ufeful companion in the world. You faw to the very bottom of his mind on any fubje&t of difcourfe; and his varicus literature, penetrating judgment, and quick recollection, made him fay the livelieft, or the jufteft things upon it. In short, I was in thofe moments affected by his converfation, pretty much as Cato was by that of Maximus Fabius, and may fay, as he does in the dialogue on Old Age—" I was fo fond of his difcourfe, and liftened to it feagerly, as if I had foreseen, what indeed came to pass, that when I left him, I should never again meet with fo inftructive a companion." After having thus endeavoured to deliver the Bishop of Gloucefter down to pofterity as the ableft divine, the greatest writer, and the first genius of the age, the R.R. biographer finishes the portrait with elegantly and feelingly blending his own fame with that of his friend: I have now, as I found myself able, and in the manner I judged moft fit, difcharged my duty to this incomparable man: a duty, which he feemed to expect would be paid to him by one or other of his furviving friends, when, in the clofe of his preface to Mr. Pope's works, he has thefe affecting words-" And I, when envy and calumny take the fame advantage of my abfence (for, while I live, I will trust it to my life to confute them) may I find a friend as careful of my honest fame, as I have been of his."--I have, I fay, endea voured to do justice to his memory; but in fo doing I have taken, the reader fees, the best method to preferve my own. for, in placing myfelf fo near to him in this edition of his immortal works, I have the faireft, perhaps the only chance of being known to pofterity myself. Envy and prejudice have had their day: And when his name comes, as it will do, into all mouths, it may then be remembered, that the writer of this life was honoured with fome fhare of his efteem; and had the pleasure of living in the moft entire and unreferved friendship with him, for near THIRTY YEARS. • Hartlebury Cafle, Aug. 12, 1794.' R. WORCESTER.' Thus, confidering the prefent publication as of difficult accefs to the generality of readers, we have endeavoured to comprehend a fatisfactory view of its contents, within the narrow compafs of an article in our monthly pages. Notwithstanding the evident influence of the partiality of friendship, the Difcourfe is well and interestingly written; and, in its prefent ftate, we fee no reason for its not having been prefixed to the collection of Bishop Warburton's works, at the time of their appearance in the year 1789. ART. XIX. The Town before you. A Comedy, as acted at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. By Mrs. Cowley. 8vo. 2s. Long man. 1795. OUR UR avocations not having permitted us to fee this piece performed, we are unable to speak of its effects on the flage, Stage, or to decide on the justice of the opinions which we have heard delivered refpecting it. In the clofet, we have perused it with pleasure; and we think that the public are indebted to the fair author for the amusement and moral inftruction which he has afforded them. The merit of the piece is not indeed wholly comprised in these two respects. It darts forth from time to time fome rays of a fuperior philofophy, which indicate a mind cultivated on a higher scale than that of moft female writers; and which, while they enlighten and furprise us, are rendered more interefting by being contrafted with that giddy prattle of fashionable inanity, in the midft of which this author is obliged to introduce them. Lady Horatia Horton feems to be a drawing from Mrs. Damer, whofe high birth, beauty, and talents, have fufficiently rendered her an object of obfervation. This lady's paffion for fculpture has not always efcaped ridicule: but through the organs of Conway, a fenfible young man of fashion, (and there Among others, the following general ftricture was communicated by an ingenious friend, who occafionally honours us by taking a feat at our board: "It was a difcovery referved for Mrs. Cowley, that the hearts of the rich are more awake to and fufceptible of compaffion than those of the poor. Formerly it had been fuppofed that the perfons, who were continually fuffering, had the most knowlege and the keeneft fenfe of mifery; and that confequently they neceffarily felt compaffion for it, with that irrefiftible force which frequently made them divide their morfel: while the rich too generally imagine that, because they wish for the pleasure of hunger without having the refolution to faft and obtain it, there is no fuch thing as hunger; and that the complaints of the poor ought rather to be attributed to a factious and rebellious fpirit, than to any reality of want, Poets, many of whom had been poor and felt a deep conviction of the injuftice of this fentiment of the rich, had heretofore uniformly endeavoured to counteract the mistake. Mrs C. has taken a different road. Whether the has travelled in fearch of that popularity which temporary heats and feuds might bestow, or has uttered thefe fentiments from a convi&ion of their truth, may be referred to the judgment of her readers. In her preface, the displays no fmall degree of diffatisfaction at the falfe and undifcriminating tafte of the public. That the public tafte is not fo correct as it might be, we have in the courfe of our labours had too many occafions to remark. How far the writings of Mrs. Cowley are calculated to reform that tafte is another queftion: - but, if good tafte and good morality be intimately connected, as we rather think they are, we may then doubt whether that morality which afferts courage, freedom, virtue, and dominion, to belong exclufively to this ifland, be not very falfe; and confequently ill adapted to improve the tafte of the age. In her former works, fhe feemed willing to purfue a different path: but, finding, like others of her contemporaries, which way the tide ran, fhe feems determined to reverie her fyftem, and to make the amende honorable." are are fuch beings,) Mrs. Cowley has made no feeble defence of it. She is reprefented to poffefs fome portion of native haughtinefs, which makes her overlook the tender paffion of Sidney Afgill, prefumptive heir to a rich merchant in the city. This young man's character has a strong light thrown on it by the caprice of his uncle Sir Simon;-who, like a true fagacious cit, is defirous of proving how far the noble fentiments which he had often heard his nephew throw out were founded in principle. To effect this, the latter is informed that he (Sir Simon) is a ruined man. Mr. Afgill, after the firft emotions of surprise and grief had fubfided, inftead of refolving to throw himfelf at the feet of the rich Lady Horatia, who, he is perfuaded, loves him, refolves never to fee her again; obferving that her delicacy fhould not be wounded (did he not mean her pride?) by feeing a beggar court her to his arms. Lady Horatia's love, when the believes that Afgill is loft to her beyond recovery, breaks through the thin difguife which referve, or her paffion for fculpture, bad thrown over it. She is deeply affected, and her diftrefs is artfully heightened by an equivoque of the young and giddy Georgina. The comic incidents of the piece are chiefly produced by the family of an old Welsh Knight, newly arrived in town. He is low born and rich; has good nature, and a high admiration for quality. The attempts of the maid on the inclination of her mafter, and her confequent refentment and determination to be revenged, on the failure of her schemes, have the recom mendation of being, as we apprehend, new to the flage, and perfectly in nature. Fancourt and Tippy, two experienced sharpers, are made the chief inftruments of what is called the bufinefs of the play. Tippy's great refemblance to Lord Beachgrove feems to be copied from a nameless person, who is faid to be so strong a resemblance of a northern Duke, as to have imposed on his friends and fervants. When the intereft of the play is mentioned, that of Mrs. Fancourt cannot be paffed over. Her plan, at fuch hazard to herself, of faving the young Georgina from the fate prepared for her, produces one or two of the beft fcenes in the comedy. The leading idea of the Town before you' feems to have been to controvert the notion, that bafenefs and vice find their peculiar foil in riches; and that poverty, while it farves the body, muft alfo neceffarily ftarve the principles of ill. Mrs. Cowley, proceeding on that philofophy which we have already mentioned, seems perfuaded that neither fortune, nor the abfence of it, produces vice, but that it fprings from the want of a due direction to the powers of the mind, by early good education and proper habits of life. When Sir Simon is fevere on Lady Horatia's Horatia's paffion for fculpture, Perkins obferves, with fome truth, any tafte is better than no tafte, and a lady who employs her thoughts and her chiffel on works of art, is at leaft not idle, and therefore, as Dr. Johnson fays, not in the way of being wicked.' The piece fhews in a ftriking light the cruel negligence or the mistaken pride of giving young men no profeffion, and hence leaving them, on a change of fortune, expofed to vice or helpless want. It is this negligence which roufes Afgill to become a common failor and makes Fancourt a villain. The fair writer has fucceeded in adding fome fresh proofs to thofe adduced by the ingenious Mr. Crabbe *, that virtue is not neceffarily connected with poverty, an important truth not always inculcated. Virtue is no more confined to the cottage than to the palace, but in every country fixes her appropriate refidence in the well formed and well employed mind. We must be permitted to cenfure the following expreffion. Afgill obferves to Conway, (p. 17,) a fortune, whole bafis is commerce, may be doubled or diffolved in a month.' We fhould be truly forry were fuch an idea founded in fact. Where would be the ground of fecurity, or what confidence could there. be repofed in that refpectable character an English merchant? The author has made fome atonement by reprelenting the ruin of Sir Simon as unreal, and we are glad of it; for, though fome defperate fpeculators, or young men without experience, may fubject themselves to fuch a rapid rife, or total ruin, as Afgill defcribes, it would be fatal in this commercial country to propagate the idea that men of fubftantial fortunes and refpectability in bufinefs would thus, like gamblers, risk their all on one throw of fortune's die. Though favourably difpofed to Lady Horatia Horton's art of fculpture, or to any art that rescues the human mind from the fatal confequences of idleness, we are not forry that the author has put the following speech into the mouth of Sir Simon at the end of the piece: Come, come, Madam, throw away your chiffel and your marble blocks, and fet about making a good wife; that ART is the nobleft pride of an English woman.' ART. XX. The Rage: A Comedy. As it is performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, By Frederick Reynolds. 8vo. 25. Longman. 1795. E' VERY new production by this author confirms the opinion which we have formerly given of his writings; and fhews that he is much more fludious of the means of exciting laugh * Author of various poems. ter ter than of interefting the heart, and fixing the attention, by a well-conftructed fable: which fhould keep the mind intent on one principal action, and to promote or retard which every incident fhould concur. A writer for the ftage will be impelled to confult the taste of his audience; and, by whatever accident it may have happened, it manifeftly appears that the tafte of an audience, at present, is but little directed to those objects which formerly were thought requifite in all plays. Perhaps too minute an attention was then paid to them: but it feems that we are now fallen into the other extreme. Amusement is the thing required; and, provided we laugh, we inquire but little concerning probability. Aware of this propenfity in the public mind, Mr. R. has turned his efforts to its gratification; and with no inconfiderable fuccefs. We find in him occafional ftrong traits of dramatic genius; and therefore we feel regret that he should rather feek to encourage than to correct the vitiated taste of the town. His touches of character are often excellent; his extravagance and coarfenefs are fometimes difgufting. Each new play which he writes robs us of the hope that he fhould reform; for he feems to have no ambition beyond the momentary advantages refulting from the high art that he exercises. We however are defirous to do him justice; and therefore we fhall felect one of his beft fcenes, as a specimen of his powers. SCENE. Gingham, Flush, bis Father, and Ready, a Clerk. Gingh. Sir, your hand-Ready, yours. Well! here I am -quite converted-like father, like fon-tell a lie without blushing. Flush. Here-I told you fo-ay, ay, I knew the boy would come to fomething good at laft-fo my dear boy you've left off telling the truth-fpeaking your mind. Gingh. Mum! clofe as the cabinet-keep you in my eye-put on your face, and do it fo punctually, you wouldn't know young P. O. from yourfelf-(Looking about the room) Zounds! what a fine houfe you've got! how its furnished! what plate! what pictures! Flash. The refult of trade and honeft induftry, Frank-yes-its pretty furniture, ifn't it? Gingh. Pretty furniture! its fo handfome, that except yourself, curfe me, if I fee a fhabby bit in the room!-nay, nay, upon my foul, I didn't allude to you; I meant Ready. Ready. He's at his old tricks I fee-as candid as ever. Gingh. Plague on't! I could fooner bite off my tongue, its fpeaking what I think! nay, Sir, now pray. than ftop Flush. Well, well, I excufe you this once; I a fhabby bit! how ever we fhall foon fee-how goes on the fhop in London? Gingh. The shop! Flub. Ay, the fhop in the city that you've the care of-the linens-the • Gingh. |