EVERLASTING BEAUTY. "DEAR Chloris, all the blooming grace PUNCH. AN OVER-DRIVEN HOY. A scholar, in a Margate hoy, Set sail: the sea was calmish; But soon rough waves the vessel buoy, The student, starting from his sleep, Cry'd, with an oath,-" Confound me! The Cyclades surround me.” J. EPIGRAM ON MR. MATHEWS'S BUMPER BENEFIT. DEAR MAT, when your benefit comes round again, (I hope you'll forgive me the hint,) Remember the mountains of gold you attain, And call yourself Mat of the Mint. 22. Every one has his Fault.-Turnpike Gate.-Mr. MunTM den's night. 23. Lear, (Kent, Mr. Fawcett, first time).-High Life below Stairs. Deserter of Naples. 24. King John.-Tom Thumb. 25. Macbeth. Personation, or fairly taken in.-Love à la Mode. 26. Henry VIII.-Escapes. 28. King John.-Harlequin Pedlar. 29. English Fleet.-Poor Soldier.-Mrs. Dickons's night. 30. School for Scandal.-Personation.-Devil-to Pay. ́ ́ 31. Isabella.-High Life below Stairs.-Deserter of Naples. I June 1. Cabinet.-Tom Thumb.-Mr. Bellamy's night. 2. Fontainbleau.-The Day after the Wedding.-Loverà la Mode.*-Mr. Jones's night, 4. Macbeth.-Jubilee.-Deserter of Naples. 5. Henry IV. First Part.—Animal Magnetism.—Mr. Blanchard's night. 6. School of Reform.-High Life below Stairs.—Mrs. Johns ston's night. 7. The Widow's only Child.t-Escapes. June Not being able to find Cooke, Mr. Jones was obliged to give his friends, The Waterman-a very different sort of gentleman.i + This veteran in the service of the republic of letters is now to be numbered with those of whom Seneca de brevitate vitæ says, “ diutius cupiditas illis laboris, quam facultas." No author, that has writ ten himself so high as Mr. Cumberland appears, in the West Indian, and in the Observer, has so written himself down in many of his other works. During his long life, he has for a time been lord of the ascendant in public favour, and shortly after, by his own per severing industry, consigned to almost hopeless oblivion. As a dramatist, he is inferior in genius, wit, and humour, to Mr. Sheridan and Mr. Colman, but he is, in general literature, superior to them June 8. Foundling of the Forest-Blue Devils.-Killing no Murder.-Mr. and Mrs. Liston's night. June them both touching the mastery of learning, and the skill of composition, which have sometimes stood him in good stead, as in his Sailor's Daughter, where, though he failed in the ignoble trial to rival Mr. Cherry's Soldier's Daughter, on the stage, every reader of sense gave his merits the preference. We have in our day so many last appearances, that we are fearful of being positive, but we should think, and for his own sake, hope, that this is the last of his littera litter of various qualities, good, bad, and indifferent; and, as we see in a litter, (speaking without a figure,) the last is commonly a poor little wee-thing indeed. The plot and characters of the Widow's only Child, are mere nullities, and the piece (humourously called a comedy) was heard out with less opposition than was due, in consequence of the style of the writing, and the adroit distribution of the sermon in the dialogue. Marmaduke (Mr. Fawcett), a man proud of his blood, and Lord Fungus, a sort of fellow-creature, with none to be proud of, are neighbours in the country. The former having quarrelled with his brother, who is dead, neglects in their poverty, the Widow Montalbert (Mrs. Weston), and her only son, Frederick (Mr. C. Kemble), who in the first act returns from Cambridge, an accomplished scholar. Lord Fungus, who affects a love of literary men, is inclined to take him into his house, and while this matter is pending, Fre derick and Caroline, Lord F.'s daughter (Miss Norton), fall extemporaneously, all at once, desperately in love with each other. This event destroys the hopes of Lord Spangle, another Tom Shuffleton, (Mr. Jones), to whom Caroline had been promised by her father, and the nuptials of the happy couple are merely delayed by a duel between Frederick and Spangle, when the ball of his lordship hits. Frederick on the left breast, but O! filial piety ever to be admired! a miniature picture of his father, always worn next his heart, saves his life? This ingenious stratagem, worthy of a young lady, or indeed of an old one, is on a par with the forced mistake made by Marmaduke, when Ned Hartley (Mr. Murray), a Mr. Harmony, waits on him with a polite message from Lord Fungus, which he construes into a challenge. To make every thing smooth, Marmaduke has, by this time, been prevailed on by Isaac (Mr. Emery), his steward, to take his nephew into favour, and give him all his vast June 11. King John.-Harlequin Pedlar. June vast estates, saving for himself nothing but "a nest egg in the stocks." 1 The first and second acts contained the tolerable parts of the play-exhausted there, the remainder was all dull and uninteresting. If we had occasionally a bit of good old stuff, it was not in form or quality that of which the good old plays are made. The acting of Mr. Emery in the old steward, is entitled to great praise. The character of Marmaduke, poorly drawn, and without motive for action, could receive no support from Mr. Fawcett. Mr. Davenport would have played it as well. Lord Fungus, a chip of the old block, Duberley, professes himself profoundly ignorant, and yet uses precisely the same polished diction as the rest. Caroline had no character. Lady Fungus (Mrs. Davenport), none; but Pope says, "most women have no character at all," and we must not quarrel with nature. Frederick Montalbert is a very singular being -a Cantab, learned, sensible, and moral!-Mr. Cumberland, however, is fond of anomalies, videlicet, his Benevolent Jews, &c. Mr. C. Kemble did every thing in his power for this part, and rendered it much assistance in the early scenes, but in the latter, it was in no condition to benefit by any human aid in the shape of acting. The Widow's only Son is so short, that we were dismissed after the five acts, prologue, epilogue, and all, to enjoy the fresh air, while it was yet day-light-this is its principal merit. The prologue, however, as spoken by Mr. Jones, talked very bravely of “ legitimate wit," and with more truth thản courtesy, called Mr. Cumberland's contemporaries, blockheads. "You've heard the green heads, now, with candour, hear the grey.” But with all this seeming promise from years, we could have preferred something between the two, for these extremes almost meet, and Miss Norton. + This is an Alexandrine, and by the way of a little fruit, even as we traverse the barren sands, take the origin of this sort of verse. Alexandre de Paris a été le premier qui ait fait des vers François de douze syllabe: ce fut ainsi qu'il fit un poëme de l'histoire d'Alexandre le Grand : et c'est de là qu'est venu le nom de vers Alexandrins." This Alexander, who gave name to the verse, lived about the end of the twelfth century. June 12. Hamlet.-Mother Goose. 13. Speed the Plough.-Escapes.—Mr. Emery's night. 16. Isabella.-Mother Goose. 18. Macbeth.-Mother Goose. 19. Maid of the Mill.-Prisoner at Large.-Mr. Taylor's night. 20. Exile.-Tom Thumb.-Miss Norton's night. and verify the poet's assertion, "once a man, twice a child." Mr. Cumberland is, however, marked and distinguished from this herd by education and refinement. Long habit, study, and good taste, have fixed his style, and to the latest hour of his being it will be no more possible for him to write vulgarly, than it is for our Arnolds and Dibdins to write elegantly. Still we condemn the present production, as, quoad a comedy, it is very bad. It holds the same rank amongst good dramas, as the Exodiad, amongst good epics, which poem he published in parts to be continued, if it met with patron age-a condition agreed to by the public, who kept him to his bond, and saved all further labour. It is to be lamented that this old man had not some candid Gil Blas at his elbow, to tell him when his powers began to fail, so that being cautioned in time he might have made a good end on't ;—but there is perhaps still something to fear from the self conceit, tenacity, and impotence, of age, therefore that he may not continue to be cajoled either by his friends or himself, and yet do worse, we give him this public warning to desist, and we call in our great ́English moralist to treat him with a portion of salutary and grave advice on the subject. "Nothing is ended with honour which does not conclude better than it began. It is not sufficient to maintain the first vigour; for excellence loses its effect upon the mind by custom, as light after time ceases to dazzle. He that is himself weary, will soon weary the public. Let him therefore lay down his employment, whatever it be, who can no longer exert his former activity or attention; let him not endeavour to struggle with censure, or obstinately infest the stage, till a general hiss commands him to depart." |