turned upon Cæfar, and the degraded Laberius enjoyed a full revenge.

We may naturally fuppofe this conduct loft him the favour of Cæfar, who immediately took up Publius Syrus, a Syrian flave, who had been manumitted for his ingenious talents, and was acting in the country theatres with much applaufe: Cæfar fetched him out of his obfcurity, as we bring up an actress from Bath or York, and pitted him againft Laberius. It was the triumph of youth and vigour over age and decay, and Cæfar with malicious civility faid to Laberius, Favente tibi me victus es, Laberi, a SyroYou are furpaffed by Syrus in spite of my support. As Laberius was going out of the theatre he was met by Syrus, who was inconfiderate enough to let an expreffion escape him, which was very difrespectful to his veteran competitor: Laberius felt the unbecoming infult, and, turning to Syrus, gave him this extemporary answer—

"To ftand the first is not the lot of all;

"'Tis now your turn to mount, and mine to fall:
""Tis flippery ground; beware you keep your feet;
"For public favour is a public cheat."

Non poffunt primi effe omnes omni in tempore ;
Summum ad gradum cum claritatis veneris,
Confifles agre; et quam defcendas, decides:

Geçidi ego: Cadet qui fequitur. Laus eft publica.

I need not remind the learned Reader in what credit the sayings of this Publius Syrus have been justly held by all the literati from Seneca to Scaliger, who turned them into Greek; and it is for the honour of the fraternity of the stage, that both he and Sophron, whose moral sentences were found under Plato's pillow, when he died, were actors by profeffion.

I shall now only add that my Newspaper contains a very interesting description of two young actors, Hylas and Pylades, who became great favourites with Auguftus, when he was emperor, and made their first appearance at the time this journal was written. If the Reader fhall find any allufion to two very promifing young performers, now living, whofe initials correfpond with the above, I can promise him that our contemporaries will not fuffer by the comparison. I may venture to fay in the words of Doctor Young

The Roman wou'd not blush at the mistake.

N. LXXXVIII.

D

N° LXXXVIII.

R. Samuel Johnson, in his life of Rowe, pronounces of The Fair Penitent, that it is one of the most pleafing tragedies on the stage, where it ftill keeps its turns of appearing, and probably will long keep them, for that there is fcarcely any work of any poet at once fo interesting by the fable, and fo delightful by the language. The ftory, he obferves, is domeftic, and therefore easily received by the imagination, and affimilated to common life; the diction is exquifitely harmonious, and foft or Sprightly as occafion requires. Few people, I believe, will think this character of The Fair Penitent too lavish on the score of commendation; the high degree of public favour in which this tragedy has long ftood, has ever attracted the best audiences to it, and engaged the talents of the beft performers in its difplay. As there is no drama more frequently exhibited, or more generally read, I propose to give it a fair and impartial examination, jointly with the more unknown and less popular tragedy from which it is derived.

The Fair Penitent is in fable and character fo closely copied from The Fatal Dowry, that it is impoffible not to take that tragedy along with it; and it is matter of fome furprize to me that Rowe fhould

S 4

fhould have made no acknowledgment of his imitation either in his dedication or prologue, or any where else that I am apprised of.

This tragedy of The Fatal Dowry was the joint production of Maffinger and Nathaniel Field; it takes a wider compafs of fable than The Fair Penitent, by which means it presents a very affecting scene at the opening, which discovers young Charalois attended by his friend Romont, waiting with a petition in his hand to be prefented to the judges, when they fhall meet, praying the release of his dead father's body, which had been seized by his creditors, and detained in their hands for debts he had incurred in the public fervice, as Field Marfhal of the armies of Burgundy. Maffinger, to whose share this part of the tragedy devolved, has managed this pathetic introduction with confummate skill and great expreffion of nature; a noble youth in the laft ftate of worldly distress, reduced to the humiliating yet pious office of foliciting an unfeeling and unfriendly judge to allow him to pay the folemn rites of burial to the remains of an illuftrious father, who had fought his country's battles with glory, and had facrificed life and fortune. in defence of an ingrateful ftate, impreffes the fpectators mind with pity and respect, which are felt through every paffage of the play: One thing

in particular strikes me at the opening of the scene, which is the long filence that the poet has artfully impofed upon his principal character (Charalois) who stands in mute forrow with his petition in his hand, whilst his friend Romont, and his advocate Charmi, urge him to present himself to the judges and folicit them in person: The judges now make their entrance, they stop upon the stage; they offer him the fairest opportunity for tendering his petition and foliciting his fuit: Charalois remains fixed and speechless; Romont, who is all eagerness in his caufe, preffes him again and again—

Now put on your spirits

Now, Sir, lose not this offer`d means: Their looks
Fix'd on you with a pitying earnestness,

Invite you to demand their furtherance

To your good purpose.

The judges point him out to each other; they lament the misfortunes of his noble house; they obferve,

It is young Charalois

Son to the Marshal, from whom he inherits

His fame and virtues only.

Romont. Hab! they name you.

Dulroy. His father died in prifon two days fince. Rochfort. Yes, to the shame of this ingrateful fate, That fuch a mafter in the art of war,

So