the admirable comedy of A Trip to Scarborough.' She seemed to consult her own genius in it less than the admonitions of some critics. There was accordingly less to find fault with, but we like her better when she takes her full swing.

"If to her share some trifling errors fall,

Look in her face, and you'll forget them all." 2

Mr. Penley's Lord Foppington had very considerable merit.]

THE MERCHANT OF BRUGES.

[Drury Lane] December 17, 1815.

The Merchant of Bruges; or, Beggar's Bush,3 altered from Beaumont and Fletcher, was brought out at Drury-Lane on Thursday, with great preparation, applause, and effect. Contrary, we believe, to green-room expectation, it answered completely. This, assuredly, is not a classical drama; but the spirit of poetry constantly peeps out from beneath the rags, and patches, and miserable disguise, in which it is clothed. Where the eye was most offended by the want of costume, songs and music came to its relief. The airs selected by Mr. T. Cooke were admirably adapted to the situations, and we need not remind the critical reader, that the lyrical effusions in Beaumont and Fletcher are masterpieces in their kind. They are exactly fitted to be either "said or sung" under the green-wood tree. One or two of these were sung separately, with a good deal of sweetness

1 Altered by R. B. Sheridan from Vanbrugh's The Relapse. Revived December 6.

2 Pope, Rape of the Lock, ii, 17-8, altered.

3 The Merchant of Bruges; or, Beggar's Bush, by Douglas Kinnaird, was produced at Drury Lane on December 14.

and characteristic naïveté, by Miss L. Kelly,' who is one of the supposed Beggars, but a princess in disguise. Either we mistook certain significant intimations, or she wished to make this appear before the proper time. One of the oddest transformations in The Beggar's Bush, was, that it inspired Mr. Holland with no small degree of animation and fancy; for he depicted the worthy Clause, who is at the same time the King of the Beggars, the Father of the Merchant of Bruges, and the old Earl of Flanders, inimitably well.

2

Again, Mr. Oxberry and Mr. Harley were most respectable Beggars, and had their cues perfect (which was more than Mr. Pope had in the prologue); Mr. Kean topped his part as the Merchant-Earl, Mr. Munden was not far behind him as the drunken Burgomaster, and Mr. S. Penley, Mr. Rae, and Mr. Raymond, served to fill the stage. The scenes from which this play derived its interest, and which both for sentiment and situation were admirable, are those in which Mr. Kean vindicates his character as a Merchant and his love for Gertrude against the arrogant assumptions of her uncle (Raymond), and disarms the latter in the fight. His retort upon the noble baron, who accuses him of being a barterer of pepper and sugar, "that every petty lord lived upon his rents or the sale of his beeves, his poultry, his milk and his butter," made a forcible appeal to John Bull, nor did the manner in which Munden, who is bottle-holder on the occasion, vociferated, "Don't forget butter,"* take away from the effect. The whole of this scene is (if not in the best) in the most peculiar and striking manner of Beaumont and Fletcher. It is the very petulance of youthful ardour

1 Miss Lydia Kelly was Jaculin; Mrs. Horn, Bertha (or Gertrude); Holland, Gerrard (or Clause); Oxberry, Higgin; Harley, Prigg; Kean, Goswin (or Florez); Munden, Vandunke; S. Penley, Wolfort; Rae, Hubert; and Raymond, Hemskirke.

2 The prologue and epilogue were written by J. Hobhouse; the latter was not ready in time to be spoken on the first night.

3 Merchant of Bruges, II, ii, misquoted.

Ibid. "And butter? Remember butter, do not leave out butter."

and aspiring self-opinion, defying and taunting the frigid prejudices of age and custom. If Mr. Kean's voice failed him, his expression and his action did full justice to the heroic spirit and magnanimity of conception of the poet, where he says to his mistress, after depriving his antagonist of his sword, "Within these arms thou art safe as in a wall of brass,"1 and again, folding her to his breast, exclaims, Come, kiss me, love,' and afterwards rising in his extravagant importunity, "Come, say before all these, say that thou lov'st me.' We do not think any of the German dramatic paradoxes come up to this in spirit, and in acting as it were up to the feeling of the moment, irritated by a triumph over long-established and insolent pretension. The scene between Mr. Kean and Gertrude (Mrs. Horn), where he is in a manner distracted between his losses and his love, had great force and feeling. We have seen him do much the same thing before. There is a very fine pulsation in the veins of his forehead on these occasions, an expression of nature which we do not remember in any other actor. One of the last scenes, in which Clause brings in the money-bags to the creditors, and Kean bends forward pointing to them, and Munden after him, repeating the same attitude, but caricaturing it, was a perfect coup-de-théâtre. The last scene rather disappointed our expectations; but the whole together went off admirably, and every one went away satisfied.

The story of The Merchant of Bruges is founded on the usurped authority of Wolfort, as Earl of Flanders, to the exclusion of Gerrard, the rightful heir, and his infant son Florez; the latter of whom, on his father being driven out by the usurper, has been placed with a rich merchant of Bruges; whilst the father, with his infant daughter, takes refuge among a band of Beggars, whose principal resort is in

1 Merchant of Bruges, 11, ii: "In this circle, love, Thou art as safe as in a tower of brass.

2 Ibid., II, ii: "Kiss me, Gertrude; Quake not, but kiss me.”

3 Ibid., II, ii:

"Say thou art mine, aloud, love--and profess it."

a wood near the town of Bruges. Young Florez is brought up by the merchant as his own son; and on the death of his protector, whom he considers as his real father, succeeds to his property, and becomes the principal merchant in Bruges. Gerrard, in the mean time, is elected King of the Beggars; and, by the influence which his authority gives him over the fraternity, he is enabled to assist his son with a large sum of money at a time when he is on the verge of bankruptcy, owing to the non-arrival of several vessels richly laden, and which are detained by contrary winds. This circumstance gives the supposed Beggar considerable influence over the actions of his son, who declares himself ready to pay him the duties of a son, without being at all suspicious that it is indeed his real parent whom he is thus obeying; and Gerrard, determining to reveal to his son the mystery of his birth, appoints an interview with him at midnight, near the Beggar's Bush, in the forest. In the mean time Wolfort, having learnt that Gerrard and Florez, whom he supposes dead, are still living, and that Gerrard is concealed amongst the Beggars, goes with a troop of horse at midnight to the Beggar's Bush, for the purpose of surprising him. His plan is, however, circumvented by Hubert, a nobleman at the court of Wolfort, but who is secretly attached to the right heir. Hubert conveys intelligence of the intended attempt of Wolfort to Gerrard, and a strong band of the Beggars are armed, and set in readiness to seize him on his entering a particular part of the forest, to which he is enticed by Hubert, under pretence of leading him to the spot where Gerrard is concealed. Here they arrive just at the time Florez, by appointment, meets his father Gerrard. Wolfort falls into the trap prepared for him, and is, with his principal confidant, Hemskirke, secured. An explanation takes place, and Gerrard, resigning his pretensions to his son, Florez, the Merchant is restored to the possession of the earldom of Flanders, and Wolfort, the usurping Earl, is banished for life.

[The new musical farce, My Spouse and I, continues to be acted with deserved applause. It is by much the best thing brought out this season. It has a great deal of all that is necessary to a good farce, point, character, humour, and incident. It was admirably supported. Harley played a lively character of the bustling Fawcett-cast very happily. He may now stick very comfortably in the skirts of public favour, if he does not choose to fling himself out of them. The only faults of this piece are, that it is too long in the second act, and that Miss Kelly continues somewhat too long in breeches, for the purposes of decorum. Mr. Barnard, as a country lad, played very well, and was deservedly encored in a song, "But not for me the merry bells.'

3

Covent Garden.

THE new comedy of Smiles and Tears, brought out at this Theatre, is spoken favourably of. We have been prevented from seeing it by its being acted on the same night as the new play at the other house. We shall devote an article to it next week.]

SMILES AND TEARS.

[Covent Garden] December 24, 1815.

A NEW piece in five acts, called Smiles and Tears; or, The Widow's Stratagem, has been produced, with very con

1 By C. Dibdin, Junr., music by Whitaker, produced December 7. Miss Kelly was Harriet; Harley, Frisk; and Barnard, Ned.

2 Act 11, Scene ii. The song commences, "I went to the fair," and the refrain is, "O, it wasn't for me that I heard the bells ringing."

3

3 By Mrs. C. Kemble; produced December 12, and frequently repeated. The first performance was not on the same night as The Merchant of Bruges.