One virtuous track her real life purfu'd,

"That nobler part was uniformly good; "Each duty there to fuch perfection wrought,

That if the precepts fail'd, th’example taught."

Mrs. Palmer (Mrs. Pritchard's daughter) alfo retired from the ftage, but at a much earlier period of her life than her mother, with equal reputation in private life, but not in public; for he was a very indifferent actrefs: the married a Gentleman of very confiderable fortune of the name of Johnfon; I believe they are both ftill living, and refide at Acton, near London *.

When I confider that it was a mere accident that first discovered your very tranfcendant vocal powers, and that your virtuous parents have no objection to your obliging the public; and therefore, if one may prefume, even your own mother would have gladly embraced such an opportunity as you now have of making your own fortune, if it had pleafed Providence to have bleffed her with fuch a natural gift he has vouchfafed you; when I confider that your complying with the requeft of your real friends will prove the fincerity of your obedience to your parents, in complying, contrary to your own inclination, to both their wishes; it will fhew a proper deference, in a young perfon, to the more experienced judgment of your friends; befides you will, by your filial piety, have it in your power to provide for your father and mother, in cafe capricious fortune fhould chance to frown on them, and they fhould happen to be long lived, and afflicted with infirmities in the latter part of their lives, your compliance will render you the admiration of the public; all there feveral confiderations cannot but induce me to think you ought to meet the wifhes of those who are fo fincerely concerned for your future fuccefs in life, and I hope you will duly weigh whatever you have heard on fo important a subject, and not rafly (for you will not be able to fay unadviiedly) fuffer fo great a bleffing of Providence (for all natural gifts are providential) to pass you; but that you

will receive it with humble thanks and fubmiffive gratitude, and exercife it for your own private emolument, and the entertainment of a generous public. Indeed, I cannot but confider the not accepting what the Supreme Being has been pleafed to vouchfafe, or not making otherwife than as almoft bordering on a proper use of it to the best advantage, have the leaft doubt but that your comimpiety; neither your parents nor friends pliance will prove a bleffing to you, in every acceptation of that word; and remember that fuch an opportunity miffed is irretrievably gone, loft for ever ; in the words of Shakspeare, it never re

turns:

"There is a tide in the affairs of men, "Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;

"Omitted, all the voyage of their life "Is bound in fhallows, and in miferies."

-JULIUS CÆSAR, A&t iv. Scene 3.

Is it not therefore more advisable to facrifice your own inclination at the frine of filial piety, of the fincere folicitation of real friends, and of your own and credit, than at that of your own eftablishment in and for life with honour judgment? as yet, as may be prefumed, not fo perfectly matured by experience as that of thofe who have gone before you through this tranfitory world.

I am afraid, in cafe you perfevere in your refufal to oblige, you will have reafon, in the courfe of your future life, to repent; and in that repentance, to lament and to upbraid yourfelf with having wilfully made a rash and prema. ture refolution; and will also thereby fhew rather an indecent difrespect to the advice of your best friends; as you must always reflect, that their endeavour to perfuade you to appear in public, was the refult of a fincere opinion in them all, that the following fuch advice would inevitably turn out to your own future welfare and happinefs; nay, fome may even be of opinion, that you have thereby incurred the fin of filial impiety. To conclude, however you may finally de. termine, I hope you will not confider this letter as an intrufion, or an impertinent liberty; but as arifing from the pureft

and

and best of all motives- gratitude to your worthy parents, with whom I have had the happiness of being intimately acquainted many years-esteem for you, as one of their children; fincerely believing, and that wholly and abfolutely from your own innate virtuous difpofition, that your following the advice given you by all who know, honour, love,

and value you, will in the end prove moft beneficial; for,

Where virtue is, thefe are more vir

tuous."-SHAKSP. Othello.

I am, Mifs Marianne, with perfect confideration, your fincere friend and most obedient humble fervant, to_command,

R. I.

T

OF

HE Venetian Stage had long been in poffeffion of Goldoni, a dramatic poet, who, by introducing buftle and thew into his pieces, and writing principally to the level of the Gondoliers, arrived to the first degree of popularity in Venice. He had a rival in Pietro Chiari, whom the beft critics even thought werfe than Goldoni; but fuch an epidemic phrenzy feized the Venetians in favour of these two writers, that it quickly fpread itself to almoft all parts of Italy, to the great detriment of better authors, and the derangement of the public taste.

It is difficult to tell how long this dramatic mania would have continued, but for the following circumstance :

Carlo Gozzi, a younger brother of a noble family, was the firft that attacked Goldoni and Chiari, and many others foon followed. The two bards, finding themselves thus attacked, thought proper to fufpend their mutual animolity, and join to oppofe their adverfaries. Chiari was a great profe fcribbler, as well as a comedy-monger, fo that a brisk paper war was quickly commenced, which grew hotter and hotter by rapid degrees. It happened one day that Carlo Gozzi met with Goldoni in a bookfeller's fhop. They exchanged fharp words, and in the heat of the altercation Goldoni told Gozzi," that though it was an ealy talk to find fault with a play, it was very difficult to write one." Gozzi acknowledged "that to find fault with a play was really very eafy, but that it was still easier to write fuch plays as would pleate fo thoughtless a nation as the Venetians;" adding, with a tone of contempt," that he had a good mind to

Vol, XXXV, Jan. 1799.

make all Venice run to fee the tale of the three Oranges tormed into a comedy." Goldoni, with fome of his partizans then in the fhop, challenged Gozzi to do it, if he could; and the critic, thus piqued, engaged to produce fuch a comedy within a few weeks.

Who could have ever thought, that to this trifling and cafual difpute Italy fhould owe the greatest dramatic writer that it ever had? Gozzi quickly wrote a comedy in five acts, entitled I Tre Aranci; or, The Three Oranges; formed out of an old woman's ftory, with which, the Venetian children are much entertained by their nurfes. The comedy was acted, and the three beautiful Princeffes, born of the three enchanted Oranges, made all Venice crowd to the theatre of St. Angelo.

It may be easily imagined that Goldoni and Chiari were not fpared in the Tre Aranci. Gozzi found means to introduce in it a good many of their theatrical abfurdities, and expofed them to public derifion.

The Venetian audiences, like the reft of the world, do not much relish the labour of finding out the truth; but once point it out to them, and they will inftantly feize it. This was remarkable on the first night that the comedy of The Three Oranges was acted. The fickle Venetians, forgetting inftantly the loud acclamations with which they had received the greatest part of Goldoni's and Chiari's plays, now laughed out moft obftreperoully at them both, and applauded The Three Oranges in a most frantic manner.

This good fuccefs encouraged Gozzi to write more, and his plays changed in a

E

little

little time fo entirely the taste of the Venetian audiences, that in about two feafons Goldoni was entirely ftripped of his theatrical honours, and poor Chiari totally annihilated. Goldoni quitted Italy, and went to France, confiding much in Voltaire's intereft and recommendations, which procured him the place of Italian matter to one of the Princeffes at Verfailles; and Chiari retired to a country houfe in the neighbourhood of Brefcia.

Thofe who are any way critically acquainted with the knowledge of our English ftage, cannot forbear drawing a comparison between its ftate at prefent, and that of the Venetian, under the controul of Goldoni and Chiari. If the Venetians, forty years ago, were intoxicated with pectacle, improbable fable, and low buffoonery; have we not our jperes and bobgoblins, our manual wit, miferable puns, and improbable fables; with characters more drawn from the narrow or ideal views of the writers, than from truth or general nature? Nay, what is ftill worie; are not we in danger of having our stage inundated with a new fpecies of German morality; where either the ranks of fubordination are conftantly attempted to be invaded, or prostitution fuffered to triumph over the weakness of humanity?

It is no excufe to the writers, the manufacturers, or tranflators, of fuch pieces to fay, That they work to pleafe their cuflomers; and if the latter are gratified with their performances, their object is attained writers, infpired with a true. defire of fame, fhould not feek their emoluments in the ignorance or paffions of the public. It is ftill lefs an excufe to thofe of fuperior talents, to repofe in indolence under the exhibition of fuch pieces they should confider themselves as guardians of the public taste, and as fuch it is their duty to draw off the public mind to more rational enjoyments. This is not fo difficult a talk too, as is generally imagined; for though the great mais of English audiences fometimes cannot, and often will not, " be at the trouble of thinking for themfelves," let a writer, properly qualified, think for them; and they will, like the Venetians, toon join in the laugh against their former follies and intoxications.

Thofe converfant with the fate of the ftage in the reign of Charles the Second, muit look back with horror and contempt

at most of the miferable productions of that age; where novelty was the great idol of the day, and where even wit and genius fometimes ftooped to affift her in her fantaftical and ridiculous drapery: yet no fooner did "The Reheartal" appear, wherein the abfurdities of thofe pieces were pointed out and properly ridiculed, than fucceffive audiences made atonements for their paft miftakes, and banished the greater part of them from the ftage for ever.

"Thus fhame regained the poft that fenie betray'd,

"And virtue call'd oblivion to her aid."

Our own times produce us fimilar inftances: Garrick's fine natural acting and tranfcendent powers foon put to flight the hott of pantomime mongers, wire dancers, &c. who infelted at that period the two winter theatres. O'Hara's "Midas" had the faine effect upon the operas which were about to be introduced into Dublin about forty years ago, to the exclufion almost of all dramatic performances: whilft Gold/mith's "Goodnatured Man," and Foote's "Piety in Pattens" put a stop to a species of fentimental comedy, which, instead of the speculum vite, was nearly converting the theatre into an half-informed academy for moral philofophy.

We trust this hint will be fufficient for men of real genius. Some we know to be well qualified, by their former productions, for fuch a task; and many more, no doubt, though unknown to the drama, who would find proper employments for their talents in this department. The object would be far above the bare emolument of fuch a fervice; it would be recovering to the stage its pristine character-" Delectando pariterque monendo”—and giving the rule and the example to fucceffive authors to write up to this ftandard. In fhort, all would be benefited by fuch a reformation: the Managers would have fuller audiences; as, in addition to the fools, the triflers, and indifferents, they would have the refort and countenance of men of fenfe, talte, and education. The actors would enjoy more of the benefits of their profellion, by having their talents properly exerted. The audiences would find in the cup of entertainment the sweets of improvement, whilft the authors would gather with their emoluments the higher rewards of a virtuous reputation.

THE

T the conclufion of the Trial of Nation (as the Chairman of the Eaft India Company lately with great propriety called it), the House of Lords directed that the Lord High Chancellor fhould give order for the printing and publifhing of the whole of the proceedings; an order which has not yet, nor we suppose ever will be carried into execution. For the non-performance of this order, many reafons of fufficient validity may be affigned: amongst the reft, that which is not the leaft, the impoffibility of procuring any perfon who would impole upon himself the labour of reading twelve volumes in folio on a fubject al ready obfolete. Could the whole proceedings be effaced and forgotten, it would redound to the honour of the Nation; but as that cannot be hoped, it is neceflary that fome authentic memorial of this long protracted trial, this fpawn of inflated oratory, fhould be tranfmitted to pofterity.

The prefent Volume, which is not printed for fale, is that which Mr. Haftings has thought necessary to guard his future fame. It contains, 1ft, The Debates of the Lords in their own Houfe (already printed by Mr. Woodfall) on the evidence of the trial; affigning and difcuffing, on both fides, the arguments upon each question propofed for their verdict, and ending with their verdict, feverally and folemnly delivered.

zd, The Debates of the General Court ef Proprietors of East India Stock on the

questions propofed for the indemnifiuuttained in the courfe of the trial, and for granting him a bounty as a reward for his fervices; their Refolutions in confequence, and the profecution and termination of the fame fubjects by the Court of Directors in concert with his Majefty's Minifters.

3d, The Addreffes of the British Inhabitants of the City of Calcutta, and of the Officers of the Army of the Bengal Establishment, delivered before the Trial.

4th, The Teftimonials of the various ranks and tribes of the Indian inhabitants of the provinces of Bengal, its dependencies, and connections, tranfmitted through the channel of that Government to the Court of Directors, while the Trial was yet pending, and known to be fo to the fubfcribers.

5th and last, The Letters of Congra-tulation which were written to Mr. Haltings by the British inhabitants of Calcutta ; by the Officers of the different itations of the army on the Bengal Eftablishment; and by the British inhabitants of the Company's Settlement at Fort Marlborough; with his written acknowledgments of the fame.

To the whole is prefixed a preface by Mr. Haftings, admirably written, from which we fhall make fome extracts:

The impeachment," he obferves, "had, from a variety of well known caufes, excited at firit a curiofity and intereft in the minds of the public to

an

an uncommon degree; but as year after year dragged on the lengthened proceedings, without opening any apparent profpect of their termination, this very circumftance, which had a principal fhare in producing the first impreffion, and which might have been expected to augment it in proportion as the caufe was greater, deprived it of much of its effect. The wonder ceafed at what had been long and without variation in ufe; and at length faded into indifference to all but the last refult, which had ftill the power of novelty to attract it.

By him who was the immediate fubject of this great spectacle, thefe changes wrought by it in the minds of his countrymen were contemplated with much regret and folicitude. Bound to the flake during a period of nine long years, and affailed as he had been by all the power of the nation let loofe at once upon him, all his hopes of future retribution grew naturally out of the fenfations of that part of his fubftance (if the expreffion may be allowed) which had fuffered moft from the attacks of his accufers, and to which they were wholly directed; his prefent fame, and the eftimation of his character in the judgment of futurity. Had he been permitted to mix, in that quiet retirement which his time of life demanded, with the general mafs of fociety, the utmoft extention of exiflence which he could have expected, beyond the duration of his bodily frame, was what a page of hiftory might be flow upon him, for having, in a troubled adminiftration of thirteen years, yielded fome acceffion of wealth and respect to the general flock of his country. But when every measure of his Government was arraigned as criminal in the name of that country, and crimes uncharged were preft into the caufe against him; and when the two great parties which divided this kingdom, difagreeing in all things befides, agreed in his condemnation, he faw himself placed, as it were, on a icaffold of fuch elevation as to become a confpicuous object, not to one alone, but to remote ages and diftant nations; and his name doomed to be recorded in large and lafting remembrance, in the characters of praife or infamy, according as the final iffue of the trial, if he lived to reach it, fhould tamp it with either. Unequal as the conteft feemed, he knew his own innocence, and thus conícious looked forward with confidence to that iflue; fearful only leaft the courfe of nature, in which there were many chances

against him, might intercept it; and, while unconcerned for any incidental confequences of the trial, hopeful only that his reputation might ultimately rife, and its duration increale, in proportion to the attempts which had been made to deprefs and deftroy it.

"If in entertaining this expectation he was misled by a falte eftimate of his own importance, many circumstances confpired to create, and to justify the delufion the enthufiaftic anxiety of his numerous friends; the refpect which, even in the moft unfavourable times of his profecution, he experienced from ftrangers amongst whom he occasionally mixed, but to whom he always fought to be unknown; the marked interest of his legal advocates in his caufe, greatly exceeding the impulfe of mere profefiional zeal, and adding a redeubled force to their accuftomed eloquence, though all ftrangers to him before they were engaged in his defence; the animated replies which were made by many of the witnefies, both those who were called to the profecution and to the defence, to questions put to them refpecting his general character; and the loaded teftimonials of the native inhabitants of the provinces which he was charged with having oppreffed, plundered, and defolated, not only difavowing the complaint made in their behalf, but profeffing the contrary fentiments of applaufe and thankfulnefs. To thefe may be added, though of prior event, the addrefles of the British inhabitants of Calcutta, and of the officers of the army; the first delivered to him on the day of his departure from them; the latter fent after him to England; which were such teftimonies of general approbation as had never been bettowed on any of his predeceffors in the office which he had heid, though many were most deferving of. them. His own heart told him that his intentions had been good; and fuccefs had invariably attended them. If from fo many concurrent reafons he had arrogated to himself fome pretentions_to_cecbrity, it was not either unnatural or unreasonable to expect a much larger portion of it in the event of his acquittal from to levere and complicated a charge, preferred by fo great and refpectable a body, and tried by fo auguft a tribunal, with a world (as might be faid) for its affeffors. Had that tribunal pronounced is condemnation, instead of his acquittal, his name would have been founded with infamy to every nation in Europe,

and