VERSES By GEORGE GRAY, Efq.* friends, throw busy cares away, MAnd dedicate to mirth the day! All fober dulnefs I despife, Το marry for the public good. Give me no friend but him whose foul We have been favoured with a Copy of the ANACREON AND STELLA, Addreffed to a noble Duke in Ireland. AS poor Anacreon bleeding lies, From the first glance of Stella's eyes, He rallies, refts upon his arms, And heal the wounds her eyes have made? This gentleman was, at one period, of the Council in Bengal, and poffeffed a fortune to the amount of 60,000l. which he diffipated in England. He returned to the Eat-Indies about the year 1777, and died at Madras in a state of poverty about three afterwards. years He published in 1770, "A Turkish Tale," in Five Cantos, 12mo. painted for Becket aud De Hondt. I unre DE EAR Pratt! to that incurious age Then mortals' and immortals' charms Your bofom felt no foft alarms, Nor feem'd their raptures real. Fair Venus, by the Graces dreft, And by the Loves attended, Was then your ftudious toil; The beauties of their style. But what can formal Pedants teach ? Of schoolmen, and of fchools. What Hebe's dimpled cheek, In Molefworth's form can best be seen, What feem'd wild dreams of Poets' brains, Love's comment always beft explains His prefent Phyficians. THEATRICAL THEATRICAL JOURNAL. PROLOGUE To the HEIRESS*. Right Hon. RICHARD FITZPATRICK. As S fprightly fun-beams gild the face of day, When low'ring tempefts calmly glide away, So when the poet's dark horizon clears, Array'd in fimiles, the Epilogue appears. She, of that house the lively emblem ftill, Whofe brilliant fpeakers ftart what themes they will; Still varying topics for her fportive rhymes, From all the follies of thefe fruitful times; Uncheck'd by forms, with flippant hand may cull. Prologues, like Peers, by privilege are dull; In folemn ftrain addrefs th' affembled Pit, The legal judges of dramatic wit, Confining ftill, with dignify'd decorum, Their obfervations-to the Play before 'em. Now when cach bachelor a helpmate lacks, (That fweet exemption from a double tax) When laws are fram'd with a benignant plan Of light'ning burdens on the married man, And Hymen adds one folid comfort more To all thofe comforts he conferr'd before; To fmooth the rough laborious road to fame, Our Bard has chofen-an alluring name. As wealth in wedlock oft is known to hide The imperfe&tions of a homely bride, This tempting title, he perhaps expects, May heighten beauties-and conceal defects: Thus Sixty's wrinkles, view'd thro' Fortune's glafs, The rofy dimples of fixteen furpafs. The modern fuitor grafps his fair-one's hand, vents, And runs diftracted for- her three per cents. A very bankrupt, fhould you chance to frown. O may a verdict giv'n in your applaufe, Pronounce the profp'rous iffue of her caufe; Confirm the name an anxious parent gave her, And prove her Heirefs of-the Public favour! By no prerogative will he decide, Will he be helplefs in her new refort, Sages, be candid-though you hate a knave, What, not one Blandish left behind! not one! The maiden bloom that glows at forty-five? Truth takes the pencil-wrinkle-freckles fquint, The whole's transform'd-or elfe the devil's in't; Dimples turn fcars, the fmile becomes a fcowl! The hair the ivy bufh, the face the owl. But fhall an author mock the flatt'rer's pow'r ? Oh might you all be Blandishes this hour! Then would the candid jurors of the pit Grant their mild paffport to the realms of wit; *For the fable, &c. of this Comedy, fee p. 8. January the 23d, Mrs. Brown made her first appearance in London, at Covent-garden Theatre, in the character of Mifs Prue. The lady has a good figure, with a face highly expreffive, and a voice full of mufical fweetnefs. She is an experienced actress, and comes before the London audience enriched by study as well as nature, with the requifite endowments for her profeffion.She was received with very warm applaufe, and in the performance of Mifs Prue difplayed all the pertnefs of the forward Hoyden, without degenerating into any of the difgufting tricks or mummery of the country fchool. 31. The tragedy of the Diftrefs'd Mother was performed for the first time, in which Mr. Holman particularly diftinguished himfelf in Oreites. He had tenderness and variety. Mr. Pope had great merit in Pyrrhus, and Mifs Brunton in Hermione. Mrs. Wells was, as ufual, full of mifcellany -at one time tragical and impreffive-aad at another whining and indifferent. ap After the play Mrs. Brown made her pearance in the Virgin Unmafk'd, and gave a fecond proof of her claim to the fuffrages of the public for the Hoyden appointment. Her finging was full of fpirit and mufc. She has a cultivated voice, and in the whole of the part attracted the applaufe of the Theatre. Mr. Edwin being taken fuddenly ill, Mr. Brown, the lady's husband, undertook the part of the Dancing-mafter, and in his capring, as well as acting, came off well, confidering the fhortnefs of his notice, and the embarraffments of a first appearance. February the 4th, The Provok'd Husband was acted at the fame Theatre; - Lord Townly by Mr. Pope, and Lady Townly by Mis. Warren. This was the first appearance of each of thefe in Comedy, and they acquitted themselves, if not with excellence, at leaft with fufficient decency to give promife of improvement. 6. Mrs. Siddons returned to the Theatre after her confinement, and performed Mrs. Lovemore by command of their Majettes. She was received with the greatest demon ftrations of fatisfaction by the audience, and performed the character incomparably. 7. Mrs. Wells performed Rofalind in As You like It. The public not being intirely reconciled to this lady's tragic efforts, it was prudent to return to fomething like her former felf. On this occafion fhe acquitted herself with fpirit, talte, and propriety. fincerely hope never to see her disgrace them and herself again by fuch an exhibition. Mrs. Warren in Mrs. Sullen fhewed improvement. Abington, in the character of Lady Racket, The following lines were fpoken by Mrs. on the above occafion : THE world's a pantomime, and every man In motly garb thro' endless mazes running mine (Call it my Hobby, or my Columbine) Wrapp'd in your gracioufnefs to play my part, Wailit HONEST GRATITUDE expands my heart. This is my dear delight; and, warm'd by this, No fhape of comic humour comes amifs. 13. Mrs. Billington, from the Dublin Theatre, performed Rofetta in Love in 1 Village, at Covent-Garden, (as, it is faid, at the special command of her Majefty, in whofe concerts this young lady was lately a vocal performer) and was received with the warmeft applaufe. Mrs. Billington's figure is elegant; her face expreffive; her deportment genteel; her voice diflint and melodious. Her drefs was umple, and more in character than any performer's we recollect in that part, which is too generally overcharged with finery. The fong introduced in the fecond act, in the fcene with Madge, was executed in a moft excellent ftyle; and the air beginning, “" In fung with the moit exquifite tafte and fentilove fhould you meet a fond pair," &c. was bility; feveral others of her fongs met with the most unbounded and deferved applaufe. Mrs. Billington is the daughter of the late 16. Mrs. Warren and Mrs. Brown ap 10. An uncommon exhibition was fen at Covent Garden Theatre this evening, in The Stratagem, performed for the benefit of Mrs. Abington. That lady on this occafion reprefented Scrub, and, as might be expect-peated, for the firft time, at Covent-Garden, ed, get lome money, but loft more than its Civalent in me. Her performance was v.ry unworthy of her talents, and we very in the characters of Lady Bell Bioomer and Mis Pendragon, in Which is the Man ? Both the ladies appeared to much advantage In thefe oppofite reprefentations of refine ment and vulgarity, and made good their tefpective claims to public applaufe. 17. A new Fatce, intitled Love in a Camp, or Patrick in Pruffia, a second part to the Poor Soldier, was performed for the first time at Covent-Garden. This Farce is the production of Mr. O'Keefe, and it has the character of most dramatic fecond parts-that of being inferior to the first. Patrick and Darby are tran fported to Germany, and are followed thither by Norah and Father Luke. It is unnecellary to recite the collection of incidents that conftitute the plot-they have fome humour. The dialogue is lively, and is charged with the ufual quantity of puns. The mufe is chiefly compiled, Mr. Shield having furnished but the overture, and a fingle air. 18. A new Farce, entitled The Projects, was performed for the first time at Drury Lane The plot of this piece is Spanish, and it is the production of Mr. Kemble.-Don Francico and Don Pedro, two old gentleman, are determined to marry and immure their wards Laura and Julia. This their lovers, Carlos and Antonio, determine to prevent; and by various projects, with the affiftance of Sancho and Jacintha, they carry off and marry the ladies. There is a great deal of contrivance in the conduct of this little piece. The intrigue is managed with all the dexterity of the Spanish fchool; and the incidents produce frong and well pointed effects-Such for tance is the fratagem by which Sancho delivers a letter to Julia. While her old lover kneels to kifs her hand, Sancho delivers the letter over his head-and he enrages the old gentleman with fome learned Balderdash, while he fettles with Jacintha how he is to receive an answer.-This ftra tagem is fucceeded by one ftill more laughable-The old fellow having detected the jeter and anfwer, condemns his bride and her Abigail to read them, previous to their execution. Jacintha reads a fictitious anher, which, as the reads, Julia writes down, and by a dextrous transfer, the old it impofed on with the new letter.The change of difguifes for the elopement allo well imagined, --Thefe incidents, as try ferve fo highly to engage the mind, are tential to regulated drama, and they are the foul of farce. Of late, however, plot and bafinefs having been overlooked by writers, we have been accustomed to no other atification than that of dialogue-and we expect that that dialogue fhould have broad Lamour for its character-In humour this pice muft yield the palm; but for other requifites it is highly deferving of public faur-Towards the conclufion of the face, fome voices expreffed fymptoms of EUROP. MAC. 'Till pinch'd with hunger, and his patience tir'd, Hoarse with the frequent call of "Coach unhir'd," Defperate has fallied from his cold retreat, And dar'd the dangers of the dirty street; Where luckier friends, bleft with a coach at laft, Have nodded, fmil'd, and splash'd him as they pafs'd. But worse, alas! the dangers which furround The bard who ventures on dramatic ground, Who dares the critic ftorm, the fneering cough, The hifs-the ah! no more! and Off! Off! Off! While brother bards fnug in their boxes fit, Loll at their ease, and-fplash him with |
