that sees it, though he be ever so rude and unthinking. And it is absolutely impossible but that a Play that has all these qualifications, must please, divert, satisfy, and content beyond that which wants them."

Those Plays whose only object is to entertain, regardless of some useful lesson, must be the barren effort of a little and thoughtless mind, and when represented, an insult to the audience, and a prostitution of the National Theatre, which should never be converted to a useless purpose *. The more, there

* It may be a question not unworthy solution, as to what are the Entertainments that degrade a regular Stage. We do not hesitate to pronounce that Pantomime is a species of entertainment of the most worthless nature, and ought not to be suffered to disgrace the Boards of either Theatre.

The common but defective reason generally assigned by the Managers of the London Houses, is, that Children and Holiday Folks expect to be treated with Pantomime at Christmas; it is, therefore, necessary to comply with the desire of that portion of the public, whose occupations will not permit their absence from business at any other time but the one allowed by custom.

Let us try the strength of this excuse for the exhibition of unmean ing trash. With respect to Children, we believe there is not one Preceptor in a hundred so weak as to recommend to his Pupils the love of Pantomime, and the unmeaning humour of low buffoonery. Whatever comes from the advice of a school-master to those under his care. with respect to the Stage, are generally the perusal and admiration of the works of the best Dramatic Poets, in which he points out to youth those passages that contain beauty of thought, sweetness of diction, and animating examples of virtue and courage, to stimulate a love of those qualities which dignified many exalted characters of antiquity. Nay, selections of the most admired passages from Shakespeare and others,have been published for the use of seminaries, consequently boys during their recess from study, go to the Theatre with their minds pregnant with the language and sentiments of those Plays which were the subjects of their contemplation during the hours of relaxation at school; and when in a Theatre the performance and stage effect of the piece adds strength to the beauty of their favourite Drama, and induces their repeated perusal of that play which appears to them in quite a new light after representation. But a Pantomime being of a loose and unconnected texture, wherein there is neither language, sentiment, nor part, which they can imitate, from not being able to find a rule to direct their action, or a motive to stimulate exertion; therefore it only pleases

fore, we consider the comparative situation of human beings, in the various occupations of life, virtue

them for the moment. It is to be also recollected, that Children having only a limited indulgence of time for the gratification of their pleasures, wish to frequent the Theatre as often as possible, without being particular as to the entertainments of the evening; and as there are only two Theatres open at the above period of the year, consequently they have no choice, but must submit to the Bill of fare presented to them. The Theatre on this ground would not lose money by keeping up its dignity in the representation of a regular Drama and Farce.

The Holiday Folks are in some measure placed in a similar situation with respect to their limited pleasure, and rather than not go to a Theatre once a year, would attend any Play and Farce: therefore the Managers might keep the people alive to the beauties of genuine composition, from which they would receive the most valuable lessons on what constitutes public happiness and social intercourse. There is in truth no just excuse for the prostitution of a regular Theatre to performances which though not of an immoral nature, yet from their lightness and frivolity, tend to enervate the Public mind, and vitiate the appetite for those pure sources of pleasure and instruction which the Stage has the ability to disseminate. There being three houses open near nine months in a year, which are licensed for no other purpose than Dumb Shew, and the tasteless amusements of the giddy and thoughtless, therefore the admirers of that species of diversion may be amply satisfied at Astley's, Hughes's, or Sadler's Wells.

Passing over the contemptible Pantomime which Mr. Harris gave the public last year, to revert merely to the mass of absurdity presented this Christmas, is quite enough for our purpose; and in our analysis of this wretched vehicle of amusement, we may have occasion to mention Mr. Dibdin, whose talents in another place will come under our remark, but are sorry to observe, that we do not think things of this nature suit the genius of this Gentleman; and much as we may be inclined to compliment some of his efforts in Dramatic composition, we should shamefully sacrifice truth to attach any credit to his Pantomimic labours. The short period of four months was dedicated to design, shape, and bring to perfection, the lubberly body and limbs of this unnatural stage monster, and a thousand pounds expended before the progenitor, Dibdin, gave it into the arms of Public care, who properly disgusted with its awkward proportions, unconnected symmetry, and the coarse and vulgar features of this brainless offspring of Folly, wisely opposed its existence, but the Parent and Manager approved of it, from a natural affection for their own.

The daily prints very independently opposed the Bantling's life, and exposed its separate and inconsistent parts, for public execration, and justly augured that this co-admixture of wretchedness never would prove a star of attraction. But as the Managers did not think fit to obey

and vice will be the subject of our serious reflection. Many authors have considered the nature of public

the voice of their supporters, and withdraw their rubbish from continuing to be offensive, the Public very properly absented themselves from the Theatre, as a mark of disapprobation, for gorging the town with an entertainment which had been objected to as obnoxious. Mr. Harris has been heard to acknowledge that the above-mentioned vehicle of amusement had kept money out of the Theatre; and if the secrets of the Prison House were known, we are inclined to think that the Treasury is three thousand pounds minus from forcing this Pantomime down the throats of an insulted and nauseated populace. The only compensation the Public received for their time aad money, was the music composed by Mr. Davy, which is entitled to considerable eu logium, and deserved a better medium of conveyance to an audience, than the disgraceful one mentioned. The resentment shewn by the town to the Theatre must have been clearly manifested to the Managers, as the House was decorated with an elegant and numerous audience the night after the Pantomime was withdrawn, and many successive evenings presented ample proof that the Public are ready to encourage and support the Theatre, when the purveyors of the national entertainments make up the Bill of Fare with palatable articles.

Before we quit the subject we must be permitted to make a few remarks with respect to the economical management of Mr. Kemble; and as much as prudent economy must ever be entitled to praise, whether viewed in the character of the most wealthy nobleman, or a Manager of a Theatre, yet that economy (if the application of the term be not too delicate) which tends to weaken or destroy the effect of an entertainment offered for Public amusement, deserves a gentle rebuke ; particularly when we consider that the Managers of Covent Garden generally boast at the end of the season, through the medium of the daily prints, that their profits attending the Theatre have amounted from twenty to thirty thousand pounds: therefore a trifling expence to render the representation of any vehicle of amusement as perfect as possible to the Public, ought not to be abridged, or made the object of a moment's consideration.

To come more closely to the case. It has always been the custom in Covent Garden Theatre, to have a certain number of persons to work the machinery, or as they are theatrically called, Pantomimic tricks, so that on the touch, or flourish of Harlequin's wand, a chair, for instance, should turn with the utmost celerity into a table, &c. &c. but after the first or second night's exhibition of the Pantomime, the ten men whose business it was to work these Srage tricks, and for which they received each a shilling per night, were dismissed by the new Manager as a heavy and superfluous charge on the Theatre, therefore the effect of the tricks was much lessened, the actors being obliged, in addition to their professional duty, to move the machinery into

mora.s in parallel views of ancient and modern countries, but the subject has been mostly treated on a general and aggregate scale. The Dramatist must go beyond this, he must study separate individuals, in order to be furnished with the various portions and shades of virtue and vice allied to human existence, which are frequently shewn in such unexpected and contrary forms, that it puzzles the most metaphysical mind to trace their just and conclusive cause. It is well known that many persons who are valuable members of the community, have been the children of low and unprincipled parents; and others, who are insensible to all the moral duties of the citizen, have been the offspring of virtuous, honourable, and wealthy progenitors, from whom they imbibed every precept of virtue and wisdom, that a refined educa

all its proper bearings. This materially weakened the pleasure the audience would have felt, had all the old tricks (which we have seen worked occasionally these ten years past) been conducted in a proper way. However on the return of Mr. Harris to town, the heavy expence of ten shillings per night was again incurred by his order.

This love of economy in Mr. Kemble does not accord with that known liberality which generally adds lustre to his enlightened mind. But there is no accounting for sudden impressions; we suppose Mr. K. had been reading in the morning of the day the men found their labours suspended, Lord Chesterfield's Letters to his Son, in which he advises him " to take care of the shillings, for the pounds will take care of themselves." The poor men, however, will never object to any book our English Roscius may be inclined to peruse before he comes to the Theatre, except it should be on economy..

Any effort that Mr. Kemble may be inclined to make to rid the Stage of low buffoonery, shall always have our humble support; but while forcing a worthless exhibition on the good nature of an audience, every endeavour ought to be made to render it as perfect and pleasing as possible, as otherwise the Public receive a double insult, first in giving them an unpalatable dish of viands, and secondly in negligently serving it up.-Perouse and Cinderella are pieces by no means uninteresting, particularly the former. Any ballet which blends the graces of attitude with some pleasing story, will always be productive of Public admiration.

tion, and the best preceptors could bestow, and yet have become the devoted intimates of every crime known in the catalogue of human vices.

There are also many other shades of morality and vice of a less degree, and brought into practice by various circumstances, some of which frequently take the milder phrase "Folly," but no term ever had so extensive an import, or was so often misapplied as this. Some of the worst actions have been justified, excused, or palliated by persons who have wished to reason from the minds of others and themselves, any act that attached disgrace to them; when the offence was not removable by barefaced contradiction, they then softened it down to an act of folly, and under the mildness of the word, frequently have escaped legal punishment.

There are various other distinctions of moral conduct observable in our intercourse with the world, that are in a major or minor degree, injurious to Public faith, and the morality of the country, and which are not cognizable by law, but which should be the object of an author's notice. Dr. Johnson has beautifully illustrated the art of selecting materials for the Poet's labour, in his Rasselas. His directions equally apply to the business of a Dramatic writer, who ought to be able to take particular and striking, but natural parts of men, either as to their morality, vice, folly, &c. and combine in their characters such portions of human infirmity, or perfection, as will render their Plays potent engines to enhance the love of virtue, and a disgust at vice. This qualification, with the others mentioned, would enable an author to obtain lasting celebrity from the just admiration of the Public.