street, he knocked down a fat fubsy woman far gone in the family way, and played the very deuce with the economy of her domestic arrangements. “He spied a ladder, he ran up it, but one of the officers shaking it when he had reached the top, he tumbled down and broke the officer's arm. "When secured he was taken before the magistrate who being a very jolly good kind of fellow, as magistrates often are, he saw it was a frolic, and decided the affair by the lex talionis, or law of retaliation. "He therefore ordered that if any accident should happen to the little gentleman, or lady, who the prisoner disturbed so materially when he knocked down the lady en famille, she should be sent from her husband to him, to live until such time as by the lex talionis she, with the prisoner's assistance, should have another little gentleman or lady as nearly ready to appear in the world, as the one he had destroyed. "That by the lex talionis,if the officer was displeased at having his arm broken, he was at liberty to go up exactly to the same height as the prisoner did, and throw himself down upon him, he standing at the foot. t "And lastly, as the prisoner had embezzled part of the money, he could not exactly give it back as he found it, he adjudged that he should keep it all till such time as he was enabled to return it in statu quo." Although there is so much liveliness in this writer, we think that his conduct of what relates to the fate of Mary Williams and Fanny Wilding, proves him to be more skilful in the pathetic, Mr. After all this due praise, we must say that he is not always, to use his own words, "lively without impropriety," although he severely and properly discountenances it in others. Moore the author of Epistles, &c. re eives some chastisement from him, but the Rambler* has certainly done it more vigorously. "What punishment," says he, "can be adequate to the crime of him, who retires to solitudes for the refinement of debauchery; who tortures his funcy and ransacks his memory, only that he may leave the world less virtuous than he found it; that he may intercept the hopes of the rising generation; and spread snares for the soul with more dexterity." There is too much levity in our author's reprehension of the vice of Mr. Moore, alias Lattle, as witness this stanza at p. 95, vol. 3. "I'll study your taste to a tittle, In torrents our pleasures shall pour, 2 In this sort of wit he is luxuriant. As it was said of Shakepeare, "A quibble is to him, what luminous vapours are to the traveller; he follows it at all adventures; it sometimes leads him out of his way, and occasionally engulfs him in the mire.” It must be confessed, however, that he is often remarkably happy in the sport. At the puff direct he is certainly less successful. The Man of Sorrow forgets to renew his fire insurance till a fortnight after the limited time, and his house in the interim is burnt, but having luckily chosen the "Albion fire office," he receives a letter of only one page, written in plain English, from the secretary, Mr. W. P. with five hundred pounds "to soften his calamity," vol. 2, p. 118. This he calls " noble conduct”—and so it is, when it happens; and in the mean time "we wish them their health to wear their new breeches." Having pointed out these little defects of judgment, we are prompt to acknowledge that this novel contains more interest and variety, both serious and whimsical, than any three that have fallen into our hands for some time. Our author says that "naked hooks are comical things"-We think that the present hook is rather too naked--the moral inculcated, however, in many parts of the story is good, and the entertainment afforded by it abundant. Salmagundi; or the Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Lang staff and Others. 24mo. 16 pages. Longworth, New York. 1807. WE amused our readers, some time ago, with an account of the state of the drama amongst the Yankee Doodles, and we have now to introduce to them three numbers of a periodical work, called Salmagundi, published at New York. On the title page we find this elegant and erudite motto: "In hoc est hoax, cum quiz et jokesez, Et smokem, toastem, roastem folksez, Fee, faw, fum. Psalmanazar, With baked, and broil'd, and stew'd, and toasted, And tried, and boil'd, and smok'd, and roasted, We treat the town." And we are then informed, that by " An act for the encourage ment of learning," the copy-right of this work is secured to the author. Though there is here much of the vulgarity which makes their plays so detestable, we confess that of the two Salmagundis of literature we prefer the present, from which we shall make the most favourable extract in our power. Mustapha Rub-a-dub Keli Khan, Captain of a Ketch, writes from New York to his friend in Tripoli, and describes his reception. "On landing we were waited upon to our lodgings, I suppose according to the directions of the municipality, by a vast and respectable escort of boys and negroes, who shouted and threw up their hats, doubtless to do honour to the magnanimous Mustapha, captain of a Ketch; they were somewhat ragged and dirty in their equipments, but this we attributed to their republican simplicity. One of them, in the zeal of admiration, threw an old shoe, which gave thy friend rather an ungentle salutation on one side of the head, whereat I was not a little offended, until the interpreter informed us that this was the customary manner in which great men were honoured in this country; and that the more distinguished they were, the more they were subjected to the attacks and peltings of the mob. Upon this I bowed my head three times, with my hands to my turban, and made a speech in Arabic-Greek, which gave great satisfaction, and occasioned a shower of old shoes, hats, and so forth, that was exceedingly refreshing to us all." No. III. p. 44. What follows is fairly put. "This empire is governed by a grand and most puissant bashaw, whom they dignify with the title of President. He is chosen by persons, who are chosen by an assembly, elected by the people-hence the mob is called the sovereign people--and the country, free; the body politic doubtless resembling a vessel, which is best governed by its tail. The present bashaw is a very plain old gentleman-something they say of a humorist, as he amuses himself with impaling butterflies and pickling tad-poles; he is rather declining in popularity, having given great offence by wearing red breeches, and tying his horse to a post. The people of the United States have assured me that they themselves are the most enlightened nation under the sun; but thou knowest that the barbarians of the desart, who assemble at the summer solstice, to shoot their arrows at that glorious luminary, in order to extinguish his burning rays, make precisely the same boast;-which of them have the superior claim, I shall not attempt to decide." P.45. That this amiable people may not complain of our perpetual censure, here we stop. DRAMATIC. A New British Theatre, with Remarks Biographical and Critical. By Mrs. Inchbald. 2s. Longman. 1808. THIS work has extended to one hundred and twenty-three numbers, the last of which is now before us, and contains The Heir at Law, correctly printed from the prompt book, but without the dedication, prologue and epilogue. It will be recollected that in No. XVII. we noticed another edition of this excellent comedy, merely for the purpose of remark ing on a spirited letter addressed to Mrs. Inchbald, which was prefixed toit. Mr. Colman there calls this lady to account for her faulty and inconsiderate criticisms in the British Theatre, on his own and his father's works. Here Mrs. Inchbald, in her turn, addresses him, and with pitiable humility, confesses herself and kisses the rod. Not content with owning the errors of haste, and want of information, she insists on her incapacity as a critic, acquiesces in Mr. C.'s contempt for her literary acquirements, talks of the untoward circumstances and restrictions under which she produces these "trifles" and winds up the whole with the following most unaccountable recommendation of her labours→→ Novelty. "The learned had for ages written criticisms-the illiterate were now to make a trial-and this is the era of dramatic prodigies! Adventurers, sufficiently modest, can be easily enticed into that field of speculation where singularity may procure wealth, and incapacity obtain fame." p. VIII. Elizabeth Inchbald, at the end of her race, an advocate for quackery? Dii, morientis ELIZA In the concluding page, however, she begins again to erect her crest, "In comparing me, as a critic," says she, "with Mad. Dacier, you have, inadvertently placed yourself, as an author, in the rank with Homer. I might as well aspire to write remarks on the Iliad, as Dacier condescend to give comments on the Mountaineers." This is preparatory to her leaving the presence, for the moment she retires, like an offending groom on his return to the stable, she falls into a strain of remark, free from all humility, ceremony, or respect. In the comments that ensue on this play, Mrs. Inchbald appears to us to make out a title to much of the peculiar commendation, which she has heaped on her critical powers; but no failure in other things shall deprive her of our esteem as a novel writer and dramatist. THE BRITISH STAGE.. Chacun dans ce MIROIR pense voir son visage. Boileau. THE SUMMER THEATRE. I MR. EDITOR, HOPE you will not, from any narrow prejudice, withhold the meed of praise, so justly due to the gentleman who conducts the affairs of our summer theatre. Verily his charity exceedeth! for he has, with unexampled generosity, engaged many miserable Daggerwoods, who might have travelled all over England, and Scotland to boot, without earning enough to buy paper ruffles for a benefit night. On casting my eyes over the bill of fare, for the opening of the Haymarket, I was somewhat surprized to see Mr. Treby, a chorus singer from Covent Garden, announced for the character of Percy, in the Castle Spectre-An earl! a warrior! and a lover! Does the acting manager at all recollect, that this part was originally performed by Mr. Kemble; and never before fell lower than Mr. De Camp, who did the pantomime scene in the dungeon very respectably. Surely his place might be supplied, without obliging the public to feel inconsolable for his absence, which they must have done on this occasion. It may be argued, with much truth, that this play, being one of the monsters of Mr. Lewis's brain, it ought therefore to be burlesqued. In the name of common sense then, no longer let Mr. Young be degraded by such associates, but let them give us Mr. Liston in Osmond, Miss Leserve in Angela, and if they can engage Grimaldi to represent the spirit of Evelina, the cast will be complete! Old women are naturally tedious; but I do not, like some of your male correspondents, insist that you should publish my letter at full length,* or even a line. I only wish to point out the necessity of persevering in the duty, which you have hitherto so ably discharged, and I trust that your arguments or your wit, We have taken the writer at her word, and curtailed her nearly half. G-VOL. IV.* |