perfon I have feen; Sullen is well enough in the hands of Meff. GIBSON and BURTON; but was indefcribably better in poffeffion of Mr. QUIN, nay of Mr. LUKE SPARKS; Mr. LovE exhibits the ignorant, jocund effrontery of Boniface equal to any one I have ever feen; and Mr. MOODY is extremecharacteristic in Foigard; yet I must be of opinion, that if criticism would enjoy a feast of originality from the Hibernian prieft, it must be found in the performance of Mr. SPARKS, now at Drury-lane.

Scrub is a very marked and ftriking character, fimple yet cunning, forward tho' timid; a tattler affecting fecrecy; and a fool affuming wifdom; his fituations are happily grotefque, and pregnant with much pleafantry; a performer must have very faint comic powers who cannot keep an audience in good humour with this part; and yet fome very capital ones have run wild; Mr. THE. CIBBER gained applaufe, but entirely from making droll faces; Mr. WOODWARD took the same path, with fome variations for the better; Mr. SHUTER alfo has the fault of being rather too comical; while Mr. WESTON, by an admirable naivete of perfor mance, most certainly ftands unrivalled in the part, and throws all elaborate, mechanical acting far behind.

As to the ladies, the old one is a very good woman, but neither here nor there in action; Mrs. Sullen has been fufficiently animadverted on to fhew that she is very cenfurable, yet he must always gain attention and refpect from an audience; Mrs. PRITCHARD and Mrs. WOFFINGTON had each

great

great merit in this part, but undoubtedly preference was due to the former; who, with a figure lefs happily adapted, and lefs vivacity, ftill preserved the character, without rendering the licentious paffages fo offenfively intelligible; or dwindling fo much into the affected coquette; of living performers, I can only fay, that Mrs. BARRY gives fatisfaction upon very juft principles; yet I must own a wish to see Mrs. ABINGTON, who is happily devoted to comedy, and that alone, in poffeffion of this part; first because her attributes are extremely fuitable; and next, because the small number of characters the plays, does not often enough gratify the public defire of feeing her: in refpect of Mrs. LESSINGSINGHAM, who performs it at Covent-garden, I wifh her a better income off the ftage than fhe makes on it; and should be very glad to fee Mrs. BULKLEY fill up her prefent caft; which, tho' confined, is of too much confequence to be dallied with.

Dorinda is amiable, but not interefting; what could be made of her was to be found in the placid, modeft fenfibility of Mrs. PALMER, who, tho' fhe never could equal great undertakings, allways made feconds of this kind pleasingly refpectable : every thing we wish for in Cherry Mifs POPE furnishes; but Mifs WARD, tho' fhe means well, is far too faint.

THE RECRUITING OFFICER.

THE

HE opening of this comedy is peculiar in two refpects; firft, as no other begins in the fame manner; and next, as its title is verified in the firft fcene; there is one effential towards drawing characters in a masterly manner, a ftrict intimacy with, and a thorough knowledge of the ftation of life reprefented; this requifite Mr. Farquhar thoroughly poffeffed in the piece under confideration; the military life he not only liked, but was himself immediately connected with; therefore we may naturally fuppofe his portraits drawn from ftriking likeneffes, and are highly finished; however, as examination will prove this point, either for or against the author, better than fuppofition, let us proceed to a candid trial.

The character of a good recruiting ferjeant is as complicate for low policy, or more fo, than any other; he must have smoothness and volubility of tongue, feeming generofity, profeffed good-nature, pliable compliance to flatter different tempers, unblufting confidence, unbounded lies, a ftill confcience, and an unfeeling heart; these qualifications must be the teft of Kite's character.

The firft fpeech of this non-commiffioned officer to the mob, is a mafterly piece of military elocution; it touches with ftrong propriety upon thofe

3

points

points most likely to imprefs the fimple, the idle, and the diffolute; introducing himself to Coftar Pearmain, by offering his cap to try on, and the countryman's apprehenfions of fuch an experiment are highly in character; the ferjeant's account of the bed of honour, the recruit's difguft at being fa luted by the title of brother, and his being foothed into good humour by fome compliments thrown out upon the importance of his figure, render this scene highly pleasing.

Captain Plume is well introduced, as hearing his own drum; but he appears to have a ftrange idea of smart riding and expedition, when he speaks of one hundred and twenty miles in thirty hours; in the enfuing scene, Kite preferves his character of humour, and throws out fome excellent ftrokes in mentioning the recruits he has picked up; one in particular conveys juft fatire, tho' perhaps not generally understood; speaking of a Welsh parson he has enlifted, the captain afks, "Can he write ?” to which Kite replies, "Hum, he plays rarely "upon the fiddle;" this alludes to a fcandalous circumftance then common, and I fear now to be met with too often among curates in Wales; I mean ftipends fo low as ten pounds a year, which occafioned many to work as day labourers; but the moft ufual method of eking out fuch pitiful allowances was to keep hedge-alehouses, and every funday-afternoon, in particular, to amufe their parishioners with fonie tunes on the fiddle: the circumftance of Mrs. Molly at the Caftle feems to have no connection with the piece, except to

fhow

fhow fome part of Plume's character, and to give a hint of the fhadows which frequently fill up military mufter rolls.

Worthy whofe name is no otherwife exemplified in his character than as a tame and we may add a fimple lover; opens the important fecret of his being in love; and Plume with much pleasantry rallies the romantic fwain, throwing out fome ufefull obfervations upon love policy; but whatever justice there may be in the following piece of advice; it is very unbemcoming the due referve of a ftage; the captain speaking of what he would do to win a coy miftrefs, fpeaks thus "the very first thing that I would do, should be to lie with her chambermaid; and hire three or four wenches in the neighbourhood to report I had got them with child"-nor is a paffage fome lines after more justifiable, where mentioning Sylvia, the honourable captain declares he would have debauched her if he could, and continues-" fhe was a pert obftinate fool and would lofe her maidenhead her own way"-the anecdote of Sylvia's fending ten guineas to Mrs Molly does credit to her feelings; and places her in esteem of the audience before fhe makes her appearance.

In the next scene the ladies are very well contrasted, Melinda's affectation of refined notions is very genteely repulfed by Sylvia, who pleasingly blends. good fenfe with vivacity-if any double entendre is allowable; the following would certainly appear fo but for the lufcious intimation of theatric expreffion; and the grofs enforcement of Melinda's reply-Sylvia fays" I can do every thing with my father

but