necessary catalogue of names, most of which are but little and fome not at all known. Worthy, who in no degree deserves his name, being void, as far as we fee, of virtue as well as vice, is fuch an unseasoned water-gruel, tame, pitiful lover, that he must be an estimable performer who shields him from absolute contempt, which by a well-adapted placidity of performance, Mr. HULL agreeably effects, having judgment to inform him where mediocrity is merit. Sylvia, the capital lady, has spirit and sense but the former runs her into female quixotism, and the latter often dwindles into licentiousness; her disguise and the situation it consequently throws her into is very indelicate; the scheme by which she obtains her wishes, wild, improbable, and culpable-yet while Mrs. WOFFINGTON filled this character, there was not a more agreeable one on the stage, equally degagée in the female and male femblance, she ravished in both; rendering even abfurdities pleasing by the elegance of her appearance and vivacity of her expression; as far as her figure would admit, Mrs. PRITCHARD was excellent : at present, Miss MACKLIN justly enjoys a considerable share of reputation in it, having spirit of expression, sensibility of look, delicacy of emphafis, and gentility of deportment. Melinda is a vicious heap of inconsistencies, with a shallow head and bad heart, without a single circumstance or speech worth notice, except fome which call for cenfure; I never saw any body ex hibit her who deserved the least mention in criticifm; 3 cism; Lucy is an obfcure, worthless engine of the under-plot-Rofe is a pleasing, well-drawn picture of rural innocence and humourous simplicity; in performance, I shall say just the same of her as of Cherry in the Stratagem. The unities of time and place are tolerably well preserved in this comedy; but the plot has no trace of a moral, and the catastrophe is huddled up without any degree of poetical justice-Sylvia, by the bye, a dangerous lesson for young ladies-in consequence of hazarding her virtue, obtains her wishes-Melinda gains the man she has used infamoufly, and Worthy gets the woman he would have debauched; while poor, inoffenfive Brazen is left, unrepining, to folace himself with twenty recruits instead of twenty thousand pounds: in short, it appears that our author, whose dialogue is unaffected and pleasant, considered entertainment more than instruction; so that I shall venture to affirm, the Recruiting Officer, though it may make us merry, both in the closet and on the stage, will never leave any useful impreffions from either, MAC : 1 1 MACBETH. Written by SHAKESPEARE. P It may be faid; that interdicting such poetical auxiliaries would cramp genius, and deprive us of many unparalleled beauties; to this the answer is plain, that nothing which has not a good effect, or ar at least an inoffensive tendency should be deemed beautiful, or stand in estimation. From what is thus premised, we hope, no other charge will be laid against Shakespeare, than the barbarous and credulous taste of the times in which he wrote, and to which he fubmitted, with possibly an oblique design of flattering the favourite opinion of James the first; yet allowing this to be really the cafe, it cannot exculpate his preternatural beings, as fuch, from rational cenfure for the reafons assigned above, notwithstanding the author had hiftorical tradition to countenance his introduction of them; after this general, and, we hope, just objection against the weird sisters, we are to take the piece as it stands, and confider distinctly its feveral component parts. Macbeth commences with all the apparatus of terror-a storm! a desart! and three withered hags of little less than infernal appearance; their short conference is full of meaning, and a kind of oracular obscurity; their sudden disappearance gains a defire in the spectators to fee them again, and to know in what fort of business such extraordinary agents are to be employed; but I know not why they should fink under the stage, immediately after pronouncing these words, " Hover through the fog and " filthy air." The King's appearance to hear an account of the battle; that account, related by a wounded officer, with such energy of description, and so much to the honour of Duncan's generals; are good preparations to possess us of the heroic part part of Macbeth's character-but why this express The witches, at their next meeting, question each The notice taken of these odd appearances by Banquo, is such as would naturally occur to a man of sense and spirit; and their alternate climax of congratulation to Macbeth much in character; him they hail in plain and positive terms of prophecy, which throws him, very judiciously, into a state of filent and confused reflection; the author well knew, that no words at this period would equal the more fuitable speech of countenance and action; therefore makes Banquo, whose open, disinterested heart takes no alarm, fill up a well-adapted paufe of the principal character, by questioning the sisters concerning himself; their replies to him are flattering, but ænigmatical, and seem to rouse Macbeth to a curiosity of further information, which, however, is properly checked, for this time, by the departure of the Witches: in his speech to them, VOL. I. thero M 1 1 |