boards "Good beer, wine and spiritous liquors, to be sold here"-nay, they should absolutely shut up shop windows for fear a servant maid or thoughtless girl should be tempted to lay out her cash in buying a bit of lace or half a yard of ribbon. To sum up the whole in a word, the only rational argument that can be maintained against the drama is-Taste. If any one can say that the Drama affords him no amusement, that is sufficient reason for his purpose, for no man ought to be called to account for his likings or dislikings, and if the Drama displeases him he is justified in abstaining from it.

We know what Shakspeare has said of the man who likes not music, "and is not pleased with concord of sweet sounds," but it would be hard, and, perhaps, unjust to apply it here, to the man who likes not the Drama: besides time and circumstances make great changes in both cases, and the same individual may like music and the Drama at one period of his life, and be less than indifferent to them at another.

Prejudiced persons are always ready to find faultbut seldom think on the contrary side of the question. Very few English people are aware of what is here just mentioned; and still fewer persons know that even at the present time, in the most religious countries. (Spain and Portugal) sacred Dramas, or rather MeloDramas, are still represented. A respectable English Officer, who served in the Peninsula during the late war, told me that he saw performed, a play on the subject of "Daniel in the Lion's Den." Two men were dressed in the skins of Lions; Daniel fought with, and conquered them, which, throughout, produced thunders. of applause.

But still this does not effect the useful and highly important services of the Drama amongst the generality of mankind. The wisest and best of men, in all ages, have cultivated the Drama. In the time of Erasmus, Dramatic representations were common among the learned in our universities, and even in churches.

A celebrated Divine has observed,

"Plays are like mirrors, where all men may see
"How bad some are, how good they ought to be."

Shakspeare tells us that the stage shows "Virtue her own image, and Vice its own deformity."

And finally, it is by a modern author forcibly expressed, and almost universally admitted, that the best and wisest of legislators have frequently called to their aid the attractions of the Drama to make such impressions as the nature of the times required.

"To sect, or clime, by no false rules confined,

"The Drama pleads the cause of all mankind!"

Though there may be different opinions respecting Buonaparte, it will readily be admitted, that he was not only a clever man, but a very politic one. While he bore rule in France, there was in many (if not all) of the garrisoned towns a certain sum allowed every, night, to treat the soldiers in their regular turns, to see the Performances at the Theatres: and when the French armies sailed to Egypt, they took with them a Company of Comedians to play such pieces as were calculated to please the inhabitants of the country, and to diffuse amongst them such ideas as were favorable to the French interests; among the natives the Turks

and others who knew little or nothing of even the French language. During the war, our English rulers were not entirely neglectful of considerations of this kind. Humble as my situation has been on the stage, I have several times received (free of any expence) packets and parcels, containing popular songs, &c. with polite requests from persons of consequence, that such songs might be sung at my different Theatres. I remember having a number of Mr. Dibdin's songs sent to me many years ago: by the bye-I think the character of an English sailor has been (if not formed) at least greatly fashioned by the influence of Dibdin's songs. The sailor has been taught to think and to be (what he often is) "All as one as a piece of his ship !"— "A Lion in battle, and afterwards a lamb !" and "when on board"-he "braves all! dreads nought!" for he knows that "There is a little cherub that sits up aloft to keep watch for the life of poor Jack !" I think the English Navy, as well as the English nation, have thus been greatly served by Mr. Dibdin.

Nay further, by his "Soldier Dick," and a few other songs, the army too was complimented; but not in an equal degree: It remained for Mr. O'Keefe to do justice to the army. In the Highland Reel, a character called Serjeant Jack, had promised a girl, what he thought a trifle, a lottery ticket! but news reaches him that the said ticket is drawn a prize. He hesitates for a moment, and then speaks thus-"Poor Girl!-she seems uneasy, because she and her sweetheart are to be parted, on account of their not being able to raise a small sum of money! Poor thing! now

this ticket-this prize, would make 'em both happy! I've a great mind to -I never before had it in my power to do a generous action, and I should like to know how a man feels after having done one. A sailor would do it, why not a soldier? It shall be so! Look you my good girl, before I knew this paper was worth twenty pounds, I promised it you for a kiss. Here, take the money, 'tis yours; and though my mouth waters for a kiss, pay it to the lad you love!

Before I quit this subject, I cannot do otherwise than make a few remarks on the moral impressions that are made on all minds, and especially on the minds of the middle and lower ranks of the people: we will again instance the sailors. 'Tis well known that they have generally a certain degree of impatience about them, when listening to advice, or put under any degree of restraint. They hate what they call "palaver" of any kind and one of their characteristic songs expresses their opinion of the discourse of a chaplain thus "My timbers; what lingo he'd broach and belay!" "Why, 'twas just all as one as high Dutch!" Thus going to church is too often " High Dutch" to such characters! But when they are at their ease, with perhaps, a pipe in their mouths, and a can of grog before them; at such times to hear, tolerably sung, a good moral song, such a one as the " High mettled Racer;" it has a tendency of the best sort. As it has been said of the writings of Sterne: such songs and sentiments come unlooked for, they "Play round the fancy, and come at once upon the heart," before the hearer is prepared, and therefore have the better effect

14

I have, under similar circumstances, seen the "High mettled Racer" draw tears of commisseration down the rough cheeks of sailors and mechanics, who, till then, seemed to have no feeling and humane stuff about them!

I have very often seen similar effects by similar scenes in a Theatre: I am therefore fully convinced of the great utility of all kinds of rational amusements. In the year 1816, I published a Poem, in which were lines to the following purport.

Search thro' all ages,-thro' all times long past,
Each age improves,-gets wiser than the last.

To these lines I then attached the following observations; and I always feel some degree of pleasure when I find previous opinions verified by time and circum

stances.

In former ages, though knowledge at certain periods progressively advanced; yet at other times it too frequently retrograded : and but for the happy and glorious invention of the Press, mankind would not have. arrived at their present enlightened way of thinking. Perhaps (though I am scarcely willing to believe it) -Perhaps there are in the world, narrow, gloomy, selfish persons, who think it a pity that mankind ever were enlightened; and so it might be a pity, did not. cultivated minds lead us to hope that time will produce better results; and let those who are against improvements,-let them be assured that but for such inventions as the Press, and other consequent methods of improvement, they who are most averse to them,