CORIOLANUS. Thine too thefe golden keys, immortal boy! Or ope the facred fource of fympathetic tears GRAY, Vignette. Head-piece. THERE is fcarce any other play of our author's, fo barren of fubjects for engravings, as this tragedy of Coriolanus. Volumnia is much too grofs and mafculine to be any ways interrefting; and the modeft and amiable Virgilia makes her appearance too feldom to be the fubject of more than one print. Notwithstanding the many fine fentiments scattered throughout this play, we do not meet with many concerns that touch the heart, or that forcibly engage the attention. THE situations in which Coriolanus might be drawn to most advantage, are at the pages 341, 352, 358, 367, 377, 428, 434, 437, 439, 440, 451, 482, 484 and 497. I WOULD wish to felect the Head-piece from page 352-and it may be an etching of the portrait of Coriolanus, as he appears in that page, at the moment of faying Pluto and hell!—and though there may be no neceffity to represent him as curfing, yet he should have in his appearances, (with his fword drawn) that animated and feroce paffion, which the dastardly fhrinking of his foldiers must have given rife to. The fame ornaments might be thrown round this Head-piece, which decorate the Vignette to Bell's laft edition. * His military drefs may be taken from the books which treat on the Roman antiquities; from the print in Hanmer; or from the Vignette to Bell's last edition. Scene Scene-Prints. SOME beautiful lines at page 377, will furnish a good picture of Coriolanus, and his wife Virgilia. It is needlefs to reprefent the other characters. The lines are thefe: Cor. My gracious filence, hail! Would'st thou have laugh'd, had I come coffin'd home, That weep'ft to fee me triumph? Ah! my dear, Such eyes the widows in Corioli wear, And mothers that lack fons. They might be drawn as half-lengths; and his dress may be partly taken Her head Her head may be gracefully de from Gravelot's print to Theobald. clining; and her hand clofed in his. The expreffion of, my gracious filence (fee the note to this page) fufficiently paints her character. Page 428. I FIND a difficulty, whether to give this page the preference to the words: There is a world elsewhere-in page 437-or to felect the words. Muft I go fhew them my unbar'd fconce? from this prefent page 428, for a portrait of Coriolanus, in the ftyle of Mortimer's etchings of heads from Shakespeare. I think he will appear to as much advantage in this prefent page. He will be drawn in the attitude of addreffing himself to the other characters; and muft of courfe bear the marks of that auftere dignity, and and haughty command, which of his mother—and as of one, gulf, than flatter him in a bower. vantage at the words: made him fo reluctantly obey the entreaties who had rather follow his enemy in a fiery Perhaps he would appear to equal ad To the market place. Page 451. We must not omit adorning this page, with a very fpirited reprefentation of the noble Coriolanus difclofing himself to his greatest enemy, Aufidius. We may draw them both as half-lengths; and Coriolanus may be in the moment of faying: If, Tullus, Not yet thou know'ft me, and feeing me, doft not Think me for the man I am, neceffity Commands me name myself. I MAY incur the cenfure of prefumption, in pofitively fixing on the above lines, as the most proper moment to reprefent them; but if this particular paffage should not be deemed the most beautiful point to draw them from; the whole fcene is very happily fo nobly drawn, that many other lines will afford the fulleft fcope for an artift's pencil. If the above lines are approved of, we may draw them at half-length; and though the tackle of the noble foldier is much torn; yet he must fhew himself a noble vessel. He may be in mean apparel-muffled upand his face, during the time of his fpeaking the above lines, should wear the marks of him, whom all tongues fpoke of-and to whom the nobles bended, as to fove's ftatue-but whofe ufual martial and commanding fierceness may be fomewhat foftened by a dejection arifing from his thanklefs countrymen. Equal juftice fhould be done to the noble minded Aufidius; and in order to imprefs us with a veneration for his pre fent |