Provok'd Hufband. latter, and fomewhat of affectation in the former for which reafon we muft prefer Mrs. PRITCHARD, as preferving the true woman of fashion much better; both of thefe ladies, however, were remarkably deficient in the tender part of the reconciliation scene: Mrs. CIBBER and Mrs. BELLAMY, each made romantic attempts upon her ladyship, being most infipidly unvariable till the fifth act, where indeed they had both merit-Mrs. CLIVE gave criticism an idea, that lord Townly had married his cook-maid, vulgar in the polite scenes, and diffonant in the pathetic one; Mrs. YATES is a mere fifth act lady; Mrs. ABINGTON all but the fifth; and Mrs. BARRY more confiftent through the whole than any one we have mentioned.

Lady Grace appears a most amiable and pleasing contraft to her volatile fifter; poffeffed of referve without prudery, and solid sense without formality; willing to partake reasonable pleasures, defpifing extravagant, pernicious and irrational ones; the delicate ease and modest sensibility of this character, were never better represented than by Mrs. ELMY, whose merit seemed almost totally confined to her, and Selima in Tamerlane; Mrs. BULKLEY's very amiable appearance, eafy deportment, and unaffected delivery of her ladyfhip's inftructive fentiments, have given us, and we doubt not the public, very fingular fatisfaction; as to all others within our knowledge, filence is the greatest favour we can fhew.

Lady Wronghead is a bounce-about, clumsey imitator of police life, without a fingle requifite for that sphere,

3

Provok'd Hufband.

fphere, ignorant to a degree, yet affuming knowledge fuperior to her important lord and mafter; vain, positive, and not of very rigid virtue; an impertinent wife, a goffiping companion, and a foolifh mother-this odd compound never appeared more diverting, than in the perfon and manner of Mrs. MACKLIN, who exhibited petulant bustling affectation, with infinite humour Mrs. CLIVE looked and fpoke many of the paffages, particularly those where contempt is thrown upon Sir Francis, with a very eminent degree of merit, in which he is clofely traced by Mrs. GREEN; nor does Mrs. PITT fall far behind; as to Mrs. HOPKINS, fhe wants both fpirit and humour.

Mifs Jenny is a very natural fprout from the old stock already defcribed; talkative, pert, filly; fond of herself and credulous to flattery; a most excellent object for any fmooth-tongued coxcomical, fortune-hunting blade to make a prey of; with just wit enough to play unbecomingly on the fufferance of her father, and folly enough to ruin herself; this vacant Hoyden, who certainly should have spoke Yorkshire, as well as her brother, fits with a very pleasant portion of easy humour upon Mifs POPE; Miss MiNORS, fince Mrs. WALKER, was happy in this, as well as the whole girlish caft; but for Mifs WARD!

we heartily wifh fhe was well provided for off the ftage; why fuch languid dawnings of merit, efpecially in the female fex, fhould be plunged into fo precarious and difficult a ftate of life, is not eafy to be accounted for; efpecially where there is a parent, who knowing the advantages, fees alfo, perhaps feels, the reverse.

To

Provok'd Hufband.

To Mrs. PRITCHARD's great praise be it spoken, she never gave her children encouragement to a theatrical itation, though fhe had reached eminence fo confpicuously herself, and supported it fo well to the last, that like an evening fun, her fetting,though not fo refplendent, was full as agreeable as her meridian rays of excellence: Mrs. PALMER'S Own strong inclination for the drama overcame, not at all unhappily, her mother's prudent prejudice.

This Comedy, if not abfolutely first, yields precedence to very few on the English ftage, whether we confider its language, characters, humour, fpirit or moral; and however Mr. POPE, who never could write a play himself, and therefore envied CIBBER, might anatomize that gentleman; we very much doubt whether any play he ever wrote, deplumed of fancy and harmonious numbers, contains more ufeful inftruction, than this play which the Laureat, with fo much taste and judgment, fitted for the theatre; upon the whole, we are bold to recommend the Provok'd Hufband, as a very entertaining, valuable compofition, both in representation and perufal.

CYRUS

CYRUS

A TRAGEDY by Mr. HOOLE

THIS piece is the offspring of a virgin modern mufe: the word modern is introduced to apologize previously for any deficiency in the nobler flights of genius which may appear. Public tafte has been impregnated with fuch Gallic frigidity for twenty years paft, that the glow of a warm imagination would be rejected as too powerful; wherefore most, if not all the tragedies, within the date mentioned, have been, as Aaron Hill emphatically observes, elaborate escapes from genius; cold, creeping tales, dragging a plot unaffectingly along, through five tedious fleep-inspiring acts: mere correctnefs is the poor equivalent for that noble enthusiasm which Shakefpeare in particular, and fome other dramatic authors, treated their fympathizing audiences with, and at present offer to those who are not embarrassed with the enervating falfe delicacy of criticism-yet hold let us not even seem to hint that the play now under notice comes under such a charge, but candidly examine, and impartially decide.

Mr. Hoole does not wish to deny fome obligations to that great Italian dramatist Metaftafio, how he has availed himself of fuch an original, is not within our plan; fince we only profefs examining and illuftrating pieces as they appear, unless where

one

Cyrus.

one is profeffedly called an alteration of anotherour criticisms are meant to be as plain and useful as poffible; our defire being much more bent upon fhewing a knowledge of nature, and an intention of promoting focial welfare, than pedantically to display learning in multiplied conjectures, upon immaterial paffages, which from being temporary, become obfcure,

CYRUS opens with Mandane, daughter of Aftyages; and Afpafia, daughter of Harpagus; the former, who loft a fon, and thought him murdered twenty years ago, mentions, that fhe expects within the day to fee her child; her impatience at his deliberate approach is well expreffed, and paints a mother's feelings, fo fituated, in juft colours--from what paffes we find, that Aftyages, his grandfather, who had devoted this Cyrus to death, while an infant, now feems to countenance his public appearance: the old monarch's determining to facrifice the young prince, even before his birth, because of a dream which portended his ufurpation of the kingdom, hews him ridiculously fuperftitious, and unpardonably cruel.

In the first scene we also learn, that Cambyfes was banished to prevent Mandane's having any more children; however, we think Afpafia's mentioning what the princefs had known fo very long, and ruminated on fo much, is merely making her a tool for opening the plot; we are told too, that Mandane, though her fon counts twenty, is herself but thirty-two: this may please a capital actress, as few ladies like to ac-VOL. I. Ff knowledge