Merchant of Venice. no fcruple of placing her second upon the whole; nay, in some particular places, we think her equal. Miss MACKLIN undoubtedly speaks the part in an unexceptionable manner, but we deem her rather too petit in person and expreffion; Mrs. CLIVE, who obtained no small share of applause, was a ludicrous burlesque on the character, every feature and limb contrafted the idea SHAKESPEARE gives us of Portia; in the spirited scene she was clumsy, and spoke them in the same strain of chambermaid delicacy she did Lappet or Flippanta; in the grave part--fure never was such a female put into breeches before!-she was aukwardly diffonant; and, as if confcious she could not get through without the aid of trick, flew to the pitiful resource of taking off the peculiarity of some judge, or noted lawyer; from which wise stroke, she created laughter in a scene where the deepest attention should be preserved, till Gratiano's retorts upon the Jew, work a contrary effect. Mrs. YATES, with an amazing degree of condescension, has lately vouchsafed to perform Portia, for that night only-that night only, the phrafe is fo modest, that we repeat it-if she can do the part hetter than any body else, the public in general, and the managers in particular, have a right to expect her in it whenever the play is done ; if she is not so capable as the perfon in possession of it, why should she impose upon her friends, even for one night; this is one out of many low, theatrical finesses, thrown out as baits to catch gudgeons; however, if this laVOL. I. dy 4 Merchant of Venices dy thinks criticism has any cause to languish for a repetition of her Portia, she is utterly mistaken; fince it is certain that, deducting her great name, and some merit in the fourth act, she has shewn nothing more than that capital talents may occasionally dwindle into very middling execution. Nerissa, as a mere foil to Portia, is of so little consequence, that we shall only mention the horrid impropriety of managerical conduct at Covent Garden, to push on Mrs. VINCENT for her; a lady so much advanced in years, and who, in the bloom of life, was but very ill calculated for representing any thing in boy's cloaths-shame, where is thy blush From a critical retrofpect we may affert, that our author has not only well chosen, but also well supported the several characters in this piece, that the incidents are affecting, many of the sentiments sublime, and the versification worthy of SHAKESPEARE; some of the prose dialogue sinks into the word catching, so fashionable in his day, and which, according to our apprehenfion, he meant to ridicule; there is an alteration of this play, called the Jew of Venice, by Lord Landsdown, who has taken pains to preserve regularity; yet in so doing, like other alterers, has greatly enervated the piece he meant to improve: our author has as few fuperfluities, or cenfurable passages, in his MERCHANT of VENICE, as any piece he ever wrote; and, if it is not among the most powerful efforts of his genius, it certainly yields precedence to very few, either in the study or theatre. The The COMMISSARY. A COMEDY by Mr. FOOTE. C Riticisms upon authors or performers who have paid the debt of nature, are apt to be confidered by many persons as the effect of prejudice, good naturedly weak, or enviously severe; those upon living persons, of either character, are generally supposed as the offspring of interested views, personal attachment, or partial antipathy: however, as we have heitherto endeavoured, and we hope successfully, to hold the ballance with an unbiaffed hand; as we disclaim all connections with, or personal influence from the pieces or actors confidered; as we have indifcriminately praised the same authors and performers in one place, whom we have censured in another, it is ardently hoped we shall stand, through our whole undertaking, unimpeached with fervile flattery, or illiberal censure; and that what we offer will be received as real, though often, perhaps, very fallible opinion; we have already shared the common fate of all similar productions; that is, being deemed too mild by fome, too tart by others; as it is impoffible to please all, we shall still steer a steady medium course, and prove ourselves strict friends of the drama, though some of its fons and profelytes should look upon us with indignant eyes. If to laugh vice and folly out of countenance, is a more certain, as well as more pleasant method of reforming Commissary. reforming national conduct into prudence and virtue, than dry declamation, or brow-beating authority; if to shoot folly as it flies, and to catch living manners, be the grand taste of merit in comic writings, we must examine how far the gentleman now before us, has, in the piece we are going to confider, answered those valuable purposes. *Some perfons of low extraction, low capacities for any thing but gain, low fortunes and lower principles, having accumulated princely fortunes by plunder from their bleeding country, and those hardy fons of war who were fighting for the common liberries of Europe, became fo extravagantly vain of their fudden ill gotten pelf, that they wanted to shine forth what nature never designed them for, and art could not make them accomplished gentlemen; one particularly, though in the vale of years, aimed as ignorantly at cutting a figure in the gay and great world; unbounded riches secure such reptiles from-legal punishment; who then can be fitter game for dramatic fatire to hunt with her keen lash through the mazes of ridicule ? Availing himself most happily of such a luxuriant subject, the author of the COMMISSARY has titled his piece from the very station in which some of the rapacious blood-fuckers moved, and lays the scene of it in the house of a lady, Mrs. Mechlin, for whom, if we are rightly informed, there is an infamous living original; her handmaid Jenny remarks, upon loud knocking at the door, that the Commissary's lodging in their house, occafions business enough for a porter; Commiffary. a porter; upon her letting in Simon, who enquires for her mistress, a conversation ensues; by which we learn, that the good gentlewoman of the house has summoned him in an earnest manner; being as appears, a practised and useful agent for her underhand iniquitous purposes : upon expressing himself rather disagreeably, the maid gives a warm rhapsodical account of her mistress's character and confequence, which he adds spirits to, by timely interruptions of a sneering, ironical nature; at length, when she has run herself out of both words and wind, he, in the self-fame manner, reverses the picture she has drawn, while she supports the force and vivacity of his defcription as he did hers; this is a very pleasing pit pat, and judicious manner of revealing Mrs. Mechlin's, or any other character, infinitely beyond the dull narrative mode adopted by many dramatic writers. Simon's striking portrait enflames Jenny, who on hearing her mistress at the door, puts him into an apprehenfion that she'll reveal his sentiments; however, she gives the matter a whimsical turn, and brings him off-nothing can be more naturally characteristic than Mrs. Mechlin's importance, displayed in weariness and fretful breaks; the coachman is also furnished with expressions highly suitable, and though, the craving, extortionate disposition of fuch fellows, may be deemed a trifling, it is yet a just object of exposition, and is here placed in a very laughable point of view. What |