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London, the humour of the whole piece would evaporate, and the fiction become unnatural and improbable. A London tradefman is as well acquainted with Turnham Green or Kentish Town, as Fleet Street or Cheaptide, and talks as familiarly of Richmond or Hampton Court as of the 'Change or the Custom House. In your late paper, on the amufements of Sunday, you have fet forth in what manner our citizens pafs that day, which most of them devote to the country: but I with you had been more particular in your defcriptions of thofe elegant rural manfions, which at once fhew the opulence and the taste of our principal mei chants, mechanics, and artificers.

In thefe dufty retreats, where the want of London fmoke is fupplied by the fmoke of Virginia tobacco, our chief citizens are accustomed to pafs the end and the beginning of every week. Their Boxes, (as they are modeftly called) are generally built in a row, to refemble as much as poffible the freets in London. Thofe edifices which fand fingle, and at a diftance from the road, have always a fummer-houfe at the end of a finall garden; which being erected upon a wall adjoining to the highway, commands a view of every carriage, and gives the owner an opportunity of dif playing his belt wig to every one that paffes by. A little artificial fountain, fpouting water fometimes to the arnaz ing height of four feet, and in which frogs fupply the want of fishes, is one of the most exquifite ornaments in thefe gardens. There are befides (if the fpot of ground allows fufficient fpace for them) very curious ftatues of Harlequin, Scaramouch, Pierrot, and Columbine, which ferve to remind their wives and daughters of what they have feen at the play-house.

I went laft Sunday, in compliance with a moft preffing invitation from a friend, to spend the whole day with him at one of thefe little feats, which he had fitted up for his retirement once a week from bufinefs. It is pleafantly fituated about three miles from London, on the fide of a public road, from which it is Separated by a dry ditch, over which is a little bridge confifting of two narrow planks, leading to the houfe. The hedge on the other fide the road cuts off all profpect whatfoever, except from the garrets, from whence indeed you have

a beautiful vifta of two men hanging in chains on Kennington Common, with a diftant view of St. Paul's Cupola enveloped in a cloud of froke. I fet out on my vifit betimes in the morning, accompanied by my friend's book-keeper, who was my guide, and carried over with him the London Evening Poft, his miftrets's hoop, and a dozen of pipes, which they were afraid to truft in the chair. When I came to the end of my walk, I found my friend fitting at the door, in a black velvet cap, imoaking his morning pipe. He welcomed me into the country; and after having made me obferve the turnpike on my left and the Golden Wheatsheaf on my right, he conducted me into his house, where I was received by his lady, who made a thoufand apologies for being catched in fuch a deshabille,

The hall (for fo I was taught to call it) had it's white wall almoft hid by a curious collection of prints and paintings. On one fide was a large map of London, a plan and elevation of the Manfion Houfe, with several leffer views of the pub ic buildings and halls; on the other was the Death of the Stag, by the happy pencil of Mr. Henry Overton, finely coloured: close by the parlour door, there hung a pair of tag's horns, over which there was laid across a red roccelo and an amber-headed cane. When I had declared all this to be mighty pretty, I was fhewn into the parlour, and was prefently afked, who that was over the chimney piece. I pronounced it to be a very triking likenels of my friend, who was drawn bolt upright in a full-bottomed periwig, a laced cravat, with the fringed ends appearing through a button-hole, a black livery-gown, a fruff-coloured velvet coat with gold buttons, a red velvet waistcoat trimmed with gold, one hand ftuck in the bofom of his fhirt, and the other holding out a letter with the fu perfcription To Mr. —, Com

mon-councilman of Farringdon Ward Without My eyes were then directed to another figure in a fcarlet gown, who I was informed was my friend's wife's great great uncle, and had been fheriff and knighted in the reign of King James the Firit. Madam berfelf filied up a pannel on the oppofite fide, in the habit of a fhepherdeis, fmelling to a nofegay, and froaking a ram with gilt horns.

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I was then invited by my friend to fee what he was pleafed to call his garden, which was nothing more than a yard about thirty feet in length, and contained about a dozen little pots ranged on each fide with lilies and coxcombs, fupported by fome old laths painted green, with bowls of tobacco-pipes on their tops. At the end of this garden he made me take notice of a little fquare building furrounded with filleroy, which he told me an alderman of great tafte had turned into a temple, by erecting fome battlements and fpires of painted wood on the front of it; but concluded with an hint, that I might retire to it occafion. upon

After dinner, when my friend had finished his pipe, he propofed taking a walk, that we might enjoy a little of the Country: fo I was obliged to trudge along the foot-path by the road-fide, while my friend went puffing and blow ing, with his hat in his hand, and his wig half off his head. At laft I told him it was time for me to return home, when he insisted on going with me as far as the half-way houfe, to drink a decanter of Stingo before we parted. We here fell into company with a brother liveryman of the fame ward, and I left them both together in an high dif pute about Canning; but not before my friend had made me promife to repeat my vifit to his country-houfe the next Sunday.

As the riches of a country are vifible in the number of it's inhabitants and the elegance of their dwellings, we may venture to fay, that the prefent fate of England is very flourishing and profperous and if the tafte for building enereafes with our opulence for the next century, we shall be able to boat of finer country-feats belonging to our fhop-keepers, artificers, and other plebeians, than the most pompous defcriptons of Italy or Greece have ever re

corded. We read, it is true, of coun-
try feats belonging to Pliny, Hortenfius,
Lucullus, and other Romans. They
were patricians of great rank and for
tune: there can therefore be no doubt of
the excellence of their villas. But who
has ever read of a Chinese bridge be-
longing to an Attic tallow-chandler or
a Roman paftry-cook? Or could any of
their fhoemakers or taylors boast a villa
with it's tin cafcades, paper ftatues, and
Gothic root-houfes? Upon the above
we may expect, that pofterity
principles
will perhaps fee a cheefemonger's Api-
arium at Brentford, a poulterer's The-
riotrophium at Chifwick, and an Ornithon
in a fishmonger's garden at Putney.

As a patriot and an Englishman, I
cannot but with that each fucceffive
century fhould encreafe the opulence of
that this abundance of wealth fhould in-
Great Britain: but I fhould be forry,
duce our good citizens to turn their
thoughts too much upon the country.
At prefent we are deprived of our moft
eminent tradefmen two days out of fix.
It is true, the hopkeeper and the travel-
ling part of his family, confifting ge-
nerally of himfelf, his wife, and his two
eldet daughters, are feldom fufficiently
equipped to take leave of London till
about three o'clock on Saturday in the
afternoon; but the whole morning of
that day is confumed in papering up cold
chickens, bottling brandy punch, fort-
ing clean fhifts, and night caps for the
children, pinning bafkets, and cording
trunks; as again is the whole afternoon
of the Monday following in unpinning,
uncording, locking up toul linen, and
replacing empty bottles in the cellar. I
ani afraid, therefore, if the villas of our
future tradefinen should become fɔ very
ever be visible behind their counters
elegant, that the fhop-keepers will scarce
Yours, &c.
above once in a month.

G. K

N° XXXIV. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1754%

REPREHENDERE CONER,

QUÆ GRAVIS SOPUS, QUE DOCTUS ROSCIUS EGIT.

HOR.

WHENEVER HE BELLOWS, WHO BUT SMPLES AT QUIN,
AND LAUGHS WHEN GARRICK SKIPS LIKE HARLEQUIN?

HE French have diftinguished the Trees unde vie of on the tage to deceive the audience, by the expreffion of Jeu de Théatre; which we may tranflate The Juggle of the Theatre.' When thefe little arts are exercised mere. ly to affist nature, and fet her off to the beft advantage, none can be fo critically nice as to object to them; but when tragedy by these means is lifted into rant, and comedy distorted into buffoonery, though the deceit may fucceed with the multitude, men of fenfe will always be offended at it. This conduct, whether of the poet or the player, resembles in fome fort the poor contrivance of the ancients, who mounted their heroes upon ftilts, and expreffed the manners of their characters by the grotefque figures of their masks.

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As the play-boules are now opened, I cannot better introduce the remarks which I may fometimes take occafion to make on the theatrical world, than by throwing together a few reflections on this Juggle of the Theatre; which at prefent I fhall confider chiefly as it relates to the actors. And I hope to anerit the tanks of thofe gentlemen, who while they are folicitous to acquire new beauties, fhould at the fame time endeavour to unlearn their faults and imperfections.

We are indebted to the prefent times for a judicious reformation of the stage in point of acting and (by the bye) I could with, that the fame good conte quences had been produced with respect to our poets. If a perfect tragedy may be contidered as the most difficult production of human wit, the fame thing maft hold in proportion with respect to

exact reprefentation of it: for if it is neceffary for the writer to work up his imagination to fuch a pitch as to fncy himmelf in the circumstances of the character he draws, what lets muft the actor do, who must look as the perton reprefented would lock, speak as he

would fpeak, and be in every point the

very man? The generation of players, that immediately preceded the prefent, prided themfelves on what they called fine speaking: the emotions of the four were difregarded for a diftinct delivery; and with them, as Mr. Johnson has obferved of fome tragic writers,

Declamation roar'd, while Paffion slept. And, indeed, to this uninteresting taste for acting we may partly attribute that enervate way of writing fo much in vogue among the Frenchified play-wrights of thofe times; fince nothing could be fo well fuited to the mouths of those actors, as golden lines, round periods, florid defcriptions, and a difpaffionate amplification of fentiment.

The falfe majefty, with which our mimic heroes of the ftage had been used to exprefs themselves, was for a long time as diftinguifhed a mark of tragedy, as the plumed hat and full-bottomed periwig; and we may remember, for example, when every line in Othello (a character remarkable for variety of paffions) was drawn out in the fame pompous manner. But as I mean to promote the art, rather than reprove the artifts, I fhall dwell on this no longer: for methinks I hear a veteran performer calling out to me in the voice of honest Jack Falstaff, No more of that, if thou loveft me, Hal.'

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It is fufficient to remark that, as the dignity of the bufkin would be degraded by talking in a ftrain too low and familiar, the manner of elocution in a tragedy thould not, on either hand, be more remote from our natural way of expreffing ourselves, than blank verfe (which is the only proper measure for tragedy) is from profe. Our prefent fet of actors have, in general, difcarded the dead infipid pomp applauded in their predeceffors, and have wifely endeavoured to join with the poet in exciting pity and terror. But as many writers have

mistaken

miftaken rant for paffion, and fuftian for fublime, fo our players have perhaps too much given into unnatural fartings, roarings, and whinings. For this reafon our late writers (to accommodate their pieces to the prefent tafte) having placed their chief pathos in exclamations and broken fentences, have endeavoured to alarm us with Abs and Obs, and pierce our fouls with interjections. Upon the whole, it must be acknowledged, that the ftage is confiderably improved in the Art of Speaking. Every paffion is now diftinguished by it's proper tone of voice. I fhall therefore only add, that when I hear a player laboriously placing an unnatural ftrefs upon particular words, and panting with emphasis, I cannot help comparing him to the paviour, who at every thump of Mis rammer cries bem.

I have obferved, that the tragedians of the laft age ftudied fine fpeaking; in confequence of which, all their ac tion confifted in little more than ftrutting with one leg before the other, and waving one or both arms in a continual fee-faw. Our prefent actors have perhaps run into a contrary extreme: their geftures fometimes refemble thofe afflicted with St. Vitus's Dance; their whole frame appears to be convulfed; and I have seen a player in the laft act fo miferably diftreffed, that a deaf fpectator would be apt to imagine he was complaining of the cholic or the tooth-ach. This has alfo given rife to that unnatural custom of throwing the body into various strange Attitudes. There is not a paffion neceffary to be expreffed, but has produced difpofitions of the limbs not to be found in any of the paintings or fculptures of the beft matters. A grace fal gefture and eafy deportment is, indeed, worthy the care of every performer: but when I obferve him writhing his body into more unnatural contortions than a tumbler at Sadler's Wells, I cannot help being difgutted to fee him imitate humanity fo abominably. Our pantomime authors have already begun to reduce our comedies into grotefque fcenes; and if this tafte for attitude fhould continue to be popular, I would recommend it to thofe ingenious gentlemen, to adapt our best tragedies to the fame ufe, and entertain with the like jealoufy of Othello in dumb fhew, or the tricks of Harlequin Hamlet,

Before I difmifs this article, it may be expected that I fhould fay fomething concerning the behaviour proper for our ladies. We must allow them on all occafions to roll the eye, ftretch up the neck, heave the cheft, and with a thonfand little tricks fet off their person, if not their part, to the most advantage.' The pomp of the old ftage has not yet been altogether reformed, either with refpect to our heroines or our heroes. A weeping princefs (though perhaps the is hurried on the ftage with grief and defpair) cannot decently make her entrance without being led in between two mourning damfels in black; and an heroine must always be accompanied by one or more pages, to fmoothe her train when ruffled by paffion. The hero now feldom fweats beneath the weight of a nodding plume of fwan feathers, or has his face half hid with an enormous bufh of white horfe-hair. I could alfo wish (if poffible) that the manager was faved the unneceffary expence of three yards of velvet for the trains of his Amazons; and that the chambermaids (as well as the militia of the theatres) were difmiffed, and the pages, together with the dirty lords in waiting, blotted out of the mute Dramatis Perfonæ,

The mention of these particulars naturally reminds me, how far the Juggle of the Theatre is concerned in the affair of Drefs. Many will agree with me, that almoft the only distress of the last act in the Fair Penitent arifes from the pitiful appearance of Califta in weeds, with every thing hung in black bays about her; and the players are afraid we fhould lofe fight of Hamlet's pretended madnefs, if the black stocking,difcovering a white one underneath, was not rolled half way down the leg. A propriety in drefs is abfolutely neceffary to keep up the general deception; and a performer properly habited, who by his whole depoitment enters deeply into the circumitances of the character he reprefents, makes us for a while fancy every thing before us real: but when, by fome ill judged piece of art, he departs from the fimplicity of imitation, and oversteps

the modefty of nature,' he calls us back to the theatre, and excites paffions very different from thofe he aims at.

I cannot better illuftrate what has been faid on this laft fubject, than by giving intances of two artifices of this kind; one of which is employed (as I

conceive)

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conceive) to raise pity, and the other

terror.

When the Romeo of Drury Lane comes to die at Juliet's monument, we are surprised to see him enter in a fuit of black. This, I fuppofe, is intended as aftroke of the pathetic: but not to dwell on the poverty of the artifice, it is in this place a manifeft violation of the poet's meaning. Romeo is fuppofed to come poft from Mantua- Get me posthorfes, I will hence to-night-so that if our Rofcius must be fo very exact in dreffing the character, he fhould appear at the tomb in a riding frock and boots. But a mourning coat will excite pity; and let the devil wear black,' fays our Hamlet-Romeo, for I'll have a fuit of fables.-The fame player, after having acted that noble fcene in the fecond act of Macbeth, in fo fine a manner,

that one would almost imagine both the poet and the player must have been murderers to reprefent one fo well, goes out to execute the fuppofed murder. After a fhort space he returns as from the fact: but though the expreffion in his face is ftill remarkably excellent, one cannot but fimile to obferve, that he has been employing himself behind the fcenes in putting his wig awry, and untying one of the tyes to it. This doubtless is defigned to raise terror; but to every difcerning fpectator it must appear most abfurdly ridiculous: for who can forbear laughing, when he finds that the player would have us imagine, that the fame deed, which has thrown all that horror and confufion into his countenance, has alfo untwisted one of the tails of his periwig?

No XXXV. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1754.

AS

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THE FOOL SUCKS WISDOM, AS HE PORTER SUPS,
AND COBLERS GROW FINE SPEAKERS IN THEIR CUPS.

S I am willing to do every thing in my power to celebrate fo illuftrious a body as the Robin Hood Society, I have taken the first opportunity of laying the following letter before the public.

SIR,

TO MR. TOWN.

THAT part of your laft paper, in

which you confidered the Art of Speaking as far as it regards theatrical performances, gives me reafon to hope, that you will not overlook the merits of the Robin Hood Society, where that art is practifed in it's greatest perfection. You would do well to recommend it to the gentlemen of the theatre to attend thofe weekly meetings for their improvement as foon as poffible; and I dare fay you will join with me in giving the fame advice to the younger part of our clergy and our lawyers, as well as our members of parliament. The ftage, the pulpit, the bar, and the fenate-houfe, cannot furnifh us with fuch glorious examples of the power of oratory, as are to be met with in this fociety; where the most important questions in every

branch of knowledge are difcuffed, and where the difputants are all of them equally verfed in religion, law, politics, and the drama.

The inftitution of this School of Elos quence far exceeds any thing that the ancients could boaft. Every fect, that was known among the Grecians and Romans, has it's votaries here also. I

have feen a taylor a Stoic, a fhoemaker a Platonist, and a cook an Epicurean. They affect to entertain a profound veneration for Socrates, often preferring him to any of the Apofties: though, inftead of declaring with this wife philofopher, that they knew nothing, the members of the Robin Hood Society profefs to know every thing.

For my own part, I confefs myself fo charmed with their proceedings, that I conftantly attend them: and when I fee all their members affembled with each his pewter-mug before him, I cannot help preferring this focial meeting to any ancient Symposium whatever; and when I further obferve them first take a fwig, and then speak with fuch amazing force of argument, I am apt to conclude that truth, instead of being bid in a well, as

was

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