Belbes, die komische und tragische Gattung des Schaus spfels, ist auch von Arthur Murphy, einem noch lebenden Rechtsgelehrten und Sachwalter in London, nicht ohne glück. kichen Erfolg bearbeitet worden. Er ist ein geborner Jrlåns der, und Corte soll seine Baterstadt seyn. Die schriftstelles rische Laufbahn betrat er zuerst im J. 1752 mit der Herauss gabe des Gray's - Inn Journal, welches er zwei Jahre lang fortsette. Im J. 1754 versuchte er sich als Schauspieler auf der Bühne in Coventgarden, wo er zuerst im Othello erschien. Ob es ihm aber gleich an Talenten zu dieser Kunst nicht fehlte, und er bald hernach sich darin auch auf dem Theater in Drurylane zeigte, so gab er fle doch ganz wieder auf, und schrieb nun für die Schaubühne und Politik, wobei er jedoch das Studium der Rechte mit vorzüglichem Eifer trieb. Man kennt die Verdienste, welche er sich um die vollständige Ausgabe von Fielding's Werken erwarb. Seine eigne Werke sammelte er im I 1786 in sieben Bånden, in gr. 8. Die darin enthaltenen Lustspiele sind; The Apprentice The Upholsterer The Old Maid The Ci

tizen

--

No Man's Enemy but His Own Three Weeks after Marriage, auch unter dem Titel: What we

All in

Know your own

The Choice.

must all come to The Way to keep him the Wrong The Defert Island Mind The School for Guardians Zu dem Lustspiele, Know your own Mind nahm er die Grundlage aus dem Irrefolu des Destouches; wusste aber die Charaktere sehr glücklich auf englischen Boden zu verpflans zen, und den Dialog durch Laune und Originalzüge zu beles ben. In dem am meisten auffallenden Charakter des Dashwould soll er, vornehmlich in folgender Scene, den Berühmten Schauspieler Foote zu schildern gesucht haben:

Enter

Enter Lady BELL, DASHWOULD,

and MALVIL.

Lady Bell. Mr. Dashwould, do you think, I'll bear this? What liberty will you take next? You think,

because I laugh, that I am not offended.

t

received a letter,

from me.

Aunt, I

and he has attempted to fnatch it

5. Dafhwould. Why, it brings a little cargo of ridi cule from the country, and my friend Malvil fees no joke in it.

Maluil. When my friend's name is brought in queftion, Sir

Lady Bell. It is diverting notwithstanding Aunt, what do you think? My coufin Cynthia, you know, was to be married to Sir George Squanderstock; her mother oppofed it, and broke off the match, and now it's come out, that she was all the time the clandeftine rival of her own daughter.

Millamour. (afide) Not inapplicable to the present

business:

Mrs. Brom. Go, you giddy girl, no fuch things,
Mil. (afide) She charms by her very faults.
Sir Har. (goes up to Bygrove) And Dafhwould has
been laying

Bygr. Po! repeat none of his fayings to me. Lady Bell. Did you fay any thing, Mr. Dafhwould? what was it?

Dafhie. Oh! nothing. Sir John Squanderstock is my very good friend.

Mal. And for that reason you might spare him, No man is without his faults.

Dafhw. Ay, allow him faults, out of tenderness. Bygr. Sir John is a valuable man, Sir, and re prefents his country to great advantage.

Dafkw. He does fo; takes a world of pains; nothing can escape him; Manilla ransom not paid; there must be a motion about that matter: he knots his handkerchief to remember it. Scarcity of corn; another knot! triennial parliaments (knots) Juries, judges of law as well as fact (knots) national debt (knots) bail in criminal caufes, (knots) and fo on he goes, till his handkerchief is twifted into queftions of state; the liberties and fortunes of all pofterity dangling like a bede roll; he puts it in his pocket, drives to the gaming table, and the next morning his handkerchief goes to the wash, and his country and the minority are both left in the fuds.

→

1

Both laugh.

Lady Bell. What a description! 1
Sir Har. Hey! lively Lady Bell!
Mil. Ho, ho! I thank you, Dafhwould.

Mrs. Brom. (afide to Millamour) How can you encourage him? Let us leave'em to themselves.or

Mal. You fee, Mr. Bygrove

Bygr. Ay, thus he gets a story to graft his malice upon, and then he fets the table in a roar at the next

tavern.

Sir Har. Never be out of humour with Dafh would, Mr. Bygrove; he keeps me alive; he has been exhibiting pictures of this fort all the morning, as we rambled about the town.

Dafhie. Oh! no no pictures; I have fhewn him real life,

Sir Har. Very true, Dashwould; and now mind him; he will touch them off to the life for you.

Mrs. Brom. (afide) Millamour fo clofe with Lady Bell! The forward importunity of that girl! goes to Millamour.)

(She

Dafhw..

Dafhw. There is pofitively no such thing as going about this town, without seeing enough to split your fides with laughing. We called upon my friend, Sir Volatile Vainlove: he, you know, fhines in all polite affemblies, and is, if you believe himself, of the first character for intrigue. We found him drinking Valerian tea for his breakfast, and putting on falfe calves,

Sir Har. And the confufion he was in, when we entered the room!

Dafhw. In the next street we found Jack Spinbrain, a celebrated Poet, with a kept mistress at the elbow, writing lampoons for the news-paper; one moment murdering the reputation of his neighbours, and the next a fuicide of his own. We law a young heir, not yet of age, granting annuity bonds, and five Jews and three Chriftians, duped by their avarice, to lend money upon them. A Lawyer

Sir Har. Hear, hear; it is all true.

with him.

Dafhw.

I was

A Lawyer taking notes upon Shakspeare; a deaf Nabob ravished with mufic; and a blind one buying pictures. Men without talents, rifing to preferment, and real genius going to jail. An officer in a marching regiment with a black eye, and a French hair-dreffer wounded in the fword arm.

Sir Har. Oh! ho! ho! by this light, I can vouch for every word,

Bygr. Go on, Sir Harry, ape your friend in all his follies; be the nimble marmozet; grin at his tricks, and try to play them over again yourself.

Sir Har. Well now, that is too fevere. Dafhwould, defend me from his wit. You know I hoard up all your good things.

Dafhw.

You never pay me in my own coin, Sir Harry; try now; who knows but you will fay Tome thing?

Mal. Friend or foe is all alike.

Lady Bell. (coming forward) And where is the mighty harın? I like pulling to pieces of all things.

Mil. (following Lady Bell.) To be fure it is the life of conversation. Does your Ladyfhip know Sir George Squanderstocks fifter?

Lady Bell. I have seen her.

1

-í Mil. She is a politician in petticoats; a fierce republican; fhe talks of the dagger of Brutus, while The fettles a pin in her tucker; and fays more about fhip-money than pin-inoney.

Bygr. And now you must turn buffoon?

Dafhw. I know the lady; fhe scold at the loyaliks, goffips against the act of fettlement, and has the fidgets for Magna Charta,

Mil. She encourages a wrinkle against bribery; flirts her fan at the ministry; and bites her lips at taxes and a Itanding army.

Mal. Mr. Bygrove, will you bear all this?

Bygr. Let me tell you, once for all, Sir, with all your flafhes of wit, you will find that you have been playing with an edge-tool at last. And what does this mighty wit amount to? The wit in vogue, expofe one man; makes another expofe himfelf; gets into the fecrets of an intimate acquaintance, and publifhes a ftory to the world; belies a friend; puts an anecdote, a letter, an epigram, into the news-paper; and that is the whole amount of modern wit.

i Dafha. A ftrain of morofe invective is more diverting, to be sure!

Bygr.