悲劇帶來意料之外的結局。