Porter, was acted the first time at Drury Lane: The Characters as follow: The Governor, Darcy, Hilario, Gregory, Henry, Charles, Louifa, Annette, Mr. Suett. Mr. Wewitzer. Mrs. Bland. The plot is as follows: Louila, a young lady of large expe&ations, whofe father was abroad, is eatrufted, during his abfence, to the care of an old Governor, who is ftri&tly charged not to admit Darcy, Louifa's lover, into the cattle where he refides. She has for her attendant in this confinement Annette, a confidential domettic in the Governor's family, and who was married to Hilario. Hilario is a worthy hufband, fond of his wife and children, but subject to occafional jealoufies. Whilft he is expreffing the happiness of the married life moft feelingly, a drunken fervant brings a loveletter from Darcy, which he lays is defigned for Annette, but which was in reality intended for Louifa. He curfes his fate, and refolves to leave his faithlefs wife, and go abroad. The lover is admitted into the caftle in the evening, as a poor traveller who had loft his way. Juit on his difcovery to Louifa the Governor returns home. He had been attacked by robbers, and was refcued by an unknown perfon. He perfuades himself that, old as he is, Louifa is in love with him, and refolves to make her an offer. On the point of doing this, he fuddenly finds Darcy in the fame room, and concealed behind a large picture. mufical abilities have been heard at oratorios, performed for the first time on the ftage, and fung with great tafte. 12. Mifs Betterton, from Bath, appeared the first time at Covent Garden, in Elwina, in Percy. This Lady is in perfon fmall, but elegant; her voice articulate and flexible, with fomething occasionally of a provincial accent. She evinced attention and spirit in the performance, with judgment above her years. There appeared too much labour in various parts, fuch a management of her powers as may be acquired by inftruction, but does not refult from natural feeling. On the whole, however, the exhibited talents which promite hereafter to ripen into excellence. Mr. Holman and Mr. Pope, and efpecially the latter, performed the characters of Percy and Douglas with great ability. Darcy announces his paffion-proves himfelf to have been the deliverer of the Governor in his late attack, and produces a letter from Louifa's father, giving his confent to the marriage. The Governor efigns her; and Hilario, undertanding that the love letter was never intended for his wife, is once more rettored to his former raptures. This piece is faid to have been tranflated merely for the purpose of giving Mr. Kelly an opportunity of fhewing his talents as a compoter; and it cannot be denied that it is not ill adapted to the intended purpofe. The overture was by Mr. Shaw. There is fomething that the mind revolts at in feeing a female perfonating a man. We cannot, therefore, but ditapprove of Mifs De Camp's affuming the male habit. Mafter Elliott, whofe 13. Mrs. Spencer, late Mifs Campion, from Dublin, appeared the first time in London at Covent Garden, in the character of Monimia, in The Orphan. The ftage has long been in poffeffion of an actress capable of exprefling disdainful majefty, contemptuous refentment, violent rage, or inflexible haughtiness; but fince the time of Mrs. C.bber it has wanted one who could imprefs on the audience the character of gentlenefs, diffidence, or artlefs innocence. In this light Mrs. Spencer promises to be very fuccessful. Her perion, voice, gefture, and concep tion of the character, were fuch as to afford the public great expectations. She was received with great applaufe. 14. Mifs Humphreys appeared the firft time at Drury Lane, in the character of Lady Emily, in the Heirefs. This Lady has a good figure, with an expreffive face. Her deportment not quite cafy, and her voice not well modulated; but on a first appearance this may arise from an effort to be heard. In many parts of the character he was fuccefsful; but in thofe fcenes where the manner is everything, because the matter is nothing, the was, as might be expected, not equally happy. On the whole, however, her performance deserved commendation, and received applaufe. 17. Mifs Biggs, from the Bath Theatre, appeared the first time at Drury Lane, in the character of the Widow Brady, in The Irish Widow. She performed the part with great vivacity, fpirit, and humour. Her deportment was easy, and her figure not ill adapted to the male habit. She was received with great applaufe. POETRY SONNET POETRY. BY THE REV. GEORGE RICHARDS, A. M. ON READING MR. SURR'S POEM OF CHRIST'S HOSPITAL. MY Surr, if yet thy faithful breaft retain Any kind mem'ry of a youthful friend, In school-days lov'd, I shall not much offend, When in no flatt'ring, no injurious train, I tell how much I love thy honeft rhymes, Which to my mind so sweetly have restor'd Faint and nigh-faded images of times Long past; of haunts our footsteps have explor'd So oft together; and that happy age When, after Learning's pleafant labours done, And school-tafks ended with the setting fun, We trod, in puny majesty, the stage, QUONDAM CONDISCIPULUS. behind; Ah! victims-for whom their fad mother is dreading The multiplied mis,ries that wait on man kind! To fair fortune born, she beholds them, with anguish, Now wand'rers with her on a once hostile foil, Perhaps doom'd for life in chill penury to languish, Or abje& dependence, or foul-crufhing toil But the fea-boat, her hopes and her terrors renewing, O'er the dim grey horizon now faintly Poor mourner!-I would that my fortune had left me The means to alleviate the woes I deplore ; But, like thine, my hard fate has of affluence This little poem, of which a sketch first appeared in blank verfe in a poem called "The Emigrants," was fuggefted by the fight of the group it attempts to defcribe-a French Lady and her children. HOLMESDALE. Of conquer'd lands, well known to fame *; The prophecy ne'er yet has fail'd, A MAN of KENT ftill bears the day: AN EPISTLE FROM CAPTAIN DRAKE TO HIS FRIEND J. COBHAM, OF THE ROYAL NAVY. "Inveni portum. Spes et fortuna valete. "Sub me lufiftis, ludite nunc alios." GIVE me a cot, a barn, or cell, Where health and independence dwell, And mind in tranquil state to flow, I'd care not how the world may go ; I'd give up all its fplendid fcenes, Nor envy Captains of Marines Of all their pageantry and sway, With those sweet comforts of the fea! Divefted thus of future care, I'd fit contented with my fare, A humble board and friend fincere ; That friend in you, good Sir, I see ; Then come, and spend some time with me. The Heights of Montreal. The cot I've found-A fweet retreat!- Near a small country town doth ftand On this great plain near Torporley Thus, my friend, you plainly fee +Alluding to the Author's ill ftate of health. A lufus Naturæ. Bufton Castle, VOL. XXXII. Oct. 1797 Mm Thinking Thinking of nought but what you fee For bleft is he-Old Horace wrote- Or, like the fwain †—whom Virgil fings- SONNET :} UTRUM HORUM ? OSMYN, who rul'd the Perfian throne With high tyrannic sway, All night in fancied chains would groan, Caled, his flave, in bondage held, From friends and country torn, Morn to t. King reftor'd the Crown, And maue poor Caled cry ; Returning night threw Ofmyn down, But rais'd the flave on high. This hail'd with joy the rifing fun, That faw his beams, and griev'd, Ye cafuifts! (tis a doubtful thing) *Beatus ille, qui procul negotiis, "Nec excitatur claffico miles truci, O fortunatos nimium, fua fi bona nôrint, "Agricolas !" Alluding to the rural drawings of this young artift. CAIUS FITZ-URBAN. HOR. C. 2. VIRG. G. 1.2. DROSSIANA, JOHN SPEED. [Continued from Page 190. ] THIS honeft and faithful hiftorian, after having attempted the explanation of an ancient prophecy, adds, very finely, "But why do I (weak man) thus open the curtain of God's moft facred tabernacle, to behold the mercy-feat of his divine myfteries in the accomplishment of thefe holy oracles, when as they who have worn the ephod, and in whofe hearts Aaron's rod hath budded, with a religious reverence have feared to look into the fame. Therefore, with the charge of Joshua, I will not approach near the ark, and with Job's hearers will lay my hand to my mouth." With refpect to prophecies, indeed, as well as any other myfterious matters, "fools rufh in where angels dare not tread;" and much harm has been done to the interior fabric of religion by the foolish pains that have been fometimes bestowed to defend its outworks, and to explain that, which, according to that honour of human nature, Sir Ifaac Newton, cannot be explained till the event renders it certain. From this charge, however, must be exempted a little work on the fubject of Prophecy, entitled "Practical Obfervations on the Revelations," written by an excellent and venerable lady of Bath, lately decrated, Mrs. Bowdler: a lady whole modefty would not permit her to put her name to a book, which did fo much honour no lefs to her heart than to her head, and who kept, even from her own family, the fecret of her publication. Mrs. Bowdler's Treatife is written with great elegance of style, and with a continual reference to the learned labours of Jofeph Meade, and other approved com HAMLET. mentators, from whom the occafionally differs with great diffidence, and never without reafon. The moral obfervations of her work are fuch as only an excellent understanding, joined to the extremeft purity of intention, and a great know. ledge of life and of manners, could infpire. Her obfervations on fuicide are peculiarly excellent and original. BOERHAAVE. There is a tradition in Holland, that this great Phyfician ufed to tell his particular friends, that the great fecret of preferving health, after temperate and moderate exercife, was to keep the head cool, the feet warm *, the intestines difengaged, and to have as little as poffible to do with medicine. He told an English Lady, "You English deftroy yourselves by trong paffions, ftrong punch, and by the too frequent use of bark +. There is likewife a tradition, that Boerhaave kept himself warmly clad in his moift country. Lord Bacon attributes much of the healthiness of the inferior Irish to the wearing woollen next the skin in their damp climate: a precaution which might be perhaps adopted with great fuccefs in this country, where the prevailing difpofition to fcrophula induces a great bibuloufnefs of the abforbent veffels of the fkin; and where, perhaps, a flannel waistcoat worn next to that great ftrainer, and put on early in the autumn, together with warm covering to the legs and feet, would perhaps fave many fees to the Doctor, and many naufeous draughts from the Apothecary; and prevent that difpofition to cough which we but too often find fatal in the winter. It is the opinion of an acute and learned Physician of our times, that our ladies do themselves much hurt by keeping their feet fo thinly clad as they do. He cured his own wife of an inveterate head-ach, by prevailing on her to wear lamb's-wool stockings under her filk ones. † Sydenham himself was too sparing in his use of this divine remedy. He feems always to have given it as if he was afraid of it. Many of the Phyficians of the Edinburgh School of this day act in the fame manner. Practice is, however, fo much better than theory in a conjectural art, which, according to Celfus, makes itself known merely by experiment. |