Ἢ λέγε τὶ σιγῆς κρεῖτιον, ἢ σιγὴν ἔχε. ARISTOPHON FRAG. 1 LONDON: PRINTED FOR SAMUEL TIPPER, LEADENHALL-STREET. 1809. P.A. viii. Reliques of Robert Burns; con- sisting chiefly of original Letters, Poems, and Critical Observations tions ல் Erratum in Nos. 1 and 2. * In the former Tables of Contents, this gentleman's name has THE LONDON REVIEW. No. III. AUGUST 1, 1809. CRITICAL ESSAYS ON THE PERFORMERS OF THE LONDON THEATRES; INCLUDING GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE PRACTICE AND GENIUS OF THE STAGE. BY THE AUTHOR OF THE THEATRICAL CRITICISMS IN THE WEEKLY PAPER CALLED THE NEWS. London: printed by and for John Hunt, at the Office of The News, 28, Brydges Street, Strand. THESE Essays abound in a variety of judicious observations and remarks, which, though addressed to readers of a particular description, will afford general entertainment and delight, were it only for the pleasantry of the style, enlivened as it is by such a flow of fancy, such display of humour, so many apt allusions and so much originality of thought, which, whilst they manifest the genius, mark the juvenility of the writer. They are however more particularly to be valued for the evidence they bear of the sincere and manly character of their author, who with an honest contempt for the popular farcewriters of the time, observes-that every actor, who repeats the nonsense of these scribblers with all its effect, hurts his : own reputation in proportion as he would extend theirs; for when the owl screeches, the echo must screech also. It is not my design, and I do not consider it as my duty, to attend upon this critic through his whole list of performers, amounting to not less than thirty. I will say something of those, who have ceased to live, but I will treat sparingly and tenderly of those, who are to earn their living by their labours on the stage. I approve of their being told of faults, which it would be for their interest to correct; but as I will not ar raign them for defects, with which nature has unalterably endowed them, I must be perfectly satisfied that correction is in their power before I move them to attempt it: As objects of our general censure they have no defence; as servants of the theatre, exhibiting themselves on a stage for our amusement, they have no fastnesses to retreat to from our attack; they are at our mercy, and discouragement partakes of persecution; until a performer shall offend against the respect due to his audience, great respect and lenity are justly due to his feelings.. I have something, but not much, wherewith to reproach my author upon this account; and as it chiefly, if not exclusively, applies to Mr. POPE, I shall reverse the order of his list, and say in few words what I can say with truth of that intelligent and meritorious actor. In all my dramatic concerns with Mr. Pope, which have not been few, I have ever found him strictly punctual in his rehearsals, studiously correct and faith-e ful to his author in representation, and devoting himself to the general interests of the piece as well as to the particular duties of his part with zeal so ardent and so cordial, that if this testi mony, which I now oppose to a criticism, that condemns him in the gross, may in any degree compensate for the asperity of it, it is a defence that I should have entered upon from conviction of his merits, had I not been also moved to it from a grateful sense of his good services. 1 if It is happy for an actor when nature has bestowed upon him an expressive countenance; but if he has it not by nature, he cannot make it such by art. Let him not hear of privations, which he cannot supply; tell him only of such errors as he is able to correct. Of all the variety of human countenances, that which is characterised by no prevailing passion is perhaps the most unlucky one an actor can be born with, as being least convertible to stage-effect; still if nature be in the heart, and inspire it with its proper feelings, the features will, in some degrée at least, obey its movements. This was the case with Henderson: in his hours of perfect quietude and relaxation his eye slept, and his countenance displayed no promise; but when the spirit within him, though naturally indolent, was awakened by the genius of his poet, he rushed at once into the character he was destined to assume, and the whole man harmonized with the passion, that he really felt. But that latent energy, which was in him, whom all the Drama's friends have reason to lament, is not the property of every man, and there will be rarely found another actor, with a countenance, that augured so little, endued with talents to effect so much. It is true that every performer, who is possessed of a powerful and well-toned voice, is responsible for the management of it, and should not upon all occasions send it round the theatre in compliment to those, who are only in the lobbies. There are not many occasions, that demand of the performer to draw out all the stops of his organ: the proper government and adaptation of its tones is a secret, which but few possess, and yet it is the grand desideratum of all public speaking. The ear, the judgement and the feelings of the declaimer must unite their influence and conspire to aid him in the attainment of that nice discrimination, in which consists the very excel lence of his art, and which alone can crown his efforts with success; for should he strive to elevate what in itself is low, and to depress what should be lofty, does that actor understand his author, or consult his reason? Though his entrance on the stage as a hero or a king may be announced with a flourish, he |