ing to the parts they present; they should be rather schollers, that though they cannot speak well, know how to speak, or else to have that volubility, that they can speak well, though they understand not what, and so both imperfections may by instructions be helped and amended: But where a good tongue and a good conceit both fail, there can never be good Actor. I also could wish, that such as are condemned for their licentiousness, might, by a general consent, be quite excluded our society: For as we are men that stand in the broad eye of the world, so should our manners, gestures, & behaviours, savour of such government & modesty, to deserve the good thoughts & reports of all men, & to abide the sharpest censures even of those that are the greatest opposites to the quality. Many amongst us, I know to be of substance, of government, of sober lives & temperate carriages, house-keepers, & contributary to all duties enjoyned them, equally with them that are ranked with the most bountifull; and if amongst so many of sort, there be any few degenerate from the rest in that good demeanour, which is both requisite & expected at their hands, let me intreate you not to censure hardly of all for the misdeeds of some, but rather to excuse us, as Ovid doth the generality of women. Parcite paucarum diffundere crimen in omnes, Spectetur meritis quæque puella suis.” These remarks upon the conduct and character of actors are very just and creditable to Heywood, who is admitted always to have set an example to his companions of regu larity and sobriety; indeed, had he not done so, how could he have written half he is admitted to have composed? It is in this part that Thomas Kyd is pointed out distinctly as the author of the Spanish Tragedy, a question for some time in dispute. The third book, or treatise, "Of the Actors, and the true use of their quality," opens with a disquisition on the nature of tragedy and comedy; and goes on to refute, with logical skill, the arguments of those who deny their utility. Having pointed out various other advantages, the author thus enforces the improvement of the English language by theatrical representations. "Our English tongue, which hath been the most harsh, uneven, and broken language of the world, part Dutch, part Irish, Saxon, Scotch, Welch, and indeed a gallimaffry of many, but perfect in none, is now, by this secondary means of playing, continually refined, every writer striving in himself to add a new flourish unto it; so that in process, from the most rude and unpolisht tongue, it is grown to a most perfect & composed language, and many excellent works, and elaborate Poems, writ in the same; that many Nations grow inamoured of our tongue, before despised. Neither Saphick, Ionick, Iambick, Phaleutick, Adonick, Oliconick, Hexamiter, Tetramitrer, Pentamiter, Asclepediack, Choriambick, nor any other measured verse used amongst the Greeks, Latines, Italians, French, Dutch, or Spanish writers, but may be exprest in English, be it in blanck verse or meeter, in Distichon or Hexastichon, or in what form or feet, or what number you can desire. Thus you see to what excellency our refined English is brought, that in these days we are ashamed of that Euphony & eloquence which, within these 60 years, the best tongues in the land were proud to pronounce." The uses of tragedies, histories, comedies, and pastorals, next occupy his attention, referring to Dr.Leg's Richard III., as we observed in our last article upon Meres' Palladis Tamia. In this discussion, nothing particularly relating to the English stage is introduced, but what immediately follows is interesting, not only on that account, but on several others; of which our readers will be aware after perusal. As the extract is long, we forbear comment. "To end, in a word. Art thou addicted to prodigality, envy, cruelty, perjury, flattery, or rage? our Scenes afford thee store of men to shape your lives by, who be frugall, loving, gentle, trusty, without soothing, and in all things temperate. Wouldst thou be honourable? just, friendly, moderate, devout, merciful, and loving concord? thou mayest see many of their fates and ruines, who have been dishonourable, unjust, fals, gluttenous, sacrilegious, bloudyminded, and brochers of dissention. Women likewise that are chaste, are by us extolled, & encouraged in their vertues, being instanced by Diana, Belpheby, Matilda, Lucrece, and the Countess of Salisbury. The unchaste are by us shewed their errors, in the persons of Phrine, Lais, Thais, Flora: and amongst us Rosamond and Mistress Shore. What can sooner print modesty in the souls of the wanton, than by discovering unto them the monstrousness of their sin? It followes that we prove these exercises to have been the discoverers of many notorious murders, long concealed from the eyes of the world. To omit all far-fetcht instances, we will prove it by a domestick and home-born truth, which within these few years happened. At Lin in Norfolk, the then Earle of Sussex Players acting the old History of Fryer Francis, & presenting a woman, who insatiately doting on a young gentleman, had (the more securely to enjoy his affection) mischievously and secretly murdered her husband, whose ghost haunted her, and at diverse times, in her most solitary and private contemplations, in most horrid and fearful shapes appeared and stood before her. As this was acted, a towns-woman (till then of good estimation and report) finding her conscience (at this presentment) extreamly troubled, suddenly skritched & cry'd out, Oh, my husband, my husband!—I see the ghost of my husband fiercely threatning and menacing me. At which shrill and unexpected out-cry, the people about her, mov'd to a strang amaze ment, inquired the reason of her clamor, when presently, unurged, she told them, that seven years ago, she, to be possest of such a Gentleman (meaning him) had poisoned her husband, whose fearfull image personated it self in the shape of that ghost: whereupon the murdress was apprehended, before the Justices further examined, and by her voluntary confession after condemned. That this is true, as well by the report of the Actors as the records of the Town, there are many ey-witnesses of this accident of late years living, who did confirm it. "As strange an accident happened to a company of the same quality 60, years ago, or thereabout, who playing late in the night at a place called Perin, in Cornwal, certain Spaniards were landed the same night, unsuspected and undiscovered, with intent to take in the town, spoil and burn it, when suddenly, even upon their entrance, the players (ignorant as the towns men of any such attempt) presenting a battle on the stage, with their drum and trumpets strook up a loud alarum: which the enemy hearing, and fearing they were discovered, amazedly retired, made some few idle shot in a bravado, and so in a hurly-burly fled disorderly to their boats. At the report of this tumult, the towns men were immediately armed, and pursued them to the sea, praysing God for their happy deliverance from so great a danger, who by his providence made these strangers the instrument and secondary means of their escape from such imminent mischief, and the tyranny of so remorselesse an enemy. "Another of the like wonder happened at Amsterdam in Holland, a Company of our English Comedians (well known) travelling those Countries, as they were before the Burgers and other the chief inhabitants, acting the last part of the 4 sons of Amon, towards the last act of the history, where penitent Renaldo, like a common labourer, lived in disguise, vowing, as his last pennance, to labor & carry burdens to the structure of a goodly Church there to be erected: whose diligence the labourers envying, since by reason of his stature and strength, he did usually perfect more work in a day than a dozen of the best, (he working for his conscience, they for their lucres.) Whereupon by reason his industry had so much disparaged their living, conspired among themselves to kill him, waiting some opportunity to finde him asleep, which they might easily do, since the sorest labours are the soundest sleepers, & in try is the best preparative to rest. Having spi'd their opportunity, they drave a nail into his temples, of which wound immediately he died. As the Actors handled this, the audience might on a suddain understand an out-cry, and loud shreek in a remote galery, & pressing about the place, they might perceive a woman of great gravity, strangely amazed, who, with a distracted and troubled brain, oft sigh'd out these words, Oh, my husband, my husband! The play, without further interruption, proceeded: the woman was to her own house conducted, without any apparant suspition, every one conjecturing as their fancies led them. In this agony she some of these few dayes languished; and on a time, as certain of her well disposed neighbours came to comfort her, one amongst the rest being Churchwarden, to him the Sexton posts, to tell him of a strange thing happening him in the ripping up of a grave. See here (quoth he) what I have found! and shews them a fare skull, with a great nail pierc'd quite through the braine-pan; but we cannot conjecture to whom it should belong, nor how long it hath lain in the earth, the grave being confused, and the flesh consumed. At the report of this accident, the woman, out of the trouble of her afflicted conscience, discovered a former murther. For 12. years ago, by driving that naile into that skull, being the head of her husband, she hath trecherously slain him. This being publickly confest, she was arraigned, condemned, adjudged, and burned. But I draw my subject to greater length than I purposed: these therefore, out of other infinities, I have collected both for their familiarness and latenesse of memory." Thus Heywood repels the accusations of the Puritans; and he winds up his tract by a remark or two upon an abuse then lately introduced into theatrical representations, which had been complained of by adversaries of a different kind, and for different reasons. The "Now to speak of some abuse lately crept into the quality, as an inveighing against the State, the Court, the Law, the City, and their governments, with the particularizing of private mens humors yet alive, Noble men and others. I know it distates many; neither do I any way approve it, nor dare I by any means excuse it. liberty which some arrogate to themselves, committing their bitterness and liberall invectives against all estates, to the mouths of Children, supposing their juniority to be a priviledge for any rayling, be it never so violent: I could advise all such, to curbe and limit this presumed liberty within the bands of discretion and government. But wise and judicial Censurers, before whom such complaints shall at any time hereafter come, will not (I hope) impute these abuses to any transgression in us, who have ever been carefull and provident to shun the like. I surcease to prosecute this any further, lest my good meaning be (by some) misconstrued: and fearing likewise lest, with tediousness, I tire the patience of the favourable Reader, here rough abruptly) I conclude my third and last Treatise. Stultitiam patiuntur opes, mihi parvula res est." Upon the whole, this is a very ingenious and entertaining production: as it is directly opposed in statement and argument to the enemies of stage-plays, so it is equally opposed to them in the manner in which that statement iş made, and that argument is conducted. Heywood was certainly a man of considerable learning, more especially in the Latin classics, to whom, it must be allowed, he is frequently indebted. The wonder is, even with that assist 1 ance, that he was not sooner exhausted. He seems to give a summary of his labours, as well as others, for the stage, in the prologue to "The Royall King and Loyall Subject,' 1637, in these lines: "To give content to this most curious age, The Gods themselves we've brought down to the stage, This passage well points out the endless variety of theatrical performances about that time. MONTHLY CATALOGUE. AGRICULTURE. Č. P. J. ART. 14.-The Agricultural State of the Kingdom, in February, March, and April, 1816, being the substance of the replies of many of the most opulent and intelligent landholders to a Circular Letter sent by the Board of Agricul ture to many parts of England, Wales, and Scotland. London, Clement, 8vo. pp. 436. 1816. THE Board of Agriculture, on meeting after the Christmas vacation, thought it a duty it owed to the public, to ascertain the real state of the kingdom with regard to its agricultural resources, and to further this design, a circular letter was written to all their correspondents. In this communication questions were proposed as to farms unoccupied, or intended to be surrendered, as to the abatements of rent, as to the distress on arable and grass farms, as to flock-farms, as to the paper-circulation, the labouring poor, CRIT. REV. VOL. IV. Sept. 1816. 2S |