The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor Part 8

On Monday the 19th inst. a large audience a.s.sembled at the theatre with the expectation of seeing the Foundling of the Forest performed for the benefit of Mr. Cone. Unfortunately, Mr. Wood, whose performance of De Valmont const.i.tutes the princ.i.p.al attraction in the representation of that play, was suddenly seized with an indisposition so very severe as to demand medical a.s.sistance, and confine him to his room. It was then too late to issue new bills or advertis.e.m.e.nts, and nothing was left to Mr. Cone but to throw himself on the good nature of his audience, and to request their acceptance of another play: with some opposition on the part of a discontented few, "the Way to get Married" was accepted as a subst.i.tute for that which was promised.

Influenced by a laudable zeal for the discharge of his duty, Mr.

Wood, though still very feeble, ventured to promise himself to the public for the character of De Valmont on Friday. As soon as his name appeared in the bills, a report was circulated through the city that he was to be a.s.saulted: that is to say that he had so highly offended that _high and mighty body of gentlemen_ apprentices and else who swagger in good broadcloth clothes and bra.s.s b.u.t.tons in the theatre, by not leaving his bed of sickness for the amus.e.m.e.nt of their high mightinesses, that they had resolved to hiss and drive him off the stage. Those who were most prompt to condemn the insolence and indecency of the band alluded to, thought that such a design would be an outrage too unjust, too stupid even for such persons as their high mightinesses; and, therefore, refused to give it credit. In this, however, they very much underrated the _modesty_ and _good nature_ of their "high mightinesses," since half the barbers in the city were amused with the threats uttered by those doughty champions of what they would do to Mr. Wood. The consequence was that that gentleman felt it necessary to humiliate himself with an apology, in order to escape the wrath of a set of obscure chaps, not one of whom perhaps could reasonably aspire to sit in his company.

The private character of Mr. Wood is almost as well known as his professional: by the most respectable part of the community he is highly valued for his personal worth. No one could suspect him of wilfully neglecting his duty, or acting the part of dishonour.

Indeed, what motive could he have to injure Mr. Cone? He cannot, surely, look upon that gentleman as a rival. But, if he could harbour such a wish, his moral and intellectual character stands too high, to allow a suspicion of his employing such means--means so base and so bungling, that it may well be wondered at how even their high mightinesses could think of them. The truth is, no such thing was imagined--the whole had its root in causes which more deeply concern the public than Mr. Wood or Mr. Cone. A set of ignorant self-conceited young despots have erected themselves into a body of riot, for the purpose of controling the theatre, and bullying, not only the actors but the audience. Mr. Cone has really no more to do with it than Mr. Cooke or Mr. Kemble; but these fellows use him as drunken Irishmen in fairs are known to use their great coats. These champions of the _real_ cudgel draw their great coats along with the skirts trailing on the ground, and keeping their eyes fixed upon them, cry, in order to kick up a riot, "Who dare tread upon my coat."

It behoves the citizens in general to interfere in some way and prevent those shameful outrages upon their rights and feelings.

Places of amus.e.m.e.nt ought to be resorts of good-humour and peace--not rendezvous for swaggering petulant bullies. The law ought to be called in to prevent a repet.i.tion of such offences. For certainly there are legal provisions to answer the purpose. If not, it were better to shut up the playhouse at once than have it open, a school of riot and impertinence.

If these men be really the friends of Mr. Cone, they certainly take the very worst way to show it. Mr. Cone's own talents and the unbia.s.sed judgment of the public are more substantial grounds for him to rely upon, than all that the whole body of Hectors could do for his support or advancement. They have long been the pest of the playhouse, and always the worst enemies of those whose cause they have officiously a.s.sumed to espouse. It is but justice to Mr. Cone to declare our firm persuasion that he has too much sense, and too much honour to wish for the interference of men whose pretended friends.h.i.+p cannot fail to subject any person who is its object to public odium and to the dislike and suspicion of every wise, honest and respectable gentleman in the community.

Mr. Lewis, the player, on his late retirement from the stage, reminded the public that he had been six and thirty years playing to them, and had never once received the slightest disapprobation. Had a fragment of the ignorant mob of London been permitted to rule the theatre he would have been hissed a thousand times, if it were for nothing else but his superior merit. This we can affirm, that Mr.

Wood is at least as inoffensive as Mr. Lewis.

INDEX.

A Actors, animadversion on WOOD, in Rapid, 62 Rolla, 65 Reuben Glenroy, 67 Harry Dornton, 73 Bob Handy, 76 Alonzo, 229, 337 Jaffier, 337 Copper Captain, 339 Prince of Wales, 339 CONE, Alonzo, 65 Henry, 76 WARREN, Las Casas, 65 Abel Handy, 76 Falstaff, 344 Cacafogo, 344 JEFFERSON, Frank Oatland, 62 Orozimbo, 65 Cosey, 67 Goldfinch, 73 Farmer Ashfield, 75 M'KENZIE, Sir Hubert Stanley, 62 Pizarro, 65 Old Norval, 155 FRANCIS, Vortex, 62 Trot, 68 Mrs. WOOD, Jessy Oatland, 62 Cora, 66 Mrs. FRANCIS, Mrs. Vortex, 62 Dame Ashfield, 76 Mrs. SEYMOUR, 62 PAYNE, in Douglas, 145 Octavian, 220 Frederick, 221 Zaphna and Selim, 222 Tancred, 222 Romeo, 223 COOPER, Oth.e.l.lo, 225 Zanga, 227 Richard, 230 Pierre, 230 Hamlet, 231 Macbeth, 231 Hotspur, 234 Michael Ducas, 234 Alexander, 422 Antony, Jul. Caes. 420 WEST, 68, bis DWYER, Belcour, 425 Tangent, 427 Ranger, 427 Vapid, 427 Liar, 427 Rapid, 427 Sir Charles Racket, 427 Advice to conductors of magazines, 402 aeschylus, 114, 189 Alleyn, the player, account of, 45 Anecdotes and good things d.i.c.k the Hunter, 92 Dr. Young, 181 Oth.e.l.lo burlesqued, 181 Voltaire, 184 Louis XIV. 184 Mara and Florio, 185 Macklin, 247, 248, 397, 408, 409 Mozart, the composer, 257 Old Wignell, 343 Macklin and Foote, 397 Impertinent _Pet.i.t Maitre_, 406 Curious Slip Slop, 406 Specific for blindness, 407 Kemble and a stage tyro, 407 Kemble's bon mot on Sydney playhouse, 407 Irish forgery, 407 Woman and country magistrate, 408 French dramatic, 481 Bacon and cabbage, 485 Apparition, sable or mysterious bell-rope, 325 Aristophanes, 269 Authors' benefits see Southern, 502

B Barry, the great player, account of, 298 Bedford, duke of, monument, 317 Betterton, the great actor, 133, 213 Biography, 24, 118, 202, 357 Bull, a dramatic one, 505

C Carlisle, countess of, opinion of drama, 398 Catalani, madam, 96 Cibber, Colley, his merit, 506 Coffee and Chocolate, account of, 311 Cone, see actors Cooper, life of, 28 Cooper, see actors Cooper, account of his acting, 223 Correspondence on abuses of the Theatre, 103, 104 ----, from Baltimore on Theatricals, 157 ----, from New-York, ditto, 414

D Dramatic Censor, 49, 141, 220, 337, 414 Drama, Grecian, 109, 189, 269, 350 ----, lady Carlisle's opinion on, 398 Dwyer, actor, 235 ----, see actors.

Dramaticus, 251, 328, 502 Dungannon, famous horse, 500

E Edenhall, luck of, old ballad, 487 Edward and Eleonora, remarks on, 502 English, parallel between English men and English mastiffs, by cardinal Ximenes, 88 Epilogues, humorous ones after tragedies censured, 400 Euripides, 195

F Francis, see actors ----, Mrs., ibid.

Fullerton, actor, driven to suicide, 504

G German Theatre, vindication of, by Dramaticus, 251 Gifford, Wm. life of, 357, 447 Greek drama, 109, 189, 269, 350

H History of the stage, 9, 109, 189, 269, 350, 431 High Life below Stairs, account of, 506 Hodgkinson, biography of, 202, 283, 368, 457

I Irish bulls, specimen of, 455 Jefferson, see actors

L Lear, essay on the alterations of it, 391 Le Kain, the French actor, account of, 438 Lewis, his retirement from the stage, 185 Literary World, what is it? 406 Longevity, instance of, 496 Lover general, a rhapsody, 399

M Macklin checked practice of hissing, 504 Man and Wife, a comedy, 188 Menander, 350 Metayer Henry, anecdote of with Theobald, 503 M'Kenzie, see actors Milton and Shakspeare, comparison between, 248 Miscellany, 96, 173, 241, 307, 384, 467 Music, 81, 257 ----, Oh think not my spirits are always as light, a song by Anacreon Moore, 83 ----, Irish, 161 Musical performance, expectation of a grand one, 428

N New-York reviewers impeached, 505 Nokes, comedian, 381

O O'Kelly's horse Dungannon, 500 Originality in writing, Voltaire's idea of, 184 Otway, observations on, 502

P Payne, American young Roscius, criticised on, 141, 220, 241 ----, see actors Pedestrianism, humorous essay on, 262 Players celebrated compared with celebrated painters, 387 Plays, names of, attached to each No.

Foundling of the Forest, No. I Man and Wife, No. II Venoni, No. III New Way to pay Old Debts, No. IV Alfonso, king of Castile, No. V The Free Knights, No. VI Plays criticised in the Censor Cure for the Heart-ach, 59 Pizarro, 62 Town and Country, 66 Ella Rosenberg, 69 Wood Demon, 71 Abaellino, 73 Road to Ruin, 73 Speed the Plough, 74 Man and Wife, 188 Foundling of the Forest, 80, 345 Africans, 418 Poetry Tom Gobble, 97 English bards and Scotch reviewers, extract from, 98 Occasional prologue on the first appearance of Miss Brunton, afterwards Merry and Warren, at Bath, 121 Latin verses on do. and translation, 124 Prologue on first appearance, of the same lady in London, by A. Murphy, 126 Duck shooting, 172 A true story, 183 Lewis's address on taking leave of Ireland, 187 On the death of Mrs. Warren, 246 Descent into Elisium, 253 Gracy Nugent, by Carolan, 261 O never let us marry, 324 Epilogue by Sheridan, censuring humourous ones after tragedies, 401 Logical poem on chesnut horse and horse chesnut, 404 Quin, an anecdote in verse, 409 Luck of Edenhall, 487 The parson and the nose, 495 Solitude, advantages of for study, 495 Soldier to his horse, 499 Prospectus, 1

R Reviews of New-York impeached, 505

S Seymour, Mrs. see actors She would and she would not, merit of, 506 Southern, 502 Socrates, death of, 280 Sophocles, 189 SPORTING, 85, 164, 262, 410, 499 Spain, divertiss.e.m.e.nts in, 495 Strolling Player, a week's journal of, 396 Stage, history of, 8, 9, 109, 189, 269, 350

T Taylor, Billy, critique on ballad, 467 Thespis, account of, 113 Theobaldus Secundus, 173, 241, 307, 384 Theatre, misbehaviour there, 267 Theobald, his theft from Metayer, 503 Theatrical contest, Barry and Garrick, in Romeo, 507 Thornton, Col. his removal from York to Wilts, 164

V Voltaire, his idea of originality in writing, 184

W Warren, Mrs. life of, 118 Warren, actor, see actors West, see actors Wit, pedigree of, by Addison, 406 Wife, essay on the choice of, 477 Wood, actor, see actors ----, Mrs., ibid.

Y Young, celebrated actor, 236

Z Zengis, so unintelligible audience not understand it, 507

Errors and Inconsistencies: The Mirror of Taste

Spellings were changed only when there was an unambiguous error, or the word occurred elsewhere with the expected spelling. Lower-case t.i.tles such as "lady Macbeth" and "captain Barclay" are used regularly.

No attempt was made to regularize the use of quotation marks, except to supply those that were clearly missing. Nested double quotes are standard and were not changed. A few missing or incorrect punctuation marks in the Index were silently regularized.

_Unchanged:_

Apollonius[1] of Thyana, "Oh cussa heart [mismatched quotes]

his play of Amphytrion His younger cotemporary [standard spelling for this publication]

he avows his villany [common spelling]

_Corrected:_

which occasioned him to be called ?s?????? [?s?????s]

in the case already mentioned [men/ed at line break]

as the only valuable levellers [valuabe]

so flat, and unaffecting a manner [unaffecing]

many of the German plays are highly exceptionable [exeptionable]

_Punctuation and Typography:_

HA! I LIKE NOT THAT [_Printed in small capitals, with ordinary lower-case "no"

in "NOT"_]

... spoke the words "this is a sorry sight," better. [missing "]

an ornament to his profession." [missing "]

Miss Smith ... is spoken of as follows: "Macbeth by Mr. Kemble ...