The Fair Circaffian. Why has the Fair Circaffian been played twenty-one nights? Orders. I would as foon believe that the man accepted a life-annuity from admiral Byng, to be fhot to death in his ftead. Fine fcenes, and mifs Far ren's face? There are too many other opportunities of gazing at both. What could it be then, that has made the Fair Circaffian be played twenty-one nights, notwithstanding the principal woman's being a metaphyfician instead of a lover, the mistake of a man for his brother during a conversation of five minutes, Almoran's barbarous and useless self-murther, and a very indifferent verfification? Why was the Fair Circaffian played twenty one times? Owing to the intereft of the fubject, which increases regularly during the three firft acts; the attempt at difcrimination of character, vifible even in the inferior perfonages; the many movements of fraternal affection, which will always intereft a mixed audience, let the ftory or fituation be ever fo old, especially when it is attended with fo fine a circumftance as the reconciliation-scene in the fourth act, by Almoran's fudden turn to the remembrance of the days of their youth, and their parents. This is why the Fair Circaffian has been played twenty-one times. But the author of Emma Corbett can do better than this; he need only continue cau tious in the choice of his story, afk himself if he would have acted as he makes his characters do, try what he means to say by the severe criterion of putting it first into profe, not be too lazy in rejecting first thoughts, then his feelings cannot mislead him. Variety. If this is the production of a young mufe (for, if it is not, the cafe is defperate, and the author has only to con confole himself with the comfort of no common genius unhappily too late tried,) the need not defpair, though the prefent attempt has not anfwered, merely from having more characters than could poffibly be crowded into the canvas, But there is character, there is knowledge of life, there is (the first of merits) a defire to laugh, and make laugh and when all this has been a little matured by experience, we fhall fee other Lady Fallals and other Sir Timothys than the present. A man of fenfe, who is generally in the right, because he judges from nature and the habits of good company, was obferving to me the delicacy of making the Irishwoman not at all furprized (like one who could either deserve, or believe any body would think the deferved, to be fufpected at being caught by her huf band with a man at her feet). This is certainly maf terly, and the whole character is well conceived, and much more honourable to a people amongst whom there have been few divorces in this reign (blush, Britannia) than the coarse, though entertaining, Irish Widow. The Count of Narbonne. A Tragedy. Theodore. The murderer was guilty, not his race. Thus fpoke the critic of the piece: the fault is in the choice of the fubject, and it was impoffible for all Mr. Jephfon's art to mend it. Narbonne is perhaps one of the fineft drawings of an impetuous bad man that exifts; nothing can be more in character than his. Fabian. Heaven defend you. Count. Heaven defend me! I hope it will, and this right arm to boot. or his Dextra mihi Deus, et telum, hoc quod misfile libro; First Officer. We will, my Lord, about it inftantly. Count. Temper your zeal, and know your orders firft. Except perhaps it be that fine paraphrafe of heaven and earth fhall pass away, but my words fhall not pass away," of Austin's, Yes, Yes, he must fuffer; my rapt foul forefees it. To the laft letter all fhall be accomplish'd. The intereft likewife is well kept up, and there are various beauties in the inferior characters, befides the uncommon merit of a diction, (but for eight improper fimilies,) the moft perfect perhaps that exifts, as it is real converfation, and has all the ornaments of poetry that real converfation can allow. All this and more may be faid in its favour; where then are its faults? The great one of all, that it can never raife violent emotions in a judicious fpectator, who will always fee Narbonne as an unfortunate madman, not as a man of blood; will laugh, instead of fhuddering, at his alarm on feeing Theodore in Alphonfo's armour; and will condemn the catastrophe as bloody without being probable, and atrocious without being pathetick. As to the idea of the Almighty's punishing the crime of the ancestor on the defcendant, it is theological, but not dramatick; and if it were dramatick, it requires the freezing and harrowing pen of a Shakespeare to bring it into life: in inferior hands it only neceffitates other improbabilities, fuch as Clarinfal's changing his character to oppose a marriage, which, as a priest and a lover of peace, he fhould be happy at; Narbonne's (to give him a little guilt of his own carning) running after a barbarous divorce by barbarous means, &c. &c. By the way, Mr. Jephfon, whom I venture to diffent from in the fpirit of candour, and with the fullest admiration of what there is good, feems to me always to run away from scenes of feeling, as if he were unequal to them. In Braganza there is not as much pathos as there fhould be; and in the Law of Lombardy a father and his daughter, who are to part for ever, hold a metaphyfical debate upon the immortality of the foul: this again may be in character, but it is not dramatick. But this and all his other faults Mr. Jephfon will undoubtedly get over, if he goes on writing. The The Belle's Stratagem. Where the public voice has spoke fo loudly, and fo repeatedly, the talk of criticism is as pleafant as it is eafy. It has only to confirm the verdict of the country, and to point out to excellence how it may still become more perfect. Will Mrs. C. then forgive another Gradus if he reminds her from Aristotle, that the effence of comedy confifts in character; characters fo contrafted, and fo exhibited, as to purge the paffions, by inciting to laugh? Elegant dialogue and nice allufions to the ftory of the day, though, they have exquifite merit, and will always be liftened to with pleafure, partake more of the nature of fatire or moral effay than of comedy. Even Congreve, excellent as he is when he is decent, finks before Mrs. Heidelberg's fly cap, her Dutch relations, and lap-dog, and Lord Ogleby's exultation at Fanny's declaration in favour of another perfon. Rhapsody on Pope, by Mr. Tyers. This writer is of the school of Montaigne; and in other circumstances, that is, if it had been his fate to have had more leifure and more opportunities of obfervation in the earlier parts of life, would have been ftill more worthy of his mafter; for he has fenfe and fimplicity; and where these ftamina of all good writing exift, it depends very much upon accident to what height the plant fhall grow. To change one metaphor for another, this, though one of the little veffels which, failing round Pope, enjoys the triumph and partakes the gale, is built of oak. In plain and humble Eng lith, I received much pleasure from Mr. Tyers' book, and heartily recommend it to all thofe who, loving Pope, will love every man who talks to them well of their friend, and is entertaining on other fubjects. * See the excellent little farce of Who's the Dupe; which fhews that Mrs. C. has only to be reminded, that he is flumbering on her watch. Specimen of a Sacred Drama from Metaftafio. The excellent Mifs More's Sacred Dramas having just appeared, I thought it might not be uninterefting to fhew how a fubject of the fame kind had been treated by Metaftafio. The fubject is the facrifice of Abraham, the moment that in which he has just received the fatal order from the angel, Sarah is coming in. ABRAHAM, SARAH, SHEPHERD. Abr. Let me conceal the fecret from her for the prefent, and refpect the grief of a mother-Some other time-She comes-Good God, what fhall I fay to her? Sarah. Why is Abraham up before day break-what new care Abr. Sarah, I am commanded to offer up a pure victim to the Lord. I must go myfelf and chufe the materials for the holy Fire. Don't detain me. Sarah. Cannot I go with you? Adieu. Abr. No: for this once condefcend to ftay here. Sarah. Stay here-what after having for fo many years been the companion of every joy and every care; now that an act of duty is to be performed, may not I have a small fhare in the merits? Abr. She is in the right-I have no right to deprive her of the reward of fo great an inftance of obedience. She must know all. Shepherds leave us. God of my fathers, prepare her to hear, and teach me what I am to say. Sarah. What means this unufual preparation? Abr. Moft lov'd, and moft refpected of women, of all the favours we have received at the hands of the Almighty, fay, haft thou a lively remembrance? Sarah. Ah! how is it poffible to forget them! Abr. He does-but if he was to require fome hard proof of your affection? Sarah. No danger-no diftrefs-my life— Abr. Your fon.-Sarah. Ah! Ifaac!-Abr. Ifaac. Sarah. It would perhaps kill me, but if the hand that gave him (if the Almighty) to return him to him |