Provok'd Husband. Squire Richard is an ill-educated, headstrong, brainless boy, taking advantage of the indulgence which has spoiled him, and following his own wild inclinations, without asking why or wherefore; he cannot complain of his intimacy with Mr. HAMILTON at Covent-garden-but is much better in pofsession of Mr. WILLIAM PALMER at Drury-lane, who possesses confiderably more of the natural vis comica, in such a cast, than any other performer on either stage.

John Moody, a very natural, well drawn rustic; not without sense, yet possessing less than he imagines; a kind of humourist, fond of his own jokes, which he passes without referve, from a freedom allowed him by his master; his bluntness is pleasing, and his caricature painting, shews masterly though unpolished fatire; Mr. DUNSTALL hits off the manner and appearance of this character extremely well, but dialect is wanting in all the John Moody's, as well as Sir Francis's we have seen; Mr. SPARKS makes an Hibernian, and Mr. BURTON, nothing at all of him.

Lady Townly is drawn a female of peculiar spirit, poffeffing good qualities, which however are all fwallowed up in a vortex of fashionable follies; yet not absolutely vicious, though verging close upon vice; a laughable yet melancholy; an entertaining though a pitiable object; mistaking elegance and vivacity for more valuable qualifications; defpifing any conceffion to the authority of a hufband, yet a perfect flave to her own capricious inclinations- Mrs. WOFFINGTON had a most suitable appearance, and mode of expression; but rather indulged too much coquettish pertness in the latter,

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The DRAMATIC CENSOR. Provok'd Husband. latter, and fomewhat of affectation in the former; for which reason we must prefer Mrs. PRITCHARD, as preserving the true woman of fashion much better; both of these 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 in sipidly 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 dissonant 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 contrast to her volatile sister; poffefsed of reserve without prudery, and solid sense without formality; willing to partake reasonable pleasures, despising extravagant, pernicious and irrational ones; the delicate eafe 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, easy deportment, and unaffected delivery of her ladyship's instructive sentiments, have given us, and we doubt not the public, very singular fatisfaction; as to all others within our knowledge, filence is the greatest favour we can shew.

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

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Provok'd Husband. sphere, ignorant to a degree, yet assuming knowledge superior to her important lord and master; vain, positive, and not of very rigid virtue; an impertinent wife, a gossiping companion, and a foolish mother-this odd compound never appeared more diverting, than in the person and inanner of Mrs. MACKLIN, who exhibited petulant bustling affectation, with infinite humour Mrs. CLIVE looked and spoke many of the passages, particularly those where contempt is thrown upon Sir Francis, with a very eminent degree of merit, in which she is closely traced by Mrs. GREEN ; nor does Mrs. PITT fall far behind ; as to Mrs. HorKINS, she wants both spirit and humour.

Miss Jenny is a very natural sprout from the old stock already described; 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 Miss POPE ; Miss MrNORS, since Mrs. WALKER, was happy in this, as well as the whole girlish cast; but for Miss WARD! -we heartily wish she was well provided for off the stage; why such languid dawnings of merit, especially in the female sex, should be plunged into so precarious and difficult a state of life, is not eafy to be accounted for; especially where there is a parent, who knowing the advantages, sees also, perhaps feels, the reverse.

To Provok'd Husband.

To Mrs. PRITCHARD's great praise be it spoken, she never gave her children encouragement to a theatrical station, though she had reached eminence so confpicuously herself, and supported it so well to the last, that like an evening fun, her setting, though not so resplendent, 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.

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This Comedy, if not absolutely first, yields precedence to very few on the English stage, whether we consider its language, characters, humour, spirit 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 useful instruction, than this play which the Laureat, with so much taste and judgment, fitted for the theatre; upon the whole, we are bold to recommend the Provok'd Husband, as a very entertaining, valuable composition, both in representation and perufal.

CYRUS

CYRU

S.

A TRAGEDY by Mr. HOOLE

THIS piece is the offspring of a virgin modern muse: 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 such Gallic frigidity for twenty. years past, 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 sleep-inspiring acts: mere correctness is the poor equivalent for that noble enthusiasm which Shakespeare in particular, and fome other dramatic authors, treated their sympathizing audiences with, and at present offer to those who are not embarrassed with the enervating false 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 some obligations to that great Italian dramatist Metastasio, how he has availed himself of fuch an original, is not within our plan; since we only profess examining and illuftrating pieces as they appear, unless where

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