On a beautiful YOUTH ftruck blind with Lightning. IMITATED FROM THE SPANISH. LUMINE Acon dextro capta eft Leonida finiftro, REMARKS ON OUR THEATRES. OUR theatres are now opened, and all Grub-street is preparing its advice to the managers; we fhall undoubtedly hear learned difquifitions on the ftructure of one actor's legs, and another's eye-brows. We fhall be told much of enunciations, tones and attitudes, and fhall have our lightest pleasures commented upon by didactic dullnefs. We fhall, it is feared, be told, that Garrick is a fine acetor, but then as a manager, fo avaricious! That Palmer is a moft furprifing genius, and Holland likely to do well in a particular caft of character. We shall have them giving Shuter inftructions to amufe us by rule, and deploring over the ruins of defolated Majefty at Covent-Garden. As I love to be advifing too, for advice is eafily given, and bears a fhew of wifdom and fuperiority, I muft be permitted to offer a few obfervations upon our theatres aud actors, without, on this trivial occasion, this trivial occafion, throwing my thoughts into the formality of method. There is fomething in the deportment of all our players infinitely more ftiff and formal than among the actors of other nations. Their action fits uneafy *An English Epigram on the fame fubje&t is inferted in the Second Volume, p. 128. upon upon them; for as the English ufe very little gefture in ordinary converfation, our English-bred actors are obliged to supply stage geftures by their imagination alone. A French comedian finds proper models of action in every company and in every coffee-house he enters. An Englishman is obliged to take his models from the ftage itfelf; he is obliged to imitate Nature from an imitation of Nature. I know of no fet of men more likely to be improved by travelling than thofe of the theatrical profeffion. The inhabitants of the continent are lefs referved than here; they may be feen through upon a firft acquaintance; fuch are the proper models to draw from; they are at once ftriking, and are found in great abundance. Though it would be inexcufable in a comedian to add any thing of his own to the Poet's dialogue, yet as to action he is entirely at liberty. By this he may fhew the fertility of his genius, the poignancy of his humour, and the exactnefs of his judgment; we fcarcely fee a coxcomb or a fool in common life, that has not fome peculiar oddity in his action. These peculiarities it is not in the power of words to reprefent, and depend folely upon the actor. They give a relish to the humour of the poet, and make the appearance of Nature more illufive; the Italians, it is true, mafk fome characters, and endeavour to preserve the peculiar humour by the make of the mafk; but I have feen others ftill preferve a great fund of humour in the face without a mask; one actor, particularly, by a fquint which he threw into fome characters of low life, affumed a look of infinite folidity. This, though upon reflection we might condemn, yet immediately upon representation we could not avoid being pleafed with. To illuftrate what I have been saying by the plays I have of late gone to fee in the Mifer, which was played a few nights ago at Covent Garden, Love I. 2 : gold upon gold appears through the whole in circumftances of exaggerated avarice; all the player's action, therefore, fhould confpire with the poet's defign, and reprefent him as an epitome of penury. The French comedian, in this character, in the midft of one of his moft violent paffions, while he appears in an ungovernable rage, feels the demon of avarice still him, and ftoops down to pick up a pin, which he quilts into the flap of his coat-pocket with great affiduity. Two candles are lighted up for his wedding; he flies, and turns one of them into the focket; it is, however, lighted up again; he then fteals to it, and privately crams it into his pocket. The MockDoctor was lately played at the other houfe. Here again the comedian had an opportunity of heightening the ridicule by action. The French player fits in a chair with an high back, and then begins to fhew away by talking nonfenfe, which he would have thought Latin by those who he knows do not underftand a fyllable of the matter. At laft he thufiaftic, enjoys the admiration of the company, toffes his legs and arms about, and in the midst of his raptures and vociferation he and the chair fall back together. All this appears dull enough in the recital; but the gravity of Cato could not ftand it in the representation. In fhort, there is hardly a character in comedy, to which a player of any real humour might not add ftrokes of vivacity that could not fail of applaufe. But inftead of this we too often see our fine gentlemen do nothing through a whole part, but ftrut, and open their fnuff-box; our pretty fellows fit indecently with their legs across, and our clowns pull up their breeches. These, if once, or even twice repeated, might do well enough; but to fee them ferved up in every fcene, argues the actor almoft as barren as the character he would expofe. grows en The The magnificence of our theatres is far fuperior to any others in Europe, where plays only are acted. The great care our performers take in painting for a part, their exactnefs in all the minutiae of drefs, and other little fcenical proprieties, have been taken notice by Ricoboni, a gentleman of Italy, who travelled Europe with no other defign but to remark upon the stage; but there are feveral impropricties ftill continued, or lately come into fashion. As, for inftance, fpreading a carpet punctually at the beginning of the death fcene, in order to prevent our actors from fpoiling their cloaths; this immediately apprizes us of the tragedy to follow; for laying the cloth is not a more fure indication of dinner than laying the carpet of bloody work at Drury-lane. Our little pages alfo with unmeaning faces, that bear up the train of a weeping princefs, and our aukward lords in waiting, take off much from her diftrefs. Mutes of every kind divide our attention, and leffen our fenfibility; but here it is entirely ridiculous, as we see them seriously employed in doing nothing. If we must have dirty-fhirted guards upon the theatres, they should be taught to keep their eyes fixed on the actors, and not roll them round upon the audience, as if they were ogling the boxes. Beauty methinks feems a requifite qualification in an actress. This feems fcrupuloufly obferved elfewhere, and for my part I could with to fee it obferved at home. I can never conceive an hero dying for love of a lady totally deftitute of beauty. I muft think the part unnatural, for I cannot bear to hear him call that face angelic, when even paint cannot hide its wrinkles. I must condemn him of ftupidity, and the perfon whom I can accufe for want of tafte will feldom become the object of my affections or admiration. But if this be à defect, what must be the entire perverfion of fcenical decorum, when for in L 3 ftance ftance we fee an actrefs, that might act the Wapping Landlady without a bolfter, pining in the character of Jane Shore, and while unwieldy with fat endeavouring to convince the audience that she is dying with hunger! For the future then, I could with that the parts of the young or beautiful were given to performers of fuitable figures; for I muft own, I could rather fee the ftage filled with agreeable objects, though they might fometimes bungle a little, than fee it crowded with withered or mis-fhapen figures, be their emphafis, as I think it is called, ever fo proper. The firft may have the aukward appearance of newraised troops; but in viewing the last I cannot avoid the mortification of fancying myself placed in an hofpital of invalids. THE STORY OF ALCANDER AND SEPTIMIUS. TRANSLATED FROM A BYZANTINE HISTORIAN, ATHENS, even long after the decline of the Roman empire, ftill continued the feat of learning, politenefs, and wifdom. The emperors and generals, who in thefe periods of approaching ignorance ftill felt a paffion for fcience, from time to time added to its buildings, or encreafed its profefforfhips. Theodoric, the Oftrogoth, was of the number; he repaired thofe fchools which barbarity was fuffering to fall into decay, and continued thofe penfions to men of learning, which avaricious governors had monopolized to themfelves. |