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amiss, coming on in white gloves, by pulling off which the black hands became more realized.

Mr, Ross and Mr. POWELL were pretty much of a footing in this part; the former figured it better, and spoke most of the passages as well; but the latter appealed more to the heart, and wore the paffions with natural grace; however both were very far short of that capital merit, a London audience have a right to expect.

If it was possible for spectators to be pleased with meaning alone, uttered through very ungracious, inadequate organs, Mr. SHERIDAN might stand high in public estimation; but execution being as neceffary as conception, we can only afford him the praife of barren propriety..

Iago is excellently drawn as a flow, fubtle, irafcible villain, dead to every good, or tender feeling, mean, hypocritical and vindictive, base enough to do any bad action underhand, but void of refolution to avow or vindicate his wickedness-to paint this complicate, we may add monstrous character happily in reprefentation, is by no means easy; Mr. RYAN in his plausibility and ease was very commendable, but appeared greatly deficient in defign; Mr. SPARKS was heavy and laborious, Mr. SHERIDAN is excellent in the foliloquies, but void of ease and infinuation in the dialogue; Mr. HOLLAND hunting after a meaning he never found, and Mr. LEE crowds in a multitude of meanings the author never intended; thus we introduce Mr. MACKLIN to an indisputable preeminence for understanding the part as well, and expressing it through the whole with

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with more equal and suitable merit, than any other performer we have feen; and this we do not advance upon private opinion but from comparative views of the effect wrought by him and others upon various audiences: to couch our praise in very odd terms, he has got the indisputable, involuntary applause of as many curses in Iago, as in Shylock.

Caffio is a very amiable, but, except his drunken scene which we esteem disgraceful to tragedy, a very uninteresting personage, the late Mr. PALMER did him great justice, and the present Mr. PALMER, a rifing young Actor does not fall much behind in execution, to which is added the advantage of a much more foldier-like appearance, a person much better framed to make women false.

The babbling hound Roderigo receives confiderable pleasantry from Mr. DYER; but if it is not prostituting Mr. KING'S sterling merit, to mention him first in such a part, we must give him the lead, and say, that if the reptile can be made sufferable, it is his by his performance: which, equal to some very arduous tasks, can nevertheless when occafion calls, condescend agreeably and make trifles interesting: this is no small point of praise; for many capital actors, thinking a character beneath their dignity, throw contempt on it and the audience; but Mr. KING's great good sense and respect for the public, prevents him from so ridiculous a start of vanity-I wish every theatrical gentleman would follow the excellent example, and comparatively speaking, take as much pains with two or three lengths, as two or three and twenty.

VOL. I.

X

Brabantio

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Brabantio while concerned is of fome importance, though his complaint is rather childish; yet even the weak tears of a father claim respect and call upon general fympathy, as they spring from the fair fountain of paternal affection: Mr. BERRY, though blubbering in grief was his characteristic fault, stood well in this part; we have had the anxiety to fee Mr. ANDERSON murder, and the pain to hear that coftive tragedian Mr. Love growl it forth; but never wish to feel fuch intellectual misery again.

Desdemona is a part of no shining qualifications, every point of fatisfaction that can arise from her unvarying gentleness, and more than criticism could claim, may be enjoyed from Mrs. BARRY, who looks and expresses it much better than Mrs. YATES, to whom also we must prefer, fome years ago, Mrs. BELLAMY in this character.

Æmilia has much more life than her mistress and shews a well contrasted spirit; Mrs. HOPKINS does not fall short of our wishes, and we remember to have received some pleasure from that uncultivated genius Mrs. HAMILTON in representing her.

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To offer a general opinion of this tragedy, we deem it, properly retrenched, a most noble enter tainment on the stage, and a luxurious, yet wholefome feast for the closet; it rather wants business, and therefore in some places lies heavy on action; but it keeps an excellent moral in view, and forceably inculcates it all along; the fatal effects of jealoufy; by well wrought passions, elevated sentiments and a dreadful catastrophe shewing the very dangerous

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confequences of indulging, even upon the most probable proofs, such pernicious, ungovernable prejudices in the human heart.

Having through an unaccountable lapfe of memory forgot to mention Mr. Mossor, both in this tragedy and Macbeth; it is hoped the reader will accept our opinion of that gentleman here; though not in the regular course of our plan-no performer in our remembrance poffefses a voice of more strength and variety than Mr. Mossor, and we believe he understands his author as well as any one, yet an infuperable aukwardness of action, and a most irksome laboriousness of expression, render him peculiarly offensive to chaste judgment in Macbeth; a number of unlucky attempts at attitude, ungrace+ ful distortions of feature, an overstrained affectation of consequence, and many ill-applied painful pauses, banishing nature, loudly proclaim the mere actorin Othello, though liable to several of the fame objections, we deem him much happier, the Moor's wildness of paffion he describes extremely well, and under all disadvantages most certainly stands second to, though far beneath Mr. BARRY.

LOVE IN A VILLAGE.

An OPERA, by Mr. BICKERSTAFF.

T HOUGH as advocates for nature, we have declared critical war against operatical compositions in general-an instance of dangerous resolution at present-we only mean to try such pieces as they appear, confidering the fongs as part of the dialogue -the piece now before us has met with very uncommon fuccess, from what cause it has arisen, whether indulgence of the town, merits of performance, or excellence of the author, may probably appear from investigation.

This opera has fuffered heavy charges of plagiarism; many we know to be true, but the greater part, we hope, are false; however, suppose every imputation just, the author might at least make the defence a young clergyman did, who being reproached with preaching one of Tillotson's fermons, replied," Sir, if you know this matter, not one in a "hundred of my congregation does; I am cer"tain, it is much better than any thing my own " head could produce; and I hope you will allow " I do my flock more justice by borrowing elfe"where, than palming my own stuff upon them." Far be it from us to suppose this absolutely our author's cafe, we only mention the matter in a friendly way to shew that if it really was, he has a very modest and good defence to offer.

This