King Lear. and COLMAN, his supervisor, have succeeded, we hope the reader may collect from our animadversions. The language of King Lear is of mixed nature, verse and prose; where the former occurs, we find it bold, nervous, figurative, and, with some few exceptions, flowing; the latter is compact, pregnant and spirited; the characters are various, and moftly very interesting, well grouped to shew each other; the plot is rather disjointed, and the scenes frequently intrude upon the unities of time and place; but the catastrophe, so happily conceived by TATE, atones for all the unreformed irregularities; and, we may venture to say, that from his hands the public have received a dramatic piece, which appeals so powerfully to the passions, that when performed with fuitable abilities, it proves rather a degree of painful pleasure, and shrinks nature back upon herself. In the closet it must furnish particular gratification to critical judgment, but will always be caviare to the generality of readers. 1 VOL. I. Ccc 1 1 MAN MAN AND WIFE. A COMEDY by Mr. COLMAN. T HE comedy we are just entering upon, is introduced like Mr. FOOTE'S MINOR, by a prelude; but has had a manifest advantage of this in the propriety and force of action, by the author's viva voce appearance to represent himself; befides, it will appear, by comparison, that there was not only much more occafion for the one than the other, but a far greater share of executive power also manifested; we shall not draw a parallel, as every reader may do that at pleasure by turning a few leaves back. Jenkins and. Townly, the one a partridge-shooter, as he says himself, the other any thing you please, commence Mr. COLMAN'S prelude with reading the bill of the play, which occasions one to afk, and the other to hint who the author is; when immediately the bard appears cloathed in mourning; obviously to excite two sensations, extremely confonant to comedy; grief for a deceased friend, and pity for the author's ticklish situation. However melancholy this sable figure made us when first exhibited, we cannot help smiling at the idea of introducing mirthful scenes with so melancholy an object; somewhat similar to a hearse preceding the lord mayor's shew. But Man and Wife. But what is the purport of Mr. Dapperwit and friend's conversation: first, a facetious stroke upon Mr. COLMAN's fingular good fortune in having annuities repeatedly bequeathed him; second, an unnecessary intimation of the loss sustained in Mr. POWELL, which the audience well knew without being so informed of the matter; third, a promife, which has not yet been fulfilled, of diligently improving public entertainment; fourth, a pitiful compliment to public good-nature; fifth, a most extraordinary defence of Mr. GARRICK'S ODE, and a laborious, unintelligible affimilation of Mr. FOOTE'S fatirical wit to Fuller's earth, which we can reconcile no otherwise than in the following round-about matter. GAY says, "Gold is the true Fuller's earth to take out every spot and stain ;" now as Mr. FOOTE'S wit is universally allowed Sterling, his brother manager catched the idea, perhaps, from thence. The managerical parley founded in this exquifite scene to sweeten Mr. GARRICK for anticipating his pageant, was very justly compared by a wag to the caresses of a prostitute, who, while the embraces her gallant, picks his pockets. As Mr. COLMAN is deemed, and indeed has proved himself a classical writer in general, we wonder how the following Hibernicism, among fome other slips, could escape his pen: Dapperwit speaking of the pageant and masquerade, fays, "Those you shall fee Sir, and perhaps they may appear to more advantage, and be seen with more fatisfaction at the Theatres-Royal thàn Stratford CCC2 Man and Wife. Stratford ITSELF;" What liberal elegance of phrafeology! ITSELF. Having skretched this prelude, which by no means incurs the censure of being too witty; we are confident enough to pronounce the favourable reception it met, as an almost unparalleled proof of critical lenity: indeed, it contains such petitioning supplication, that mercy could not refuse her smiles, however impartial understanding was obliged to frown. As to the performance of Messieurs HULL, DYER and WROUGHTON bore up a dead weight of infipidity agreeable enough. The first scene of Man and WIFE, opens in a public house, full of that bustle and confufion which an overflow of company occasions: a gouty Land+ lord hobbles about, exerting his lungs though he cannot make much use of his feet; Luke the waiter's di rections to his substitutes, and naming the rooms after SHAKESPEARE's plays, are pleasant enough, the introduction of Buck, and his conversation with the waiter, have nature and spirit; Snarl seems introduced for nothing but to complain of his bed; mention of the little army that walked over him, is not strictly delicate, After the departure of these three, fresh hurry is occafioned by the arrival of the Birmingham coach, which, as we are informed, has been overturned; from this incident some humourous remarks arife, especially those made by the sea faring passenger, whose idea of flying, as it is called, conveys a whimsical effect. Indeed, all the paffengers, 2 Man and Wife. : gers, though short, are well supported, and the Landlady's account of the jubilee is very laughable. We do not much approve the stage coachman, who is drawn a civil creature, contrary to the wellknown behaviour of such gentry: his haftening the passengers should have been in a more peremptory stile; when the other passengers are gone, we perceive colonel Frankly remaining; who, on being told the coach is setting off, declares he will go no further: from his foliloquy we collect, that a loveaffair has brought him to Stratford, and that his mistress has reached it the day before. Marcourt, a coxcomb of the current year, and rival to Frankly, now enters in the tip of the riding mode: his dialogue is pleasant, spirited and fatirical; but we apprehend his intimate mention of Peers, with a very flight alteration, is borrowed from Clodio in the Fop's Fortune; the common affectation of riding, though scarce out of the streets; the journal of visiting on horseback, the sarcastical strokes against enormous club-wigs, Lilliputian hats, and some other peculiarities of the reigning fashion are humourously conceived and adequately expressed. The following stroke met with particular applause, and in a great measure de served it, where Frankly says, "Do you intend to shew yourself as one of the characters of SHAKESPEARE." Marcourt replies, "No faith; fuch an original did not exist in his days." We agree with our author, that perhaps an exact similitude cannot be traced; but are not Ostrick, Lucio, &c. Marcourt's |