even than that on the last, when we consider it as coming from a person so intimately acquainted with the feelings of the human heart as Mrs. Inchbald has shewn herself to be, both in her dramatic and narrative writings.

The passage alluded to is this: Mrs. Inchbald, after having observed that "Alicia's calamities are far more heavy than that of the famished Shore," concludes thus :

"The parting scene between her and the condemned Hastings, "where he forgives her as the cause of his immediate execution, "has something more affecting than the last scene of the drama, "where Shore forgives his dying wife. The husband's pardon "comes after time has softened and penitence mitigated his "wrongs. The lover forgives a more fatal injury, and its conse"quences that moment impending."

The Reviewer confesses he never could find any thing affecting in the parting scene between Hastings and Alicia. He is not a lover who forgives, but a dying sinner who repents. While Shore is a fond husband, reconciled to a penitent wife, of whose sincere and steady reformation he had been a witness, and whom he is on the point of losing; Alicia and Jane Shore are by no means equal in the eyes of the spectator. They both suffer in consequence of guilt; but the guilt of Jane Shore arose from female weakness, long before the opening of the drama, and sincerely repented of; the guilt of Alicia is that of a fiend, and acted in the face of the Theatre. Besides, as most of u derive our first knowledge of Jane Shore from the old ditty, we are apt, when we see Alicia, to think of her prototype Mrs. Blague, of which Rowe has very injudiciously reminded us by the circumstance of Jane Shore delivering the casket to her in the first act.

Mrs. Inchbald prefaces her remarks on Mrs. Centlivre's Comedies, with an apology for female dramatic writers: Surely no apology was necessary for a circumstance which has given to the British Theatre the humour of Mrs. Centlivre, and the pathos of Mrs. Inchbald. The first however must be acknowledged as the more extraordinary endowment in a female writer, for the same reason that the latter, as being more consonant with the female character, is the more amiable one.

Ofthe Tragedies of Lillo, what Mrs. Inchbald says of the Fatal Curiosity, may in some degree be applied to George Barnwell, viz. "that for want of that robust constitution which implies " strength of mind as well as body, an audience shrinks from be"holding it performed." Those persons who possess such a constitutional firmness, as not to find the pathos of these privatelife tragedies carried to an excess that is painful, are better calculated for mathematical than poetical pursuits. We are told of a tragedy of Euripides, in which the apparatus was so dreadful as to throw children into fits, and make women miscarry; but it is most probable that the subsequent performances were not much crowded by the Athenian ladies.

Of the "Orphan," the less that is said the better, for two such unprincipled rascals as Castalio and Polydore, can excite no feeling except that of disgust. The assertion of our Critic, that the mistake of one brother for another by Monimia, is "far the most natural of any of the self-same kind that has "yet been invented by Shakspeare, or any other dramatist," we do not understand: we do not recollect any mistake of the self-same kind in any other play. A minute investigation of the probability of this would hardly be consistent with strict decorum.

Mrs. Inchbald says of Venice Preserved, that it is "the favourite work of Otway, and is played repeatedly " every year, except when an order from the Lord Chamber" lain forbids its representation, lest some of the speeches of "Pierre should be applied by the ignorant part of the audi"ence to certain men or assemblies in the English state."

It is an observation of Aristotle, that before an author is blamed for an immoral sentiment, the occasion of it and the character of the person who delivers it should be considered. The same reason is equally applicable to a popular sentiment. It surely can be no credit to any cause to applaud sentiments of reform, from the mouth of a man whose avowed end is the ruin of his country, and the means fire and assassination.

Who, that has any sense of propriety of character, can read this passage with patience: "The high sounding vengeance of "Zanga charms every heart, while the malicious purposes of "Iago fill every bosom with abhorrence?" Iago's means of vengeance are consonant with his character, those of Zanga perfectly inconsistent with what the poet meant for his character; but shew the despicable villain that merited the blow he received. The ridiculous line intended as a parody, in Chronononhotonthologos,

"And Bombardinian has receiv'd a blow,

"

in point of absurdity and bombast, sinks to nothing before its archetype,

"Great Alexander 'midst his conquests mourn'd,
"Heroes and demigods have known their sorrows !
"Cæsars have wept, and I have had my blow."

Of the " Mourning Bride," or the criticism on it, there is little to say. The first attempt at tragedy, by the first comic writer of the age, was naturally a subject of much curiosity, and consequently drew, as Mrs. Inchbald says, "all the wits and " critics to the representation;" and sheadds, "the great Dryden " was present, and is said to have been enraptured." We have heard from good authority, the mode in which he expressed his rapture. He went with a hope of seeing a formidable dramatic rival fail in this yet untried species of composition; but the moment he had heard the opening of the play, he jumped up and exclaimed, ' D--- this fellow, he will ruin us all.'

Every dramatic critic will agree in the charge of insipidity brought against "Tancred and Sigismunda;" but the observation of its revival to introduce young Betty, is not altogether so just. When Mrs. Inchbald says, "The taste which is irre

:

"gular, will combine irregularities; and why should not exqui" site verses be taken for a play, while an exquisite little boy " is received as an actor?" We cannot assent to her proposition. That young Betty was so young as to be on that account totally unfit for many of the parts he performed, is obvious; never was any exhibition more ridiculously absurd than his grappling with and overpowering the largest actor on the stage, Corry in Octavian. But the words little boy convey the idea of a child; and as for the exquisite verses, surely never was language more harsh and turgid than that of Tancred and Sigismunda.

Speaking of the Suspicious Husband, Mrs. Inchbald's usual discrimination surely forsook her, when she remarked that, " of all the jealous husbands on the stage, from the an"cient Kitely and Ford, down to the modern Sir John Restless, "Strickland is the most tame and unimportant." Strickland is not a jealous but a suspicious husband. Jea ousy originates from the unreasonable and misguided effusions of violent love, but the suspicion of Strickland arises from an envious and morose temper, without the smallest spark of affection; "the Suspicious Wife," would have been a more appropriate appellation for Colman's excellent comedy than, "the Jealous Wife."

This criticism on the Tragedy of the Gamester is new, but strikes us as perfectly just : -" As the author meant his Game"ster to be an object of pity, not of detestation, (and in ge"neral his design has been fulfilled,) it appears that he has "pleaded an apology for the vice, rather than set all hearts "against it. Ridicule had been the best means by which to " have accomplished its extirpation."

The Tragedy of Barbarossa (which by the way is exactly the story of Merope with different names) is no longer interesting, but as being the drama in which Master Betty made his first appearance on a London Stage. This is Mrs. Inch

bald's observation on the merits of this young actor, and the effect of his first performance:

"To argue the question upon matter of fact, rather than on the "disputed claims of correct taste--which every party conceive "they possess-these are the facts. A great majority of the au"dience thought young Betty a complete Tragedian, yet he fail"ed in that power over their hearts which ought to have ended "the argument in demonstration. Bursts of laughter were ex"cited from the audience, in divers parts of this Tragedy - on his "first appearance, which could not have occurred from any ad. "ventitious or ludicrous event whatever, had the minds of the "auditors been once enwrapt, and not left vacant for the quick " reception of every tract of ridicule."

The Reviewer was present at this representation. In his opinion, the majority of the audience neither thought, nor were capable of thinking, whether young Betty was or was not a complete Tragedian. They were told they were to see a prodigy of excellence, and they came predetermined both to wonder and to praise. Bursts of applause he heard, but none of laughter, Let Betty's merit have been of the most transcendent kind, it could excite no interest, from his disproportion to the other actors. This was particularly observable in his scenes with Irene, for which reason Douglas should have been chosen for his début. It is more strikingly out of character for a boy to make love to a woman than to kill a giant ; besides, the heroic deeds of Douglas are performed behind the scenes.

Mrs. Inchbald's remark on the "Grecian Daughter," recalls to the Reviewer an anecdote he had from the author. The fair critic observes, that in this play the "men's cha"racters have been all sacrificed to the valour of the woman; " he has made his female do the deed of a man, and his best " man perform the act of a child.". Mr. Murphy told the Reviewer, who once ventured to state the same objection to him, that at the first rehearsal there was a warm contest between Mr. and Mrs. Barry for the honour of stabbing Diony. sius, which, as is natural, terminated in favour of the Lady.