parts which, as they tell you, they have played for thirty years together with app'aufe. In vain do gray hairs and furrowed checks ftare the audience into a conviction of the impropriety of their claim; or broken hollow voices cry from the tombs in which their youth lie buried, to diffuade the Actors from their purpose:- Ambition, with her fpirit-furring drum, ear-piercing fife, brazen trump, and other numerous noify inftruments, tfles the voice of the too feeble monitor; the Stage-novice, whatever his pretenfions may be, muit give way to the prior and established claim of the Veteran, who in Romeo, Caftaito, &c. - rolls his haggard eyes in fight, "And looks delightfully with all his might;" by fuch conduct throwing the young man into thofe parts he cannot relish or approve of, and confequently difregards too much to pay any attention to. Thus it often happens, the fame perion that would be a favourite in Romeo, is laughed at in Paris or Capulet; and the audience, ignorant of or inattentive to what might be the caule, leaves the Theatre with the conviction of his being a Blockhead, Should fickness or accident incapacitate a man for weeks together for pursuing the fortunes of the Company into which chance had thrown him, the conduct of his fellow-comedians, I can feelingly allure him, will convince him he can have nothing to hope from their about him, or interpofition in his favour tender folicitude to alleviate his misfortune. months after the difaftrous accident mentionAbout fix ed in the former part of this letter befel me, Mr. P.'s Company of Comedians was playing at Stamford, I addreffed Mr. P. by letter, and intrufted it to the care of a person I could confide in, foliciting his interpofition with his Company to raise me a trifle of 231 any application for affift.nce to the parth money to enable me to live independent of the accident happened in. Though Mr. P. had no perfonal knowledge of me, he expreffed great concern for my fituation, and, with a generofity connatural to him, immediately propofed to them to rafe me fomething worthy my acceptance, and subcircumstances did honour to his humanity; fcribed at the fame time a fum which for his inform them) not one was found to follow but (from what motive let their own breafts ftrength rapidly returning, I addreffed Mr. his example! Five weeks after, finding my M. acting and joint Manager of the Linfituation, and requesting as a favour an encoln Company of Comedians, now at Spalding, a few miles from hence, defcribing my gagement in his Company, at whatever falary he might allot me; affuring him at he'd find me very ufeful in fuch eafy parts the fame time, I had every reafon to hope Support them; but Mr. M. refufed me a as required no violent exertion of power to temporary afylum in his Company, in which, three months ago, hundreds of Ladies and might without arrogance offer myself to Gentlemen in this county can witness, I ftand the foremost as an actor. Thus was wholly dependent on the public for fupport, I left for the laft twelve weeks almoft which, happily for me, proved a truly liberal and benevolent one. perience, endeavoured to defcribe the many Thus far have I, from dear-bought exinconveniencies attending a paffion for the enced, and daily fee, the most ardent in Stage; a paffion, from what I have experirewarded, fhould my feeble endeavours nature next to love; happy, and more than imprudent, and in many places an illegal, refcue one inexperienced perfon from an profeffion. THEATRICAL COMEDY. JOURNAL. What if half taken from the French our Do not, good John, go growlingly away! Written by GEORGE COLMAN, Jun. Efq. And tho' you damn Mounjeer, zounds, man, Spoken by Mr. PALMER. THIS is a Lady's piece—and after that We need not fue for favour-verbum fat. John Bull a fine good-natur'd honest blade is; No milkfop he-and yet John loves the ladies. don't damn the woman : This to plain John: and as for master In a green-box, his coat half off his back, As As Critics frown or fmile, look pleas'd or gruff, Jacky is with 'em-thinks their word enough, And cries, "Damn'd good! Damn'd fine! Damn'd bad! Damn'd ftuff!" While others, more refin'd, who deign to deck Our lower range with towels round their neck; Stout, high-burn, British youth, who Three evening hours of a fultry day, Fashion is most amazingly ferene ! And breathes cold nothings of his ardent Jove, Which, like his muscles, nought he vows can move; While o'er his forehead, to increase her pangs, In artificial eale a love-lock hangs ! These sweet, foft fwains our drama ne'er perplex; Nor dread we aught from the fill fofter fex. Woman, whofe every vein with feeling flows, In whole mild breaft each kindly paffion glows; Woman, whofe heart for ruder man will bleed, Muft feel for woman in her hour of need. Whom fear we then all here fuccefs mult with us, And honeft Gods above, be ye propitious! By your loud fiats we must fink or rifeGreat Shilling and Two Shilling Deities! It omens well-none here will fure refufe Aid to a Female-and a Virgin Mufe! EPILOGUE TO THE SAME. Written by GEORGE COLMAN, Jun. Efy. Spoken by Mrs. GOODALL. IN days of oid, fmitten with Hilpa's carriage, The love-fick Shalum offers made of mar. riage. For 'twas icarce decent fhe fhou'd yield fo foon. At length, as time roll'd on-in prime of life About four hundred-they were man and wife, Thefe bright examples feem not to delight The Shalum and the Hilpa of to-night. Fickle, alas! were they in their devotions, And yet they fhew'd fome ftrange oide fabion'd notions. In thefe enlighten'd times, who must not wonder When want of paffion keeps a pair asunder L What boots, it if the parties love or hate? Acre weds acre now-eftate--cftate. Bridegroom and bride form the convenient tether, That ties two bulky properties together. For mansions, barns, and outhoufer united. Sometimes, indeed, the fpendthrift Lord A low-born vulgar help-mate to his bed '; While the rich Cit, enraptur'd, makes for life : His portion'd girl the needy Noble's wife With fentiments fo vilely tramontane, SEPT .5. Mrs. BANNISTER took leave of the Stage at the Haymarket with the following Addrefs. PAINFUL the task for me, which must enfue! Life then was long-and neither at the brink My heart is grateful, yet 'tis aching too, on't, The nymph took just one hundred years to think on't. Still was the coy-the youth still brifkly fued, And thro' another century he wooed ! While I ftep forth to bid you all adieu ! To-night my labour in your service ends. And, Oh! if faintly now the voice reveals Thofe ftruggling movements which the bofom feels, Let the big drops that gliften in my eyes Express that fenfe the fault'ring tongue denies. As oft, retir'd, unruffled and ferene, This Lady appeared first at the Haymarket, the 22d of May 1778, in the character of Rofetta, in Love in a Village, by her then name of Harpur. A few years afterwards the became the wife of Mr. J. Bannister, jun. and quits the Theatre with the good wishes of all those who bear refpect to talents united to a conduct deferving every kind of praise. 6. A new Farce called THE FAMILY COMPACT was performed; the characters of which were as follow: This Farce is the production of the Rev. Mr. Rofe, one of the Matters of Merchants Taylors School, and Author of a piece of one act called "A Quarter of an Hour before Dinner;" and is little more than an amplification of the fame incidents and ideas; but in lengthening his fcenes, the Author has neither invigorated his plot nor fharpened his fatire. The Farce was received with a mixture of applause and cenfure; the former, however, greatly predominated. The hinge of the Fable is this:-Mr. Relative has not merely married his wife, but all her relations, who are eating him up alive, and have brought him to the verge of ruin. His weak partiality to his wife has VOL. XXII. fo far overpowered his reafon, that out of an ill-judged tenderness to her, he has forgotten the feelings of a father, and fuffered his eldest daughter to withdraw herself from his family, and rifque her character and existence, Apprised of his desperate fituation by Touchwood, an honest but rough adviser, he determines to discard the vermin who infeft his house, and check the prodigality of his wife; he makes an effort to atchieve this purpofe, but is prevented by Mrs. Relative's tears, and is on the point of a relapfe, when the nearer approach of his ruin awakens his understanding, and restores him to a full fenfe of his fituation. In his utmost diftrefs he is relieved by the filial attention of his difcarded daughter Emily, who has obtained an entrance into her father's houfe under the affumed character of Dennis O'Grig, an Irish footman, and who accidentally discovers that a plot has been formed, by Family Compact, to plunder her father by her mother's relations. This incident haftily produces a denouement. Such is the outline of this Farce, which reminds us of pieces of greater merit. To fucceed eminently, the Author must read the Book of Life more attentively. The incidents of " The Family Compact" are aukwardly arranged, without producing fufficient stage effect to atone in any degree for their grofs want of probability. It would be a waste of words to dilate on the defects of a piece in which there is fo little ground for commendation. The points of the Prologue were not unlike those preceding "The First Floor" -where the opinions of the audience are given characteristically-the effect however failed in a great degree, from the Prompter "blabbing" rather too loudly from behind the curtain. 15. The feafon ended at MR. COLMAN'S THEATRE with "Peeping Tom," "The Agreeable Surprife," and "The Mogul Tale." At the conclufion of "The Agreeable Surprife," Mr. Bannister, jun. came forward, and addreffed the audience to the following purport: "As we are, Ladies and Gentlemen, now to take leave of you for this feason, I am to exprefs the fentiments of the Manager, and to affure you, that he feels in the warmest manner the liberal patronage he has received; he knows he cannot vie with his Managerical brethren in buildings, yet he will never be found inferior to them in gratitude and exertions; and if, after a winter's accommodation in their palaces, you should be content to honour his cotrage, ha flatters Matters himself that you will neither find him nor his fellow labourers wanting in their endeavours to fecure your entertainment. I am again, Ladies and Gentlemen, to thank you for the performers, and doubly to thank you from Lingo." Same day the Old Drury Company com. menced their operations for the feafon, with "The School for Scandal." The chara&ters were fupported by the ufual performers, and with the ufual rate of ability. The actors received the customary token of public entem on their refpective entrances. King, Parfons, Dodd, Palmers, Kemble, Mifs Pope, Mrs. Kemble, and Mifs Farren, were chiefly dif• tinguished by the liberal welcome of the audience. The Farce was, "All the World's a Stage.' 17. Mr. Harris opened the Theatre at Covent-Garden, which, from expenfive, commodious, and elegaut alterations, may be called a new houfe. Having expended five-and twenty thousand pounds, and enlarged his Company, he required, and reafon ably, a fmall advance in the prices *; conceiving that in a country profeffing obedience to law, he had a right to offer his fervices to the public on terms proportionable to the capital he has hazarded. But a custom becoming very prevalent, and menacing alarm ing confequences, that of abiding by the clamourous determination of a mob, produced an altercation and difcuffion which we think a difhonour to the country. For if the Manager prop fes any-thing unjust, unreasonable, or illegal, it is in the power of the Chamberlain and of the law to punith him; if not, he is entitled to the protection of the Civil Power and of Government, in common with every other man of useful talents and commendable industry. The moment the curtain drew up for the commencement of a NEW PRELUDE from MR. CUMBERLAND, a fmall part of the audience, amounting perhaps to one hundred or one hundred and fifty perfons, began to Outrage all the reft. The Prelude paffed off without a fyllable of it being heard, fo much fuperior proved the cry of "hear him, bear bim," and "off, of, f.” During this contention of foes and friends, Mr. Lewis, by dint of uncommon perfeverance, obtained leave to say- "I only beg leave to ask what is your pleasure?" A cry of "No rife of prices" came from a few in the Pit--and feveral papers were handed to him ;-these notes of band did not, however, país current with the audience at large, who frequently loudly entreated Mr. Lewis to address the house. Two acts of the “ Road to Ruin" having displayed the performers' skill in pantomime, for not a word was heard, the Acting Manager again came forward, and having luckily obtained filence, thus addreffed himfelf to the multitude: "Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me entreat to be heard for one moment. I am authorised to addrefs you from the Proprietor of the Theatre. He has too great an opinion of your liberality--he knows you will not fuffer ruin to attend his en deavours for your accommodation. In regard to a one-filling gallery, I am authorised to fay, that as foon as the Architect can carry it into execution you shall have it." This affurance was received with a mixture of loud huzzas and hisses, and the rest of the play shared a fimilar fate with the two preceding acts. At the conclufion of "The Road to Ruin" Mr. Lewis made his bow with the following energetic speech : "I once more beg leave to affure you of the Manager's ardent withes to comply with your commands. I have already had the honour to affure you that a gallery shall be erected." [Here a cry of no gallery."] I have farther most folemnly to affure you, that in any thing short of total ruin the Manager would be happy to accord with your wishes, but short of advanced prices it is impoffible to open this Theatre." The "Irishman in London" then walked over the Stage, amidst the fame riot and confufion which attended the preceding pieces; though if the house had been fairly divided, and the numbers taken, we are confident the Manager had a majority of full twenty to one in favour of the trifling advance of prices. On the fecond night's reprefentation there was fome fmall difturbance, which was foon fuppreffed: but on the third (Sept. 20) all oppofition ceafed, and the additional prices were quietly acquiefced in. The New Prejude was at the fame time withdrawn. Notice has been fince given by the Manager in all the public Papers, that a OneShilling Gallery fhall be opened for the accommodation of the public op Monday the first of October. * Viz. Boxes 6s.-Pit 35, 6d.-Gallery 2s. POETRY. POETRY. I fill your cup with water to the brim, And flake your thirft from the pure healthful stream; I give you fugar, peck it when you will; Sugar is fweet, but you are fweeter still; Your cage from dirt and broken feeds I clean, And daily drefs it round in pleasing green; While you my kindness gratefully repay, Warbling melodious mufic all the day. Waken'd by your fhrill note, each morn I rise, And leaden lumber leaves my op'ning eyes. Wnen care, anxiety, and trouble fit Upon my mind, that groans beneath their weight; When my breaft, struggling hard, heaves, with the load, When my heart throbs, prick'd by pain's cruel goad; When my fierce paffions to contention rife, When tears in ftreams run trickling from my eyes, Your thrilling notes infpire me with new life, Affuage my pain, or quell the rifing strife; Cheer me when melancholy or diftrefs'd, And calm the factious tumults in my breaft. But this dull morning-fleep I scarce could break, For your fhrill note this morning did not wake; The heavy hours roll tedioufly along, -I'll look if any thing has done him harmAlas, he's dead! Stretch'd lies his beauteous form! Death now has clos'd my pretty warbler's throat, No more will found the music of his note. you I no more officiously shall tend (For you are dead, my faithful, muchlov'd friend), Nor fill your tray with life-preferving feed, For you are dead, and cannot cheerful feed ; Nor fill your cup with water to the brim, For you are dead, and thirft not for the ftream; Nor give you fugar to be peck'd at will, For you are dead, that were far (weeter ftill; Nor clean your cage, nor drefs it round in No more your thrilling notes will give me life, No more affuage my pain, or quell my ftrife; Now feal'd for ever are his sprightly eyes; Alas! he's dead, and I am left alone; For he my best-belov'd companion's gone. No company for me are faithless men, My Bible, faithful goldfinch, and my pen, Were my companions. One is snatch'd by fate But why fo foon must cpd his fcanty date Yes! he is dead! and now an harsh Alarm, Whofe din will make me think how you could charm, Muft found the hours; and every hour must wound My foul with recollection at the found; Nor foothe my breast, tho' forrow makes it Muf, bid me every morning weeping rife, fwell. And tears force leaden lumbers from mine |