blished in Paris, in which the author needed only to enter his name, and he had no further trouble to take. The office had its correspondents and cashiers all over the country, and accounted to the author for his full profits, at a commission of two per cent. At the expiration of the two first years, the author of any popular piece might rely on having cleared nearly £1000 sterling. After that, the profits somewhat decreased; but if the author had produced two or three such pieces, he not only provided a confortable maintenance for himself and family during his life, but also for his children after his death.

ORIGIN OF THE DRAMA.

ABOUT the eighth century, says Warton, trade was principally carried on by means of fairs, which lasted several days. Charlemagne established many great marts of this kind in France, as did William the Conqueror, and his Norman successors in England. The merchants, who frequented these fairs in numerous caravans or companies, employed every art to draw the people together. They were, therefore, accompanied by Jugglers, Minstrels, and Buffoons, who were no less interested in giving their attendance,

and exerting all their skill on these occasions. As now, but few large towns existed; no public spectacles or popular amusements were established; and as the sedentary pleasures of domestic life and private society were yet unknown, the fairtime was the season for diversion. In proportion as these shows' were attended and encouraged, they began to be set off with new decorations and improvements; and the arts of buffoonery being rendered still more attractive by extending their circle of exhibition, acquired an importance in the eyes of the people. By degrees, the clergy, observing that the entertainments of dancing, music, and mimicry, exhibited at these protracted annual celebrities, made the people less religious, by promoting idleness and love of festivity, proscribed those sports, and excommunicated the performers. Finding, however, that little or no regard was paid to their censures, they changed their plan, and determined to take these recreations into their own hands. They turned actors, and instead of profane mummeries, presented stores taken from the Bible. This was the origin of the sacred Comedy. The death of St. Catherine, query, from what part of the Bible was this taken?) acted by the monks of St.

Denis, rivalled the popularity of the professed players. Music was admitted into the Churches, which served as theatres for the representation of holy farces (as indeed they do in Spain and Italy to the present day.) The festivals among the French, called the fête des foux, de l'ane, and des innocens, at length became great favourites, as they certainly were more capricious and absurd than even the interludes of the buffoons at the fairs. On the whole, the Mysteries appear to have originated among the Ecclesiastics, and were, most probably, first acted, with any degree of form, by the monks. This was certainly the case in the English Monasteries.

CUSTOMS OF THE FRENCH STAGE.

THE performers of Paris used, in former times, to purchase the pieces offered for representation, in proportion to the celebrity of the authors: (it would seem, without consulting the merits of the plays.)-In 1653, Quinault, having written the comedy of the "Rivales," begged of Tristan to sell it to the company. Upon the supposition that Tristan was the author, the performers agreed to give a hundred crowns for it; but when Tristan undeceived them by telling them it was the production of a young man, they retracted,

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and would only give half that sum. Tristan, on the other hand, proposed that Quinault should be allowed the ninth part of the receipts, whenever the play should be performed, to which they assented and this practice has continued ever after. The afterpiece was not introduced on the French-stage, until 1722. Before that period, it was the custom, after the eighth or tenth performance of the principal piece, when its novelty was assumed to have somewhat abated, to present the petite piece. To do away the chance of this disadvantageous assumption, M. de la Mothe caused an afterpiece to be given after "Romulus," on its first night, and his example soon became universal.

MOSSOP, AND MRS. BURDEN.

Mossop, when he had a good house, instead of endeavouring to extricate himself in any degree from the multiplicity of difficulties which surrounded him, grew desperate, and instead of paying either tradesmen or performers, flew to the gay circles, where he was gladly admitted, and endeavoured to mend his broken fortunes by the chance of a die, or by the turn of a card, of which he was unacquainted with the necessary arts to succeed. He has often left the Theatre with a

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hundred pounds in his pocket, and returned home with an aching head and heart; but his guineas, with debts of honour, were all left behind. Countess of Brandon served him greatly, it is true; but often the money which she occasioned being paid at the theatre returned to her own coffers. This was the universal opinion in Dublin, and is all that can be alleged in that case as to its authenticity; and as to Mossop's poverty, there needs no evidence of that unfortunate reality.

This conduct, and a train of evils attendant thereon, soon pressed upon his health, involved his talents with himself, and still more soured that temper, which was naturally none of the best. An instance of the poverty to which his performers were reduced in 1764, will give a tolerably correct representation of this." The Distressed Mother" was to be acted-Orestes, Mr. Mossop; Andromache, Mrs. Burden. The salaries had not been paid for several weeks, and she was, in her true character, the distressed woman. With great difficulty she obtained access to the general of the theatrical corps, for it was hard to accomplish admittance, on account of several inconvenient reasons, unless it were a Sunday; and even on that grand levee day, performers and