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And with a master's hand, and prophet's fire,
Struck the deep forrows of his lyre.

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Hark, how each giant-oak, and defert cave
Sighs to the torrent's awful voice beneath!

O'er thee, oh king! their hundred arms they wave,
Revenge on thee in hoarfer murmurs breathe;
Vocal no more, fince Cambria's fatal day,
To high-born Hoel's harp, or foft Llewellyn's lay.
Jugo, feroci quod minax cacumine,

Ami fonantia imminet Conovii *,
Veftitus atro tegmine, et torpentibus
Oculis dolore, vates adititit fenex;
(Impexa barba, canitiefque horrida
Fluxerê inane turbinis ludibrium)
Aimoque præfago, et ferore magico

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Querulam repercuffit lyram.

Fallor, an illa camis latè frondentibus ilex,

Hæc refonis fpelunca cavis, miferabile quiddam

Ad vada fufpirant? tibi centum hæc brachia jactat

Indignata, tibi pœnas, rex improbe, pofcit.

Amplius haud Hoeli numeros, haud dulce, Llewellyn, ⚫ Barbiton illa tuum patriis imitabitur antris.

PLAY S.

ART. XVI. Airs, Ballads, &c. in the Blackamoor washed White. A News Comic Opera. As it is performed at the Theatre-Royal Drury-Lane. 8vo. 6d. Corral.

Amidst the general, though feemingly groundlefs, complaint of the dearth of dramatic genius, it were natural to fuppofe the public fhould be ready, on every occafion, to countenance the dawn of merit, and give encouragement to every decent attempt to afford them theatrical entertainment. We are forry to obferve, however, that the contrary seems to be the cafe; perfonal intereft and mediocrity of talents appearing to be the only fecure pafsport to popular favour. Hence inoffenfiveness of difpofition hath frequently acquired for infipidity of genius, more extravagant applaufe than hath been due to fuperior abilities; while private pique and particular prejudice, have deprived the public of the more deferving efforts of difappointed ingenuity.-Setting afide the meannefs and cowardice of avenging perfonal offence, or gratifying private malice on an author, by condemning his piece, it is impolitic as it is unjuft, to deprive thofe, who ftudy to amufe the public, of the pecuniary emolument that fhould animate writers to exert their power, and should reward their labours. It is the author and not the man, who appeals to the juftice as well as prudence of the audience; and it is their intereft, as friends to dramatic genius, to encourage the productions of men of wit, however otherwife harmlefs, inoffenfive or even amiable. Dullness is doubtlefs a conciliating quality and makes friends, while poignancy of wit creates foes, even among thofe, against whom it is not actually exerted. A man of wit is almost always both hated and feared; and, however

* Vide Camden's Britannia.

really

really good-natured, is hardly ever thought fo. Hence the general difpofition to enmity against him, and the combination of blockheads to take every advantage of mortifying him. But is this the way to repair the lamented lofs of dramatic genius? Surely not! Let private pique and perfonal prejudice be banished the theatre: Let the partiality which unjustly applauds as well as cenfures, be left without doors; let the fpectator who approves, and he who diflikes, repeat their attendance on the reprefentation or ftay away, at pleasure. Genius will then have a fair chance of reviving, and we doubt not, from the fpecimens we have recently feen, the credit of dramatic writing would foon be restored. From this preamble, fuch of our readers, as have not been before apprized of it, may gather that the Blackanioorwashed-White was not fuccefsful on the ftage. It was, indeed, oppofed in a moft illiberal and defended in just as liberal a ftile. But this is not to be wondered at: our theatres having long fince adopted the entertainments of Bartholomew-fair, the tranfition from thence to the amufements of the boxing-booth and the bear-garden,was eafy and natural. Not that we blame the author for oppofing violence vi et armis; at the fame time, we feel the lefs confideration for him, as he himself has been known to take as active a part in the condemnation of others; and the adage is a pertinent one, non lex juftior ulla quam quod artifex periret arte fua. But to give the reader a proof that this little piece deferved no more to be reprobated than many others, which have met with faccefs, we fhall print the following fcene; in which the bufinefs of the plot is opened, and which was committed to paper as accurately as the tumult of the house, during the scene of action, would permit.

Scene. A Garden. Frederick and Grenville.

Gren. (looking up the walk) Talliho!-the old fox has just took his morning ring, and is now making for cover!-fee yonder! Fred. Ay I fee him :—what a fufpicious moniter!

Gren. Oh you don't know half his tricks;-why the old magician has drawn a large river round his caftle, fince his fecond marriage and the removal of his daughter from the college near the lake.— Fred. Indeed!

Gren. But come, fince we have taken the field, I have a trifling doubt that you must fatisfy, before we proceed to action :

Fred. What doubt can poffibly arise at this time?

Gren. Only a very friendly one, which has juft ftruck me and is fimply this-whether as matrimony now goes, the dice are not against you Fred. who at all events are about to take your happiness against a pretty affemblage of female features, and a fortune you don't want : you may be a very bold man; but for my part, I have feen fo much of the game, that the odds must be greatly on my fide, to tempt me to play at it.

The frequent exertions of illiberal spleen, under cover of the long enjoyed privilege of hiffing and clapping in our theatres, have, at length, indeed, converted liberty into licentioufnefs; and it is now common for even unprejudiced fpectators to go to the first reprefentation of a new play, as to an expected riot, in which they mean either wantonly to make, or enjoy the ready-made mifchief. Might not our play-writers fay to fuch fpectators, as the frogs to the boys in the fable. may be fport to you, but it is death to us.”

"This

AIR.

AIR.

Love and woman in unifon play:
To keep courtship's fky bright, and clear,
Ma'm's as gentle as May,
Bills and coos all the day,

Tho' difcord is clofe in the rear.
So love's catering,-faucy fly pickle,
The poifon conceals of his dart;
For firft with the feather he'll tickle,

And then strike the barb to your heart..

-but come as

Fred. Oh prithee if I am to think thee ferious, a truce to your metaphors and fimilies;-if indeed its your prefent vein to be poetical, and amufe yourself at my expence, I muit beg to be excufed: Gren. Heighday!-who the devil's poetical now? we are now in the proper latitude, I'll open to you the plan of our fecret expedition: it lies on a very fmall scale.- -Sir Oliver having. worried the life and foul of all his family out for these nine months past, has at lat taken it into his head, that the virtue of his wife and daughter could not be longer fafe, if they were furrounded with a fet of decent domeftics; in confequence of which, he has difcharg'd them to a man, except an arch out of the way body, and is determin'd to replace them with a fuit of blacks:-notwithstanding our fhynefs, he has commiffion'd me to procure him a fmart fellow of that tribe upon trial, and here are my credentials (taking out a note and reading) "Nephew,

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"As I am about to discharge all my scoundrels of fervants for their treachery towards me:-I intend to try the black race; and there"fore if in your travels you could pick me up a fober fellow of this "colour upon liking; you would do a great favour to your uncle, “Oliver Oddfish.”

Fred. Well and what of all this?

Gren. Why what think you Frederick of being introduced into the company of your miftrefs in this refpectable character? Fred. A black, Grenville!

Gren. Ay, a black!

Fred. Would not fuch means be rather difingenuous?

Gren. Will it be lefs ingenuous than thofe daily made ufe of for the accomplishment of men's ends?-they change their tongue, their manners, nay their very principles as beft fuits their defigns; and prithee then which is lefs difgraceful to change, the complexion of the countenance or the heart.

Fred. (paufing) Why faith that's true!-'tis an argument fupported by reafon as well as love:- - my dear Grenville behold thy convert! Gren. But hold, hold!-it's now my time to moralize a little:will it not be rather difingenuous in me who have not fo much as one fingle paffion to gratify in this bufinefs, to become the chief engineer against the peace of a poor choleric old man and an uncle too? Fred. Pooh!-you know Grenville it's the firft maxim in nature's volume to lofe the intereft of the individual in that of fociety ;— befides

Gren.

Gren. Well-come; give me your hand:-as thou haft merit enough in the main to repair any breach we may make in the enter prize I'll venture it for thee: within this very lodge are depofited our arms and accoutrements: the drefs I wore at the laft mafquerade: nay start not for I mean inftantly to habit you and give you an imme. diate paffport of introduction.

Fred. My dearest Grenville! with what all-cheering hope haft thou infpired me?-but for the dialect?

Gren. Oh! you'll catch that from me in an inftant while I equip

you:

Fred. My transport knows no bounds!

Gren. Of all the eccentric motions of mankind, paint me the diverting ups and downs of the lover;-but come :-I must to my old woman, and fee all things are fafe :-in the mean time, as it is a miracle the love fick fwain and his tranfports can eafily perform, you may amufe yourself by heightening the charms of your miftrefs 'till you make her a goddefs. [Exit to the lodge

Fred. Heighten her charms my Julia's charms !-oh that's impoffible!

AIR.

The ftream that environ'd her cot,

All the charms of the deity knew ;
How oft has its courfe been forgot

While it paus'd-her dear image to woo?
Believe me the fond filver tide

Knew from where it deriv'd the fair prize,
For filently fwelling with pride

It reflected her back to the skies!

Gren. (upon the ftyle) Hie over you fool! don't ftand there in the high road chanting away the precious moments like an itinerant ballad finger!

Fred. Heigho (fighing)

Gren. There now are we upon B-flat again: (afide) what your heart fails? oh then your most obedient. (going)

Frid. My dearest friend I did not fee you.

Gren. Oh don't hurry yourself:-any time this moon!-love you know is a dish that never cools-(ironically) oh for fhame for fhame! you a lover? [Exeunt !

ART. XVII. Phabe at Court, an Operetta of two Acts. Written originally by R. Lloyd, Efq. The Dialect neceffarily contracted, and turned into Hudibraftic Verfe for Recitative, new Songs added, and the Mufic entirely new; Composed by Dr. Arne. 4to. 1s 6d, Cox and Bigg. Poor Bob Lloyd! Alas, how hard a fate is thine! To ftarve, on thy admirable genius, when living; and to have thy labours chopped into mincemeat, and hashed up, with the fritters of fiddlers after thou art dead?

"The Comic Operetta, called Phoebe at Court, was written in French by Monfieur Favart, entitled Ninette a la Cour, and perform ed at Paris with great applaufe. The late ingenious Mr. Lloyd likewife took the fubje&t for his Capricious Lovers; the poetical merit of which induced me to convert it to my prefent purpofe, by a neceffary

vertion

verfion of the dialect for recitative, the addition of feveral fongs, the omiffion of others, and compoung the whole to entire new mufic."

Such is the account Dr. Arne gives of this dramatic production; in which the very poetical tongs of Mr. Lloyd's Capricious Lovers, are intermixed and contrafted with fome of the vilet Hudibraftie verfe, as the compiler calls it, that ever got into print. How far the fcandalous neglect, fhewn by a tasteless town to the Capricious Lovers, might be imputed to the original mufical compofition, or how far the prefent composer has improved on it, is an enquiry out of our province; but as the neglect of its literary merit reflects difgrace on an age, that has given the most extravagant encouragement to pieces equally de ftitute of wit, fenfe, and poetry, it is to be regretted that fo fuccefsful a musical compofer as Dr. Arne, has not prefented the prafent piece new fet ih its origninal form. For, however highly this Muf. Dr. may think of his poetical talents, his Hudibraftic recitative, and additional airs, make poor Lloyd's performance refemble a fattin cloak, flounced with linfey-woolfey, and trimmed with beggar's tape.

ART. XVIII. Airs and Choruffes in the Mask of the Syrens. As performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. 4to. 6d. Becket.

We have here the strangeft jumble of poetry and puerility, things quaint and queer, tart and infipid, fresh and ftale, that ever, we believe, met together in one mefs. This farrago, indeed, might not be improperly filed a theatrical falmagundi; which, however, well calculated to hit the tafte of falt-water wits, feems too grofsly feafoned to fuit nicer palates. In the compofition of the fongs, which only are the fubject of prefent confideration, the author has adopted many of the poetical expreffions of Shakespeare, from whofe Tempeft, the idea of the prefent piece feems to have been taken. Thefe, however. he has fo ill adapted, that they form a ftriking contrast to his own dition. To write with the pen of Shakespeare, is to wield the club of Hercules; among the many that have attempted to imitate that inimitable bard, there not being one inftance in which the daring copyift hath come off with honour.* Our readers will determine for themselves from the following airs, which, we felect the rather, as they have been not a little applauded by fome of our news-paper critics. Fair fashioned Flora, fancy's fylvan queen,

Gay guardian of the pied, fmooth daified green,

Thy faireft, fweetest bower prepare,

O, let the hours with nimble velvet feet,
Strew the flat earth with flowrets fresh and sweet,

To ornament fo pure a pair.

So pure a pair! What a pure poet! Would not the reader think that this pure pair were defunct and fepulchered in their lowly bed, as

* Unlefs, indeed, we may venture to except the fingle inftance of Falftaff's Wedding; which would poffibly, ere this, have been as much applauded on the itage, as it is approved in the study, had there been a performer to be found capable of doing Juffice to the character of Falstaff; or had not the confeffed fuperiority of Mr. Garrick's devotion to Shakespeare infpired him fo extravagantly with the Spirit of jealoufy, as to render him fuspicious of a rival, in every admirer of the object of his idolatry.

Gray

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