to marry his daughter, he thinks he will keep the fecret for his own fake. Ned Rapid, however, publicly informs Ellen and young Stanley of the fwindling tranfaction. Stanley receives the hand of his Ellen, young Rapid that of Jeffy Oatland, Old Oatland is reinftated in his farm, and "A Cure for the Heart Ache," is proved to be honefty and a clear confcience. In juftice to Mr. Morton, we confefs this to be the moft agreeable melange we ever witneffed. Sentiment, pathos, fire, wit, mirth, fatire, and every requifite for a modern Comedy, is to be found in "A Cure for the Heart Ache." The performers were throughout excellent: Mr. Fawcett, however, we must notice in particular; we never faw him to more advantage: his acting, in the purse scene, must be confidered a mafterpiece of its kind. The incomparable Mrs. Mattocks (who has but lately recovered from a fit of illness) owing to her exertions to please an applauding audience, was fo much exhaufted, that on her laft exit the fainted away. The Prologue delivered by Mr. Macready, the Epilogue by Mrs. Mattocks: the former fentimental; the latter, fatirical, we fuppofe to be written by M. P. Andrews, Efq. Neither of them, however, were particularly ftriking.-The Mafque of Comus (for the first time this feafon) followed" A Cure for the Heart Ache."-WANTING-more appropriate Dresses for the characters of this piece: they were not fufficiently masked. JAN. 11. A Cure for the Heart Ache-Harlequin and Oberon. 12. Third night (by Command of their Majefties) A Cure for the Heart Ache-Harlequin and Oberon. We cannot but congratulate Mr. Morton on this peculiar mark of Royal favour. JAN. 13. Abroad and at Home-Harlequin and Oberon. 14. A Cure for the Heart Ache-Ditto. JAN. JAN. 16. Abroad and at Home-Harlequin and Oberon. 17. A Cure for the Heart Ache-Ditto. 18. Ditto-Ditto. 19. (By Command of their Majefties) Abroad and at Home-Harlequin and Oberon. 20. A Cure for the Heart Ache-Ditto. Retrospect of NEW PERFORMERS, and Old Performers in New Parts. Tuesday evening (Dec. 27) we witnessed a new attempt on the boards of Covent-Garden, in the part of Gay's Polly,' by a Mrs. Addifon. The lady paffed through the ordeal of her first appearance, without exciting much applaufe in the amateurs of mufic; nor did her acting leave an impreffion on us which could induce a hope that more energy will, in future, be given to her performance of the fame character. Mrs. A.'s principal unhappiness arifes in the want of force for the upper notes, and a general disregard of the fhakes fo judicioufly fprinkled over the airs in Polly. Befides, it requires fomething more than at present is evinced by this lady, to play against Mrs. Martyr's Lucy. Polly Peachum is not a part wherein we fhould expect, by any means, a polish to the diction; but Mrs. A. ftands not alone among the Singers who almoft habitually fmother the meaning of what they speak and fing; for it must be acknowledged, that an English Opera is not to be jabbered over with the politic-difpatch of the Italian, where a certain quantity of fqualling is invari. ably substituted in the room of sense. To have done with Mrs. Addison-The last remark attaches to several male fingers of both houses, in whom the fault is more reprehenfible, and ought to receive feverer punishment. Incledon is wonderfully free from this cenfure, except in pronouncing the, which he should be informed is not fpelt thaa; the frequent recurrence of this article hurts the ear of any one alive to the genius of real English. In the comic parts, affigned to Bannister and Suett, at at one houfe, and to Munden at the other, a fpecies of alteration of the author's words frequently takes place, contrary to his original meaning, and contrary to grammar, sense, and propriety. Whether thefe performers thus metamorphofe according to their own puny judgments, or whether they are apeing the great man at ALTERATIONS, is quite immaterial:-the Public should not permit, nor can we filently pass over, fuch repeated infults to the understandings of a London audience. January 3.-Covent-Garden-Mrs. Mountain was -this evening-accepted as a fubftitute for Mrs. Second. In the finging, perhaps, she is not fo enchanting; but, in fenfe and paffion, the furpaffes Mrs. Second. January 17.-Covent-Garden.-Owing to the indifpofition of Mr. Lewis, the part of Ned Rapid, in "A Cure for the Heart Ache," was affumed by Mr. Knight, with credit to himself, and fatisfaction to a numerous audience. From the very fhort time allotted to Mr. Knight for getting up this character, we thought it impoffible for him to have appeared even decent: an agreeable furprize, however, proved him capable of giving its full energy. And, though the eccentric vivacity of the Manager claims our frequent admiration, we cannot help thinking, that there was more of nature in the performance of Mr. Knight. Seldom can new actors, on the London boards, be indulged with a part fuitable to their genius: this is the first time on which Knight has been fo favoured; and we hope, for his own merit, and the gratification of the public, that the favour will now be repeated. January 18.-Drury-Lane. This evening a young lady made her first appearance, in the character of Margaretta, in "No Song No Supper." The effects of a genuine diffidence prevented her from giving that force to the higher notes of the piece, which otherwife the might have done. In the air "Plaintive Ditty," the was particularly enchanting; and evinced that expreffion of fentiment, which ever accompanies the natural exertions of a juft and delicate taste. B. Literary Review. Tis with our judgments as our watches; none POPE. ART. I. Efay on National Pride. To which are added, Memoirs of the Author's Life and Writings. Tranflated from the original German of the late celebrated Dr. J. G. Zimmerman, Aulic Counsellor and Phyfician to his Britannic Majefty at Hanover. By Samuel Hull Wilcocke. 8vo. pp. 260. 5s. boards. Dilly, 1797. EW writers have the happy talent of giving to rug Either the great Zimmerman is not of that number, or his tranflator is inadequate to the task he has here undertaken: we should be inclined to adopt the latter opinion, were not many pages of this Effay more fiery and embodied than others; from which we gather, (never having feen the original) that, had the defect refted with Mr. Wilcocke, no part of the prefent work, more than another, would have manifested the Author of the Treatife on Solitude. We fhall first take the following general strictures: "Self-conceit always exalts a man above his proper level, and perverts his right perception of the fitnefs of things. Every prince must have his court days and his ambaffadors, be his dominions three miles or three hundred in extent; every nobleman his attendants and pages, whether his revenue juftifies fuch oftentation or not; and every fhop-keeper's wife, whether the fells tape by the yard or pins by the hundred for fix days, muft, on the feventh, be a fine lady. A VOL. I. G blockhead blockhead will ever extol the depth of his penetration; the knave his honey; the blind follower of a particular religious tenet his thorough conviction of its infallibility; the hypocrite his piety; the upstart his nobility; the demirep her virtue: the old maid her chastity; which the indeed, often to her forrow, retains for want of its ever having been tempted; the idle and infignificant can pertly engross the whole of a conversation, of which they make themselves the topic, without feeling how much they deprefs men of sense on fuch occafions. There is not a youthful coxcomb in the universe, who would barter his head for that of the most eminent genius; nor a wealthy fcoundrel that cares for any kind of merit, but the cunning that has brought him his riches; and no virtue can counterbalance the glittering gewgaws of coronets and embroidery in the eyes of a titled ignoramus. Those who indulge in felf-conceit generally go farther, and not only love their opinions like themselves, but look with fcorn on all who entertain different ideas, and who do not exactly give the preference to what they esteem worthy of it. The idler pities the bufy fool that is ever immersed in the occupations of trade; the hunter despises the fellow that cannot talk of dogs and horses; the gamester thinks those who care not for cards little better than clods; the burgomaiter who magisterially gives importance to trifles, and the counsellor who fcribbles his decifion on the cafes that are brought for his confideration with the fame ease that he gulps down his wine, afk with haughty felf-fufficiency, what good the pedant does who can employ his time no better than to write a book? To him who has no fenfibility of foul, all the nobler, the purer emotions of the heart, seem abfurd and ridiculous; the man who does not feel the poignancy of genuine wit ftares at the applause it excites; while on the other hand low jokes, puns, and obscene allufions, form a fund of entertainment to congenial vulgar minds; to giddy girl, whofe hearts pant for a fop, and whole lot is often a fool, the manly accomplishment of knowledge, fense, and ferioufnefs of character, are of no worth; men of a churlish temper look on the enchanting features, the foftly alluring eyes and graceful mien of the lovely daughters of our general mother, merely as childish play things, unworthy the attention of the lords of the creation; mercenary mercantile fouls, who |