did appearance, ugly features, and advanced age, dubbed any female a witch in the times of credulity; even now, a very difagreeable woman, bent with age, and wrapped in filthinefs, is ftigmatized with that title, though not so seriously, north of the Tweed; nay, Macbeth himself ftiles them filthy bags, most certainly alluding to perfonal appearance. If an alteration of dress is to take place in this play, I could wish the characters were dreffed in habits of the times, which would be pleafing, and we apprehend neceffary.

Macbeth, for its boldnefs of fentiment, ftrength of verfification, variety of paffions and preternatural beings, deferves to be efteemed a first rate tragedy, containing a number of beauties never exceeded, and many blemishes very cenfurable; dangerous in representation as has been faid, to weak minds; unintelligible to moderate conceptions in many places, upon perufal; therefore, chiefly calculated for foundunderstanding, and established refolution of principles, eitheron the stage or in the study.

THE BEGGAR's OPERA.

Written by GAY.

Notwithstanding w we confess a partiality for mu

fic when it is con:pofed of fweet, fignificant and perfuafive sounds, yet the Opera, serious or comic, but especially the former, is a species of the drama not at all defenfible; it carries abfurdity in its front, and abfolutely puts nature out of countenance; to prove this would be fuperfluous, as we cannot pay any reader fo bad compliment as to fuppofe that a single hint does not bear fatisfactory conviction.

Shocked as every man of real tafte, feeling and genius must be, at the predominance of those dear-bought, unessential exotics, Italian oper Gay had a mind to exercise his unbounded talent of fatire against them; and that good fenfe, a little embittered, might go down with a more fashionable gout, as apothecaries gild pills, he called in mufic to his aid, and fuch mufic too as was relishable by, not caviare to the million; thus, as I have read of fome army, who defeated their enemies by fhooting back upon them their own arrows, fo he ftruck deep wounds into the emaciated fignori of that time, by fhewing fuch fterling wit and humour as they were unacquainted with, decorated with the reigning taste of the day-the thought was happy, the execution equal to the defign, and the success fuitable to both.

In

Beggar's Opera.

In the very name of this piece, the author feems to have iffued a keen fhaft of ridicule, and making the author a beggar is a noble farcafm on fortune and public tafte, which have fuffered moft excellent talents to pine under a thousand difadvantages, of unmerited penury and even contempt: no one knew better than Gay the neglect which too commonly attends literary merit; he knew, felt, and with great poignancy of expreffion declared it.

This piece opens with Jonathan Wild, the reigning thief-maker and thief-taker of that time, under the title of Peachum, perufing his tyburn-register; his feng, in eight lines, contains more of the fpirit of truth and fatire than would animate fome poems of eight score; the fucceding fcene with Filch exhibits many excellent remarks, and his account of the gang when looking out for proper facrifices, is not only an admirable, but a very useful picture to the profligate; Mrs. Peachum's expreffions of pleafure, that there has been no murder committed for fome time recommend her to favour; and Peachum's reply, fhewing what money will do in criminal profecutions, is, I am afraid, too juft; mention of Macheath naturally falls in, and we are prepared to receive him, at leaft, as an agreeable highwayman his attachment to Polly comes aptly into the conversation, and the plot very properly begins to dawn.-Speaking of Polly's being in love, Peachum discovers a very suitable selfishness, and where he remarks of what fervice fhe may be to him, by acting on political principles, the expreffion, as well as fome preceding ones, glows with fatiric

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Beggar's Opera. fatiric meaning "My daughter to me fhould be, "like a court-lady to a minister of state, a key to "the whole gang."

Mrs. Peachum's fcene with Filch has nothing but fome strokes of low humour to recommend it, yet in that light is very fatisfactory, and always works a very laughable effect.

Polly is introduced by her father under fuch circumftances as engage favour; her mother's violent entrance is much in character; the fainting too, and the remedy for it, are powerful burlesque on fimilar incidents to be met in graver pieces; the daughter's filence on her marriage being difcovered, is a very probable effect of confufion and apprehenfion, nor does a word of the confequent dialogue fail of due influence; the impatience of the parents, one through pride, the other through intereft, give a fine opening for Polly's delicate, interefting apology of a fincere paffion for the man fhe has married; and Peachum's defign of taking off his new fon-in-law, feems the growth of a mind fortified against any feelings of humanity.

It is matter of wonder how feveral of our gay ladies and fine gentlemen can hear the following speech without blufhing conscious guilt; "If fhe "had had only an intrigue with the fellow, why *the very best families have excused and huddled up an affair of that fort; 'tis marriage, huf "band, that makes it a blemish," What Peachum replies has a luxuriancy of merit, "But money, wife, is the true fuller's earth for reputations; there is not a spot or stain but what it can "take

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Beggar's Opera. "take out," what brilliant, what general, what compacted fatire! mounted on the unfhakable bafis of truth does this fhort fentence contain? How ef fentially fuperior to an affimilation of the fame ingredients and Mr. Foote's pleafantry, in the prelude to Mr. Colman's Man and Wife, which difference is only mentioned here to fhew how much the happy thought of one man of genius may be enervated by paffing through the imagination of another.

The parents endeavouring to perfuade their daughter that an impeachment of the man fhe loves, and is her husband alfo, must recommend her to their favour, has fomething in it fhocking, yet affords a very engaging, pathetic transition in Polly's character; and her foliloquy upon hearing unfeen the plan for Macheath's deftruction, deferves much better delivery, much more expreffive features than it is in general favoured with the breaks are fine, the fentiments tender, the defcription lively, all dreffed in a naiveté of language, which finds a paffage to the heart, by nature's aid alone.

The hero is brought forward with great advan vantage, the bold fpirited fymphony which introduces him has a fimilar effect to thofe flourishes of martial mufic in fome tragedies, and he comes very opportunely to give the first act additional life towards its conclufion; Polly's diftrefs for his present danger, very naturally disappears at the fight and affectionate addrefs of her husband, but with equal propriety foon returns again, with a variation which pleafingy touches the audience; his reluctance to fly, and her tender refolution to part for

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