1776. PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. which would fecure the profeffed objects of the bill; and at the fame time prevent the inconveniencies which would arife to the friends of this country in America. That if any practicable scheme for that purpofe were devifed, the law 'might be rendered as inefficacious, and of as little value as fo much waste paper; for there would not be wanting fufficient numbers of men who would be dutiful and loyal fubjects, for the purpofes of carrying on a lucrative trade, but who would be rank rebels for every other; and that on the whole, America, as compofing fo many different communities, or forming one collective body, were presented by this 181 bill, with the alternative of returning to their former duty and state of obedience, on a general acknowledgement of the controlling power of this country, as a bafis of conciliation, in which their fubordinate rights would be amply enumerated and firmly fecured; or of abiding all the confequences of a war, which would certainly be the effect of their own obftinacy, and of an open refistance to thofe legal powers of government, which the conftitution had vefted in the British Parliament, for the protection and the controlling every individual part and parcel of the whole empire however conftituted. For the LONDON MAGAZINE. THE BRITISH THEATRE. April 9. piece of LAST night a nevee weeks after Marriage, which had been performed for Mr. Lewis's benefit the preceding Saturday, was repeated at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden after the Duenna. This piece, it is faid, is taken from a comedy of Mr. Murphy's, which made its appearance about ten years fince; and which was damned on the first reprefentation, by a party' previously collected for the purpose. We do not pretend to authenticate this account; nor to be understood, that the original deferved a better reception, because we do not know what fate it merited; having never feen it in any other form, but that meant to be made the fubject of the following obfervations. The leading figures fketched in this little groupe, are, Sir Charles Racket, lately married to Mifs Drugget; Lady Racket, and Drugget, a wealthy citizen, diftinguished for the falfe tafte for gardening introduced by our great deliverer, William the Third, and cultivated with fuccefs for more than half a century, in long narrow avenues, ftagnant pools of water, straight gravel walks, fir plantations, evergreens, leaden ftatues, and as the Twitnam poet expreffes it," and all the mournful family of yews." Whatever figure this gentleman might have made when drawn at full length, conftitutes no part of the prefent enquiry. His allufions to his favourite amufement, however, though they may have great merit with fuch as are happy enough to trace the originals in the copy, the fimiles feemed rather strained and far fetched, and the humour monftrous and unnatural; unless we can fuppofe, that a fober citizen wife in his generation and in his compting house, may be transformed by the time he reaches Tottenham, or the neighbourhood of Newington Green, into an old, crazy, ungovernable coxcomb. The boxes and galleries, however, laughed and applauded; and who dare be fo hardy as to difpute their fupreme legiflative authority over the regions of wit, humour, and dramatic tafte? But although Drugget's rural wit is like his fruit raised by fomething nearly refembling a Dutch ftove, he is employed to other purpofes, befides giving lectures on Dutch gardening. His ideas on high life are very happily contrasted with the prevailing fentiments of his fon-inlaw, Sir Charles Racket; and fome of his obfervations are fufficiently well pointed, to bring a blufh into the most bronzed cheeks, that haunt the levees at St. James's and the cockpit, for the 182 Critique on Three Weeks after Marriage. first fix weeks after the meeting of parliament. Among some of those, after the most anxious fufpence to know the cause of a propofed feparation between Sir Charles and his daughter Lady Racket, is that admirable scene, in which he discovers that they are both determined to part for ever, fooner than give up the important queftion, whether a club or a diamond were the better play, in preventing an adverfary from getting the odd trick. The fcene is happily hit off, and would have done honour to the pen of a Congreve, a Wycherly, or a Vanbrugh. The characters of Sir Charles and Lady Racket depend a good deal on the temper and difpofition of a young married fashionable couple, who could agree to part for fuch a trifling circumftance. The whole bufinefs of the piece chiefly turns on it; and the audience are the greatest part of the time entertained with the mixture of altercation, reconciliation, and conceffion, which alternately fucceed each other, till the fashionable pair leave the stage in a flame, by commencing the fame argument, and either fide adhering to their former opinion, with equal obftinacy and with double ardor. Lady Racket it is true, confidering fhe has been only three weeks acquainted with the fashionable world, feems to have made too rapid a proficiency in the ton, of a first rate demirep, and the art of politely tormenting, and being moft provokingly well bred; but though the poet has gathered fnow in Jamaica, and grapes in Lapland, the deliciousness of the treat will not permit us to examine too rigidly, whether they are the productions of nature or of art. Mr. Lewis, who performed the part of Sir Charles, wanted that natural fpirit, vivacity, and eafe, fo effentially neceffary to fill the character of a man of fashion. This young man feems never to have ftudied, at leaft to have cultivated the graces. His utterance is rapid and indiftinct in this walk. His voice fettles alternately in his nofe or his throat; and when he lets it out at his mouth, he forces it out in fhort vociferous puffs, ftrong enough to difcompofe the head drefs of a modern fine lady. His action was 4 April ftiff, aukward, and unnatural; and his whole demeanour had more the appearance of a tragedy apprentice at a fpouting club, than a member of Boodle's, Almack's, or Arthur's. When we have thus expreffed our own feelings, we would not be understood to depreciate the general merit of this performer. He certainly has great merit in fome characters, and is very paffable in feveral; but we throw it out by way of admonition, that he may confult his native genius, and not his vanity; and where the former fails him, endeavour to make it up by induftry; or avoid the trouble by a more judicious felection of the parts in which he is most likely to fucceed. Mrs. Mattocks did great juftice to the character of Lady Racket; and if fhe could, at this time of day, acquire a greater freedom in her manner, and attain to greater variety of attitude and expreffion of countenance, she would bid fair for being a first rate comic actress. Mr. Quick was inimitable in Drugget. We never remember to have feen him appear to greater advantage, not even in that favourite of the town, the "cunning" little Ifaac. April 20. L We fhould not have difturbed the afhes of the dead Mahomet, were it not to fay a word or two on a new performer, who played the part of Alcanor. The young man who filled this character, feems to poffefs a great deal of merit. His ftile of playing is correct, his attitudes eafy and natural, and his voice tolerable. He appears to be entirely free from that fwoln pedantic delivery, with which most of our modern adventurers of the buskin are fo ftrongly infected; and those aukward pofitions, unnatural writhings, diftortion of features, and horrid exertions of voice, that have proved fo fatal to nine tenths of the young gentlemen who have for the laft feven years been candidates for theatric fame. We do not mean by this impartial teftimony, to feduce this unknown gentleman from the more folid and credi 1776. Remarks on Voltaire's Account of Hamlet. creditable fituation of the desk, or the counter, to figure on the ftage of Drury Lane; becaufe, like the experienced lawyer, or fkilful phyfician, we referve the power of receding from 183 the judgement now pronounced, by which means we may, with propriety, alter our opinion, refpecting his future merits or demerits. To the EDITOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE. SIR, JOTHING is more difgufting to and adopted the general tafte of the NOTHING is more certain nation at that time, without knowing pertness and vanity incident to fome writers, which leads them to depreciate every work of the fame kind with their own, and every author, whether living or dead, who has, or is thought to excel, in the walk which they fancy themselves have an exclufive right to. I have been led to this reflection on reading lately fome of the works of Voltaire, who, whatever merit he may have, often over-balances it by this mean and ridiculous behaviour. If he had purposely ftudied to render himself contemptible, he could not have done it more effectually than he has in his differtation on ancient and modern tragedy, prefixed to his own play of Semiramis. In the beginning of his differtation, becaufe Cardinal Quirini had trandated his Henriade and battle of Fontenoy, he fcruples not to tell him (contrary to his real fentiments) that the refinement, happiness, and glory of the nations of Europe, are owing to the popes and their minifters' cultivating polite literature. He affects to compliment the Italian tragedy, but at the fame time affirms that their perfection in music has hindered their improvement in tragedy. Yet he fays, that Metaftafio has preferved the unities, that his poetry is expreffive, elegant, and that he embellishes nature without over-loading her; and then proceeds to obferve that Racine among the French, and Addifon among the English, are the only modern writers, befides him, who have poffe Ted that talent. But though Racine, confidered as a French writer, deferves all that he can fay in his praife, yet it is not probable, from what follows hereafter, that he underftood the Cato of Addifon, or ever could conftrue three lines of English, But I believe he happened to be in England when Cato was in vogue, why or wherefore. What he remarks afterwards on the French theatre is juft and proper, and it hath not been without effect, the stage in Paris being now kept clear, and the audience confined to the parterre and boxes. But what can be faid in excufe of the following, dreams fhall I call them, or flagrant falfehoods? That Hamlet is a barbarous piece, and would be hiffed even by the mob in France or Italy. That he runs mad in the second act. That he miftakes Polonius for a rat. That Ophelia throws herself into the river. That Hamlet anfwers the abominable stuff of the grave-diggers by whimsies not lefs difguftful. That Hamlet, the king and queen, drink together on the ftage, fing at table, quarrel, beat, and kill one another. Upon the whole, he concludes, that the play of Hamlet was produced by the imagination of a drunken favage; yet, that most unaccountably we find in it fome fublime strokes worthy of the greatest genius: Nature having taken pleafure to unite in Shakespeare all that we can imagine great and forcible, with every thing that the groffeft dulnefs could produce of the most low and deteftable. And what pray does Mr. Voitaire condefcend to take notice of, as among the fublime ftrokes, or the great and forcible in Hamlet? Is it the parental love of the young prince? His defire of revenge? His itruggles between this defire, and his thorough want of conviction? The reproaches he makes himself for his delay? Is it the mafterly scene in which he wrings the heart of his mother? No; but the most striking beauty is the ghost. And how fo? Becaufe Mr. Voltaire thought proper to introduce a ghoft in his play of Semiramis. The French had never feen fuch a fpectacle on their ftage before. He had 184 Character of an Egotift, and of Tom Whiffle. April had the example of fchylus among the ancients; and for a modern one, he produced it by way of apology, from among his neighbours, the English. Though the reft of Shakespeare's tragedy of Hamlet, therefore, is a mass of extravagance and barbarifim, the ghoft is a moft refpectable perfonage. Who can help laughing at the folly, though he detefts the malignity and venom of fuch a critic? He either never could underftand English, or he is a notorious and wilful liar. For we all know that Hamlet does not run mad at all, that his madness is purely fictitious. That inftead of taking Polonius for a rat, he thought it was the king. That Ophelia falls into the river by chance, "an envious fliver broke." That Hamlet's difcourfe in the grave-digging fcene, is moral, ferious, inftructive, and pathetic. That Hamlet does not drink once in the play. That neither he, his father-in-law, nor mother fit at table, fing, or beat one another. Hamlet, it is true, kills the king, and the queen drinks of the poisoned cup by miftake. Yet this is the account of a tragedy, that has been and ever will be defervedly po pular, as long as the natural and pathetic affect a British audience, which this Drawcanfir of a critic has circulated through all the nations of Europe. He is, no doubt, an agreeable and lively writer, and has, for that reafon, a number of readers. For the fame obfervation may be applied to him, which he makes use of in this fame differtation, on another occafion, "beauties which are noble and fevere, are not fought after by vulgar minds. A licentious epigram has more readers than an epic poem. In fhort, real merit is overlooked in almoft every art and fcience, in favour of agreeable trifles." HERMES. Igotit, who is enamoured with this information; the old gentleman Cannot avoid juft mentioning the knew his failing, ftudiously avoided himself, that no occurrence appears to him of any moment, in which he fhines not the little hero. I knew an old avaritious Baronet in the North, who exceedingly affected this felfconfequence, and admired his ingenuity in taking occafion, from whatever topic of converfation was introduced, to inform the company, that he was worth four thousand a year. One day a fenfible man, who TOM as anxiously endeavoured, by oblique hints and indirect allufions, to impart it; but perceiving himself repeatedly defeated by the fineffe of the other, uttered paffionately, "Don't you know, Sir, I am worth four thousand a year?" Yes, replied the other, with a manly coolness, and if you was not worth that, you would be worth nothing. CHARACTER of TOM WHIFFLE. OM WHIFFLE afpires to that very difficult accomplishment of being an univerfalift in converfation, without the neceffary helps of an exquifite judgment. In the fame hour, according to the people with whom he converfes, he is a divine, a jockey, a musician, and a stockjobber: in confequence of which he, inftead of plea fing, expofes himself to the contempt of each through his ignorance and blunders, and often confufes one thing with another, joining faith and good works to Gimcrack and Eclipfe, and thorough-bafs to confolidated annuities. By which means he is laughed at by thofe who can see his drift, and defpifed by those who only obferve his ignorance. For 1776. 185 THE For the LONDON MAGAZINE. THE fubfequent Treaties contain matters of great importance to the nation at large. The people (not the minifter or miniftry) are to pay the hire of foreign mercenaries, and they are made refponfible for the expences incurred by the measures purfued against America. They should be made acquainted, therefore, with the terms on which those troops are hired. The most important articles are felected, and they are authentic tranfcripts from the originals which adminiftration have laid before parliament. Tranflation of a treaty between his Britannic majefty and the reigning duke of Brunswick. the troops of his Britannic majefty; the wounded, not in a condition to ferve, fhall be tranfported into Europe, at the expence of the king, and landed in a port on the Elbe or the Wefer; as to what regards the body of light cavalry, they fhall be put on the foot of the British light cavalry, when they are difmounted; but they fhall have the fame pay, as well ordinary as extraordinary, as the light horfe of his majesty, from the day that they fhall ferve on horfeback. Art. I. The most ferene duke of Brunswick yields to his Britannic majefty a corps of infantry of his troops, of three thousand nine hundred and fixty four men, which corps fhall be entirely at the difpofition of the king, as well in Europe as in America. II. His moft ferene highnefs alfo yields to his Britannic majesty, a body of light cavalry of three hundred and thirty-fix men, but as his Britannic majefty will not have occafion for the horfes of this corps, the faid corps fhall ferve as a corps of infantry; and if the fervice requires them to be mounted, his majesty engages to do it at his own expence. V. The most ferene duke engages to furnish the recruits that may be annually neceffary for this corps; thefe recruits fhall be delivered, after a previous notice of four months, to his Britannic majefty's commiflary, difciplined and equipped; the faid recruits fhall arrive at the place of their embarkation at the time that fhall be agreed upon before the opening of each campaign. IX. The king grants to this corps the ordinary and extraordinary pay, as well as all advantages in forage, provifion, &c. &c. enjoyed by the royal troops; and the moft ferene duke engages to let this corps enjoy all the emoluments of pay that his Britannic majefty allows them; the fick and wounded of the faid corps fhall be taken care of in the hofpitals, and at the expence of the king, as April 1776. XI. According to cuftom, three wounded men fhall be reckoned as one killed; a man killed shall be paid for at the rate of levy money; if it fhall happen that any of the regiments, battalions, or companies of this corps, fhould fuffer a lofs altogether extraordinary, either in a battle, a fiege, or by an uncommon contagious malady, or by the lofs of any transport veffel in the voyage to America, his Britannic majefty will make good, in the moft equitable manner, the lofs of the officer or foldier, and will be at the expence of the necessary recruits, to re establish the corps that fhall have fuffered this extraordinary lofs. XII. The most ferene duke referves to himself the nomination to the vacant employments, as alfo the adminiftration of justice; moreover his Britan nic majefty will caufe orders to be given to the commander of the army, in which this corps fhall ferve, not to exact of this corps any extraordinary fervices, or fuch as are beyond their proportion with the rest of the army; this corps fhall take the oath of fidelity to his Britannic majefty, without prejudice to the oath which they have taken to their fovereign. XIII. Towards delraying the extraordinary expences, which the hasty equipment of this body of troops occafions, his Britannic majefty grants two months pay, previous to the march of the faid troops, and from the time the troops fhall have quitted their quarters, in order to repair to the place of their deftination, all the expences of their march and tranfport fhall be at the charge of his Britannic majefty. XIV. His Britannic majefty grants to |