Scene-Prints.

The good old King (notwithstanding his misfortune in being fistulatiffimus) will appear to much advantage if drawn (in the style of Mortimer's etchings of Heads from Shakespeare) to accompany p. 22. He may be drawn with that pensive dejection with which this time honoured Lancafter utters the lines of: - I, after him, &c. and his time of life may be gathered from his speech to Bertrand, when he tells him, that haggish age has stolen on, and wore him out of act.

Page 35

This page gives us an opportunity of representing to great advantage the Countess of Roufillon, in company with Helen. And on perusal of a character of fuch worth as the Countess is of so much piety-fine fense-of fo noble an education-and of the tenderest affection for Helenthere is no doubt but fome artist will adorn this page with a venerably graceful portrait (in rich metzotinto) of her, who throughout every scene, irrefiftibly commands a reverential esteem. Shakespeare no doubt had great delight in drawing this character; and we may hope to fee expressed in her countenance, that mild lustre of calm thought which the mind alone gives, and that certain expressive air which can only proceed from virtuous paffions.

SHE

SHE might be drawn at half length, with Helen, as repeating this paffage :

Count. Wherefore? tell true.

Hel. I will tell truth; by grace itself I swear.

The attitude of Helen may be somewhat like that which I have propofed for the Head-piece: and there might be added to the animation with which she ought to speak this sentence, " une douceur seduisante." *

Page 66.

Of all the different situations in which Parolles appears, it is necessary to know which is the most comic one; as a bare perusal of the play may not be sufficient to ascertain that with certainty-for it is well known that good comedians frequently introduce many exquisite strokes of character and humour, which were evidently designed by the author; but which may have escaped the eyes of literary critics. The admirers therefore of such comedians as Woodward and King (who I believe have shone most in this character) will be the most proper to select the scene best suited to our present purpose. It is impossible for the writer of these pages to fe

lect the best situation, as he has never seen this comedy on the stage. * He will therefore only mention those pages which strike him as giving the best views of Parolles. They are page 40, 66, 90, 91, 97, 98, 118, 119. Page 131 is omitted to be here stated, as that page will certainly be accompanied with him and the Clown.

PERHAPS

66

to

* WHEN this play was revived in 1741, Milward, who acted the King, is said to have caught a diftemper which proved fatal to him, by wearing in this part, a too light and airy fuit of clothes, which he put on after his supposed recovery. He felt himself seized with a shivering; and was asked by one of the players, how he found himself? "How is it possible, he said with some pleasantry, be fick, when I have fuch a physician as Mrs. Woffington." This elegant and beautiful actress was the Helen of the play. His distemper however increased, and foon after hurried him to his grave. On its revival in 1757, under the direction of Mr. Garrick, the part of the Countess was given to Mrs. Pritchard, Helen to Miss Macklin, and Parolles to Woodward.

Yet am I thankful. If my heart were great,
T"would burst at this. Captain I'll be no more.

THIS scene always afforded much pleasure to the audience. Upon its last revival, it was acted with fuch theatrical skill as excited general merriment. The unbinding Parolles, who looked about him with anxious surprize and terror, redoubled the bursts of laughter which echoed round the theatre. DAVIES'S DRAMATIC MISCELLANIES.

WHEN this Play was got up at the Haymarket, in 1785, a new Prologue was written on the occa fion by Mr. Pillon-and the following are the concluding lines;

PERHAPS he would appear to as much advantage in the following pages, as any where else-namely, at page 40, at the words :

-- it was this very sword entrench'd it.

At page 90, at the words-But a drum! or,

At page 91, when he says-I would have that drum-or another, or hic jacet.

On the stage, it certainly would have a fine effect (in the moment of Lafeu's re-entry) to behold Parolles, as in page 66; but this effect would be much lessened in a print. And the fame objection would be against introducing him in page 98, when he is told of seventeen poinards being at his bosom-merely on account of his being blind folded. The dress and figure of this jackanapes with scarfs, may be partly gathered from what Lafeu says of him :---" I did think thee, for two ordinaries, to be a pretty wife fellow; thou didst make tolerable vent of thy travel; it might pass: yet the scarfs, and the bannerets about thee, did manifoldly diffuade me from believing thee a vessel of two great a burthen." And yet in page 132, we are so interested in the dejection of poor Tom Drum,

(My Lord, I am a man whom fortune
hath cruelly scratch'd:-)

:

and so strucken with the relenting and generous Lafeu (Cox' my passion! give me your hand :-how does your drum?) who is not willing that he should at last be fuffered to starve: that we can fcarce-and ought not indeed to leave this last page without reprefenting them. Some may think the dejection of Parolles will appear equally to advantage in the preceding page, in company with the Clown; where he may be saying:-Nay, you need not to top your nose, Sir, Ifpake but by a metaphor with a look rather turned up,

and

and by no means directed to the Clown. * His dress may be partly gathered likewife from the Vignette to Bell's last edition; in which print the musket and drum are characteristic ornaments.

In the print to Hanmer's edition, is introduced Lafeu; whose figure (though poffeffing much grace, and worth looking at) is by no means characteristic.

Page 78.

I CANNOT forbear recommending another scene of the Countess and her beloved ward. They may be finely drawn in this page, at the words of:

But I do wish his name out of my blood,
And thou art all my child.

And the may be tenderly grasping the hand of, and soothing the dejected and weeping Helen; who may hold the letter in her hand, which The has just read. †

* That Lafen is made fo relenting we must attribute to our author's great knowledge of man, and bis large nature as Ben Johnson expresses it. He knew that those who are most prone to vehement anger are the foonest pacified. Hot spirits make quicker haste to repair the mischiefs of their escapes from reason, than those who are more temperate and fedate.

DAVIES'S DRAMATIC MISCELLANIES.

† Notwithstanding the virulent invectives which the authoress of " Shakespeare illustrated" has thrown out against Helen, (as well as against Shakespeare in this play) I believe all readers are interested in her character and indeed the Countess is only attached to her, from her being

a maid too virtuous

For the contempt of empire.

The