Beggar's Opera. Macheath his liberty, puts expectation into a fresh degree of fufpence, and concludes the second act at a critical period.

A fuppofition of his daughter's connivance at the captain's escape, gives rife to Lockit's treating her fomewhat roughly at the beginning of the third act; but, in the true fpirit of corruption, which we may ftile ex officio, indeed the effect of his nature as well as place, he enquires for the perquifite, and is not a little chagrined at finding the girl poffeffed of generofity. In the fhort fubfequent fcene, where Filch is introduced, we can by no means approve his grofs anfwer to Lockit's observation, that he looks like a fhotten herring; it is certainly only fit for the meridian of St. Giles's.

The character of a highwayman is well preserved in Macheath's making a gaming-house his firft afylum after enlargement, and fitting him up with occafional finery of external appearance, fhews the author not only a judge of nature, but the ftage; for fuch fort of collectors general aim at making a gallant figure, to appear what they are not; and change of drefs often gives an actor fome novelty with the audience; this fcene, however, imports little more than to fhew the diffipated turn of our hero.

Peachum, Lockit, and the tally-woman, Mrs. Dye Trapes, furnifh us with a difh of converfation cenfurable throughout, though it always pleases by the force of action; the fubject is too mean for the public ear, the characters mentioned too despicable for notice, except from the police, and the old

lady's

Beggar's Opera lady's fecrets of her abominable trade infamous; I would therefore recommend fome other means of discovering Macheath, and heartily wish a total omiffion of fuch ftuff as no perfon can learn any thing from, which it would not be better to be ignorant of.

The defign of poifoning Polly in a glass of ftrong waters, renders Lucy a right Newgate bird, and makes her, though the fact is not perpetrated, an object of deteftation; and we apprehend unneceffarily, unless we carry the idea of burlesque conftantly in view, and confider the author as ridiculing the poifoned bowls of tragedy, fo often needlessly administered, and so often miraculously escaped; another Billingsgate fentiment we find furnished to Lucy in this fcene, it comes immediately after these words, " I vow, Polly, I fhall “take it monftrously ill, if you refuse me.”

Macheath's appearing in cuftody furprizes and alarms attention; his interview with the real and wou'd-be wife is very expreffive of the circumstance, and good performance may call forth fome drops of pity for a very unworthy object.-The different applications of the females to their several fathers call up tender fenfations, but, I apprehend, they are rather misplaced; for as Polly is certainly the leading character, and offers the most pathetic addrefs, hers fhould have come laft by way of cli

max.

The fenfible refolution, and commendable though divided tenderness of Macheath, in his fong as he goes off to the Old-bailey, recommend him confiderably

R 2

Beggar's Opera derably to favour, and are therefore artfully thrown în.

As Italian operas depend a good deal on dancing merit, we find Gay has a stroke even at that, by introducing a hop among the Newgate gentry, to which, by way of making a strange, yet fatirical med+ ley, the condemned hole immediately fucceeds; and, like other great men in fome ferious pieces, the captain fings through all weathers-high fpirits, low spi rits, love and defpair; he has no less than ten airs to go through fucceffively, yet fo judiciously varied that he must be a bitter bad vocal performer indeed, who palls his audience with them; the fol lowing fhort fcenes between him and his friends, and that with the ladies, claim no great: fhare of praife, nor do they merit any cenfure.

That very unexpected turn the catastrophe takes is thus apologized for by the Beggar," In this kind of drama, 'tis no matter how abfurdly things are brought about-fo you rabble there, run and cry a reprieve."-Thus, by a kind of poetical, or rather operatical legerdemain, hey! pafs mifery is gone, and leaves joy and chearfulnefs in its place.

To examine the plot of this piece by strict rules of criticism, as the author does not by any means pretend to regularity, would be too fevere; yet the unities are not grofsly intruded upon, exçept in one place-there are but three short fpeeches and a dance between Macheath's being taken to trial and his appearing in the condemned hole, which could scarce happen till a day after at least,

as

Beggar's Opera.

as prifoners, though found guilty, are not put there till after sentence.

The dialogue of this opera has great ease, spirit and correctness; the fentiments are always juft, though fometimes blameable; the fatire inimitable, and the fongs without one exception, bating that of Mrs. Trapes, an unparallelled treasure of brilliant allufions, inftructive ideas, fhrewd tendency, familiar expreflion, and unaffected verfification: they have the plain outward femblance of common ballads, yet teem with a luxuriance of imagination, truth and policy, moft amazingly compacted into an incredible narrow compafs, which, in my eftimation, entitles them to be stiled the quinteffence of merit.

Yet after offering this impartial tribute at the hrine of Gay's genius, it gives us concern to be under a neceffity of remarking, that a moral was the last point in his view, if it entered there at all; and, in this respect, a gloomy cloud cafts its dark fhade over the shine of praise he must otherwise have commanded; if young minds, which indeed the mufic helps, leave a theatre untainted with any prejudicial impreffion after feeing the BEGGAR'S OPERA; if no foolish young person of either sex admires Macheath as any other than a diverting ftage-character; if his fhew and falfe courage do not delude the one fex, nor his gallantry attract the other, then the piece may ftand as inoffenfive; but I fear it does not often work an effect of fuch mediocrity, therefore am bold to call it a compofition

made

Beggar's Opera.

made up of ingredients much more noxious than falutary, so pleasingly relished, fo flatteringly gilded, that scarce any eye or taste can refift the powerful, dangerous temptation; it ftands, like light and heat, alluring paffions, which play like moths around it, till they fall a prey to the delufive object of their delight.

In respect of characters, the men are all errant fcoundrels, and the females, except Polly, vicious jades; neceffarily there can be but a very faint degree of light and fhade, which undoubtedly conftitute not only a great part of dramatic beauty but propriety; for all angels, or all devils, is but a very partial, uninftructive picture of human nature; but indeed our author's choice of characters would not admit of much variety, wherefore we heartily lament his proftituting fuch exquifite talents to fo unedifying, or rather immoral a fubject.

Macheath has fomething fpecious, but not one valuable fymptom in his compofition; his profeffion is not only to rob men of their property, but females of their characters and peace; there is an appearance of courage, without a fpark of reality; for at the trying moment, we find he applies to the true refource of a coward, liquor; in fhort, he is a contemptible knave, yet an agreeable gallant, and therefore, as we have already obferved, the more dangerous and cenfurable for public exhibition.

In the performance of this part, ípirited boldnefs of figure, flashy gentility of deportment, and an expreffive, not a refined taste of finging, are necef