beyond every thing we had before admir'd; how are we at length, on the appearance of Jaffeir, and his fuing to him for a reconciliation, aftonish'd to find that even this also was but a force of a fubordinate kind, and to fee that he has yet reserved an infinitely greater ftore of it, for that keenest of all refentments which is due to a violated friendship. Even the vehemence of that execration with which he leaves the fenate,

Curs'd be your fenate! curs'd your conftitution, The curfe of growing factions and divifions Still vex your councils, fhake your publick fafety, And make the robes of government you wear Hateful to you, as these base chains to me.

Is nothing when compar'd to that with which he tells the friend who had betray'd him,

Haft thou not wrong'd me? dar'ft thou call thyfelf That once lov'd valu'd friend of mine,

And fwear thou haft not wrong'd me? Whence these chains,

Whence this vile death that I may meet this moment,

Whence this dishonour, but from thee, thou bafe one!

-And wou'dft thou have me live on terms like thine,

Bafe as thou'rt falfe?

Leave me-Nay then thus, thus I throw thee

from me;

And curfes great as is thy falfehood catch thee.

Whoever has heard thefe and the reft of the keen and difdainful reproaches which Pierre juftly throws on his friend, utter'd from the mouth of Mr. Quin, will agree with us, that the whole compafs of the English ftage affords nothing greater; and yet these in this judicious performer, are but the fequel of a whole part, and that a long one, kept up throughout with due dignity and spirit.

CHA P. IV.

Whether it wou'd be to the Advantage of all Players to be of a diftinguished Figure?

Tquent

HERE are a great many people that frethe playhouses, who are lefs apt to be affected with those objects which are form'd to entertain the understanding, than with those deftin'd to act principally on the fenfes. These gentlemen are oftener drawn to the theatres by the names of the actreffes, than by thofe of the characters which they are there to perform; and as they are capable of judging of no perfections but those of figure and perfon, they are always difpofed to take an amiable face for a very great talent in a performer; and wou'd have even a Miftrefs Amlet or a Lady Bountiful, have a regular fet of features, a fnowy neck, or an elegant perfon.

Tell these people that there is a new actress to appear upon the ftage fuch a night, the first queftion they afk is, Is fhe handfome? And 'tis ten to one, but they forget to enquire at all whether fhe has any merit in the profeffion.

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The

The women pretend indeed that the figure of a performer of the other fex, is the article they leaft of all regard in him as an actor; but the player who has not fome perfonal charms about him, will always find it extremely difficult to get their good opinion. The criticifms that one hears among this part of an audience, always run more upon the imperfections or blemishes in the face or figure of the actor, than on those of his performance; and almoft on every occafion of this kind, we fhall find that the elegant or difagreeable mien of the player is what has most taken up their attention.

Whoever therefore wou'd propose to himself to acquire fame on the ftage, in the eye of the polite world, and to become the favourite of a numerous party, must remember that a graceful figure and an engaging afpect are almost abfolutely neceffury to it. We have had very few inftances in England, in which an actor has been able to make his way to applaufe in the higher characters without perfonal charms; and in France it is an allow'd truth, that no man ever did or ever will be a favourite in this capacity without them,

'Tis only the herd of an audience however that fall into this fort of abfurdity in their opinions; the better judges defpife fuch prejudices. They agree, that there are indeed fome characters, in which we find, by the conduct of the fcene, that the actor is out of nature if he have not fomething amiable about him. They do not deny that even in most other parts a good perfon in the actor, is far from being indifferent; but they affert with great truth and justice, that our nicety in requiring a good face and well proportion'd

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tion'd figure in the generality of performers is very abfurd and unreasonable when we carry it, as is ufually done, beyond its juft bounds. One cannot but acknowlege indeed that there is fome fort of juftice in the difguft which an audience is apt to exprefs at the difproportion'd and fhocking figures of fome who thruft themselves upon the ftage; but it is unpardonable, it is contrary to juftice, to our own interefts, and to the neceffities of a theatre, to determine against admitting into a company any man, of whatever merit he may be poffefs'd, if he happen not to have a face or shape more elegantly form'd than those of the common run of mankind.

There are indeed fome bodily imperfections which can never be fuffered in the player, tho' it is very poffible that people in real life may have them; nay even tho' the person whofe character they are to reprefent on the ftage actually had them. A hump'd back, or a leg half a foot fhorter than the other, would not have prevented Cæfar or Scipio from being in real life efteemed the firft and greatest men of the world; yet if a man, who had either of these natural imperfections, tho' he had all the merit imaginable as a player, fhou'd attempt with these very imperfections to reprefent heroes, who also had them, he wou'd be hifs'd, and perhaps pelted off the stage, for his abfurdity; we fhould never be able to bring ourselves to overlook thofe perfonal imperfections in the player, which the people of the age he liv'd in, might think it easy to overlook in the perfon; or ourfelves in the hiftory of the Heroe.

The Juftice Balance of the Recruiting Officer, might poffibly in real life have his face disfigured

by

by a wen, or drawn to one fide by a large fcar, and we should eafily have difregarded it; but we should never be able to reconc le the audience to a man, who, with either of these natural deformities, tho' join'd with ever so much merit, fhou'd attempt to perfonate the character of this generous friend and father.

Nay, we have had a proof that even the peculiar bodily imperfection which is mentioned in the play itself as belonging to the heroe of it; and which we even expect the performer shou'd counterfeit to us by boliters and bandages, yet if he be unhappy enough really to poffefs it, he offends us in the representation. There is fome where about town a perfon of the name of Machen, who has been long the darling of the theatres at the Blue Boar, the Tennis Court in James-Street, and fometimes of the Bartholomew-Booths; and who has of late been honour'd with the title of -the lame actor of low comedy in Mr. Foot's drolleries. This perfon has, from an habitual attendance on the players, and a labour'd imitation of them for perhaps forty years together, acquir'd a knack of fpeaking fomething that founds like tragedy declamation. It is his misfortune to be lame of one leg; which is fo much fhorter than the other, that the highest heel he can wear is not enough to raise that fide of his body to a level with the reft. Tragedy is the darling paffion of this player, and he concluded, from this natural imperfection, he was the fittest of all men to perform the character of Richard III. which Shakefpear himself (with how much justice we do not prefume to fay) has figured to us as lame.

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