That produced by Banks, we have nev-| supported as to deserve decided repre
er seen, but Colley Cibber commends it hension, nor so well, as to demand un-
for such a happy disposition of fable, qualified approbation. Mr. Fennel in
and distress so naturally produced, that the Earl of Essex made it much more
it requires little assistance from the important and interesting than we could
ornaments of style, which in this play have supposed it: In the scene with
is as barbarous as any that ever kept the Queen, after receiving a blow, his
possession of the stage. In 1761, Mr. | high spirited indignation mingled with
Brooke's tragedy was brought forward his sense of reason and allegiance, pro-
at Drury-lane; this gentleman gave his duced an emotion not easily expressed,
plot a novel appearance, by departing but which he gave with great truth of
from strict historical fact. All authori- conception and force of utterance.
ties concur in the opinion, that it is a
very meritorious production. "The
sentiments are natural and characteris-
tic. The diction without being too
poetical is florid, elegant and often
sublime." But Dr. Johnson's wit on
a line of it, is often quoted against
the piece. Sheridan, was loud in its
praise, and being desired to give a
specimen, repeated the passage ending

with this line

"Confusion! what,, a blow ! Restrain, good Heav'n down, down, thou rebel passion, And, judgment, take the reins. Mad am, 'tis wellYour soldier falls degraded.”

He spoke the closing lines, when he made his exit with his wife at the con

clusion of the second act, with great propriety.

"Who rules o'er freemen, should him." From hence we'll fly, where love and

self be free."

This is good, logic, said Johnson, laugh-
ing-
Who drives fat oxen, should himself

be fat.

With sweet content, enjoy each blissful hour,

Beyond the smiles of fraud, or frown's of power."

But before the play of Mr. Brooke appeared, the one now under consideration had been performed at CoventThe Earl of Southampton by Mr. Garden. Mr. Jones, the author, was Fox, had a representative who did him a brick-layer, who was recommended injustice. The whole character wantto the notice of Lord Chesterfield in ed dignity, and had too much of fretIreland. The play is dedicated to his fulness. In all his exits, Mr. Fox has Lordship, and it is hinted that this a sameness of hurry-a shuffling step, personage as well as Cibber, assisted and mincing demeanour, entirely inin the composition of the Earl of Essex. consistent with energy or greatness. Be this as it may, it certainly cannot The notice of this defect we are wilbe ranked as either very poetical, chasteling to hope, is the first step towards in its diction, happy in its imagery, or its amendment. interesting by the conduct of the plot. We give Mrs. Shaw credit for the atThe play is barren of incident, local intention she bestowed upon the weighty its allusions, and adulatory to Queen Elizabeth. The mind in attending to it, becomes tired of monotony, and is not recompensed, by the few beauties it gathers in its progress, for the labour of obtaining them.

The metaphor is oftentimes confused, mixed with literal meaning, and inappropriate but it is sometimes beautiful and characteristical Were it not an historical play, it would be condemned for its abuse of poetical justice.

We have not many remarks to offer on its performance this evening; the characters in general were not so ill

character of Queen Elizabeth. Her costume was appropriate, and she evidently understood her part. This is praise which we bestow more unequivocally, as in tragedy she seldom deserves it.

We were happy to see Mrs. Powell once more in a character so well suited to her talents as "The Countess of Rutland." In some scenes she evinced powers,

Which threw her former actions far behind."

Mrs. Usher wanted many qualifica tions for the Countess of Nottingham, subtlety, discrimination, grace. The

separate interests, Pizarro mingles three stories so that it has emphatically been denominated "a nest of plays;" and the production before us has numerous involutions of counteracting characters by which various mistakes are committed until at length the whole plot is crowned by a general duel. The stories develope too soon; the au dience knowing very early all that is likely to happen, and in truth all that does transpire. The incidents are nei ther laughable from their drollery, nor interesting from their tenderness.

The characters though original, aré so out of nature that an audience fr removed from the period when this play was written, will be unable to relish them. The diction is flowing; but seldom elevated; and the comic part of the characters, rather belong to farce than to legitimate comedy. The play is almost without a moral.

The performance of this evening can not claim much respect from critical investigation.

The London Merchant; or the History of
George Barnwell (George Hills) and
Robin Hood. Monday, March 2.
The play of King Lear had been an-
nounced for performance this evening
but in consequence of a very sudden
indisposition of Mr. Fennel, George
Barnwell was made a substitute. The
first contained in its cast the whole
strength, the last emploved all the
weakness of the company. Pressed
by the emergency of the occasion we
presume the managers were necessi-
tated to order this play. We shall
therefore be silent as to its merits as a
composition, and refrain from censuring
its representation. The necessity of
the case pre-supposes a want of perfec-
tion; for excellence is the effect of in-
dustry combined with talents, and is
seldom the offspring of immediate con-
ception or the sudden efforts of uncer-only
tain execution.

The Rivals (R. B. Sheridan) and the
Spoiled Child.
Wednesday, March 4.

Mr. Caulfield appeared in a new branch of the comic drama, that of the Irish gentleman; and acquitted himself respectably. But to say the character of Sir Lucius O' Trigger, had full force given to it, neither comports with our opinion, nor would do justice to Mr. Caulfield.

Mr. Bernard as Acres, made us laugh; and so did Mr. Dickenson as Sir Anthony Absolute, with them and them prevailed,

"Mirth, that wrinkled care derides,
“And laughter shaking both his sides."

We beg pardon; Mrs. Shaw as Mrs. Maloprop gave abundant evidence of her powers-in old-maid characters.

Messrs. Fox, Downie, and Barnes, diminished nothing from their reputation

The Rivals is the earliest of all Mr. Sheridan's dramatic works. It did not survive the first night, where it first appeared: but it has been since alterLydia Languish, by Mrs. Stanley, ed and it is now occasionally performed wanted a sort of languishing susceptawith considerable success. There is bility, which distinguishes the dispo much virtue in a name, for had Sheri-sition and feelings of romantic novel dan never written any thing else, it is probable the Rivals would have reposed undisturbed upon the shelf, liable only to the assaults of consuming worms. It appears to us that this gentleman is exceedingly fond of perplexing his plots, with multiplying the fables, and out of the disasters, crosses and confusions of mingled purposes, characters and events to produce his conclusion. Thus the School for Scandal, has three

mongers, and green girls; whose souls are tremblingly alive" to every touch of bombast and sentimental love pangs. Mrs. S. seemed to be conscious of play ing the fool, it did not seem "nature is her."

We do not presume the represents tion of the Rivals, without a Falkland, as on this evening, will attract another house during the remainder of the sea son. The audience we believe wero

7

tolerably satisfied; for if they were not charmed with great beauties, they were disgusted with few deformities of representation.

For this purpose, they venture to this dreary spot, which contemplates, with envy, the highlands of Scotland; surrounded by barren mountains, beaten by storms almost perpetual-where scarce an inhabitant is to be seen, unless when the sun (whose appearance is justly considered as one of the wonders of the Peak) draws them out, from a curiosity natural to man, to wonder into what cavern the storm has retired. Yet this is summer; and if the winter

[The style of Doctor Johnson has not escaped the shaft of ridicule. He who made every one tremble before the seve rity of his criticism is himself brought to the bar of critical opinion, and been punished with the lash which he so liberally inflicted. The stateliness and dignity of his language has a very ludic-holds its natural proportion, the inhabrious appearance when connected with the smaller concerns of life, and hence a judicious imitation of his phraseology on trifing subjects has been a favourite manner of attack with the critics. The following humorous effusion fell from the pen of the Hon. Mr. Erskine, the present British minister in this country, and is supposed to have been written by the Doctor from Buxton after coming out of the bath, and addressed to his friend Dr. Boswell.]

FORTUNE often delights to exalt what nature has neglected, and that renown which cannot be claimed by intrinsic excellence, is often derived from acident. "The Rubicon was ennabled by the passage of Cæsar," and the bubling up of a stream in the middle of a lime-quarry, has given celebri.

itants of the hall, who are not thirty yards from the well, must pass months without any communication with it. Yet here, the same folly which created disease, for the cure of which so much is suffered, obstructs the operation of the remedy from which so much is hoped. Animated by the appetite, which even the diluent powers of common water, assisted by the vibrations of exercise and the collisive hilarity of reciprocal salutation, would give to a body obstructed by gluttony and rest; they devour with delirious hunger, a farinaceous sponge, with its interstices undulated in butter, which might smile with contempt at the peristaltic exertions of an elephant, and of which, the digestion would be no less an evil, than. the obstruction: if obstructed, it con

vulses the stomach with rancid exhala

ty to Buxton. The waters, in which it is agreed notions; and if, by its gravity, it finds its mineral properties reside, and which way to the bowels, it tumefies them seem to have no better claim to superior tion in both, it becomes acrimonious with flatulent paroxysms; by its detenheat than what is derived from compar- and mephytic; and, while its fumes aing them with the almost Siberian at-rise and salute the brain with palsy, its mosphere that surrounds them, are said, however, to posess a spirit, which, though too volatile and unknown to reaeive a name from the chemists of graver ages, have, in this fanciful æra, when macaroni philosophers hold sirtation with science, taken the lead of all the other elements, and those whose nerves have foun1 no relief in change of sky, or variety, seek for a refuge here in fixed air.

caput mextuum descends, and lays the foundation of fistula. Very providenare not aggravated by the dinner. Din tially, however, the evils of breakfast ner is rather a ceremony here, than a repast; and those who are delicate and sick acquire popularity, by dissemina which nothing but rude health, both of ting among the multitude that food, body and mind, could digest, When it is finished, the chaplain calls upon Amazing, indeed, is the avidity the company to be thankful for what with which all ranks of mankind seek they have received; and the company, after that health, which they have vol- remembering they have breakfasted, untarily alienated to disease. Like methodists, who hope for salvation join in the thanksgiving. through faith without works, invalids come here in hopes to find in the well, that vigour they lost in the bowl; and to absorb in the bath, the moisture that evaporated at the ball, or in the stews.

The evils of the day are likewise happily alleviated by the early hour of going to bed; and, if sleep forsakes the pillow, even fancy itself cannot, charge it upon the supper,

There are, notwithstanding, here, ing married an extreme ugly lady, upwards of two hundred people, who, though very rich, was asked by his by talking continually of how much náture has left undone, and how little art friends, how he could think of marhas done for the place, increase the rying so ordinary a woman; « Look spleen they hope to cure at it; who ye," said he, "I bought her by speak with rapture of the beauties and weight, and paid nothing for fash pleasures of Matlock, which though ion.". within their reach, they never go to: “and who hoping, by the power of imagination, convert a smoking cauldron into a cold bath, relax, and wash to sen, sitive agony, those fibres, which require the ten sion of the bow-string, and they arrayed; smiling, he exclaimed, rigour of steel!

1

For the Emerald.

DESULTORY SELECTIONS.

AND ORIGINAL RÉMARKS.

SENECA.

Diogenes being at Olympia, saw at that celebrated festival, some young men of Rhodes magnificent

"This is pride." Afterwards meeting some Lacedemonians in a mean and sordid dress, he said, "And this is also pride.”

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

I owe much, says Kotzebue, I We know not whether the "Origi. owe every thing to Seneca, and Inal Poetry" which PHILO has very believe, that during eighteen centu-severely censured, would be considerries there has not lived a man in ship has a claim to raise its voice in fa ed a fair subject of criticism. Friendthe world who has blessed and re-vour of departed merit, and sometimes vered his memory so much as my-demands that the benevolence of its 'self.

DEATH.

intentions should be accepted as an apology for the deficiències of genius. But perhaps our correspondent "had a which has assumed the right of giv right to expect "that in a publication ing laws to literature, and punishing "with severest criticism every imagi"nary trespass on the republic of let

Neither children nor madmen
fear death. How humiliating not
to be able to furnish "what insanity"
'can' procure.

ters, the name of Walter should not "have been associated with the viola"tion of grammatical propriety, rhetor"ical ornament and poetical skill."

Whoever (says the German dra-
matist) whoever has undergone a
series of misfortunes must certain-
ly have experienced that the mind
is never more prone to superstition
than when under the immediate
control of grief. What would at
other times be accounted as a mere
nothing acquires importance dur-its appearance.
ing the hour of affliction.

A Monk, who discharged in some
place, the office of librarian, finding
a Hebrew book in the collection,
and not knowing under what title
to class it in his catalogue, called
it, "a book, the beginning of which
is at the end."

PHILO should himself remember that severity of reproof is perfectly consistent with mildness of languagehis essay contains many just observaare several reasons which must prevent tiohs, ingenious and critical; but there

We

The communication of APPELLANT tant and copious a subject as English is entitled to our respect. So imporOrthography demands much laborious investigation and nice judgment. should be happy to present to our readers a series of remarks on any branch of philological literature, but cannot promise to do it on inspection of only one number. If APPELLANT will forward us the continuation, it shall be Sir Francis Blake Delaval hav-examined with attention.

POETRY.